Senior Project

Running head: COMMUNICATION IN A MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE 1

APPLYING COMMUNICATION THEORIES TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCEIS, EFFECTIVENESS, AND TEAMWORK IN A MULTI-GENERATIONAL WORKFORCE.

Jeff Walker

Bachelors of Integrated Studies Degree.

Continuing Education and Academic OutreachMurray State University

04/25/2015

COMMUNICATION IN A MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION

Problem statement

II. Literature Review

a. General Description of Generations

1. Traditionalist (or Veterans)

2. Baby Boomers

3. Generation X

4. Millennials (Gen-Y)

b. Generational Differences in Values

c. Generational Work Ethics

1. Job Mobility

2. Compliance with Work Rules

3. Willingness to Work Overtime

d. Knowledge Sharing between Generations

e. Generational Motivators

1. Baby Boomers

2. Generation X

3. Millennials


f. Organizational Communication

g. Collaborative Organizations

III. Analysis

IV. Recommendations

V. Conclusion

VI. Bibliography


Abstract

Managers today will have to content with different values and perspectives from up to

four generations in the workplace. The purpose of this study is to gain a more thorough

understanding of each generation , as well as differences in values, ethics, and motivators in the

workplace. Also covered are means of communicating with each generation and building a

better, more efficient team using Organizational Communication methods to build a organization

that is more collaborative.

This study reviewed literature on the general descriptions of each generation, their values,

and work ethics. It covers knowledge sharing and the general motivators of each generation.

Finally it shows managers how organizational communication theories can be used to build a

more collaborative organization as well as how that will benefit them with a more efficient,

effective, and productive, work team.


How can Warehouse Managers best apply Communication Theories to improve

efficiencies, effectiveness, and teamwork in a Multi-generational workforce? Most people agree

that each generation is slightly different than the generation before them and that each generation

approaches life in their own unique way. Their work ethics and practices are no different.

Workplace Managers today have a unique challenge. For the first time, today’s workforce,

consist of up to four different generations Each of them bring their own values, behaviors, style

and ethics to the workplace. For a manager to be effective, they need to provide their employees

with the tools needed while making the employee feel as there is a payoff in for their efforts.

Understanding each generation’s characteristics will help managers to better provide for the

needs of their employees. Four different generations, with different work ethics and

communication styles will be a challenge for mangers to overcome, however great benefits can

await the managers that are able to do just that.

Problem Statement

On average, executives are older employees and middle managers are middle aged. The

youngest workers are on the front lines of the organization. Four generations working at the

same time is due to many reasons. One of those being the sheer number of Baby Boomers and

their devotion to a hard work ethic. Economic conditions have caused many of them to continue

working and put off their retirement. The same could be said of Traditionalist. Because of this

many of these two groups are working beyond the retirement age of sixty five. This trend is not

likely to change for several more years as the economy struggles.

Companies and organizations will have to find ways to utilize each generation’s positive

attributes and encourage an environment where each generation feels comfortable and essential

to the organizations success. No single style exists or will work in leading a workforce made up


of multiple generations. Leaders must be flexible and adapt to meet the needs of each generation

(Haeberle, Hersberg, and Hobbs, 2009)

Literature Review

Baby Boomers are different than Generation X. Generation X is different from

Baby boomers and Millennials. Each has their own “personality” shaped by the events their

generation grew up with. War, economic boom or disparity, and high or low unemployment,

each of these shape how a generation view and approach life and work. The way they

communicate is no different and for a manager to be effective at their job they must first be able

to successfully communicate with members of that generation. After all, how can a manager

complete a task if they cannot communicate effectively the ideas, goals, and how important the

task at hand is to the point of the employee understanding and believing their role? It is hard to

motivate someone to do a job well, if they do not share the same goal or need to complete the

job. To better communicate with someone it is essential that one “make a connection” with them.

To do that managers must better poses a understanding of their workforce.

General Descriptions of the Generations.

A generation has been defined as a group that shares a span of both birth years and

worldview, usually formed by social or historical events that occurred they experienced during

their early years. Supporters of the notion of multigenerational theory argue that people who

grow up during different time periods develop a different beliefs, values, and attitudes. These

beliefs impact their behavior, both inside and outside of the workplace. (Glass 2007).

Though the definitions of a generation vary by birth year or age ranges and show some

variance, they generally agree on characteristics and traits. For this discussion the following

guidelines were used to classify when each generation occurs.


Traditionalist (or Veterans), born up to 1945

Baby Boomers, from 1946 to 1964

Generation X, 1965 to 1980

Millennials, or Gen-Y, born from 1981 to 2000.

This paper will explore differences in the generations by comparing and contrasting

several areas related to the workforce. Area such as Job retention, mobility, and expectations

from each generation of their supervisors. Communication obstacles, theories, and possible

solutions will be covered along with techniques that should prove useful in bringing the different

generations together into an effective and cohesive workforce.

THE TRADITIONALIST (OR VETERANS).

Born between 1922 and 1943 and number up to 52 million people, this generation was

born prior to World War Two (WW II) (Gordon and Steele, 2005). Being born between two

World Wars greatly shaped their memories. Other major influences were the Great Depression,

The New Deal, and the Korean War. They were influenced by the GI Bill, and the Golden Age

of radio, those these events were most likely positive influences.

This generation’s early years were shaped by a strong sense of family commitment.

Traditional family structures were the primary family structure and children were raised by strict

parents leading to this generation developing their sense of a strong work ethic and self-

discipline. During their lifetime our country changed from a largely agricultural way of life to a

nation centered on manufacturing. Many describe them as hard working and patriotic. Their

workforce behavior is described as “Conforming, logical, disciplined, and shaped by a belief in

law and order, a conservative spending style, and a respect for history and the lessons it teaches”

(Gordon and Steele, 2005, p.27).


Though they are few left in the workforce, many hold senior positions and may be board

members of many large corporations. In the workplace, Traditionalist value fairness, impartiality

and may prefer mediation over direct confrontation. If they are uncomfortable with change, they

may not like new ideas. However, if they embrace change and are creative, they may contribute

good ideas based on their past experiences and identify solutions.

BABY BOOMERS.

The generation of Baby Boomers is perhaps the largest to ever enter the workforce in

United States history. Estimates of up to 76 million have been made. They were born between

1943 and 1960. They were born during or after WW II and raised by parents who experienced

the Great Depression. “They were raised in an era of extreme optimism, opportunity, and

progress” (Gordon and Steele, 2005, p. 26). These children were taught to “work well with

others” as they grew up, resulting in these adults placing considerable value on building

relationships and teamwork.

They were shaped by events that included the assassination of President John F Kennedy,

his brother, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Other events that shaped

them would be the Civil Rights movement, the space race, the Viet-Nam conflict and even the

“Cold” war. Television had an incredible impact on their early years as it allowed them to

experience cultural and historic events more so than previous generations.

“Boomers”, are described as optimistic, competitive, and spiritual. They have been

called trendsetters and team workers. Baby Boomers may define their self-worth by their jobs.

Many value money, title recognition, and staying young. On one hand they bring to the

workplace a service orientation and an ability to form good relationships. On the other hand,


conflict makes them uncomfortable and makes them sensitive to feedback (Gordon and Steele,

2005).

As some are driven to work hard and willing to go above and beyond in their work, many

of them hold senior positions in companies and mangers may find themselves reporting to them

as they have gained experience and responsibilities. As Traditionalist retire or move on, the Baby

Boomers will be moving up into more senior positions for some time to come. In the workplace

Boomers can be good at creating harmony and relationships. This makes them strong team

players. On the downside, they take feedback very personally and prefer annual reviews instead

of constant feedback.

GENERATION X

This generation was born between 1960 and 1980, with estimates a high as 70.1 million

people. They were born to Baby Boomer parents, in a time of changing family roles and the

traditional configurations with the increase of divorce and re-marriages. Many had mothers who

worked outside of the home and were nicknamed “Latchkey Kids”. With changing family roles,

divorce, and working mothers, they grew up self-reliant and cynical (Cogin, 2012).The

information age was just beginning during their lifetime and they have grown up along with it.

They are comfortable with technology and computers. Life shaping events for them include the

Watergate scandal and the resulting resignation by President Nixon’s , the energy crisis and its

oil embargoes. Other events would have been the Iran hostage situation, the disaster of the Space

Shuttle Challenger explosion, and Operation Desert Shield/Storm (Gordon and Steele, 2005).

They have been described as self-reliant, pragmatic, skeptical, and competent with

technology. Growing up watching their parents affected living their life around their work and

victims of corporate downsizing, most GenXer’s developed a different attitude to work/life


balance and wanted a better balance in their lives. Values include a work-family balance,

independence, and creativity. Their manner is straightforward, competent and fair, though they

may sometimes be impatient and often ask “Why” things are done the way they are. That can

sometimes come across as brusque and people skills may need some attention.

This generation is beginning to move up into positions of responsibility and may look

forward to higher positions as the Baby Boomers retire or move up. Most GenXer’s are

adaptable and fairly independent. They prefer to be left to work on their own terms. GenXer’s

are comfortable with change but can be frustrated with the decision making speed in a slow

moving business model. They can often be seen as impatient.

MILLENIALS (Gen-Y)

This generation sometimes called Generation Y, was born between 1980 and 2000. They

number less than Boomers or Generation X, with estimates of up to 69.7 million. Their parents

are the Baby Boomers and early Generation Xers. They have often been labeled as the “Internet

Generation” because growing up; technology was a daily part of their lives.

Many of their parents raised them to keep busy and they grew up with large amounts of

scheduled activities, and close supervision. Their parents were often called “Helicopter Parents”

for their habits of constantly hovering over and around their children’s every activity. They were

constantly praised and often rewarded not just for succeeding in activities but often simply for

participating. This has led many them to have sometimes unrealistic expectations of themselves

and their managers.

