1.
Understanding Generational
Differences
Presented by:
Debbie Jones

2.
What makes a Generation?
“The events and conditions each of us
experiences during our formative years
determines who we are and how we see the
world.
As a result of these events and conditions, each
generation has adopted its own “generational
personality.”
- Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman
When Generations Collide

3.
What is a ‘generatio gap?’
The term “generation gap” was created to
mean the empty space in which people
born of different times do not understand
each other because of their differing
attitudes, values, communication, and
interests.

4.
Why Should We Care?
1. Increased interaction
2. The era we grew up in shapes us and gives
us our perspective.
3. Potential for increased conflict

5.
How can understanding
generational differences help us?
 Help people discover the values of each
group
 Help different age groups relate to one
another better
 Help us have more concern and appreciation
for the issues of each era.
Help us to learn what motivates the members
of each generation

6.
Generation Types
 Traditionals
 Born between 1922 – 1945
 Baby Boomers
 Born between 1946 – 1964
Generation X
 Born between 1965 - 1980
Generation Y
 Born between 1981 – 2000
Homelanders
 Born between 2001 – Present

7.
Traditionals
(also known as the Silents or Matures)
Born Between 1922 - 1945
“The difficult we do at once; the impossible takes a
bit longer.”
- Motto of the Seabees

8.
Events that Define Them
 Stock Market Crash
 Great Depression
 FDR and the New Deal
 The Dust Bowl
 Pearl Harbor – enter WWII
 D-day in Normandy
 Korean War

9.
What They Are Rebelling Against
 Economic and national condition of the
country –responsible for responding
 Generation battle cry of:
 “Bear any burden, pay any price” …and “do
it big”
 Re-build the U.S. back into a great country

10.
Key Characteristics
 Hardworking
 Loyal
 Submissive
 Tech-challenged
 Traditional morals
 Superb interpersonal skills

11.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Boomers say they are:
 Rigid and resistant to change
 Technologically challenged
 Narrow in their view
 Dictatorial

12.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Gen X says they are:
 Set in their ways
 Need to learn how to use e-mail
 The ones with all the money

13.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Gen Y says they are:
 Trustworthy
 Good Leaders
 Brave

14.
Baby Boomers
Born Between 1946 and 1964
Those born during or after World War II and raised in
the era of extreme optimism, opportunity, and progress
Motto: Live to work

15.
Events that Define Them
 Television
 Civil Rights Movement
 Prosperity
 Family Planning
 JFK, MLK and RFK assassinated
 Woodstock
 Vietnam War
 Kent State
 Rock and Roll

16.
What are they rebelling against?
 Established social norms of the
Traditionals
 Effective due to large number

17.
Key Characteristics
 “Me” generation
 Competitive and hardworking
 Get the job done at any cost
 Live to work
 Driven and service-oriented
 Good team players
 Like to avoid conflict

18.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Traditionals say…
“They are self-absorbed”
“They talk about things they ought to keep
private…like intimate details of their
personal lives”
Generations At Work, Zemke, Raines, Filipczak

19.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Gen X says…
“They are self-righteous.”
“They are workaholics.”
“They do a great job of talking the talk, but
they don’t walk the walk.”
Generations At Work, Zemke, Raines, Filipczak

20.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Gen Y says…
“They’re cool. They are up to date on the
music we like.”
“They work too much.”
Generations At Work, Zemke, Raines, Filipczak

21.
Gen X
Born Between 1965 - 1980
A generation born in the shadows of the
Boomers

22.
Gen X
“It’s no wonder Xers are angst-ridden and
rudderless. They feel America’s greatness
has passed. They got to the cocktail party
twenty minutes too late, and all that’s left
are those little wieners and a half-empty
bottle of Zima.”
Dennis Miller
RANTS

23.
Events that Define Them
 Nixon Resigns
 Energy Crisis
 Divorce Rate + 2 Working Parents
 Technology Revolution
 Stock Market Crash
 Corporate Downsizing
 Fall of Berlin Wall
 Challenger Disaster
 Operation Desert Storm
 Rodney King and L.A. Riots

