Between Management and Leadership– A short time ago, a Consultant from the company and I had to give a conference-workshop, on the simultaneous presence of the different generations in organizations and the challenge that this means for their management and leadership; the audience was made up of a large number of people, mostly very young people, all supervisors, managers and project managers from the same organization. I tell you that it was an unforgettable experience because of the concerns, reflections, and conclusions that were reached. That fact has motivated me to share this experience with all of you.
The current generational world present in organizations
For the first time in history, four different generations coexist simultaneously in companies. Which constitutes a real challenge for the leader, to be able to efficiently manage such dissimilar personalities, each with their own characteristics, values and attitudes. (Manpower, 2010)
The generations that make simultaneous life in companies at the present time are:
- The traditionalists: born before 1946
They want to stay in organizations for the long term, they are very respectful of the organizational hierarchy, they love the structure, they have experience, knowledge and maturity and they give their best effort.
- The Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964
They give their best effort, (same as the previous generation) Accept authority in the workplace, seek consensus leadership, and are results-oriented
- Generation X, born between 1964 and 1976
They have technological knowledge, they like informality, they react disinterestedly to authority, they seek leadership by competence, they learn quickly, they seek a balance between work and life, they accept diversity.
- Generation Y (Net Generation), born between 1977 and 1997.
Gifted with technological knowledge, they like freedom, informality and virtual relationships, accept diversity, learn quickly, need training and supervision. They seek shared leadership. Observing the distinctive features of each generation, we can conclude that they think and act differently, possess different values, priorities and behaviors. Their expectations about life and work differ, their attitudes towards authority are not the same and they relate from their own styles with others from their generation and from other generations. Being aware of these differences is imperative for leaders since it will facilitate them identify meeting points, opportunities for complementarity and synergies; also detect possible sources of conflicts, to handle them properly, or avoid them in time.
Management style more appropriate for each generation
Undoubtedly, an ideal situation would be for leaders to be able to specifically manage each generation in particular, which is somewhat difficult due to the innumerable types of interactions they have to handle.
However, some practical recommendations that can make the difference are the following:
- Harmonize the contributions of the elderly and the young, providing recognition and respect to both groups.
- Adopt a facilitative management style that encourages working together and minimizes conflicts between generations.
- Listen and keep “in tune” with generations X-Y to support their common need for inclusion.
- Create innovative climates, with state-of-the-art resources and flexible hours
- Delegate tasks based on the strengths of each generation.
- Hold more sporadic and shorter meetings with Generations X and Y.
- Personalize educational programs.
Conclusions
The intergenerational presence, at present, in organizations, constitutes a major challenge for managers, supervisors and leaders, since each generation has its own characteristics, values, attitudes and reactions. Traditional leaderships are not effective in managing this diverse range of people. On the contrary, more innovative leadership approaches are needed, such as the figure of a Manager-Coach, which would guarantee that their collaborators, no matter what generation they belong to, incorporate skills that they require to achieve the highest levels of performance and that can identify and dissolve obstacles that are in it.
Reference: Rewriting the rules: Generational interaction at work. (Manpower, 2010).