Events that have shaped them include the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Columbine High

school shooting and the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade center and the

Pentagon. Because they are new to the job market there is speculation about them with the


general opinion being they are optimistic, confident, sociable a civic minded. “They are often

compared to their Traditionalist grandparents because of their moral and civic-minded

characteristics” (Gordon and Steele, 2005, p. 28). Millennials appear to be good at multi-tasking

and are goal oriented. They can often view “menial” work as beneath them though, can

sometimes be impatient, and have yet to acquire the people skills to deal well with others.

Millennials view workplace loyalty differently, and some experts predict they may have as many

as 10 career changes in their lifetime.

GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN VALUES

One of many challenges today that managers face is dealing with a diverse workforce.

The diversity not only ranges from religion, ethnicity, gender, and racial backgrounds but also to

each generations separate values. Are all generations viewing quality of life issues the same or

do they have different outlooks and beliefs? Understanding the motivations of each generation is

an essential for managers. The defining events, and characteristics were covered previously. This

section of the literature review will attempt to confirm if these value differences carry over into

the workplace. Understanding these values can help the manager understand what the employees

in each generation expect in their work and how to use those values to motivate them into more

productive and effective members in their teams.

Many management handbooks have covered this multi-generational issue, but not from

an academic or evidence based study. The studies that were based on evidence provide some

mixed results. This paper will cover several studies on values and work ethics. One of those

studies “Generational Differences In The Workplace: Personal Values, Behaviors, And Popular


Beliefs” is a study by Gibson, Greenwood, and Murphy (2009). It examined values among the

Baby Boomers, Gen X and the Millennials (or Gen Y).

They used the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), which measures terminal values as well as

instrumental values. “Terminal values are described as the ultimate end goals of existence, such

as wisdom, equality, and peace. Instrumental values are the behavioral means for achieving the

end-goals:, and includes values such as forgiveness, honesty, and ambition” (Gibson, et al, 2009,

p. 3). In this method participants have to rank their values in terms of importance to them. Study

size was 5,057 participants. For this paper and brevity, we will concentrate on each generation’s

top five values and not the full eighteen values reviewed in the study.

TABLE 1

VALUE RANKING FOR BABY BOOMERS

Ranking Terminal Value Instrumental Value

1 Health Honest

2 Family Security Responsible

3 Self-Respect Loyal

4 A comfortable life Capable

5 Freedom Independence

From the full study the authors developed the conclusion that in the case of Baby

Boomers, managers can motivate them with money, and overtime, praise and positions, should

be used to recognize their efforts. Mangers can also expect them to be loyal, champion a cause

and to embrace change. Boomers will work hard and feel they have earned the right to be in

charge (Gibson, et al,2009).


TABLE 2

VALUE RANKING FOR GENERATION X


1 Family Security Honest

2 Health Responsible

3 Freedom Capable

4 A comfortable life Loyal

5 Inner harmony Loving

A balance between work and life is viewed as important to Generation X. They do not

expect loyalty from their employer but themselves will be loyal as a means to an end. Managers

should try to make this generations work meaningful and fun. They should also understand the

skepticism of this generation could very well be due to their observations about the employee

and employer relationship (Gibson, et al, 2009).

TABLE 3

VALUE RANKING FOR MILLENIALS (GEN-Y)


1 Family security Honest

2 Health Responsible


3 Freedom Loving

4 True Friendship Independent

5 Self-Respect Ambitious

Because technology has always been around when this generation grew up, they became

accustomed to seek instant gratification and excitement. Millennials want their work to be

relevant, but fun, and expect constant feedback from their managers (Gibson, et al, 209).

The authors concluded their study supports, in general, the typical descriptions of Baby

Boomers, Generation X and Millennials. As such managers may find profiles of these

generations useful in understanding their differences and use a different approach for each

generation. “The challenge is to provide enough motivational stimulation and communicate in

various modalities in order to reach all your employees, not just the one who agree I principle

with your values and beliefs” (Gibson, et al, 2009, p. 6).

WORK ETHICS

JOB MOBILITY

A study titled “Generational differences in workplace behavior, 2014” by Becton,

Walker, and Jones-Farmer, from the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, tested three separate

hypotheses about generational differences. They examined the generation’s views on job

mobility, work rule compliance, and their consent to work overtime. Based on generational

stereotypes and several studies, they tested predictions that; 1. Baby Boomers would exhibit

fewer job changes than GenXers or Millennials. 2. Baby Boomers would show more compliance


related behaviors. And finally, that GenXer’s are less willing to conset to work overtime when

compared to Baby Boomers and Millennials (Becton, Walker and Jones-Farmer, 2014).

The first hypothesis about job mobility or a job change history maybe important for a

manager to consider. They want to know how likely the employee is to stay at this job and what

benefit the company can get from training them in return. Research has noted that the number of

times a person leaves their job is good indicator of future turnover (Becton, Walker and Jones-

Farmer, 2014). Common stereotypes give multiple reasons that generations exhibit different job

mobility behaviors.

When Baby Boomers entered the job market, the common strategy was to get a job, work

hard, be loyal to your job and you would be guaranteed job security. Many boomers would hold

multiple jobs within the same organization. More recent generations entered the workforce

during a period of business downsizing, layoffs and companies moving offshore. Employee

loyalty and commitment did not result in job security. Because of this younger generations career

paths more often involve multiple jobs with multiple employers.

While Boomers are thought more likely to stay with an organization, Gen X and

Millennials are more often seen as willing to leave a job if better opportunities arise. They are

more self –reliant and independent. They are comfortable with change and not as likely to think

of job security as important. “In fact, Generation X is said to have pioneered the “free agent”

workforce, focusing on keeping skills current to improve their security” (Becton, Walker and

Jones-Farmer, 2014, p.178).

To test their hypothesis, 8,128 jobseekers for two hospitals, were asked to take part in a

bio data questionnaire along with online applications. For job mobility two bio data items were


measured. Applicants were asked what the longest tie they ever held one job and how many jobs

have they held in the last five years. The following chart is a sample of their findings

TABLE 4

GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN JOB MOBILITY

Generation Longest # of months spent in a single job Number of jobs held in last 5

years.

Boomers 72.9 2.0

Gen X 48.5 2.5

Millennials 22.6 2.6

Hypothesis one stated that Boomers would show fewer job mobility changes than either

GenXer’s or the Millennials. The chart above shows that Boomers do indeed tend to stay at one

job longer than the other two generations. In fact, GenXer’s spent an average of 24 months less

at the job and Millennials spent an amazing average of 50 months less at their job than Boomers.

Proving their hypothesis and providing valuable long term planning information to managers.

COMPLIANCE WITH WORK RULES

Compliance behaviors were also tested using the bio data measurements of asking the

participants how their most recent supervisor would judge their attendance. The other being, how

the participant’s last supervisor would relate their compliance with the dress code. This

following table demonstrates their results:


TABLE 5

COMPLIANCE WITH WORK RULES

Attendance RatingGeneration Bottom 5%

(%)Lower than most(%)

Typical of most(%)

Higher than most(%)

Top 5%(%)

Boomers .18 .31 13.73 34.05 51.74Gen X .22 .60 20.90 33.66 44.62Millennials 0 .40 17.36 34.92 47.26

Appearance RatingGeneration Never

appropriate (%)

Sometimes appropriate (%)

Usually appropriate (%)

Always appropriate (%)

Boomers 0.06 0.18 5.24 94.52Gen X .08 .2 4.89 94.83Millennials .14 .48 6.77 92.62

This chart shows that as far as attendance goes Boomers scored higher overall, yet when

it came to complying with dress codes, Generation X scored the highest. Hypothesis #2 stated

that Boomers would show better work rule compliance yet the chart above shows only partial

support for that hypothesis. One interesting note from this study showed that as age increased in

each generation range, support for Hypothesis #2 increased within that generational range.

WILLINGESS TO WORK OVERTIME

The third Hypothesis covered by this study was the prediction that GenXer’s would be

less willing eager when it comes to working overtime than either the generation before or after

them. This survey only used one bio data item, which was asking the applicants how willing their

last supervisor would say they are to work overtime. The following table represents their

answers.


TABLE 6

WILLINGNESS TO WORK OVERTIME

Generation Never when

asked

Rarely when

asked

Occasionally

when asked

Most times

when asked

Every time

when asked

Boomers .24 .92 11.72 43.28 43.83

Gen X .22 .87 13.31 47.49 38.11

Millennials .69 1.31 10.27 47.21 40.52

The authors concluded that this chart supported their Hypothesis of GenXer’s being less

likely to work overtime when asked. They used the “Every time when asked” category as their

category of reference. The above results show that of the generations studied, GenXers’ are the

least likely overall to be willing to work overtime.

The authors acknowledge that their study had some limitations such as an inability to test

for age, life or career stages. This limitation was primarily because their data was taken from job

applications and asking for information such as marital status and number of children is illegal.

The other possible limitation noted was the data was “self-reported”, and as such the accuracy of

truthfulness of the responses could not be verified. The authors were also quick to note that the

final limitation of their study could be due to sample size, which may be statistically significant.

They caution the reader to interpret results in light of the sample size.

Overall their conclusion was that workplace generational differences exist, but are mostly

of small significance and organizations should not attempt to redesign their policies in order to

manage effectively. This study is included in this paper not to show that organizations should


change their policies but to highlight that differences exist and mangers need to take this into

account to better understand and manage their employees.

This study’s findings are complimented by the findings of another study conducted by

Meriac, Woeher, and Banister (2010) titled, “Generational Differences, in Work Ethic: An

examination of measurements equivalence across three cohorts”. That study was published in

the Journal of Business Psychology, Vol.25 and used a profile of multidimensional work ethics,

studying 1,860 participants over a 12 year period. Their results and conclusion were that Baby

Boomers ranked higher that both GenX and Millennials in all work ethics except leisure. They

also found that Millennials ranked higher than GenXers on the three dimensions of morality,

ethics, hard work, and delaying their gratification.

