Audio clip
Ron Harris
For the first time in American history, there are four specific generations in the workforce at the same time, and being able to communicate is the key to success, according to a management expert.
“We have a tendency to think that the greatest impact (of the four generations together) is work ethic,” but the greatest impact is “the way we communicate and the expectations of each generation,” said Ron Harris, senior manager of workforce diversity at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
In a workshop called “Empowering the College Men,” Mr. Harris spoke Monday to about 100 men, either pre-college or college students, at Chattanooga State Community College. His message was how to bridge the generational gaps in the 21st century.
“When you have these four generations — veterans, baby boomers, Generation X and Generation Y — from a communications standpoint, from a stereotype standpoint, it’s a perfect mix for success but also for conflict,” Mr. Harris said.
The key, he said, is to recognize what each generation can bring to the table and learn how to compromise.
GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES
* Veterans, born before 1946: Grew up with rank and title. If you have the rank and title in a position, that’s where the authority is. The communication style is direct, they want to be told exactly what to do, how to do it and then they’ll do it. Have great work ethic, believe in a honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. They want to be talked to, their historical views respected, be involved and rewarded for their perseverance. They are predictable and very stable.
* Baby boomers, 1946 to 1964: Group driven, comes to work, they don’t mind working 12-hour days, don’t mind working weekends. Love to be involved in team opportunities. Their communication style is face-to-face.
* Generation X, 1965 to 1980: Very reliable, very skeptical, cynical but very talented. Like flexibility, good work-life balance. They usher in technology, don’t really deal with you interpersonally, preferred communication style is by e-mail.
* Generation Y, born after 1980: Sometimes called “why generation” because they take instructions but there’s always a follow up: ‘Why am I doing this? What does my job do in relation to other jobs?’ Love change, grew up with change, are resilient, very smart. Communication style is text-messaging. Involved with social networks and see that as a way of life. Believe in leadership by competence.
Source: Ron Harris, senior manager of workforce diversity at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
For a place such as Chattanooga State, where the group of 100 men was representative of the general workforce, learning how to work together is critical, said Carlous Drake, project advisor for Project AHEAD, a program that assists nontraditional students and sponsored the workshop.
“We have the proverbial 19-year-old who is from another generation, another mindset, has been shaped by the computer world, a totally different experience than a baby boomer,” Mr. Drake said. “But that 19-year-old will have to interact with the baby boomer professor.
“Or we have the nontraditional student ... it could be a challenging environment if you haven’t been in school a number of years to now be in the classroom with students who are literally half your age,” he said.
Victor Bryant, a returning adult student who attended the workshop, said he has seen how the workforce has changed.
“You are competing against people who have computer skills, different talents,” said the 44-year-old health information management student. “The key thing is that, no matter what field you go into, you are going to have to think not just locally (or) regionally but globally.”
Perla Trevizo joined the Chattanooga Times Free Press in 2007 and covers immigration/diversity issues and higher education. She holds a master’s degree in newswire journalism from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas. She was selected as an International Reporting Fellow by the International Center for Journalists and in 2009 received an honorable mention for her story “Families Broken Apart” from the Tennessee ...
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