Generations in the Workplace

What you learn in a training classroom can sometimes have surprising applications outside the work environment. A client of ours was watching the continuing drama between Denver Broncos' quarterback Jay Cutler and coach Josh McDaniels. This client has been through EPI's Connecting Generations in the Workplace course, and he sent me this question last week: Why hasn't the media mentioned anything about the generational differences between Cutler and McDaniels? In our client's opinion, McDaniels could have made amends a long time ago if he would have just paid attention to Cutler's generational needs.

The emailed question was a joke, of course, but our client still has a point. Organizations across the globe--from banks to professional football franchises--are finding that having four generations under one roof can lead to conflict. Motivating forces, methods for praise and reward, core values, and preferences for communication all vary by generation. We certainly don't mean people can be completely defined by their generation, but knowing what makes each generation tick can help eliminate communication breakdown and escalations in conflict such as the situation between Cutler and McDaniels.

Here's a glimpse at the two generations and how the preferences of each might be impacting the Broncos' situation.

Gen X
Josh McDaniels is an Xer. Given the typical Gen X traits below, you can see why McDaniels probably felt that considering an offer to trade Cutler, even an unsolicited one, was just good business, and not something that would generate offense.

Xers are independent, self-reliant and skeptical.

• More moms entering the workforce meant the first generation of latchkey kids taking care of themselves after school.

• Xers focus tends to be on the individual rather than on the team or community, and they are reluctant to commit to relationships.

Xers have a pragmatic and practical approach to work.

• Between seeing their parents get laid off and entering the workforce in the slow economy of the 1980s, Xers don't trust "the company," and therefore feel less loyalty than other generations. If an Xer isn't finding what she wants/needs in the workplace, she won't hesitate to look elsewhere.

• "It's not personal, it's business." Xers want to do their work and get on to their real lives.

Millennial/Gen Y
Jay Cutler is a Millennial/Gen Y (both terms are used to describe the generation after Gen X, born roughly from 1980-2000). By looking at the Millennial traits below, you can see how McDaniels entertaining a trade offer would have put Cutler on the defensive.

Millennials are individualistic, optimistic and community-oriented.

• Unlike Gen X, this generation grew up in a very child-focused world. They've been the center of their parents' attention and praised for every milestone, and they're very confident in their individual value and competence.

• Millennials are very social and place a high value on community. They utilize technology to constantly keep in contact with their friends and family. In fact, they consider their friends as part of their family.

Millennials have a team-focused, structured and personal approach to work.

• The line between personal and public life is blurred for Millennials. They expect to have friends at work and bring their love for community and socialization to the workplace. They want to have a relationship with their supervisor, and they prefer team projects to individual work.

• Millennials prefer a structured workplace. They acknowledge and respect position and title and they place a high value on integrity.

• This is a generation of excellent multi-taskers and hard workers, and they know it. They are used to getting constant praise, and this expectation transfers to the workplace. They view their accomplishments and the praise (or lack thereof) for those accomplishments personally.

Based on these descriptions, what do you think? Could generational differences be one of the contributing factors to the Cutler-McDaniels conflict?

Posted by Jenny Beer