This study also noted that their results could be affected by the failure to take into

account life stages and possibly by interpretation errors by the respondents. Their conclusion was

that the three generations are, in fact, different on levels of work ethics but the answers were

more complicated that suggested previously.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING BETWEEN GENERATIONS

One other management issue that was covered frequently in literature was knowledge

transfer between generations. Many consider knowledge, or intellectual capital, as the capital

resource of a company’s value. Human capital, or the value of human assets, is the collective

value of the workforce (Stevens, 2010). Human capital is the knowledge, skills and motivation of

the workforce. Knowledge management is being recognized b as a valuable corporate resource in

the same way that tangible resources such as land, buildings and equipment are.

As employees age within an organization, they acquire insights about the company and

its idiosyncrasies that are difficult to replace through a simple learning program. Mature workers


have a both explicit and tacit knowledge, which is a significant resource to the organization. As

these employees are phased out, loss of information and knowledge become major concerns for

organizations.

Knowledge transfer as a continual process is vital to any institution. As organizations

face a large amount of Baby Boomers who will be retiring this process will become vital.

Increasing its urgency are reports showing a smaller incoming workforce than what will be

leaving. Some estimates are the incoming workforce may be as much as 16% smaller than the

one they are replacing. There is a very real and large risk of losing large amounts of skill and

knowledge if steps to transfer this knowledge are not taken. As employees grow and age in an

organization, they gain knowledge that is specific to that organizations operation and culture.

The more the knowledge is specialized, the more difficult it is for organizations to replace or

reproduce. It is in the company’s best interest to keep this knowledge to stay competitive

(Stevens, 2010).

Successfully managing a workforce of multiple generations’ means companies have to

design their training and use of technology with a diverse workforce in mind. A large age spread

can present challenges and barriers to this process. Potential issues are age bias as well as

different work values and habits. Those differences may pose knowledge transfer barriers

(Stevens, 2010). In order to meet the varied needs of each generation, companies will have to

develop many options for training and communication. A single approach will not work in

assisting each generation to accomplish their goals.

An understanding of how each generation learns is essential to develop an effective

training program that will assist in passing knowledge between generations. Baby Boomers and

Traditionalist are used to, and prefer instructor-led classroom training. However, Gen Xers and


Millennials were raised with and are used to technology-based learning. Because of diversity in

learning styles, various methods of transferring knowledge should be used. Formal education,

training, and conferences should be used as well as apprenticeships, games and storytelling. A

good method of promoting collaboration is putting multiple generations on teams to tackle larger

problems.

More technological means should be utilized as well such as instant messaging, blogs and

podcast which the Gen Xer’s and Millennials may find comfortable, but consideration should be

taken that the older generations may not be as proficient in. One training method shown to work

across the generations is the use of mentoring. A joint study by IBM and the American Society

of Training and Development found that up to 60% of respondents utilized mentoring while only

50% still use a document heavy means as a tool for capturing knowledge. (Stevens, 2010).

This study also noted that mentoring is an effective means to learn when doing realistic

scenarios that they may encounter, for which mentors give guidance to students. “Thus, the one-

on-one relationship between mentor and the mentee helps facilitate the transfer of experiential

and tacit knowledge” (Stevens,2010, p.80). Many successful people claim that their success was

based largely on being mentored. However an organization needs to know that for mentoring to

be effective it will require one-on-one contact along with policies that provide an adequate

amount of unstructured time for workers to spend together.

Reverse mentoring is now viewed as another method for managing knowledge transfer as

well. Reverse mentoring may be critical for older workers in order to keep important skills in

order to remain productive and effective in the workplace (Stevens, 210). Reverse mentoring can

treat generational differences as an advantage in inspiring creativity instead of a point of conflict.

Not only will older workers benefit with a better understanding of technology learned from their


younger counterparts, the younger workers will gain in their organizational and social

networking skills from their older colleagues.

GENERATIONAL MOTIVATORS

As motivating employees individually can be unwieldy to manage and motivating them

with blanket approaches, leave many employees unmotivated a better understanding of

generational trends may lead to a better organization wide approach. Reviewing several different

studies/literature gives some insight into motivational factors that each generation find important.

As it can be difficult to find studies going back far enough to research much on the Traditional

generation the following section will mostly talk about Baby Boomers, Generation X, and

Millennials.

Primarily there are two main motivational theories, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as well

as Herzberg’s follow up theory of Motivators. According to Abraham H. Maslow, only

unsatisfied needs are prime sources of motivation. This means that if you’re hungry will you

buy, grow or steal food to satisfy the primitive physiological need to survive (Montana and Petit,

2008). The same could be said about work success and motivation. You will learn and study

what you need to succeed only if that need remains unsatisfied.

Maslow list five identified needs into a pyramid system accounting for most all of human

behavior. The more primitive the need, the lower on the pyramid it belongs. The more mature the

need the higher on the pyramid. Progress up the hierarchy is similar to climbing a ladder, to get

to the next rung you have to successfully meet the need on the lower rung first. Figure one shows

his ranking system.


Figure1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The bottom rung consist of our most basic need for survival such as food, shelter, water,

etc. The first need must be satisfied before the next rung of “Safety” can even be attempted. The

third rung represents the need to be accepted by others. It isn’t until the fourth rung, where we

begin to worry about our ego or status that a person even begins to worry about their contribution

to a group. The highest rung would deal with a sense of growth and achievement.

Herzberg, though with a different approach, came to much the same conclusions as

Maslow. However where Maslow focused on sources of motivation, Herzberg focused on only

the needs that were important to work and accomplishments. Herzog believed that only the top


three needs directly impacted motivation to work effectively. “Belongingness concerns, he

found, are somewhat linked to work motivation, especially in the area of supervisor-subordinate

relationships, and to non-work issues having to do with interpersonal satisfactions” (Montana

and Petit, 2008, p.141). Herzberg called these levels motivators as identified in figure 2.

Figure 2. Maslow’s Needs and Herzberg’s Motivators

Herzberg identified the factors in the workplace that motivate people which he called

satisfiers from the lowest two levels, which he labeled as maintenance factors. While the

maintenance factors could not be utilized to motivate workers, if not met, they could prove a

very unsatisfying factor in worker motivation. “According to Herzberg, motivation develops

from the challenge of the job itself through responsibility, achievement, recognition,

advancement, and growth” (Montana and Petit, 2008, p.142). Dissatisfaction will result if the


lower level needs are not met. In other words, job performance depends on satisfying both the

motivational and maintenance needs.

On an interesting note from a study done in 2008 comparing motivators in the workplace,

the same motivation checklist was given to 6,000 managers during the 1970’s and again to 500

senior-level executives in the 1980’s. The top three replies in order of importance were:

1. Respect for me as a person (Belonging, the third rung of the hierarchy).

2. Good Pay (Ego-status, 4th rung)

3. Opportunity to do interesting work (Self-Actualization, the 5th and top rung).

It wasn’t until the 4th through the 6th rankings which all related to self-actualization were there

any differences in motivators. Compare those findings to more recent surveys done of

Generations X (1990’s) and Millennials (2005-2007) and though the answers are different, they

pretty much relate to the same rankings on the hierarchy scale. From most important to least, the

top three ranks were:

1. Respect for me as a person (Belonging, the third rung of the hierarchy).

2. Good Pay (Ego-status, 4th rung)

3. Chance for promotion (GenXers-Ego status) and Getting along well with others on

the job (Millennials-Belonging)

GenXer’s begin to reach for self -actualization needs at the 4th rank (Opportunity to do

interesting work), and 5th rank (Feeling my job is important. Millennials do not reach for self-

actualization until 5th rank (Opportunity to do interesting work), and the 6th rank (Opportunity for

self-development and improvement).

Even though Gen X and Millennials answers are different overall from the previous

generations, they were very close to each other. Pay matters to them both for economic reasons


as well as status symbols. An understanding of what motivated these groups is vital for managers

to understand so they can manage the more effectively.

Baby Boomers

“64% of the boomers did not think that most companies are doing a good job of meeting

the needs of their generation” (Mills, Cannon and Cook, 1989, p.41). Unlike previous

generations, boomers place a high value on the work environment. Organizations can try several

approaches to make the most of boomers potential. The first approach would be to motivate

boomers through challenge and variety. Boomers view a career that is challenging and

interesting as a successful one.

Maximizing status and income were not important to them. In order to keep the best

employees, an organization needs to provide opportunities for development of careers and

training while limiting any emphasis on promotion. While stressing promotion might at first,

seem like a good way to motivate boomers, it actually reinforces a concept of “up or out”. It

implies that if one does not move up the ladder, they have lost out. This may lead to a loss of

experienced, talented, employees and worsen the morale of those that stay in the company.

Removing this mentality will allow talented employees to continue being productive,

making them more likely to stay with the company as long as they view their work as an

interesting challenge. Managers should be sensitive to employee’s interest and provide a

challenge to keep the job interesting. This can be done by organizing work into teams, frequently

varying assignments and making training and learning available.

Boomers want to be treated, respected, and seen as professionals. “Managers will relate

better with them if they set up teams in which the hierarchy lines are blurred. Baby Boomers

prefer an atmosphere where everyone’s opinion is important” (Mills, Cannon and Cook, 1989,


p.42). By increasing the scope of boomers responsibility and opportunity to work with their

peers, an environment of increased professionalism can be nurtured along. The manager will

benefit by an increase of self-supervision from the baby boomers.

As boomers are individualistic, with a strong need for their contributions to be

recognized, compensation systems need to be able to provide those recognitions. Employees

should be rewarded according to their contributions with a minimal lag time between the

contribution and the award. Another individual reward idea is to do more to recognize the

contributions the employee’s families make. Holding lunches, sending the spouses or significant

others flowers, and even organizing children’s parties are all reward alternatives. Or the reward

can be as simple as being more flexible with their work schedules.

Because boomers value relationships and many are not married, their workplace plays an

important social role. They like to develop relationships and friendships at work and often like to

have their managers socialize with them. Developing work relationships has the added plus of

fostering cooperation as well as loyalty. Boomers prefer their managers to show concern for

them as well as view and treat them as human beings.

