Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace | 
|  | | | Title: | Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace | | Author: | Ron Zemke
Claire Raines
Bob Filipczak | | Publisher: | AMACOM | | Type: | Book / Hardcover | | Publication Date: | 11 October, 1999 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0814404804 / 9780814404805 | | List Price: | $27.00 | | You Save: | $9.18 | | Amazon Price: | $17.82 | |
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Product Description
Walk through the tightly packed, hierarchically flattened corridors of America's businesses and what do you hear? Not the sounds of harmony. Instead, you'll probably hear the grumbles of irritation as people with wholly different ways of working, talking, and thinking have been tossed together side by side, cubicle by cubicle. It's the teeth-gritting sound of generations in collision. Charlie, for example, is 61 and desperate for some clear, straightforward guidance from his 43-year-old boss Mary, who, in turn, is using her trademark heartfelt, buzzword-laden management style in an attempt to radically alter Charlie's work processes. Jane, meanwhile, the 29-year-old technical wizard of the team, sits sullenly in her cubicle, unimpressed with either of them, and they with her. None of them understands the other. None of them knows how to communicate with the other. And it's causing headaches and havoc for managers trying to mold this hodgepodge of ages, faces, values, and views into a productive, collaborative group. Now, with GENERATIONS AT WORK, there's clear, concrete help. Written by a team of distinguished cross-generational authors, this groundbreaking book supplies fresh, provocative insights and practical solutions for understanding differences, resolving conflicts, and managing effectively in today's age-diverse workplace. Both sweeping in scope and highly specific, the book gives you: * Astute profiles of four distinct generations: Learn about the Veterans (b. 1922-1943), Baby Boomers (b. 1943-1960), Gen Xers (b.1960-1980), and the Nexters (b.1980-), including their demographics, the events that shaped their lives and times, predominant traits, work styles, and key messages to keep in mind when recruiting, developing, and motivating these members of your workforce. * Illuminating case studies in generational peace: Go behind the scenes of five major companies that treat generational mixing as an asset. * A powerful practice exercise: Solve the plight of Charlie Roth, a fictionalized manager facing a cross-generational crisis--then read how 7 outside experts tackled the problem. * Hardhitting answers to the 21 most frequently asked questions about managing in a multigenerational workplace--plus much more! For anyone struggling to manage people who just don't see work (or life) the same way, GENERATIONS AT WORK helps you understand the gulf that separates the generations--and offers practical guidelines for building a harmonious workforce where people rally together for the organization, not against each other.
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Customer Reviews:
• Generations Work 26 October, 2008
Over the last 15 years, a few books have genuinely captured the attention and admiration from people across the business community. Such successes tend to reflect the contemporary tide in economic thought while still provide some insight into a narrow aspect of business. Among the better known of these works are Don Tapscott's Paradigm Shift --focusing on technology's affects on society, Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline -- explaining organizations' internal operations, David Foot's Boom, Bust and Echo- revealing society's shaping by waves in demographics and Walid Mougayar's Opening Digital Markets -- discussing ways businesses can take advantage of the Internet.
Now, with the growth of e-commerce, more business and economic models are being developed and published faster than ever before. The result: it seems impossible to place into perspective the vast amount of genuinely good business insight. This is where Generations at Work is an invaluable resource. Penned by three members of the American Management Association, Generations does what many writings aspire to, but fail to accomplish -- clearly and concisely suggest a linkage between widespread social and economic trends, organizational behaviour and people's behaviours on the job.
The premise of Generations is neither new nor complicated: people resemble their times more than their parents. However, in demonstrating their point, the authors extend the work done by other social demographic specialists, such as David Foot, and combine considerable research into fairly digestible chunks. In so doing, they provide a reference from which anyone can gain a meaningful glimpse into the generations that have shaped and will continue to influence our homes, workplaces and social institutions.
The authors begin by ordering our society into widely recognized groupings based on dates of birth. Their careful attempts to guard against making stereotypes while providing some typical demographic profiles more than makes up for their reliance on terms that we are all too familiar with, including Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Nexters (Gen Y).
After `sizing-up' each segment, the authors go into painstaking detail to help us better understand the mind-set of each of these groups at home, at work and with one another. For each segment the authors describe the following:
Work ethic, Core values, Preferred work environments, Seminal events
Messages that motivate, Cultural memorabilia, Leadership style, Heroes
Team member style, Sense of humour, preferred readings, spending style, Follower style, What other generations think of them, Principles for recruiting and orienting, An average Day in the Life, Guidelines for developing careers, Common myths
Because Generations appreciates that most people's lives consist of work and non-work, their analyses are particularly relevant. So, whether you're mission in life is to supply or to demand, this text will add value. It is worthwhile if you need to make a prediction about or understand the individuals, organizations or social institutions of our society. Generations provides insight into the heart and personality of your colleagues and teammates, your clients, your business partners and yourself.
Generations does however suffer from some flaws. First, you can quickly detect an American bias. For example the authors did not address the different demographic segments in other areas of the World that have seen more drastic inter-generational schisms and considerably more growth. Second, the parallel structure of the book's core is terrific for comparison purposes across chapters but often makes you feel like you're reading a textbook. Finally, the authors, no doubt recognizing how static their structure, realigned some of the information in a question and answer format. This might have been their attempt to make much of the information more palatable for popular business journals. However, the questions and answers alike come across as forced.
