IT Manager's Handbook: Getting Your New Job Done (16 page)

• Institute a mandatory one-week furlough for all employees, with no pay.

• Shut the company down while there is something still left to split among those who are still left. There is some of the “creative destruction” that is often attributed to capitalism in this idea; some companies (horse and buggy builders) need to be moved aside to allow the new engines of change (automobiles in the early 1900s) to take their place.

• Embrace telecommuting solutions for some staff as a way to reduce the cost of office space.

Of course, these are not things you can implement on your own. You’d have to get buy-in from senior management and other departments. But these ideas do show that there are alternatives in tough times. For additional discussion in managing during challenging economic, see the section
“Managing the Money during Difficult Times”
on
page 179
in
Chapter 6
,
Managing the Money
.

It can also help to remember that more than one employee has looked back after a period of time and said: “You know, getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had the opportunity to give thought to what I wanted to do in the future, I changed industries, I started taking classes in a new programming language, and landed a job that I really like where I’m learning a lot.” You certainly do not want to act like laying someone off is doing them a favor, but in many cases it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

2.4 Generational Issues at Work

Never before in our history have such stark differences been seen between generations in the corporate world. Think about it: There was the Baby Boomer generation, but the generations before that didn’t have their own names. (At least not at that time; in retrospect they are sometimes referred to as “Depression,” “Pre-World War II,” “World War II,” “Veteran,” “The Greatest” generations, etc.)

The current generations have their own names, and they are popularly classified as shown in
Table 2.3
.

Table 2.3.
Different Generations

Source: Eisner, Susan, “Managing Generation Y,” Society for Advancement Management, 2005 International Conference.

As shown in
Table 2.3
, things get confused by using alternate names for the same item. Plus, some people like to include references to early and late components of each generation. Furthermore, the dates used in
Table 2.3
are certainly not universally accepted identifiers. While there have always been multiple generations at work simultaneously, it is getting so much attention at this point in time because of the degree of difference in attitudes, behaviors, values, and styles among them. And, of course, people are living much longer now, so more generations are alive at the same time.

These differences between the generations are associated with several factors that include:

•
Economic circumstances that have forced older generations to stay in the workforce longer

•
Advances in technology

•
Changes in approaches to parenting, including greater involvement

•
Increased resources (schooling, medical, household income)

•
Faster paced lifestyle

•
Greater access to media and information

•
Increased expectations

Of course, there is debate as to which of these are causes and which of these are effects, but that is for a different book. In this book, the important point is that the generations are different, people’s attitude and behaviors can vary greatly among them, and you as a manager will be severely challenged if you don’t recognize the importance of this, demonstrate flexibility, and adapt your behaviors accordingly.

Table 2.4
provides greater detail into the differences attributed to the different generations.

Table 2.4.
Generational Differences

Sources: Zemke, Rob, Raines, Claire, and Filipzcak, Bob, “Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, X-ers, and Nexers,” American Management Association, 2000. Ngenperformance.com. Lancaster, Lynne C., and Stillman, David, When Generations Collide: Who They Are, Why They Clash, How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work, HarperCollins, 2002.

As you can see, the different generations can have very different ideas, perspectives, and attitudes. The simple issue of what is considered “professional behavior” can be like night and day. The same can be said regarding their differing views about policies, rules, boundaries, work hours, tools, and, of course, proper attire in the work place. In short, you cannot expect all employees to march to the beat of the same drummer.

Managing across Generations

Having multiple generations on your team should be considered an enormous asset. It gives you a greater diversity of thinking, views, style operating, and knowledge base. In a 2010 study by the staffing firm Robert Half (
www.roberthalf.us/workplaceredefined
) there were some very positive findings:

•
43 percent of workers surveyed say multigenerational teams bring together people of varying experience levels to provide knowledge in specific areas.

•
27 percent of those surveyed say working with multiple generations allows for greater diversity of project teams so all points of view are heard.

•
35 percent say working on multigenerational teams has led to increased productivity.

•
The top benefits of working with multiple generations are (1) bringing together people of varying experience levels, (2) greater diversity of project teams, and (3) mentoring opportunities.

•
Communication styles may vary, but ultimately, multigenerational teams learn from each other, and bringing together diverse groups increases productivity.

However, that doesn’t mean you can just kick back, put your feet up, and let that diversity do its thing. As a manager, you have to be aware of how best to manage that diversity and the pitfalls to be aware of. For example, a 2010 Accenture study and report found that “Millennials are likely ignoring or violating your IT policies right and left, using non-standard applications and improvising where they think it makes sense.” In addition, the Accenture study found several important trends about Millennials:

•
Many expect to use their own technology and devices rather than those supplied by employers.

•
But they also want employers to provide the latest technologies.

•
Awareness of or adherence to corporate IT policies is limited. Millennials routinely bypass corporate approval when it comes to downloading and using technology.

Leveraging a Multigenerational Workforce

Taking advantage of a multigenerational workforce requires some tuning and stretching of fundamental management skills. First and foremost you don’t want to ignore the fact that differences exist among the generations. As such, when you create project teams, you can (and should) include individuals from the various generations so that everyone can leverage the best of what each generation has to offer, while also learning from each other. This includes allowing members of one generation to mentor and coach members of another—yes, that may mean members of the younger generations coaching the older. Don’t let age define roles and assignments—look first to skill sets and strengths. You should also respect and recognize the preferences of each generation. For example, with the younger generations, consider flex hours or some telecommuting options.

Factor the generational issues into your recruiting practices. (See the section
“How to Get Help with Your Hiring”
in
Chapter 3, Staffing Your IT Team,
on
page 66.
) Ask the candidates about their background and experience with working on teams made up of several generations and how it impacted the project, the other team members, and so on. Similarly, take pride in your own multigenerational teams. When recognizing team accomplishments, be sure to include members of all generations. This is particularly well done when there’s a newsletter with a photo of the team and it’s obvious at first glance about the team’s multigenerational makeup. Also look to tailor recognition to each generation’s preferences. For example, a traditionalist may like a lunch with the boss, whereas a Gen-Xer might prefer a gift certificate for music downloads.

You should always make sure that each generation feels valued. Look out for your own subconscious biases in soliciting input, making assignments, and such. Go out of your way to ensure that everyone feels included. Also, just because someone works in a different manner than how you work doesn’t mean their way is wrong. Be open-minded about new ways of working and doing things, which includes embracing but not forcing technology.

The younger generations were brought up with technology. Older generations have certainly learned technology and adapted to it, but not to the same extent or at the same pace. While the younger ones are Tweeting, Facebooking, blogging, texting, and so on, the older generations may be a step or two behind. Encourage the use of alternate solutions, but allow everyone to come up to speed with it at a pace they are comfortable with. This also means that you as a manager should not limit your modes of communications. While the older generations may prefer face-to-face chats, your younger generations may prefer instant messages or text messages (perhaps at 2  AM on a Sunday!).

Finally, work with your HR department to help ensure that the entire organization is recognizing the multigenerational issue and addressing it carefully. Does the break room have beverages and snacks that appeal to all generations? One good example is employee benefit plans: different generations generally have very different priorities and those can be addressed through different options and choices.

Table 2.5.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Experienced Workers and “Newbie” Workers