Boomers prefer smaller organizations with fewer levels of management. These flatter

organizations allow for greater autonomy and provide people with higher levels of responsibility

(Mills, Cannon and Cook, 1989). Boomers also prefer their CEO’s to manage as a facilitator and

promote talent as well as idea from inside the ranks. This is the polar opposite of their

predecessors, who believed that CEO’s should manage from a position of strength in a top down

hierarchy. The Baby boomers are very hesitant to commit themselves unless they feel they are

playing a part in the decision making process. They will respond best to CEO’s who understand

and respect their values and careers.


Understanding can reduce conflict as differences in values can often be a source of

conflict and anger between generations. Boomers will often feel misunderstood and view older

generations as too rigid. An awareness of these differences in values is the key to managing

those conflicts successfully. For business executives, understanding what makes baby boomers

tick is key to motivating them successfully in the workplace (Mills, Cannon and Cook, 1989).

Generation X

A study titled by Montana, P., and Petit, F. (2008). Motivating Generation X and Y on the

job and preparing Z., reviews a study from the 1990’s to study Generation X as well as their own

study from 2005 to 2007 to compare these two generations.

In most literature, when people were asked about important goals in their jobs, many

employees answered self -fulfillment and “Feeling good about what I do”. This and similar

answers were given by all the generations involved. The second most frequent response was tied

along the lines of “flexibility of schedule” and “advancement in my career/profession”. Oddly

enough flexibility scored the highest among Traditionalist and Gen Xers but among the lowest

among the Millennials. Large company hierarchies are often rigid, strangle initiative and can

smother creativity. Therefore steps should be taken to reduce hierarchies or ensure they do not

become smothering.

Managers should provide opportunities to allow Generation Y employees to work with

others on special projects or on teams. This will reward them for effective performance in team

efforts as well as develop there interpersonal skills. In certain situations, one-on-one coaching

and counseling may be needed. It should be noted that the Association of Advance Collegiate

Schools of Business International list the following competencies for Managerial Success.

Leadership- the ability to influence others to perform task


Analytical Thinking- the ability to interpret and explain patterns of information

Behavioral Flexibility- the ability to modify personal behavior to reach a goal

Oral Communication – the ability to express ideas clearly in oral presentations

Written Communications- ability to express one’s ideas clearly in writing

Personal Impact –the ability to create a good impression and instill confidence (Montana

and Petit, 2008)

An organization that works to satisfy employee’s motivators will benefit by gaining a

skilled, committed workforce. The Dale Carnegie Training center (R.R, 2013) gives four ways

to motivate Gen X Employees.

1. Don’t make generalizations about a generation

2. Try not to micromanage

3. Provide Passion Projects

4. Bridge the gap

They stress that just because an employee may fall into a generation gap that does not mean

everyone of that generation acts uniformly. There will always be exceptions. To make the most

of the creativity of Generation X, do not try to control their every action. This does not mean the

manager has to tread lightly. Generation X can handle constructive criticism, but they do

appreciate being recognized for their work. Provide projects and jobs that challenge their skills.

This generation is wants to make their mark. Push them to learn new technology and trends

providing them training on new technologies and how they change way business is done. (R,

2013)

Millennials


What kind of work environments attract, retain and motivate millennial co-workers?

Here are the six most frequent responses (Montana and Petit, 2008).

1. You be the leader; this generation has grown up with parents that gave them structure and

constant supervision. So much so, that they term “Helicopter Parents” was coined to

describe them.

2. Change me; this generation wants to be assigned to projects they can learn from. They are

looking for growth and development

3. Let me work with friends; Millennials want to work with, and be friends with, their co-

workers. So much so that a few companies have even begun to interview and hire entire

groups of friends

4. Let’s have fun; a little humor and silliness will make the workplace more attractive.

Organizations such as Google, and Yahoo headquarters are known for having relaxed

work place atmospheres.

5. Respect me; treat their ideas with respect. Do not dismiss their ideas simply because they

are inexperienced.

6. Be flexible; this generation has grown up with busy schedules and will not give up their

extracurricular activities just because of jobs. A rigid schedule is a quick way to

discourage this generation.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Communication is critical. Organizational Communication is even more so. This area’s

underlying values are vital to the success of organizations. Ethics are heavily involved in

organizational communication between an organization and its workers. Philosopher Emmanuel

Levinas tells us that inviting one into discourse creates an ethical demand (1979). That being the


case, then one must consider the ethical demand that occurs when employers hire workers and

accept their contribution to the organization (Harshman and Harshman, 1999)

Many times the organizational communication does not appear to be based on ethical

considerations. Traditional organizational communication is simply another version of the public

relations model. This model is based on communicating externally and is based on a top-down

hierarchy model where power and control in an organization is controlled by a small group at the

top. Employees have very little say and are treated as if they have no commitment or input to the

organizations well- being. This model is often not very motivating for today’s employees.

Today’s organizations are taking a more progressive approach and view of its

relationship with its workers. Instead of top-down, managers are providing information and

support, allowing the workforce to have decision making participation. This communication

model will assist in the employees having a better understanding the business and their role, as

well as how successful the organization is. “The communication process and content are based

on, and demonstrate, values such as respect, dignity, trust, and shared authority” (Harshman and

Harshman, 1999, p.4).

This model is not only clear about its organizations guiding values. To be effective a

communication style must not only support the success of the organization, it must also reflect

and reinforce the organizations values. Communication is not effective if workers do not

perceive it has integrity. They must see and believe the organizations leaders are acting

consistently with those same values.

Communication is not only a key factor in how well and organization performs, it is very

high on the diagnostic checklist. The easier it is for information to flow up, down, or even

sideways in an organization, the better, and healthier an organization becomes. There is a strong


connection between communication problems and performance problems. An organizations

performance is directly impacted by its communication issues. It is shows the employees what

their leadership believes and values. When it begins to conflict with the values of the workforce

or commonly held ethical values, the workers react negatively. They do not just ignore the

disparity. Or to put it another way, when the workers see and hear the management

communicating in ways not consistent to their values or the companies stated values they do not

just ignore the issue, it affects their performance.

Many types of communication issues may manifest in an organization. For example, one-

sided (usually downward) communication only, mistakes in facts or withholding of vital

information. Other possibilities include communication issues by the message recipient.

Messages may be misperceived, partially refused, or the recipient may not even be listening due

to lack of credibility in the sender’s message as a result of values being inconsistent. Employees

have a surprising ability to quickly pick up when values are being preached but not practiced.

Low credibility can have several effects; employees stop listening and miss vital

information. Even if they are listening, they may not believe what they are being told. If they

cannot believe what they are being told, then employees have their own interpretations of what is

developing within the organization. Giving birth to myths, rumors, and even “worst case”

scenarios to fill in the gaps in the communication. Communication is a strong sign of beliefs of

an organizations leadership. Employees have great difficulty with leaders who talk one set of

values but in daily communications violate those values. James Autry (1991), the former military

officer and corporate chief executive officer contends that:

“Management is, in fact, a sacred trust in which the well-being of other people is put in

your care during most of the waking hours. It is a trust placed upon you first by those


who put you in the job, but more importantly that that, it is a trust placed upon you after

you get the job by those whom you are to manage” (Harshman and Harshman, 1999, p.9).

This quote exemplifies the thought that you, as a manager, have a trust placed upon you to look

out for the well-being of those employees you manage, in return for their efforts and trust.

So, how do organizations and managers build credibility and trust? Be goal oriented and

present a clear vision for the future. Have high involvement with employees and a level of high

commitment. Use reward systems with a direct connection to the business performance. Other

useful strategies include have those in charge, lead, instead of manage. The organization must be

oriented to learning. And most importantly they must, have an effective, open, two way, and

credible communication process.

“If we accept the premise that communication in an organization is both a contributor to,

and reflection of, the overall culture and character of an organization, the question becomes:

What are the essential principles and practices of communication to create the kind of

organization described above”? (Harshman and Harshman, 1999, p.15).

Organizations are increasingly creating value statements as one part of their

organizational foundation. These are guidelines for leaders and their followers to emulate on a

day to day basis. This is important in identifying an organizations key value, and will help an

organization perform well and create a positive work atmosphere. With values in place an

organization can begin to build their communication process.

An effective organizational communication process should include some of the following

key roles:

To inform and explain

Educate about the business and its environment


Reinforce credibility, openness, and trust

Support an organizations messages and themes

Fulfill and employees needs of predicting, understanding, and controlling their

environment.

Make a positive impact on employees.

This is just a sample list but it makes apparent that the role of communication will be more

broadly defined than the old classic, public affairs model. It also places communication at the

heart and center of how an organization does business. Most importantly, it makes values such as

trust a vital key to communication.

Taking the trust value one step further, a communication strategy should have the

following characteristics:

Two way (for exchange and feedback

Relevant to employee’s needs;

Understandable

Believable

Useful

Timely; and

Mature (does not “talk down” to employees) (Harshman and Harshman, 1999).

Openness and trusting characteristics will allow an organization to build an ethical

communication process that will echo its stated values. Building communication practices based

on the above principles will ensure the process contributes to, and not detract, from an

organizations success.


How to tie all this together? Many high performance organizations use the following

methods to stay on track. Create a communication process that is collaborative with employees

so the process is relevant to them. Creating an oversight committee that includes employees to

identify issues. Give them the authority to create process to solve the issues. A communication

audit should be used to create a baseline, as well as measure changes over time.

Be clear about the values, principles and process; put it in writing. Create a process to

support the values. Most importantly of all, be willing to learn. Mangers should realize they most

likely will not get it right the first time and have the courage to not give up. If the employees are

kept up to date on both the success and setbacks of the process, a climate of tolerance and

support for the learning curve will develop (Harshman and Harshman, 1999).

COLLABORATIVE ORGANIZATIONS

Organizations that combine diverse areas or expertise are known as collaborative

organizations. These organizations encourage employees to work as a group. The focus is to be

motivated by the mission, not just for personal gain. By combining a sense of purpose to a

support structure, they are mobilizing employee’s expertise in a more flexible yet manageable

group work effort. The benefits are increased innovation and efficiency with the room for growth

built in.