Combine Generations with the works of Tapscott, Senge, Foot and Mougayar along with a model of how people process information and you'll have a strong foundation of how our workforces, businesses and institutions are currently evolving.
Andrew Brown and Robert Gold, co-hosts of the BusinessCast Podcast (Insights and Practical Tools for Entrepreneurs). [...]
- Reviewed by customer ID: AQR59J5MCWN95
• Interesting, But Incomplete 04 June, 2009
I saw this on a bookshelf in our office and picked it up, reading it each morning while my computer booted up. First of all, a lot of the reviews in here seem to be plants instead of legitimate unsolicited opinions.
The basic premise of the book is interesting and supported by actual data, but the departure points contain a number of flaws. The final straw (where I stopped taking it seriously) is where the authors write about the millennials having some kind of date with destiny. They even reference Nostradamus. They cite Howe and Strauss (the original generational studies trailblazers) who believe that some great crisis will occur in 2015-2020. Weird.
Some of the stereotypes actually match real people, and even match them in groups, but as with many books with a social science bent, it merely reinforces what you probably already know from observation. I am also not sure how well this information will age. In the text the authors point out that boomers have changed their views over the years, so who is to say that generations won't continue to change? For example, one of the most significant events for the millennials is the Columbine shootings according to the authors, but of course that was before 9/11 and the ensuing wars. Furthermore, events like this change everyone, not just the generation in its relative youth at the time. The same thing goes for the recent economic and financial upheavals. I bet every generation is a little more cynical and distrustful of people at the top as a result.
A more useful book would have actually surveyed different generations in various career fields and asked what was important to them in the workplace. The answers would not have been as clear-cut, but ultimately more useful to managers. Heck, you could probably even make it a full-time consulting job if you focused on career fields with high turnover rates or an insufficient recruiting pool.
Final verdict: look for a copy on a manager's bookshelf or at the library if you have a little time to kill like I did, but don't buy this.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2FYQCM7N9GR5U
• For Managers, With A Grain Of Salt, Please 03 March, 2006
Never before has there been such diversity in the workforce. This is particularly true of the range of ages that co-exist on the job. In Generations At Work, the authors identify the four generations, the particular problems you may encounter managing them, and potential solutions. As the employee pool matures, this is knowledge every manager of a cross-generational workforce will need. These categories are, of course, cut rather broad. This book is probably better used as an idea toolbox than gospel writ.
The Generations:
1. Veterans (1922-1943): The World War II generation's dedication to the values of civic pride, loyalty and respect for authority have become a continuing influence in the following generations.
· Veterans tend to be more directive in leadership roles.
· Veterans are used to working in teams under strong leadership.
· Veterans can be prone to the "we've never done it that way before" mentality.
· Veterans often find technology intimidating and confusing.
2. Boomers (1943-1960): This generation tends to be idealistic and driven.
· Find out how they want to be managed.
· Expect a reaction if things don't go well.
· Motivate them with lots of public recognition, and involvement in decision-making.
· When mentoring them be tactful, let them tell you how they're doing, and think of yourself as a friendly equal.
3. Xers (1960-1980): The Xers are deeply cynical about management and the driven attitudes of the Veterans and Boomers. It is, however, possible to motivate Xers.
· Make your work environment as flexible as possible.
· Provide them with up-to-date technology.
· Give them lots of simultaneous projects and let them prioritize.
· Give them constructive feedback on their job performance.
4. Nexters (1980-2000): The most studied generation in history, Nexters are likely to be more like the veterans than any other group. When recruiting Nexters, keep the following principles in mind:
· Forget gender roles.
· Focus on teams.
· Mind the gap: there is likely to be a large generational gap between the Xers and the Nexters.
· Grow your training department.
· Establish mentor programs.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A15WFXHDHKELZX
• Owners Manual For Managing The Muti-generational Workplace 03 August, 2006
The Year 2006 represents a unique place in time in the history of our workplaces in the United States. We now have four different generations in the same workplace and that has presented many challenges to business owners and managers. This book could be called an "Owner's Manual" in the sense that it provides some practical advice on how to deal with this age-diverse workforce. If you are looking for some help to "muffle" the loud sounds of colliding generations, or to bring those loud sounds into harmony, then this is a book for you. The book is a must read for business owners and managers to help understand the differences in the workforce; how to resolve conflicts and how to fully utilitze the diversity of ages to achieve success in business.
Reviewed by: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive, J. G. EBERSOLE ASSOCIATES and THE RENAISSANCE GROUP (tm), Lancaster, PA. and Author of "Glenn's Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Coach" newsletter www.renaissanceman4u.com
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1ZNRJ504RDYNJ
• After 10 Years 15 May, 2009
This book was published 10 years ago, and it still amazes me how helpful it continues to be for the people I talk to. People still buy it, read it and tell me how much it's helped them. I re-read sections from time to time, and it really is an interesting read, which I attribute to Ron's influence. It also has managerial insight, which I attribute to Claire.
I've changed some of my positions on the next generation--the ones we call Nexters, but we even got some of those predictions right without a lot of research and knowledge about their work habits.
So all in all, this has been a very interesting book to write, to watch, and to re-read from time to time.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AT8E49UQVRSM7
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