Page 174 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

The Power of “We” to Magnify Engagement C161

Building Multigenerational Teamwork

Progressive employers aren’t just letting teamwork “happen”;
they are orchestrating it by breaking down generational/age
barriers to communication and teamwork in a variety of ways.
Here are some of the best practices we uncovered:

: Emphasize the importance of collaboration and team-
work to all staff regardless of their generation. Track and
reward team accomplishments to make it credible.
: Staff teams with members of different generations when-
ever possible, to capitalize on complementary perspectives.
: Arrange two-way mentoring whenever possible, as when
a Millennial trains a Boomer in Web 2.0 technologies and
the Boomer coaches the Millennial in how to sell ideas to
senior leaders.
: Facilitate in a variety of ways the development of rela-
tionships among generations. Hallmark Cards, for exam-
ple, assigns members of different generations to meet
monthly for an afternoon break and get to know one an-
other. They are encouraged to ask each other questions,
such as “Can you tell me a stereotype about your genera-
tion that you believe doesn’t apply to you?”
: Set up office spaces in ways that facilitate openness, social
interaction, and exchange of ideas among Millennials.
: When significant learning or mentoring needs to happen
between a younger and more senior person, have them
sit at desks so they face each other, or in the same office
when appropriate.
: Ask senior staff to initiate more face-to-face communica-
tion with younger staff.