It is important to value ideas over age and hierarchy in a multi-generational workforce.
Generational diversity refers to a range of employees of various age groups being a part of the visible workforce. There is a lot of emphasis on Generational Diversity because the workforce is characterized by the four D’s – Diverse, Dynamic, Dispersed, and Digital.
Delving into the concept this year, the cutting-edge conference by Avtar, ‘The Power of I’ #buildingconnectedness saw Dr. Nandini Murali – Vice President – Learning & Research at Avtar, moderating the panel ‘Generational Remixing in India Inc’. The session comprised Dhruv Sawhney – Business Head & COO at Nurture.Farm, Suvarna Goel – Senior Director Marketing at Capgemini, and Balaji Sethuraman – Vice President, Body & Comfort electronics UI at Mercedes Benz.
The impact of generational diversity varies between industries because the boundaries addressing “what is okay and what is okay” differs.
Suvarna stated that while the media industry possessed thin boundaries, the liquor industry had clear boundaries. In some industries, the list of don’ts was longer than the dos. Dhruv pointed out that in the IT industry, it feels like multiple realities exist. Hence, creating shared realities where the connectedness between multiple generations can exist seamlessly was imperative. Balaji threw light on the automotive industry by stating that it felt like the industry was designing software on wheels. The speakers felt that ideas today are different, like interests.
Discussing different generations, the panel said that one of the reasons the younger generation came across as being tough was their ability to decode hard-core technology into a story-telling format. Therefore, organizations should be led by a young talent to help them stay in touch with the market reality.
The speakers concluded the session by offering strategies or tactics that inclusive leaders can implement to create a generational-centric approach:
- Value ideas over age and hierarchy
- Treat everyone with respect and as equals
- Sensitize all generations
- Create an experiential learning environment that allows them to make mistakes
- Understand what everyone has brought to the table irrespective of their age and level
- Let go of the phrase “This is the way I did things X years ago”
- The language and the attitude with which we communicate to Gen Y matters
- Give the younger generation ample room to fail fast
- Most importantly, create a start-up culture for Gen Y where they see it as “This is my start-up where I don’t have to invest money”. “However, I can still realize my dream, be valued for it, and also be promoted for it”