“A growing number of organizations-including IBM, Citibank, NASA, and Kaiser

Permanente- are reaping the rewards of collaborative communities in the form of higher margins

on knowledge-intensive work” (Adler, Hecksher and Prusak, 2011, p.96).

By implementing collaborative organizations, these companies have made more efficient and

productive work forces. This is proof that collaborative communities see an increase in

productivity, efficiency and effectiveness.


For an organization to build a collaborative team and be successful they must address at

least four basic requirements; define a shared purpose, establish contribution ethic, develop

processes to allow people to work in group projects, and create an infrastructure where

collaborations is rewarded and valued. “Sociologist Max Weber famously outlined four bases for

social relations, which can be roughly summarized as tradition, self-interest, affection, and

shared purpose” (Adler, Hecksher and Prusak, 2011, p.96). Collaborative organizations

concentrate on the shared purpose base.

By concentrating on a shared purpose, collaborative communities work to establish a

basis of trust and cohesion that is greater than self-interest. Effective shared purposes will put

into words how a group positions itself apart from its competition and even other business

partners. It is what makes them unique. It also puts into words the principles they believe will

lead to their success. An example of this is Kaiser-Permante’s Value Compass, which defines the

organizations shared purpose as: Best quality, best service, most affordable, best place to work

(Adler, Hecksher and Prusak, 2011).

The shared purpose is a description of what everyone in the organization should be

working toward, or a common goal. It should be a guide for efforts for the whole organizational

structure to follow, from the top executive all the way down to the individual employee on the

line or factory floor. It recognizes the challenges that organizations face and should strive to

meet them on a daily basis. A shared purpose can be a strong principle for an organization. It is

not just words on a poster but practical statement designed to address real issues.

A shared value that collaborative business share could be called an ethic of contribution,

that places the highest value to people who look past their specific roles and work toward the

common purpose (Adler, Hecksher and Prusak, 2011). This view changes the outlook from just


doing the job, to going beyond the job description to solve problems beyond ones formal job

responsibilities. The emphasis is working within the group instead of as an individual trying to

control the responsibility. Or to put it another way, the emphasis is not to build your personal

kingdom of responsibility but to be a team player and build the business as a whole.

Traditional organization models are excellent at coordinating efforts up and down the

chain of command, but they are not so good at lateral movement. Collaborative Organizations on

the other hand excel at coordinating efforts 360 degrees in a type of coordination known as

interdependent management (Adler, Hecksher and Prusak, 2011). This process is flexible and

interactive with processes worked out and written into protocols. However, these protocols must

be continually reviewed and revised as the nature of work and the desires of the customers

change. The process is shaped by the people that have the hands on responsibility, and not from

the top down.

In this system, anyone involved can make or initiate a change if they see a need for it in

their work. The changes are not put into effect though, until all parties discuss how the change

may impact the other participants and the change is clear to everyone involved. This is a tough

way to manage as it requires participants to adapt to the needs of others. In addition the required

necessity of developing habits of documenting the process and process discussions can take a lot

of time to begin to show results.

Building a collaborative community or organization has its challenges and requires

constant attention. Some associates will not want to give up their independent goals and needs to

show how successful they are in order to concentrate on the group’s success. Another challenge

is the organizations purpose must evolve on a regular basis in order to meet the demands of the

market and their customers. This is a time consuming task. That is why this style must be


considered an investment in the long term, and many failures may take place in order to reap

greater success.

It can be argued that in today’s marketplace innovating quickly enough to keep up with

advances and the competition while cutting cost and improving efficiencies cannot be done

without the employee’s active participation. The ideas of everyone at all levels of responsibility

will be needed to do meet work demands cheaper and better. Collaboration is tailored to meet

that need. “The organizations that will become household names of this century will be

renowned for sustained, large-scale, efficient innovation. The key to that capability is neither

company loyalty nor free-agent autonomy but, rather, a strong collaborative community” (Adler,

Hecksher and Prusak, 2011, p.101).

ANALYSIS

Managers may be wondering how the different subjects covered so far have anything to

do with communication or making a more efficient productive multi-generational work team.

All the areas covered relate to each other and build upon the findings of the previous subject.

Skipping over any subject may not give managers a clear picture. Details, facts, and information

will be missing and avoidable communication errors will be made

This analysis will link the subject areas together and demonstrate how improved

communication in your workforce will increase the productivity, effectiveness, efficiency and

teamwork of your workforce. Any relationship, be it a working one or a personal one, begins

with getting to know the other party or parties. That is normally done by communicating with

one another our likes/dislikes, values, goals etc. as we search for a common ground to base a

relationship upon. In a working relationship part of the common ground has already been


established. The work of the organization that we have agreed to do is our common ground and

goal.

By covering the topics of generational descriptions we learn how each generation was

shaped and what generalities bind them together. When forming a relationship, values are

discussed. We covered some general values shared by each generation as a beginning to discover

what each generation holds dear. For example, “An examination of Table 2 shows a good deal of

congruence between the generational value profiles described above and in Table 1 and the value

profiles of Table 2 Health and family security ranked #1 and 2 for all three generations” (Gibson,

Greenwood and Murphy, 2009, p. 3).

This shows that even though each generation may be different, we hold common values

and can relate to each other. Being sensitive to the differences that exist among our workers will

assist in removing communication barriers, as noted by Gibson, Greenwood and Murphy (2009),

“It should be helpful, however, to be more sensitive to these gross generational differences I

order to bridge what is commonly called the generation gap” (p. 5).

Some of the values we covered are that Traditionalist have a strong sense of family,

strong work ethics, and self- discipline. They value fairness and managers would be well advised

to approach any topic with them by keeping that in mind. It is best to remember they most often

prefer face to face communication and may be uncomfortable with electronic communication.

Maintaining trust is of great importance to them. Managers should make sure they communicate

those ideas and values when dealing with this generation if they expect full cooperation. Eye

contact is important and oftentimes communicating in detail how important a job or a task

assigned to them is may be critical to get the most participation from them.


Boomers were taught to work well with others and value relationships. Managers should

understand and communicate their wants and needs to this generation on the terms of

relationship building. Managers can often get good results by appealing to a Boomers sense of

self-worth as they may define it by their jobs. Managers must also be very mindful of their

communication style with Boomers as they may take feedback as criticism and take it personally.

Be sure to phrase your comments tactfully. A Coaching or mentor style communication may be

very advantageous.

Generation X or GenXer’s grew up very independent. Managers need to keep that in

mind and that this generation may see communication that constantly request updates on their

task as micro-management. Business decisions should also be made and communicated quickly

or GenXer’s may become impatient. Showing an interest and helping hand in their careers will

strengthen your relationship with them and promote better teamwork. Keep in mind that

GenXer’s have a strong sense of work\life balance. Taking an interest in their family and family

events will give the non-verbal message that you think of them as more than just an employee

and value the time they give to their job.

Millennials grew up communicating via email, skype, instant messaging or even using

social media. This is important as a manager to understand as you may get a faster response from

them through electronic channels than through other means. On the other hand, managers will

need to know that this also means this generation may be a little lacking on their people skills

and some conflict may occur with older generations because of it. Millennials also look at job

loyalty differently. Managers who wish to keep talented workers from this generation will need

to take extra steps to let them know how much they are appreciated.


The same goes for their work ethics; by covering this topic managers are prepared to

understand how each generation approaches work. Knowing this may influence how a manger

decides to handle conflict or needed discussion within the workplace. For example we know that

“Traditionalist are respectful of peoples’ titles and authority they represent, while Boomers may

question anyone of authority” (Gordon and Steele, 2005, p. 29). Knowing this we should expect

and not take it personally when Boomers question the manager and expect explanations in

greater detail that Traditionalist would. A manager should be prepared with clear communication

of the facts at hand.

Another important item to note from the same study is how the different generational

work habits and decision making may require patience on the manager’s part. Different

perceptions by each generation can cause misunderstandings. As noted by Gordon and Steel

(2005), “Patience is an important attribute for advisors of all generations to master because

perceptions about different aspects of work may cause misunderstandings or conflict” (p. 29). As

a manager, you will most likely have to be the mediator in these misunderstandings.

Understanding both sides will be essential to minimize conflict and promote teamwork.

Some of the areas were misunderstandings may occur are job mobility, work rule

compliance, and willingness to work overtime. Communication is perhaps the most important

tool to use in addressing these issues. At one time or another, a manager will be faced with these

issues and any of them can cause undue issues with teamwork, effectiveness and efficiency. It is

best to be aware of their potential to become issues before they do.

Job mobility is an obvious worry for a manager. Having a valued employee leave

your organization is always disruptive, even more so if you are in the middle of an important

project. From our research we can see that Baby Boomers, and most likely Traditionalist, are the


least likely generations to change jobs. They grew up when it was common to get a job and be

loyal an organization expecting job security. Think of the pension and a gold watch stories. They

may hold multiple jobs within that organization but did not leave the organization itself.

The same cannot be said of GenXer’s or Millennials however. They grew up and even

entered the workforce themselves during corporate downsizing and company layoffs of their

parents as well as themselves. They no longer view being loyal to a company and being

rewarded as a given. Who can blame them after seeing how that no longer worked for their

parents? These generations are more independent and comfortable with change.

Managers who have valued employees in either of these generations need to make sure

they communicate how valued the employee and their contributions are. Asking about these

generation’s future goals or concerns can give a manager a heads up if the employee may be

looking for greener pastures. A disgruntled employee may not be an employee much longer

regardless of how valued they are. Managers should also use this information in their long term

planning such as in knowledge transfer but we will discuss that later on.

Another major area of concern for managers would be compliance with work rules. Even

though the studies we reviewed looked at dress codes and attendance, these two issues could give

an indication if the employee will be difficult to work with or not. And of course if you are a

manager in production warehouse, unexpected absences can play major havoc on your work

production. Baby boomers should the least amounts of issues with absenteeism, as might be

expected. Oddly enough though it was GenXer’s that showed the most compliance with dress

codes.

