Authentic Leadership for Age Diversity
In the article “Bridging the Gap Between Gen X and Gen Y: Lessons From Authentic Leadership,” the authors highlight the issues of age diversity with a specific focus on issues between Generation X and Generation Y in the United States. They state that there are several attitudes, preferences, and characteristics that define each generation and create a fertile ground for organizational conflict. They argue that the solution for leaders with age diversity dilemmas can be found in the area of authentic leadership. The authentic leadership model consists of four key components which can help overcome some of the leadership challenges that result due to the differences in both generations. The article emphasizes the importance of creating a more open and tolerant culture with the goal of creating stronger collaborative ties between the two generations.
Discussion
In the article, the authors use several studies to support their view of differences between Generation X and Generation Y. Most views of those differences have been observed in multiple workplaces. There was one viewpoint though that differed from another study mentioned in an article in The Economist. Mhatre and colleagues state that Generation X individuals are not particularly fond of being micromanaged and prefer to work in a rather independent manner. However, Generation Y individuals exhibit a greater preference for seeking guidance, structure and supervision from their superiors. They tend to follow directions well, value collaboration and teamwork, and are not as independent as their older counterparts (Mhatre, 2011). The article “Winning the Generation Game” cited a survey by Ernst & Young in June of 2013 that implied a diff...
... middle of paper ...
...sity” provided many articles that could have been used for this assignment, there were too many other articles that did not apply. Having to read through the description of every applicable and inapplicable article would have not been an efficient use of time. The use of additional filters made the assignment of finding an applicable article much easier.
Works Cited
Mhatre, K.H., & Conger, J. A. (2011). Bridging the gap between Gen X and Gen Y. Journal Of Leadership Studies, 5(3), 72-76. doi:10.1002/jls.20235
Unknown. (2013, Sep 28). Winning the Generation Game. The Economist. Retrieved from: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21586831-businesses-are-worrying- about-how-manage-different-age-groups-widely-different
Penney, S. H. (2011). Voices of the future: Leadership for the 21st century. Journal Of Leadership Studies, 5(3), 55-62. doi:10.1002/jls.20233
It appears that Generation Y is executing the wishes that other generations of workers subdue, and are subsequently portrayed as a vocal group by default. As a result of millennials’ demands, various companies are now beginning to conform to the ideas this generation presents. As such, new policies are being implemented,
Boomer’s see millennial’s as having a short attention span which is not what millennial’s intend. If they don’t see a job working out, they are faster to jump ship than Boomer’s and that fearless attitude actually leverages them more power with their company. Sherry Buffington, co-author of Exciting Oz: How the New American Workforce Is Changing the Face of Business Forever and What Companies Must Do to Thrive, says that they have the upper hand because they are perfectly fine working dozens of different jobs in their lifetime. “In a survey conducted by IdeaPaint of 600 employed Millennials, 49 percent believe that poor management is dragging their company down; 45 percent attribute that to the lack or misuse of technology solutions.” (Avallon) This helps the reader to better understand the mentality of millennial’s. They are typically more tech savvy then their older bosses and feel they could make more of an impact if they were in charge. Millennial’s are hard-wired to think that time really is their most important resource. If they feel they aren’t being treated completely fair then they won’t hesitate about trying to find a new
Pierce, Jon L. and John W. Newstrom (2011) 6th edition. Leaders and the Leadership Process.
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B., (2007). The leadership challenge, (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Mlls, D. Q. (2005). Leadership How to Lead, How to Live. Boston: Harvad Business School Press.
Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (2007). The role of the situation in leadership. American
Millennials are rumored to be “self-centered, unmotivated, disrespectful, and disloyal, contributing to widespread concern about how communication with millennials will affect organizations and how they will develop relationships with other organizational members” (Karen Myers 225). According to Sharon DeVaney, the millennial generation “were born between 1980 and 2000” (11) and that “The millennial generation is larger than the 46 million who are in Generation X and the millennials are almost equal in size to the 76.4 million in the baby boomer generation” (12) to this day.
By 2025, about 75% of the American workforce will be made up of Generation Y workers, said Emily Matchar, author of “Why Your Office Needs More Bratty Millennials.” Generation Y, also known as millennials, are those who were born within the years 1982 and 1999. Time management has become a persistent issue for people in the United States because of the lack of flexibility in the workforce. Work is taking over people’s lives. The current generation of workers tend not to demand because of the fear of unemployment; jobs are scarce these days. Generation Y workers have shown that they will not accept today’s hierarchical workplace, on the contrary, they will begin to change the workplace to their likings.
During Generation Xers formative years, “investigations called into question many major organizations including the U.S. presidency, military, organized religion, and corporations” (Fore, 2013). As a result, this generation generally had little confidence in institutions and instead placed more faith in themselves. At home, Generation Xers became “‘latchkey children’”, who came home from school without a parent or adult supervision, and their mothers now worked outside the home. They were responsible for themselves, and often became dependent on video games and television sets, which resulted in them being characterized as “independent and resourceful” (Fore, 2013). At work, Generation Xers relied on themselves and their peers to accomplish goals, and did not put much hope in companies or organizations. Unlike Veterans, Generation Xers disliked traditional hierarchy, challenged authority, and expected their leaders to demonstrate competence and fairness, as well as embrace a participative and diverse workplace (Fore, 2013). Similar to the Millennial generation, Generation Xers placed a stronger focus on their personal lives much more than the generations before them. “They were likely to stay with one company throughout their career as long as it did not interfere with their private lives” (Gilley & Waddell, 2015). This lack of organizational loyalty is often attributed to
Northouse, Peter Guy. Leadership: Theory and Practice. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2004. Print.
Stereotyped in popular media as whining, self-absorbed, narcissistic, overindulged and tech-addled, the Millennial generation - born 1980 through 2000 - is generally considered to be the epitome of spoiled unreasonableness. Now that Millennials are making strides in the workplace, it is evident that those stereotypes are based more on anecdotes rather than reality. In fact it now appears that they very much echo their Boomer parents, which is why they are often referred to as Echo Boomers. Simply put, where Boomers have an optimistic outlook of the world, Millennials are hopeful; where Boomer work ethic is driven, Millennials are determined; where Boomers have a love / hate relationship with authority, Millennials treat authority with politeness; where Boomers believe in leadership by consensus, Millennials believe in leadership by pulling together; and where personal gratification is the impetus for Boomer relationships, Millennials have no personal motivation for relationships which are inclusive and with no boundaries (Zemke, Raines & Filipczak, 2013).
Rosen, R. H. (1997). Learning to lead. In F. Hesselbein, M. Goldsmith & R. Beckhard (Eds.), The Organization of the Future. The Drucker Foundation Future Series (p. 306). New York, NY: Jossey-Bass Inc Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership. (4th ed., p. 13). San Francisco: Johan Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gesell, I.. (2010). How to Lead When the Generation Gap Becomes Your Everyday Reality. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 32(4), 21-24. Retrieved October 23, 2013 from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1961218601).
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary
Klobucher, T 2011, Characteristics of Generation 2020: Generations at Work, The Great Workplace Revolution, accessed 11 November 2013, http://www.thegreatworkplacerevolution.com/characteristics-of-generation-2020-generations-at-work/