Geezers, Gen-Xers, Grungers, and Geeks:

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Geezers, Gen-Xers, Grungers, and Geeks

• A Look at Workplace Conflict and How We Can All
  Get Along
• Presented by
• Kelly Svenkesen, Laramie County Community College
• Joe Donlay, Wichita State University

2
Overview

• Throw typical generational definitions OUT the
  window
• Ie. Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen
  Y.
• Think about Generational Personalities
• What is your Generational
• Personality? How do you
• perceive others?

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Standard Generational Definitions

• Traditionalists
• 1922-1945, about 52 million
• Baby Boomers
• 1946-1964, about 75-80 million
• Generation X
• 1965-1980, about 46 million
• Generation Y
• 1981-present, about 60 million

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Generational Personalities

• Geezers! aka Traditionalists or Boomers
• Gen X-ers! aka Generation X
• Grungers! aka Millenials
• Geeks! A combination of all generations

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Traditionalists/Geezers

• Also known as the World War II Generation,
  Builders, Matures, Industrialists, Depression
  Babies, Radio Babies, GI Joe Generation, and
  Greatest Generation

• Major events as they grew up
• Hindenburg tragedy
• Disney release Snow White
• Hitler invades Russia
• Pearl Harbor
• WWII is fought
• Jackie Robinson enters MLB
• Korean War begins

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Traditionalists/Geezers continued

• Approximately 12.5 million still working
• Came from a strong, nuclear family
• Tend to be more conservative
• Work is a privilege. Have a strong work ethic,
  discipline, stability, and experience
• Messages from their formative years
• Make do or do without. Stay in line. Sacrifice.
  Be heroic. Consider the common good.
• Popular technology in the era that shaped them
• Radio

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Baby Boomers/Geezers

• Also known as the Boomers, Vietnam Generation,
  and the Me Generation

• Major events as they grew up
• 1st transistor radio
• Birth control pills introduced
• John Glenn orbits the earth
• President Kennedy assassinated
• U.S. troops to Vietnam
• Worlds 1st heart transplant
• U.S. lands on the moon
• Woodstock
• Womens liberation demonstrations

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Baby Boomers/Geezers continued

• Approximately 66 million in the workforce
• Parents learn parenting from Dr. Spock
• Learned to be good team players and to be
  optimistic
• Tend to have a strong work ethic, good
  communication skills, and emotional maturity
• Messages from their formative years
• Be anything you want to be. Change the world.
  Work well with others. Live up to expectation.
  Duck and cover.
• Popular technology in the era that shaped them
• Television

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How are Geezers Perceived

• What do others say about geezers?
• Rigid and resistant to change
• Technology challenged
• Narrow in their view
• Linear Thinkers
• Set in their ways
• The ones with all the money
• Trustworthy
• Good leaders
• Brave

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Generation X/Gen X-ers

• Also known as GenX, Baby Busters,
  Twenty-somethings, Thirteen Generation (since
  American Revolution), and Post-Boomers

• Major events as they grew up
• Global energy crisis
• Tandy Apple market PCs
• Three Mile Island accident
• Margaret Thatcher becomes 1st female British
  Prime Minister
• John Lennon killed
• AIDS identified
• Chernobyl
• Challenger explosion
• Exxon Valdez oil spill
• Berlin Wall falls
• Tiananmen Square uprisings

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Generation X/ Gen X-ers continued

• Approximately 50 million in the workforce
• Either both parents worked or were divorced
• Latchkey generation
• Tend to be self-reliant, can thrive amid chaos
  and change, like to see measurable results.
• Messages from their formative years
• Dont count on it. Heroes dont exist. Get real.
  Take care of yourself. Always ask why?
• Popular technology from the era that shaped them
• Personal computer

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How are Gen X-ers Perceived?

• They dont respect experience
• They dont follow procedures
• Slackers
• Always doing things their own way
• Wont wait their turn
• Rude and lack social skills
• Self-reliant
• Technology!
• Have fun at work!

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Generation Y/Grungers

• Also known as the Millennial Generation, Internet
  Generation, Echo Boomers, Nexters, Nintendo
  Generation, Sunshine Generation, and Digital
  Generation

• Major events as they grew up
• Apartheid ends
• Oklahoma City Bombings
• Princess Diana dies
• Columbine High School shootings
• World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks
• Enron, WorldCom scandals
• War on terrorism
• War in Iraq
• Tsunami in Asian Ocean
• Hurricane Katrina

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Generation Y/Grungers continued

• Approximately 22 million in the workforce and
  counting
• Parents and children were equals
• More goal and achievement oriented and have a
  high level of social concern
• Messages from their formative years
• You are so special. Leave no one behind. Connect
  24/7. Achieve now! Serve your community.
• Popular technology from the era that shaped them
• Internet

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How are Grungers Perceived?

• Flip-flop wearing, I-pod toting, multi-tasking
  generation that is optimistic and ready to change
  the world and your workplace!
• They crave a role model
• Better be challenged.or theyll find someone
  else who will do it
• Smart little critters
• Self-absorbed generation of spoiled brats
• Diverse and inclusive
• Sociable
• Confident

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Geeks!!

• Generation combination made up mostly of grungers
  and gen xers, but slowly more and more geezers
  are sneaking in!
• Keep the technology up to date and motivating.
  Learn from the geeks!
• Geeks like their music at work, instant
  messaging, BlackBerrys and fast technology.

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How are Geeks perceived?

