Elizabeth Stewart , Partner and Head of Leadership Advisory at Odgers Berndtson , explains why addressing intergenerational divides enables leaders to unify organisations – an essential component for strong , sustainable growth .

The conundrum lies in the apparent generational differences in attitudes and expectations , which manifest in choices that shape their view of work , roles and progression . The intrigue is whether this is a true intergenerational divide , or with maturity these differences will converge with those of previous generations . Regardless , current intergenerational dynamics demand the attention of leaders if they are to unify their organisations .

Manifesting divides

According to LinkedIn research , in the past year , just 20 % of Gen Z workers engaged in conversations with colleagues over the age of 50 , while 40 % of employees aged 55 and older intentionally steered clear of interacting with their youngest co-workers .

This leads to bottom-line consequences leaders must address . In companies that exhibited poor intergenerational inclusion , it was found that employees with managers more than 12 years their senior were nearly 1.5 times as likely to report low productivity compared to other colleagues .

Mindset is a key differentiator leading to these divisions between younger and older generations . While younger generations are more likely to ‘ vote with their feet ,’ older generations are more typically characterised by their willingness to ‘ silently soldier on ,’ even in unhappy work situations .

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