How to avoid generational conflict in the office

Currently, five generations are working under one roof in most companies. And all of them have different skills and demands, ideas and wishes about what good leadership should look like for everyone. This is how you can avoid generational conflict in the office. In the past, it was clear: at the top, the boss, below that, the "working generation". And this did not change over many years - neither in terms of their expectations nor their expected training, experiences, and competencies. It was the "work is everything" generation, the "generation of ambition": the Baby Boomers, the post-war generation, which was complemented in companies by the no less performance-oriented Generation X born around 1967. Shortly after, the first generation of Digital Natives - Generation Y, born around 1980, internet- and technology-savvy young individuals - entered companies. The next generations are already in the starting blocks. Is a generational conflict inevitable? By now, they are already in their late thirties and naturally already occupy the lower and middle management levels. Following smoothly is Generation Z, the true Millennials. They are now around 20 years old and are entering companies as highly sought-after young talents and employees - or are entering leadership roles as young founders. The fifth generation - "Generation Alpha" or "Generation Global" - is also ready to enter, they are today's apprentices and interns. Of course, no generation is entirely the same. Nevertheless, the companies are faced with a "wild mix of generations". Managers are confronted with five generations of employees and (upcoming) leaders, all with different experiences and competencies, ideas, visions, and above all, different expectations regarding work design and good leadership. The question arises: How can companies manage this, how can leadership succeed? A recent study shows: There is too little interaction between generations. Why a generational conflict within the company can have serious consequences. It is clear: You need to rethink. As a recent study from the University of Luxembourg shows, there is (too) little interaction between generations in German companies. In most companies, hierarchical levels based on the seniority principle of "elders lead the young" still prevail. This makes it difficult for the upcoming leaders, as they - apart from a few "democratization experiments" - are expected to be smoothed upwards as smoothly as possible. The "Y leadership style" - and this does not mean how Gen Y wants to be led, but how they themselves now lead - is results-oriented, participative, and with flat hierarchies. The leadership behavior of Gen Z also does not follow the old principle. This sets the stage for more conflicts among leaders. What nobody likes to admit: in many companies, there is a glass ceiling that committed employees and hopeful young leaders from different generations repeatedly encounter. Therefore, companies need to break up the old structures. Young leaders must be enabled to initiate bottom-up movements, instead of cascading leadership from top to bottom. For this to happen, older leaders must be willing to shed their "gray suits" and lead smartly rather than harshly or not at all. They must be open to new ideas and truly enable them. There is a new foundation of leadership. The statement "We have never done it this way before," still heard in many companies, no longer holds for a crucial reason: the way Gen Y and the subsequent generations do things is the logical response to the changes of the time and did not exist before the digital transformation and the advent of social media in companies. It must be done as "we have never done it before" because everything about the foundation of leadership is new. Supporting social media activities of the younger generations, avoiding generational conflict. To get the five-generation household to look in the same direction and collaborate effectively, companies must not overlook the work and leadership expectations of Generation Y and Z. On the contrary, it should be the opposite. As shown by the Luxembourg study, young leaders are especially motivated to actively shape the social media and tool landscape in companies in line with New Work. Their knowledge and commitment must be utilized, and they must be supported in implementing their ideas. Otherwise, the Digital Natives will only be hindered - which could lead them to quickly leave the company. By introducing digital tools for virtual collaboration in the company, the basis for more decision-making freedom and flat hierarchies is also established. This is also evident from the study. Allowing young leaders to use social software in companies binds them and all other young team members in two ways. Promoting knowledge exchange. However, this is easier said than done. Older employees are often skeptical about efforts regarding social media in the company - partly because they feel overwhelmed by the application of tools. To promote their acceptance and media literacy, reverse mentoring is recommended. In this approach, a younger employee acts as a mentor to an older one and specifically passes on their expertise to introduce them to New Work. Future models of this kind are generally recommended for fostering good intergenerational relationships in companies. The motto: the old and the young must be able to learn from each other. Job tandems, where two employees of different generations share a workplace, are also groundbreaking. This can help avoid generational conflict. Resolving the sandwich position of Gen Y leaders. In all efforts to manage the generational mix, a special focus should be on Gen Y: many of the young talents already have leadership responsibilities and find themselves in a sandwich position between the older leaders they report to and Gen Z, whom they lead. This creates immense pressure on Gen Y leaders. To escape this, they need more freedom to shape their leadership style, which is based on flat hierarchies, frequent feedback, and strong team orientation.