Generational Cohort

Since 2006, it has been a pleasure to be a part of an outstanding Training & Procedures group of a large, private utility company. Within our organization there are over 3,000 employees that specialize in various aspects of the business. My specific line of business supports all aspects of training, including training design and development, eLearning, on-the-job training, classroom training; and occasionally change management and project management. As a Sr. Instructional Designer, I have the opportunity to collaborate with project teams across the organization to design, development and deliver training solutions. Initially, to kick off my project responsibilities, I conduct a formal needs assessment. A typical needs assessment involves

It is these specific times that shape up each generations way of thinking, personal beliefs, experiences, expectations, and work values. Thus in a typical work environment each generation has a set of unique characteristics. The Silent Generation (Traditionalists, Veterans, Matures) was born in 1925-1945. This generation is known as the WWII generation because they were born and raised prior to the end World War II. According to Wiedmer (2015) “Traditionalists generally prefer to work in conservative, hierarchical places where there is a clear chain of command top-down. The Baby Boomers was born in 1946-1964, and they were raised during the era of JFK and MLK. According to Gibaldi (2013) “Boomers want to work, be engaged, and be productive” (p. 51). Crumpacker and Crumpacker (2007) believe “Boomers are viewed as consensus seekers who are competitive micromanagers and possess a moderate level of disrespect for authority and, above all else, approach work with a “do whatever it takes” mentality” (p. 354). On the other hand, Generation Xer’s were born in

Since then, organizations are now realizing the importance of maintaining an inclusive workforce consisting of all generations working together for the good of the organization. The Baby Boomers, Millennials, GenX’s and Traditionalists are employees that make up today’s typical organization. Each generation may have different expectations and values based on their generation. Consequently, these differences could possibly trigger workplace conflicts, stressful situations, poor work environments, miscommunications, and or reduced productivity. Organizations that are seeking to create a diverse work environment must be willing to address any underlying issues regarding generational differences. It is time for companies to figure out how to gain a deeper understanding of generational stereotypes and incorporate best practices that will keep the generations committed to the organization, engaged, and motivated. Additionally, each generational cohort must learn to embrace the other generations’ skill sets and abilities and be willing to collaborate in an effort to support overall corporate goals and