It’s time to ditch those old generational stereotypes

According to a study, “Digital Etiquette: Mind the Generation Gap,” by Adaptavist Group, a global digital transformation expert group, more than half of employees surveyed believe generational labels are bad, and four in five respondents aged 65 and over have a negative view of categorizing employees by generation.

The study, published in March 2024, surveyed 4,000 knowledge workers in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Germany. These workers reported that categorizing employees by generation could have negative consequences: 45% said it could lead to harmful stereotypes, 40% said it could lead to colleagues ostracizing each other, and 39% said it could lead to favoritism.

At the 2024 Leadership Conference in San Diego, Convening’s digital editor and podcast host Magdalina Atanassova spoke with Jen Vaseleck, operations manager at Maritz, and Nikki Gonzales, chief of staff at Soundings, about how they foster connections between generations in their own workplaces.

During the conversation (the full podcast recording is linked below), Gonzalez said she believes a person’s generation simply represents the year they were born — it doesn’t necessarily reveal who they are — and what their values ​​are. Gonzalez shared some specific examples from her own team: One Gen Z intern called herself “Old Gen Z” because she didn’t feel like she understood trends or technology as well as most people thought, and Gonzalez said her older colleagues have more of a “Gen Z spirit,” who are quick to embrace change, new ideas, and innovation.

According to research from Adaptavist, this is contrary to how both generations view the workplace:

“I feel like we share a lot of common values ​​across generations,” Gonzalez said. “My experience working with multigenerational teams has been great because we all have compassion, mutual respect, mutual understanding… like mentorship… (and) are able to learn from each other.”

Gonzalez says that when she pitches new ideas, she doesn’t tailor her presentations to her superiors’ age or status, but rather focuses on how they prefer to work and communicate. For example, “if data is important to them, then I have to back up my claims with data,” she says. “If the story behind it is important … then I have the story ready.”

Adaptavist’s research echoes Gonzales’ approach. When respondents were asked how to break down generational stereotypes, suggestions included “open communication, mentoring, and targeted training… to foster an environment where individuals can demonstrate their unique strengths.” And “Managers who successfully engage different generations to accomplish tasks beyond direct business goals will break down barriers, negative perceptions, and stereotypes between age groups.”

It also makes business sense to abandon this generationally limiting way of thinking. Harvard Business Review Mauro F. Guillén, whose book The Future of Marketing is Intergenerational, notes that lumping people into generational categories is outdated and research shows it’s wildly inaccurate. Successful brands, he says, are “age-agnostic,” choosing instead to seek out and focus on — sound familiar? — the values ​​their customers share.

Jennifer N. Dienst is convened.

Listen to the full podcast episode below and Convening Podcast page.

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