Millennials closely mirrored Baby boomers in both attendance an appearance issues. The

study authors did note, however, that as people aged in each generational range, the more likely


they were to comply with work rules. Managers should keep these issues in mind when

explaining the organizations work rules and perhaps spend more time explaining to GenXers, on

how non-compliance with these rules adversely affects work performance, production, and even

detracts from teamwork.

The last work ethic discussed was each generation’s willingness to work overtime. We

see that GenXer’s were least likely to work overtime, every time when asked. This should not be

surprising as we discussed in generational values that GenXer’s more than any others want a

work-life balance. While the study showed they were least likely every time when asked.

GenXer’s did show the highest compliance under the table heading of “Most times when asked”.

As overtime is quite often a necessity to accomplishing a work goal, managers should

spend extra time and care with their communication to GenXer’s of the need for the overtime.

Managers should keep in mind this generation wants a work-life balance. Unnecessary overtime,

as viewed by the worker or consistent overtime may lead to a member of this generation feeling

that work is not taking their family time serious enough. If kept to a minimum and care is taken

to explain why and how much their cooperation is appreciated, this should not be a major issue.

Knowledge sharing is based almost entirely upon communication between each

generation. This is something the organizers will have to manage. As knowledge is often

guarded by some workers in the mistaken goal of ensuring their job security, it can often be lost

when that worker retires or is suddenly gone. Withholding information like this would negatively

impact the organization. For example, Stevens (2010), notes that “42% of corporate knowledge

resides in the brains of the workforce and the institutional knowledge that accompanies the

person out the door is both explicit and tacit” (p. 81)


Knowledge transfer is almost entirely communication based. Whether it be via hands on

demonstrations (non-verbal) or instructor, mentoring and even reverse mentoring (verbal), it is

critical to not only the organizations success but can be instrumental in maintaining your

workforce productivity. The knowledge should not only be passed to the upcoming generations

but also to the older generations. Reverse mentoring can be a vital tool to maintain and increase

productivity. “Reverse mentoring is critical for older workers. As workers advance in age, they

will need to refresh important skills to remain productive and effective in the workplace”

(Stevens, 2010, p. 81).

Knowledge is often considered intellectual capital and viewed as a corporate resource.

Structuring a training program with different generations sharing their knowledge will not only

keep the necessary skills an organization needs, but if structured correctly it can make for a

tighter, more productive team. Mentoring is often viewed by many successful people as the

largest contribution to their success. Having a Traditionalist or Baby boomer mentor upcoming

GenXer’s and even Millennials will not only retain knowledge it can also lower communication

barriers between the generations. Younger generations learning from their senior counterparts

will gain an appreciation for their knowledge.

The older generation, or mentors, will develop an appreciation for the younger

generation’s ability to quickly grasp new material and knowledge that may have taken them

years to develop on their own. While Traditionalist and Baby Boomers may be more comfortable

in an instructor-led classroom, Gen Xer’s and Millennials are accustomed to technology based

training. A good mix of the two should reach each generation. As mentioned earlier a good

method of promoting collaboration, and even communication, is to put multiple generations on

the same teams to tackle large problems. Managers that take that approach will not only increase


the team’s collaboration, but their communication with each other as well. Best ideas, and

approaches are tempered with experience and history of past methods tried.

We progress from knowledge transfer between generations to reviewing motivators.

Knowing what motivates a generation and how to communicate to those motivators is the back

bone of any manager’s job. Motivating your employees is essential to accomplishing the

organizations goals. Backing up that claim, Montana and Petit (2008) state, “Understanding the

factors that motivate each of these different groups is very important to managers to understand

in order to manage effectively” (p. 144). How does this improve workplace effectiveness?

The answer to that is by building on the values, ethics and knowledge transfer, motivating

the workforce will encourage them to work together. The following quote demonstrates this well

-known fact, “An Organization will benefit greatly, not only by satisfying these motivators, but

also by gaining a more committed and skilled work force” (Montana and Petit, 2008, p. 145).

Before a manager can motivate their workforce, they must first understand what motivators are.

To better understand motivators this study included what motivators are along with the role

communication can play.

The first thing we reviewed is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s follow up of

Motivators. This gives a baseline explanation of what motivators are and how they work. From

Maslow we learn that needs are ranked in level of maturity. We cannot begin to address a need

on an upper rung of the hierarchy until we satisfy a lower level need. Herzberg identifies which

of these needs can be used as motivators and which ones, if not taken care of, can be

demotivating factors.

Once again, this is done by communicating to those values and needs. Communicating a

message of respect for our fellow workers addresses their need of “Belonging”. While explaining


to an employee the chance to do work that may be interesting may address their need of “Self-

Actualization. By addressing an employee’s needs or showing them a path to address those needs

a manger is showing interest in their well-being and strengthening their work place relationships.

People will better respond to others who understand, and respect their values. Addressing

an employee’s motivator’s shows not only do you understand their values, but that you are

actively attempting to help that employee succeed with their goals. Keep in mind that insincerity

is quickly noticed and will impact the working relationship negatively. Concern and efforts to

assist someone meeting their goals must be genuine or you will risk alienating that person. Once

the feeling that a manager is insincere is established, it can be hard to overcome that

communication barrier.

This brings us to Organizational Communication. The topic of organizational

communication covers how organizations can communicate their message of values, goals, and

objectives. If this step is missed or an organization is unable to properly communicate with its

employees, they will not trust the organization or give the job the attention it deserves. This

section ties everything together for what a manager and an organization must do in order to form

a tight, efficient, and productive work team.

Detailed steps are given in what steps an organization must meet in order to communicate

the message they want their employees to hear and believe. The result of not having an effective

organizational communication plan will be decreased efficiency and productivity. “Mistrust and

a lack of credibility are part of a pattern in organizations that results in morale, commitment, and

ultimately, performance problems” (Harshman and Harshman, 1999, p. 18). This highlights why

an effective organization communication strategy is vital to the organizations success. It provides

a shared purpose to everyone within the organization.


For two sides, in this case an organization and employees to effectively relate and

communicate they must share a common purpose grounded in ethics and values. This section

shows from an organizational standpoint, what the ethics, values, and motivating goals of each

generation are and how to align the organizations communications with them. Organizational

communications are heavily based on their stated ethics and values. Organizations are moving

away from the old public relations model of communication. That was a top down approach that

demonstrated all the organizations power came from the top, few, selected individuals.

This was not a very motivating message for employees to hear that no matter what they

think or do, the upper management is not interested in their ideas. Today’s organizations are

moving to a more collaborative environment where everyone’s ideas are heard and appreciated.

Managers are not telling workers how and when to do what. Now they are communicating

information and support. It is the workforce that is being allowed in on the decision making

process.

Organizations are taking the time to further explain to their employees their roles in

business and how that affects the organization. They state, for lack of a better term, their motto in

running their business. Or to put it another way, organizations are putting their values, in writing,

for all to see. The goal is to provide integrity, because without it, communication with the

workers will not be effective. If the communication is not effective it is counter-productive.

One of the goals for organizational communication is for information to no longer flow

from the top down, but from the bottom up, and any which direction as long as it flows freely. In

other words, the goal is free and open communication. Organizations have learned

communication problems will lead to performance problems as well. Just as in any relationship,


if clear, honest communication does not exist the relationship will never be as strong or healthy

as it could possibly be.

If communication does not flow freely, then messages may be misperceived, or the

recipient may not even be listening as they feel the sender has no credibility. In an organization,

communication is a sign of belief in the organizations leadership. No one believes or trust, a

person or organization that appears to preach one set of values, only to practice a different set of

values on a daily basis.

Taking Organizational communication and its purpose of increasing the ways

communication flows will naturally lead to the final section of building a Collaborative

Organization. This combines the sense of purpose in organizational communication with a

support structure that takes advantage of each employee’s knowledge and ideas. Work becomes a

group effort instead of a result of individual efforts within an organization. Or as stated by Adler,

Hecksher and Prusak (2011), “By marrying a sense of common purpose to a supportive

structure, these organizations are mobilizing knowledge worker’s talents and expertise in

flexible, highly manageable group-work efforts. The approach fosters not only innovation and

agility but also efficiency and scalability” (p. 96).

How do organizations build this sense of trust and credibility? They must be goal

oriented and set a clear vision. They are also highly involved with their employees and make use

of reward systems directly tied to performance. The organization must be geared for learning and

managers must lead rather than simply manage. One way for them to accomplish this is to use

value statements. These are guidelines for the organization, and everyone in it, to follow. This

will identify the organizations key value much as we identified each generation’s key values

earlier.


Many organizations create oversight committee’s so that they have a collaborative

communication process with the employees. Creating a committee will include the employees in

on the decision making process. Another important thing for organizations to do is keep their

employees up to date on setbacks as well as accomplishments. If done properly, employees will

understand that to be successful, the organization may have to adjust and learn as they go.

By encouraging employees to work as a group, they become involved in the mission, or

the organizations success. They are no longer simply motivated by what’s in it for them, but

begin to see the bigger picture. This will empower the employees to contribute ideas and to the

success of the company. Instead of a few select individuals at the top of the corporate ladder

trying to improve efficiency and productivity, the employees directly contribute to their and the

company’s success with increased innovation.

Successful companies must, at a minimum, address four requirements; define a shared

purpose, establish an ethic of contribution, develop processes to allow group projects, and create

a collaborative infrastructure. By organizations and managers using communication theories to

build more collaborative organizations and work teams efficiency, effectiveness, productivity,

and teamwork will all increase and ensure the success of the organization by being flexible in

today’s ever changing market.

And that may very well be the key to an organizations success and even their survival.

Reliability used to be the economic advantage business needed to survive. In today’s ever

changing market, that advantage may not be enough to survive. Collaborative communities will

be that key, as outlined by Adler, et al. (2011) “The organizations that will become the

household names of this century will be renowned for sustained, large-scale, efficient innovation.


The key to that capability is neither company loyalty nor free-agent autonomy but, rather, a

strong collaborative community” (p. 101).