24.
What are they rebelling against?
 Work/life imbalance of the Boomers
Motto: Work to Live

25.
Key Characteristics
 Latchkey kids
 Digest information rapidly
 Witnessed corporate downsizing
 May not sacrifice personal life for a
company
 Open to receiving feedback
 Good at networking
 Roamers
 Able to do multiple things simultaneously

26.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Traditionals say:
 They don’t respect experience
 They don’t follow procedures
 They don’t know what hard work is

27.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Boomers say:
 They are lazy
 They are rude and lack social skills
 They are always doing things “their own
way”
 They spend too much time on the Internet
and e-mail
 They won’t wait their turn

28.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Gen Y says:
Cheer up already!

29.
Gen Y
(also known as Millenials, Nexters & Internet Gen.)
Born Between 1981 - 2000
A flip-flop wearing, I-pod toting, multi-tasking
generation that is optimistic and ready to
change the world and your organization!

30.
Events that Define Them
 Oklahoma City bombing
 School violence
 Technology
 Busy, over planned lives
 Clinton/Lewinsky
 Multiculturalism
 TV talk shows
 September 11th

31.
What are they rebelling against?
 Complacency of the Gen Xers
 They are ready to change the world… for
the better
…and they have the numbers to do it

32.
Key Characteristics
 Civic Duty
 Achievement – in all aspects of life
 Diversity
 Confidence
 Optimism
 Goal Oriented

33.
The Age of the “Helicopter Parent”
 Hovers near at all times ready to swoop in and
save the child from whatever peril may face
him/her
 Wants to contact professors, bosses and HR to
correct grades, salaries and working conditions

34.
Gen Y – was bombarded with a unique set of
compelling messages growing up…
 Be smart—you are special
 Leave no one behind
 Connect 24/7
 Achieve now
 Serve your community

35.
Their Preferred Work Culture
 “Gen Yers resemble the Traditionals in
many ways—they believe in collective
action, optimism about the future, trust in
centralized authority, a willingness to get
things done, and a heroic spirit in the face
of overwhelming odds.”
 Generations At Work, Zemke, Raines, Filipczak

36.
Their Preferred Work Culture
 Collaborative
 Diverse and Inclusive
 Goal-oriented
 Sociable
 Civic focused – a company that cares about
social and/or environmental issues
 Challenging
 Lots of opportunity to learn and grow

37.
What do They Want in a
work/community environment?
 You be the leader
 Challenge me
 Let me work with my friends
 Let’s have fun!
 Respect me and my ideas
 Be flexible

38.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Traditionals say…
“They have good manners.”
“They’re smart little critters.”
“They watch too much TV…with
crude language and violence.”
Generations At Work, Zemke, Raines, Filipczak

39.
Millennials
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Boomers say…
“They’re cute.
“They can set the time on the DVD/VCR.” “They
need to learn to entertain themselves; they need
too much attention.”
Generations At Work, Zemke, Raines, Filipczak

40.
What Other Generations Say About Them
 Gen X says…
“Here we go again…another self-absorbed generation
of spoiled brats.”
“What do you mean, “What’s an album?”
Generations At Work, Zemke, Raines, Filipczak

41.
Remember…..
“Regardless of the
generation a person was
born into, he is still an
individual.”

42.
What does this mean in practice?
 As community cultures evolve with each
generation…
You have the unique challenge to ensure
that work teams become and remain
culturally and generationally diverse
because of the wealth of information and
experience that individual team members
can offer.

43.
Managing the Generational Mix
 Find out about the MEMORABLE EVENTS
that occurred as they were growing up.
 AVOID assuming that because people are
a certain age they will act a certain way.
 Find out how THEY like to be treated.
 ACKNOWLEDGE the age difference.

44.
Point to Remember
While it is helpful to know some of the
generalizations about different generations
as a starting point, the real learning and the
real bridging of age difference comes
through doing two things: suspending your
assumptions and judgments, and engaging
in dialogue across generations.

45.
Exercise
 Traditionals
 Baby Boomers
 Gen X
 Gen Y