GENERATIONAL DIVERSITY In our Schools and Communities - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Elaine Torossian M.S.

Sr. Leadership Development Specialist

Beaumont Hospitals

As a result of this learning session you will be able to:

• Identify four generations in the public school environment today
• Match general characteristics to each generation
• Recognize events which impacted each generations values, expectations and preferences
• Identify approaches to enhance inter generational communications
• Explain your role in improving communications with people from another generation

• Newest diversity issue in the workplace
• Increasing cross generational conflict and complaints
• Need to integrate older workers with younger
• By 2008 estimates are that the U.S. economy will offer 161 million jobs to 155 million workers

• Changing demographics
• Better understand it’s impact in the schools, workplace and community
• Increase personal competency in communications
• Promote collaboration across generations
• Improve public relations

• The events and conditions each of us experience during our formative years help define who we are and how we view the world.
• The generation we grow up in is just one of the influences on adult behavior.

• Traditionalists (born 1920 - 1945)
• Baby Boomers (born 1946 - 1964)
• Generation X (born 1965 - 1980)
• Millenials (born 1980 - 2000)

• Generational differences may influence

behavior, yet don’t necessarily determine our interactions.

• Host of variables which come into play that impact behavior and outcomes.
• Generational differences represent only

one of these factors.

Please identify and share…..

• A significant world event that you recall from your youth
• Your favorite music as a teenager
• A childhood hero
• Biggest issue facing public education today

Great Depression

New Deal

World War II

Korean War

Boomers:

Civil Rights

Sexual Revolution

Cold War

Space travel

Assassinations

Fall of Berlin Wall

Watergate

Women’s Liberation

Desert Storm

Energy Crisis

Millenials:

School shootings

Oklahoma City

Technology

Child focused world

Clinton / Lewinsky

• Individually based with generational trends based on social and environmental influences of your early years
• Avoid stereotyping – we are each unique
• Differences based on many personal variables

Social

Internal and External Factors

Personal

Birth 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Age (years)

• Make do or do without
• Stay in line
• Sacrifice
• Be heroic
• Consider the common good

• Discipline
• Schedules
• Conformity
• Strict obedience
• “Spare the rod and spoil the child”

• Be anything you want to be
• Change the world
• Work well with others
• Live up to expectations
• Duck and cover

• Dr. Spock
• Throw away the schedule
• Love and nurture, pamper and cherish
• Stay-at-home moms

• Don’t count on it
• Remember – hero’s- aren’t
• Get Real
• Survive - stayin’ alive
• Ask “why?”

• Parenting by proxy
• Working Moms
• Latchkey children
• Soaring divorce rates
• Autonomy and independence

• Be smart – you are special
• Leave no one behind
• Connect 24/7
• Achieve now!
• Serve your community

• Parent advocacy
• Put children first
• Soccer Moms
• Supervision
• Strictness on drugs, drinking and driving

Hard work

Dedication & sacrifice

Respect for rules

Duty before pleasure

Honor

Boomers:

Optimism

Team orientation

Personal gratification

Involvement

Personal growth

Diversity

Techno literacy

Fun and informality

Self-reliance

Pragmatism

Millenials:

Optimistic

Feel civic duty

Confident

Achievement oriented

Respect for diversity

Brainstorm – 3 Minutes

Traditionalists and Boomers

may have a tendency not to

question or challenge

authority or the status quo.

This may cause confusion

and resentment among the

Xers and Millenials who

have been taught to speak

up.

Xers and Millenials who

have had different life

experiences and

communicate with people

differently, may fail to

actively listen to Boomers

and Traditionalists

thereby missing valuable

information and guidance.

• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Religion
• Immigrants and 1st generation Americans
• Behavioral Style
• Socio-economics
• Education
• Other

• Turnover rates (staff / students)
• Tangible costs (i.e. recruitment, hiring, training, retention)
• Intangible costs (i.e. morale)
• Grievances and complaints
• Perceptions of fairness & equity
• Quality of education and learning
• Funding and resources

“Do unto others as they would like to have done unto them.”

Discipline

Leader

Rank

Respect

Sacrifice

Consistent

Dependable

Great

Orderly

Stable

Trustworthy

Human rights

Involvement

Relationship

Team

Tolerance

Trust

Democratic

Equal

Fair

Humane

Interpersonal

Numbers

Operations

Reality

Results

System

Competent

Efficient

Functional

Independent

Pragmatic

Sensible

Challenge

Collaborate

Community

Discover

Future

Goals

Fun

Positive

Come together

Overcome cutting edge

• Profanity
• Slang
• Emotional language
• Disorganization
• Lack of respect for tradition
• Poor grammar
• Disrespect for experience

• Brusqueness
• Unfriendliness
• Not showing interest in them
• Shows of power, one-upmanship
• Political incorrectness
• Sports and war metaphors

• Schmoozing
• Inefficient use of time
• Flashiness
• Hyperbole, acronyms, “corporate speak”
• Incompetence
• Bureaucracy
• Complex policies

• Cynicism
• Sarcasm
• Unfairness
• Condescension

• Don’t rush things; a relaxed pace please
• Establish rapport through being respectful the old fashion way
• Watch your language- grammar, enunciation
• Be a bit formal
• Avoid being overly chummy or too personal

• Be personable and warm
• Use their name when greeting them
• Take time to check in; ask how they are doing
• Treat them like a friend
• Give them something extra to ensure continued patronage is they are regulars

• Be efficient; competence over schmoozing
• Be available to respond to questions and share information; have accurate data available
• Don’t hover; back off and let them make decisions
• Allow them to be anonymous if there is a clue that is his preference

• Be respectful; don’t be condescending
• Be sensitive to clashes between Xers and Millenials. Millenials may find Xers to be too “edgy”
• Pick up the pace, look lively
• Find out and talk to them about their interests

• Traditionalists – “No news is good news.”
• Boomers – “Feedback once a year and lots of documentation.”
• Xers – “Sorry to interrupt but how am I doing?”
• Millenials – “Feedback whenever I want it at the push of a button.”

What can you do to promote intergenerational communications?

• Books / Authors
• Claire Rains, Bruce Tulgan, Hank Karp et al
• Websites

www.generationsatwork.com

www.rainmakerthinking.com

• Videos
• Showdown at Generational X
• Generations in the Workplace