There are now three commonly recognized generations in the work force, Generation Y (18-29), Generation X (30-47) and the Baby Boomers (48-65).  Each of these three generations grew up in distinctly different eras that helped impact and shape perspectives, expectations and cultures.  Each generation has certain stereotypes attached to them; although they are not necessarily universal there are some underlying truths.  Baby Boomers are seen as less comfortable with technology, change and diversity.  Generation X is seen as cynical, independent and hate being micro managed in the slightest.  Generation Y is seen as lazy, difficult to manage and are always looking for the next opportunity (Watt, 2010, p. 10). 

It is logical these views exist considering each of these groups grew up in distinctly different periods of history.  The Boomers grew up in a time when they made an impact on society by hard work and personal sacrifice which equated financial success.  Generation X was the first generation where it was typical to have both parents (the Boomers) in the workforce corresponding to why they grew up to be very independent and somewhat cynical.  Typically the most important value to this generation is a balance between their work and the rest of their life.  Finally, Generation Y has a very unique set of qualities that profoundly distinguishes them from the other two.  They are the most confident generation, as they grew up in a period where America was focused on the importance of self esteem.  Although the “Gen Y” parents were more dedicated to raising them, this is often taken to extremes.  A popular view is that there is too much parental control and dependency for a successful career because of parents trying to oversee the work and social activities of their grown children.  Human Resource Managers are finding they are fielding more and more calls from over-involved parents, but too many in Generation Y, this is how they grew up, this is what they know and they see nothing wrong with it (Glass, 2007, p. 98).

            Along with the stereotypical differences, there are the other major areas of disagreement between the generations.  It is human nature for people to judge other people based on their own values and experiences.  Whereas the Boomers prevailing attitude is “live to work”, the Gen X and Gen Y are much more “work to live”.  These perceptions of the different generations lead to major conflicts in the work place including how to communicate, expectations regarding feedback or the need for it, receiving rewards/bonuses and company loyalty. 

These different viewpoints have a direct impact on productivity on several levels.  The view that Boomers are not open to change can make younger employees reluctant to bring new ideas forward.  If employees are afraid to bring their ideas and creativity to the table it is stifling innovation which is one of the main components of productivity.  One generation may disapprove of those who leave work at exactly 5:00, those leaving resent the “dirty looks” they get walking out the door.  Consequently, this negatively impacts employee interaction and productivity; in turn the entire organization suffers as time, energy and emotions are wasted dealing with these issues instead of focusing on the needs of the business (Sago, 2000, p. 2). 

A relevant example of the loss of productivity due to generational difference is the on-going debate about Facebook.  This is a hot topic out in the workforce and one of the most complicated because it touches on many of the stereotypes and disagreement that spans the three age groups discussed.  The hours alone that have been spent debating the usefulness and effectiveness of Facebook had taken away from the more important concern of dealing with business.  Gen Y considers Facebook as an excellent way to network having hundreds, if not thousands, of contacts they can reach with one post.  Boomers consider networking as face to face interaction at a location, usually outside of the work place.  Both sides view this as unproductive and taking away from the work at hand when in reality all sides are letting the issue disrupt daily operations because they are busy focusing on what the other person is doing. 

Universally, businesses have to have some sort of marketing or advertising in order to survive and again this is based on generational perceptions.  Most Boomers, because of the era they grew up in, consider advertising to be actually printed in a magazine or newspaper of some sort.  Gen Y considers the only good and trustworthy advertising to be on the internet, where they do all their reading and research, and it is even better if it is recommended and/or endorsed online by a peer.  Gen X falls somewhere in the middle of this debate as they use both print and internet sources.  The man hours and money spent trying to determine which side is right has unequivocally taken away resources from developing new and innovative marketing concepts and plans without which a business will inevitable suffer.

Facebook is social media and many view it as way to stay connected to your friends and not considered as a tool to promote or conduct business.  Do employees just use Facebook for work related activities, absolutely not; however, it has massive potential for an organization and needs to be recognized and embraced as a part of the business environment. Instead of all sides looking at where the other is coming from and working together to understand the negatives and positives of social media, they hamper productivity and change by bickering amongst themselves as to who is right and who is wrong.

The good news is these generational differences causing friction seem to be caused by perception.  Workers from all three generations have common ground and want respect, flexibility, fairness and to do interesting and rewarding work (Kelly Services, 2009, p. 1).  Many times the conflicts that arise because of the diversified work force can be overcome by implementing programs, policies and practices that build a culture of inclusion (Watt, 2010, p. 10).  Some of these practices include:  First looking at the conflict to see if it is caused by a generational factor.  If it is considered to be part of the cause, it is helpful to create a forum where they productively share their perceptions in a respectful way.  Once the generational cause of the conflict is discovered and discussed, everyone can work together to resolve the disagreement, find commonality and learn from each other (Larry Johnson, Nov/Dec, p. 17).

Each generation has a lot to offer.  If everyone can learn from each other by acknowledging and appreciating the diversity of each generation through active management, productivity will increase automatically as people will be working together to solve problems and improve business practices.

Bibliography

Glass, A. (2007). Understanding Generational Differences for Competitive Success. Industrial and Commercial Training , 39 (2), p. 98.

Kelly Services. (2009, February 11). Bridging the Generation Gap. Retrieved March 10, 2011, from careerbuilder.com: http://www.careerbuilder.com/article/cb-1409-The-Workplace-Bridging?ArticleID=1409&cbRecursionCnt=1

Larry Johnson, M. J. (Nov/Dec, 2010). Resolving Intergenerational Workplace Conflict. Baseline (107), p. 17.

Sago, B. (2000, July). Uncommon Threads: Mending the Generation Gap at Work. Retrieved March 18, 2011, from ASAE: http://www.asaecenter.org/resources/articledetail.cfm?itemnumber=13100

Watt, D. (2010, March). Different Generations, Same Objectives. CA Magazine , 143 (2), p. 10.