Thought for the Week - 6/22/09

"In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy." -- Jean Paul Getty

Challenge:

Walk into almost any business today and one thing will become immediately apparent … the great diversity of today’s workforce. One aspect of this diversity is the generational differences among today’s workers. According to most experts, for the first time in history, we are seeing members of four distinct “generations” working together, and often experiencing clashes in both attitudes and values.

Unfortunately, many of today’s managers and supervisors are unaware of, or simply choose to ignore these important generational differences. However, research over the past 20 years on employee engagement has clearly shown that in order to reduce conflict and get the most out of your staff, you have to treat your employees the way they want to be treated. This appreciation of diversity allows each generation to contribute to, as well as become part of the long-term growth of the organization.

When was the last time you sort the counsel and advice of your oldest, most experienced employees?

When was the last time you sort the counsel and advice of your youngest and most “up to date” of “state of the art” employees?

Additional Resources:

White Paper: “Dealing with a Changing Workforce: Supervision in the 21st Century”
(http://www.risingsunconsultants.com/images/white_papers/PDFs/ChangingWorkforce.pdf )