Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace / Edition 1

by Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, Bob Filipczak

Overview

Veterans...Baby Boomers...GenXers ...Nexters. Mix them all together, and what do you get? Sometimes disaster! Here are fresh insights and practical solutions for easing the inevitable conflicts of today's age- and values-diverse workplace, where people just don't see work (or life) the same way.

"They have no work ethic."

"So I told my boss, 'If you're looking for loyalty, get a dog."

"I will not attend meetings that start after 5."

There's a serious new problem in the workplace, and it has nothing to do with downsizing, change, foreign competition, pointy-haired bosses, cubicle envy, or greed. Instead, it's the problem of distinct generations—the Veterans, the Baby Boomers, the GenXers, and (coming soon) the Nexters—crossing paths and sometimes colliding.

So how can you manage this motley group with their conflicting work ethics, dissimilar values, and idiosyncratic styles? How do you get them to stop snarling at each other? How do you motivate them to work together?

Generations at Work is the first book to clearly outline each group's primary characteristics, and to explain the seminal events and cultural icons that shaped their attitudes and values. But it doesn't just provide an astute sociological portrait. The book also offers practical, sound solutions for avoiding (or remedying) the most common mistakes of managing in today's cross-generational workplace.

Readers will find profiles of companies with effective strategies for smoothing generational conflict...a true-to-life case study of a manager caught in the crossfire...and 21 key questions and answers for solving cross-gen problems.

For anyone struggling to manage a workforce with different ways of working, talking, and thinking, Generations at Work both explains the gulf that separates the generations and offers insightful solutions for creating workplace harmony.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814404805
Publisher:	AMACOM
Publication date:	10/11/1999
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.32(w) x 9.26(h) x 1.13(d)
Age Range:	17 Years

About the Author

"Ron Zemke (Minneapolis, MN) is senior editor of Training magazine, president of Performance Research Associates, and author or coauthor of 23 books, including AMACOM's bestselling Knock Your Socks Off Service series.

Claire Raines (Denver, CO) is a nationally recognized expert on generational issues and author of Beyond Generation X: A Practical Guide for Managers.

Bob Filipczak (Minneapolis, MN) is a writer and an "honorary member of Generation X."

Table of Contents

Section I: Dynamics of the Multi Generational Workplace
1. Old Farts and Upstarts: Crisis in the Cross Generational Workforce
2. The Veterans
3. The Baby Boomers
4. The GenXers
5. The Nexters

Section II: Case Studies in Generational Peace

6. Where Mixed Generations Work Well Together
* The ACORN Principles
* Chevys Fresh Mex
* TGI Fridays
* Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.
* The West Group
* Lucent Technologies

Section III: Advice-O-Plenty

7. The Case of Charlie Roth
8. Making the Cross-Generational Workplace Work: The 21 Most Often Asked Questions and Some Very Practical Answers

Afterword: Predicting the Cross-Generation Future
Acknowledgements
Appendix
* Inventory: How Cross Generationally Friendly is Your Work Group, Department, Business or Organization?
* Web Resources across Generations

Editorial Reviews

"Learning about differences may be fun, but learning about cooperation is useful. And it's here that Generations at Work becomes a valuable tool." —Fast Company

From the Publisher

Generation at Work is intended to help you bridge the gap or, more accurately, the gaps between people of different ages who work at your company. What's so vexing about the workplace is that four different groups are vying for roles and recognition. There are the veterans, boomers, Xers, and the nexters. The people in each cohort, the book argues, have more in common than just their age: They share memories of the same world-shaping events, the same childhood heroes, the same early work experiences. Learning about differences may be fun. But learning about cooperation is useful. And it's here that Generation at Work becomes a valuable tool.
— Fast Company

Katherine Mieszkowski

Supplies fresh, provocative insights and practical solutions for understanding differences, resolving conflicts, and managing effectively in today's age-diverse workplace. Profiles four distinct generations and their prominent traits and work styles, and offers key messages to keep in mind when recruiting, developing, and motivating members of each generation. Includes real-life case studies of five companies working in intergenerational harmony. Zemke is senior editor of magazine. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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