RECOMMENDATIONS

This study began with the question on how managers can best apply communication

theories to improve efficiencies, effectiveness, and teamwork in a multi-generational workplace.

So how does all of this tie together and benefit the manager? By making your jobs easier in the

long run. Part of being a manager is being able to use the asset’s you have at your disposal, be

they human or material to reach a business goal. The hardest assets to manage are people as they

have a mind of their own. A talented manager will know how to build his department or

organization into a well -oiled machine that is capable of accomplishing any reasonable goal

given to it.

Building a working team means building strong working relationships with your fellow

employees, and the first part of building a relationship is getting to know the other person. We

learn about ourselves an each other through multiple forms of communication, both verbal, and

non-verbal. We hear the messages being sent to each other but we also listen to the tone of the

message sender, their body language and even judge their rate of speech. Knowing a few items

about a person early in the relationship gives the manager the edge on developing a strong,

working relations.

As we are dealing with multiple generations, and everyone is shaped by the times, and

culture they grew up in, we first covered some general finding about each generation so a

manger may understand where that person is coming from in their discussions. Next values were

discussed as this is a vital part of who each of us are. We are shaped by and act accordingly to


our value system. Knowing if someone values hard work and loyalty can tell a manager a lot

about what type of worker they may be.

Now that a general feel for the type of person an employee may be outside of work, an

attempt was then made to show the work ethic of each generation. This knowledge should be of

great interest to the manager as it may give insight into if a particular employee is going to have

attendance issues to be addressed. Or it may even caution a manager employees that may be at

risk of changing jobs frequently. I would highly suggest that managers pay close attention to this

descriptions as it may allow them to address issues before they become a major problem. For

example, if you know someone may be prone to change jobs frequently, communicating with

them may determine if they are happy in their job or not.

By communicating with this person more often, the manager may discover that the

employee really wants to be challenged in their job and feel they are not being used to their

potential. In effect, without asking a manager may have an employee move to another job simply

because they didn’t get enough challenging work! With hard working people hard to come buy

this would be a mistake most managers would rather avoid.

I would recommend that managers understand how the generations in their work areas

were shaped, their values, ethics, and keep that in mind during work communications with them.

Some generations are more open to constructive criticism, while others need their feedback

handled delicately in order to avoid demoralizing or de-motivating them. Also keep in mind

some generations may be lacking in people skills. The next time a manger gets a compliant about

how one worker rudely dealt with another, they may want to ask themselves was the rude person

a Millennial, with weak people skills and is it possible they didn’t even realize they were rude?

Instead of a disciplinary moment, it might be better handled as a coaching moment.


Managers should take close note of the knowledge sharing between generations. They

should structure training programs with a mix of styles to accommodate all generations. It is

highly recommended to task employees of multiple generations to be on the same work teams

and allow them to address set goals and issues. This will promote cross learning, team building,

and ensure that valuable knowledge will not leave the company when more senior members

retire.

Mentorships should also be implemented if possible. Managers would benefit greatly

from teaming some of their younger members with more senior staff. The increased one-on-one

communication will break down communication barriers, share knowledge up and down the

generations, and again improve working relations. Reverse mentoring, even if it is informal, can

also assist the more senior generations become more comfortable with technology if the younger

generations show them the ropes.

Even though managers may be limited on how much they can affect Organizational

Communication, they can affect it. Not only can they push the idea up the organizational

structure but they can implement it at least in their department and show by example the benefits

of using this technique. Even if your organization does not set or post its work values and ethics

does not mean a manger cannot set them for their department. It is the same idea, just on a

smaller scale.

How can you expect your employees to work to your satisfaction if you never tell them

what you expect? This is my example of how this issue affected me when I took over a

department during a role re-alignment shift in our organization. I took over a department of five

workers, all but one of them was older than I was. Four of them had 20 + years working or the

company. They had been manager previously by a manager who preferred to micromanage their


every move and when to do what task. My managing style is more of a coaching style and

incorrectly assumed it would be a welcome change.

About two months after taking this position, the Vice President of Operations called me

into her office. She had received a complaint from one of my more senior workers, that I never

told them when I was going to lunch. The VP, asked me if I would consider informing this

person when I was leaving for lunch. Seeing how this person worked for me and yet never told

me when they wanted to take their lunch break, I found this to be an odd request.

I asked the VP if she checked out with me and the other managers before going to lunch,

even though I already knew the answer to that question was no. During our discussion, it

occurred to me that I had never sat down with my department and let them know my

expectations of them. Could it be that this older employee was just anxious over the change in

management and not knowing what was expected of her? I explained my reasoning to the VP

and asked her to give me a chance to see if I could correct this issue my way. She agreed to let

me try and we would follow up later.

The first thing I did was schedule a department meeting that day. From my past

experiences in the military I had gone through some leadership training and I was anxious to

apply some techniques I had already learned. I began the meeting by apologizing for not having

had one when I took over the department. It is important for employees to see that their managers

are human and can admit they make mistakes. This little step in humility opens the door to

building trust.

I then informed the department that I knew I was new this type of work (again

demonstrating humility), but that I considered myself fortunate to have a staff that was

experienced, knew their job, and hoped they would be willing to show me the ropes. This little


step accomplishes multiple task. It demonstrates my appreciation for their knowledge, informs

them how valuable I think they are, and again demonstrates my humility by asking them to show

me how their day to day jobs are accomplished. It also makes them feel their roles are important

to the company and vital to our mission.

The last step I took was to explain to them what my expectations were, that I wanted

them to know my door is always open to them as they are my number one priority, and that if

they felt we had any issues, I would hope they would bring them to me first and give me a

chance to correct the issue. I never brought up the issue of one of them going around me or that I

had heard any complaints.

This was done deliberately. I had been taught that when it comes to work issues, to

always praise in public and criticize in private. I had contemplated having a one on one

discussion with the individual in question but thought better of it. I understood that this person

was a Baby Boomer and did not handle criticism well. Our VP had told me this detail and also

explained that the person in question did not handle change well.

That was valuable information for me to understand and shaped how I was going to

communicate with my department. My goal was to build a tight working team that was unafraid

to collaborate with me with new ideas, or problems that needed to be solved. Most of my

department had worked together for at least 10 years. They were friends and alienating the most

senior of them would have backfired on me. My relationship with my new department had

already started off on the wrong foot by my not addressing them when I took over. That

approach may have made the relationship irreparable.

Instead I communicated to them that I understood they knew their jobs well, and that I

was the new person with some learning to do. I also informed them that though I was new to this


department, I had been managing people for almost 15 years and was not new to that task. My

steps at humility showed my vulnerability to them. This can be an important step in not only

work relations but in relationships in general. When we show vulnerability, we open the door to

the other party to let down their guard and reciprocate in kind. It can be a powerful first step in

establishing trust.

By communicating to them that I appreciated they knew their jobs better than I did and

asking them to show me the ropes, I put the power in their hands. By informing them I was not

new to the role of manager, I implied that they should not abuse the trust I was giving them.

Informing them my door was always open, demonstrated to them that I thought of them as equals

and it was my role to help them accomplish their job. By not pointing fingers and naming names

I passed along the non-verbal message that I could be trusted to handle matters discreetly.

The end result was my VP never got another complaint about me. My team came directly

to me with their issues first and gave me a chance to address them. I spent time during the next

week with each member of my staff in one-one-one training sessions of them showing me how

they do their job. For the next four years, Judy never again questioned my authority and even

trusted me when I would explain to her that we needed to change work processes.

We became a team that functioned well together, and increased our efficiency to the point

that when our staff size decreased with Judy’s retirement and our work load doubled due to

acquiring a very large client, we were able to still do the job on time and to the customer’s

satisfaction. And it all began by correcting a failure to communicate, communicating in a non-

confrontational way, and treating my employees as equals. By communicating my expectations

in this way as well as my acknowledging my employees importance and my gratitude for having

an experienced team, we set the groundwork and became much more collaborative.


Many times, my team would come to me with an issue and already have an idea on how

to correct it. By having an open door policy I opened the lines of communication and actually

made my job easier. Even though I had the last word on implementing new ideas, most times, the

team solved the workplace issues for me. I simply had to guide them along and keep the

communication lines open.

I highly recommend the book “Humble Inquiry; the gentle art of asking instead of

telling” by Edgar H. Schein for managers wanting to develop a more effective communication

method as a means of developing positive relations. It is well written and goes into great detail

how to build relationships. The information is very useful for work or personal relationships.

CONCLUSION

This paper began with the question “How warehouse managers can best apply

communication theories to improve efficiencies, effectiveness, and teamwork in a multi-

generational workforce?” The problem was stated that up to four generations are in the

workforce and that companies and organizations will have to find a means to utilize the positive

attributes of each generation. It was stated that no single style exist and leaders must be flexible.

Teaching each generation how to communicate with one another would be crucial to building

strong teams and organizations

Several items of literature were reviewed. Some of it was based on observations, and

others were more fact based studies. Exploring general descriptions of each generation was an

important first step. If you are going to understand a generation, it is imperative to understand

what shaped their views, ethics, and outlooks. Understanding where a group stands on certain

issues helps to establish common grounds to base your communication on.


For example, it was discussed that Traditionalist, growing up between wars and during

the Great Depression, grew up with a strong sense of family commitment. That is not hard to

relate to. It was also discussed that this generation was raised by strict parents and developed

strong work ethics, and self -discipline. Both of those values are easily understood and

appreciated in a work environment.

Baby Boomers make up the largest generation to hit the workforce. Being raised after the

war and during a time of economic boom, they are optimistic, and were taught to “work well

with others”. Manger can use that information to their advantage when trying to build teamwork.

Knowing that Boomers bring as service orientation and ability to form good relationships will be

beneficial to managers in making a more collaborative workplace.

Understanding that GenXer’s grew up during times of change in family roles, and

corporate downsizing explains to managers that this generation is more independent and is

comfortable working alone. That may be a disadvantage that managers will have to deal with in

team building. However this is somewhat offset with the understanding that this generation is

also pragmatic, they should be able to see the value of teamwork.

