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Generational distinctives
I have been involved in a couple extended-family client meetings recently, and have been reminded once again of some of the distinctive attributes of the different generations in society today. Due to increasing life expectancies and career lengths, we have a situation today where for the first time there are often four different generations working together in the workplace. Therefore, quite a bit of research and training has gone into understanding these four generations and some of their attributes, with the idea in mind that the better we understand each other (and ourselves), the better we can work together. I have been exposed to some of this training over the years and while we can only go so far in pegging people with the attributes of a particular generation, I do find it remarkable how accurately some of the general attributes apply. While much of the research and training has been in the corporate business setting, I think there are some lessons to learn for those of us in agriculture as well, especially in multi-generational family businesses. I should qualify some of what I'm going to share here first with some broad generalities. First, this approach is only one way to think about relating to people, and is intended to further our understanding of each other, not for segregation and stereotyping. Next, while this does involve a classification of generations, we are not making value judgments among them here--in most cases the attributes relate to the kind of environment that shaped each of these generations as they came into the world. And lastly, there is some variation within what I'm going to share here among smaller subsets of people--for example, among rural populations or ethnic groups. Here are the four primary generations that are in the workplace today:
Matures Matures, also sometimes called Traditionals, include those born before 1945. This classification includes 30 million people today and not surprisingly is the most affluent in society. One significant attribute of this generation is a strong ethic of delayed gratification, that of "work first, pleasure later." Another strong attribute is the "we first" mentality. In other words, a strong regard and respect for the group, and a lesser focus on the individual as part of the group. This relates to views toward the military as well as church, family, and even sports. Generally the heroes and definitions of success for this generation reflect this.
Baby Boomers The Boomer generation numbers 80 million people in the U.S., the largest of all. Born from 1945 to 1964, members of this generation just hit retirement age a couple of years ago but as a whole remain the most influential people in society today, filling most leadership positions in all organizations (and families). They have generally been noted for a work ethic that is defined by time commitment, and for reputations as "workaholics." They are appreciative of teams of people, but tend to be more individually competitive than the Mature generation, and more appreciative of team members that stand out for their commitment.
Generation X This generation was born after 1964 and before 1980 and is much smaller at just 45 million people. Their upbringing was characterized by the breakdown of the traditional family structure and mothers moving into the workplace, leading to a new term, "latch-key children." This is part of the reason Gen Xers are regarded as more cynical, a "prove it to me" generation. They have loyalty, but it is very personal and less organizational, which has implications for all organizations. With less organizational loyalty, these individuals are moving from job to job far more frequently and have more of a Carpe Diem mentality--"seize the day!"
Millennials Millennials were born after 1980 and number around 75 million. Partly as a result of technology, and also the "self-esteem" movement, they have come to be defined more as an "instant" generation--instant feedback, instant communication, instant change and instant gratification. They have created full lives outside of work with myriad involvements. Time, therefore, is precious to this group. Along with Gen Xers they tend to view work as just one aspect of a busy life. While their commitment to work and to organizations differs from Matures and Boomers, they are generally regarded as more optimistic and hopeful than Gen X. This is but a high-level overview of one way that researchers have classified society into generations. Each of these generations really grew up in a different environment, with different influences shaping its collective outlook. This has led to different views of commitment to work, definitions of success, and even different kinds of generational heroes. One has to be very careful to apply these generational distinctives with too much precision or emphasis, for no two people are alike. At the same time, it does provide some ways of thinking that are helpful in understanding ourselves and those around us, helping people to work together with more harmony and less divisiveness. Editor's note: Greg Wolf is a consultant with Kennedy and Coe, LLC (www.kcoe.com) and works to help clients of the firm navigate toward better returns in all areas of their businesses. He is based in the firm's Pratt, Kan., office and can be reached at 620-672-7476.
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