Millennials, on the other hand, grew up less independent. With “Helicopter Parents”

monitoring their every move, they are less independent than the previous generations. Managers

will need to understand this generation will need the most feedback to feel as part of team. The

fact that they are sociable and civic minded, similar to Traditionalist, means they should make

good team players as long as managers understand their people skills may need some work.

Even though the first section simply gave generational descriptions, much should be

taken from this section. It lays the groundwork for understanding each generation’s values and

work ethics. Though not everyone in a generation entirely fits their generational description if


does provide a good overview for the next two sections, which dig a little deeper into

understanding the generations and how to best communicate idea to them.

Values of each generation was the next area discussed. Understanding values is important

to understanding each generation’s wants and needs. A good grasp of this area will assist

managers when it comes to motivating members of each generation and getting them to work as

a productive team. This section primarily discusses studies that were based on evidence. The

results were compiled from actual surveys of each generation itself.

Covered were each generation’s terminal values and instrumental values. Terminal values

can be described as the ultimate end goal of existence. Instrumental values can be described as

the means for achieving end goals. The top five values of each generation were reviewed for this

paper. The study referenced reviewed a full eighteen values, for further study and understanding.

For the most part, each generation covered show the same top five terminal values, with

only one or two discrepancies. The major differences were the order of importance. Boomers

ranked Health as their number one goal, perhaps due to their advancing age and health issues.

Both Generation X and Millennials ranked Family Security as their number one value (that was

number two for Boomers). For managers, that is good news as oftentimes job security is seen as

a means for Family Security.

As for Instrumental values, each generation scored honest, and responsible, in that order,

as their top two values. Boomers and Generation X also ranked Loyal and Capable high on their

list, just in different orders. Interestingly though, Millennials did not rate either of those two

values in their top five. It may be argued that this could be due to their willingness to change jobs

frequently as deemed needed. Job mobility will be discussed later.


Manager can take comfort that Boomers and Generation X view both capable and loyal

high as these values can be helpful in communicating the need for teamwork. Managers should

also understand that just because those values did not rank high on Millennials list does not mean

they will not be good team players. Their value of ambitious can be harnessed to address

teamwork if the concept of the importance of working in teams to move up the corporate ladder

is communicated to them.

Work ethics are important to a manager’s success. In particular three areas were looked

at. They were; Job mobility, Compliance with Work Rules, and Willingness to work overtime

when asked. Each of these areas are important to managers, both in the short and long term of

their jobs. Understanding how each generation deals with each are may give managers insight on

topics they need to discuss with their teams as well as long term planning. Job mobility

especially plays into the next subject of knowledge sharing.

Baby boomers, it was discussed, entered into the workforce when it was common to work

hard, and be loyal to an organization and you would be rewarded in kind. For this reason the

study shows us they are less likely to change jobs frequently. Millennials on the other hand were

the most likely to change jobs, followed closely by the GenXer’s. In fact, it was shown that

GenXer’s spent an average of 24 months less at a job than Boomers, and Millennials spent an

average of 50 months less! That rapid turnover will need to be considered by managers and a

strategy to address that developed. One method manages might want to employ is frequent

conversations with Millennials on their job satisfaction and how that might be improved upon.

As far as compliance with work rules, every manager has had to, or will have to address

non-compliance with work rules with his employees at one time or another. Knowing which

generation is most likely to not adhere to what rules, will help managers plan for those


discussions and even perhaps to explain their importance and avoid non-compliance issues all

together.

The first rule reviewed was compliance with attendance. Not surprising, this appears not

to be an issue with Baby Boomers due to their work ethic. However it does seem to be a problem

for GenXer’s, perhaps due to the importance they place on a work/life balance. Interestingly

Millennials have less of an issue, but then again, they do change jobs the most often.

The other rule observed was adherence to dress codes. From this study it appears that

when GenXer’s are at work, they are also the most compliant with this work rule. Surprisingly

even more so than Baby Boomers. The least compliant to this rule were the Millennials. This

may be a reflection on their ranking the value of Freedom as number three of their terminal

values.

The final work ethic reviewed was willingness to work overtime. Baby Boomers, with

the self-worth, often being tied to their jobs, were the most likely to work overtime when asked.

Perhaps not so surprisingly GenXer’s, again with their value on their work/life balance, were the

least likely to work overtime, every time when asked. Managers will need to know these details

so they can stress the importance of working overtime when needed and also keep in mind each

generations values so frequent overtime will not become a de-motivating factor.

It should be apparent by now that the ethics and values of each generation will and does

affect their work. For example, GenXer’s reluctance to work overtime, every time they are

asked, or the Millennials not always adhering to the dress code, perhaps influenced by the value

they place on freedom. Managers will need to understate these mitigating factors and address

them. For these reason many organizations convey these rules to their employees via written

communication.


The following section discussed was Knowledge transfer. For numerous reasons, this

subject should be taken seriously by managers. Knowledge is often viewed as intellectual capital

and is just as important to an organization as land, buildings, and equipment may be. With

Traditionalist and many Boomers retiring, not to mention Millennials changing jobs frequently,

keeping knowledge within an organization is critical. Managers who want to be successful at

building efficient teams will need to make this issue a priority or spend all their time in rework

and re-training for jobs done poorly.

The knowledge each generation develops and passes on to each other directly increases

the efficiency of the workplace. It is much more efficient and productive to do the job right the

first time, instead of having to be re-trained and re-doing a poorly performed task. This should be

a continual process using multiple means to communicate idea, knowledge and working capital.

Managers should also take into account that each generation prefers a different learning style,

which makes a multi-style approach to training essential.

Developing work teams and Mentorships were two of the ways discussed to transfer

knowledge. Work teams has the distinct advantage in sharing knowledge among multiple

generations at the same time. Managers can use this process to increase communication among

the different generations and reduce communication barriers within the workplace. The

drawback to this style is that members of each generation only get as much knowledge out of the

teamwork, as the effort they put in. Managers have limited control on the amount of information

shared.

Mentorships have the advantage of being one-on-one, with greater control of the

knowledge passed and to whom it is passed. The disadvantage may be in communication barriers

put up by the mentor or mentored if this relationship is forced. Multiple means of training such


as instructor lead training and even electronic training media can be used to augment both styles

and ensure knowledge is passed on.

Motivation is part of what a manger does on a daily basis. So the section on Generational

Motivation is a given. Understanding what each generation finds motivating and addressing

those needs will make a manager’s job much easier. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and

Herzberg’s Motivators were both discussed along with checklist given to managers and

executives to see what motivates them. For the most part the top three issues motivated all

generations. Differences were only seen at levels four through six.

Motivators for Boomers would be to challenge them and provide variety in their task.

Maximizing status and income were not as effective. With GenXer’s it was making them feel

good about what they do. For a manager, that may mean stressing the importance of the

GenXer’s job. As for Millennials, motivation for them can be as simple as placing them on

special projects or teams. This will both challenge them and give them an opportunity to work on

their interpersonal skills. As Millennials are looking for growth and development, managers can

stress the importance of the work the teams are doing to motivate them to participate in group

activities.

All of the previous sections were a warm up to prepare managers for the section on

Organizational Communication. This is communication from the corporate standpoint and

addresses items the successful organizations are doing to become more effective. They are

developing organization ethics and values. The very same things we covered for each generation.

An organizations communication process should be based on respect, dignity, and trust, all of

these items were discussed in dealing with individual employees. The process should also


address shared authority such as in a collaborative organization, which will be covered in the last

section.

Even though this section covers Organizational communication and managers may be

limited on their ability to have their organization commit to this process, it can still be used by

managers at a departmental level. It is simply a matter of scaling it down to their level. Many

organizations communication is based on a top-down hierarchy model. Organizational control,

and business decisions are made by a small group at the top. This leaves your average worker,

who may have good ideas, out of the loop.

Organizational communication is a more progressive approach and changes the role of a

manager. Instead of passing work ideas down from the top, managers are providing information

and support to the organizations employees and allowing them to have a say in the decision

making process. It is a means of increasing communication with the workforce, helps them to

better understand their roles and how the organization as a whole is doing. It is a more

empowering means of communication that will motivate the employees to work together for the

success of themselves and the organization. It must be base on values and allow the workforce to

see the organizations integrity.

If done properly, communication flows not just from the top down, but back up and even

laterally inside the organization. Setting goals is a must as is some type of reward system. It must

be directly tied to business performance. Training and learning must also be a high priority.

Knowledge sharing becomes built into the system. A process that builds on collaboration gives

the workforce the authority to solve issues. Establishing an oversight committee is one way to

achieve this goal.


Organizational communication works hand in hand with the last section of Collaborative

organizations. In this section the details on how a more collaborative organization could be built

and its benefits. Some of those were by employee the workforce expertise in a more flexible

manner, innovation and efficiency increase and room for growth is built into the system.

Collaborative organizations build trust and cohesion that will be greater than the individuals

concern of self-interest.

Instead of members of the workforce working toward their own interest, this management

style utilizes increased communication and builds a sense of shared purpose. Several examples of

companies that have been successful doing this were given, including Kaiser-Permnante. An

ethic of contribution is created and shared. Instead of just doing their job, the workforce begins

to look beyond their job description to solve problems beyond their individual responsibilities.

The entire process becomes shaped by the very people that have the hands on responsibility.

By learning about each generations values, and ethic you begin to understand them better.

This will increase your communication and build stronger work relationships, thus increasing

efficiencies and effectiveness. Knowledge sharing will not only ensure the technical know-how

stays with the company, but it can be used to remove communication barriers from the so called

“Age-Gap” and further increase efficiencies. Understanding what motivates each generation will

assist the managers in creating a more productive workforce. Used in conjunction with the

increased communication and knowledge sharing will set up the stage for Organizational

Communication to bring everyone in to form a team. Taking this all to the next step and building

a Collaborative Organization will take the more efficient, effective and productive team to a

whole new level while increasing communication, removing barriers, and preparing the

organization for growth.


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