• analytical
• literal
• very direct/abrupt
• truthful enjoy academic purity
• aggressive

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Workplace Characteristics
Geezers and Traditionalists

• Assets
• Experience, knowledge, dedication, focus,
  stability, loyalty, maturity, and perseverance
• Liabilities
• Reluctant to buck the system, uncomfortable with
  conflict, reticent when they disagree
• Motivation
• Connection between actions and overall good of
  the organization

• Rewards
• Tangible symbols of loyalty, commitment, and
  service including plaques and certificates
• Preferred method of communication
• Memos, letters, and personal notes
• What drives them crazy
• Being too touchy-feely, indecisiveness, making
  unpopular decisions, profanity and slang, and
  disorganization.

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Workplace Characteristics
Geezers and Baby Boomers

• Assets
• Service orientation, dedication, team
  perspective, experience, and knowledge
• Liabilities
• Not necessarily budget minded, uncomfortable
  with conflict, reluctant to go against peers, put
  process ahead of result
• Motivation
• Being involved and shown how they can make a
  difference

• Rewards
• Personal appreciation, promotion, recognition
• Preferred method of communication
• Phone calls, personal interaction
• What drives them crazy
• Not being open to input, bureaucracy,
  my-way-or-the-highway messages, people who are
  brusque, lack of interest, one-upmanship

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Workplace Characteristics
Gen X-ers

• Assets
• Adaptability, techo-literacy, independence,
  creativity, willingness to buck the system
• Liabilities
• Skeptical, distrustful of authority
• Motivation
• Being allowed to get the job done on their own
  schedule

• Rewards
• Free time, upgraded resources, opportunities for
  development, bottom-line results, certifications
• Preferred method of communication
• Voice mail, e-mail
• What drives them crazy
• Being micro-managed, people who dont walk the
  talk, spending too much time on process and too
  little on results, being flashy, bureaucracy,
  being schmoozed

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Workplace Characteristics
Grungers and Generation Y

• Assets
• Collective Action, optimism, ability to
  multi-task, and technological savvy
• Liabilities
• Need for supervision and structure, inexperience
  especially with handling difficult people
  issues
• Motivation
• Connection of actions to personal and career goals

• Rewards
• Awards, certificates, tangible evidence of
  credibility
• Preferred method of communication
• Instant messages, blogs, text messages, e-mails
• What drives them crazy
• Being cynical and sarcastic, being treated as too
  you to be valuable, people who are threatened by
  their technical savvyness, people that are
  condescending, being inconsistent and disorganized

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Workplace CharacteristicsGeeks

• Assets
• Intelligence
• Expect efficiency
• Prefer technology
• Unafraid of a challenge
• Liabilities
• Intelligence and technical acuity at the expense
  of good/tactful communication
• Abruptness in response to situations
• Can be challenging to supervise
• Motivation
• Technology
• Flexibility
• Doing away with convention

• Rewards
• Flex time, dynamic work environments, networking
  opportunities, career growth
• Preferred method of communication
• Social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
• What drives them crazygt
• Micro-management. Conventional ways of doing
  business. Waxing philosophy in lieu of
  analysis-driven results. Constricting or
  confining work environments that curtail
  productivity and creativity.

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Communicating
Geezers and Traditionalists

• Communicate clearly face to face.
• More formal. More professional.
• Pull for input from this group.
• Be detail-oriented.
• Their M.O. is often Weve always done it this
  way So offer this up as a challenge and they
  will accept it.
• Show respect for their wisdom and experiences.

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Communicating
Geezers and Baby Boomers

• Conversation should be more relational.
• Make it participatory.
• Show optimism.
• Welcome their perspective.
• Foster collaboration and give recognition.

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Communicating
Gen X-ers

• Dont waste their time.
• Be direct and straightforward.
• Avoid corporate-speak.
• Send an e-mail or voicemail that state clearly
  what you want, and how it will serve them and
  when you want something completed by.

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Communicating
Grungers and Generation Y

• Be positive.
• Send a text message or meet face-to-face.
• Tie the message to their personal goals or to the
  goals of the whole team.
• Dont be condescending.
• Avoid cynicism and sarcasm.

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CommunicatingGeeks

• Communicate with technology social media or
  texting email can be passé.
• Be direct.
• Communicate at their level.
• Use caution dont talk down.
• Use your credibility Geeks relate best to other
  Geeks!

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Similarities

• Work is seen as a vehicle of fulfillment and
  satisfaction, not just a paycheck yet
  compensation needs to be in line with the rest of
  the market.
• Workplace culture is important to job
  satisfaction. The highest indicator of
  satisfaction is to feel valued on the job.
• More than 70 of all employees want a supportive
  work environment where they are recognized and
  appreciated.
• Career development is a high priority.
• Flexibility is important. 7 out of 10 employees
  would like to set their own work hours, as long
  as the work gets done.

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How to work together

• Communication
• Discuss the generational differences openly
• Each group has something to offer
• Give them the Why, not just the What
• Gen X and Gen Y prefer immediate feedback
• Instant Messaging, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
• Respectfulness and Inclusiveness are KEY

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Other things to consider

• Culture
• Disability
• Gender
• Socioeconomic Status
• Those on the Generational Edge
• Life circumstances (health, home life, etc.)

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Geezers, Gen X-ers, Grungers, and Geeks TRIVIA
TIME!
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References

• Murphy, S. (2007). Leading a Multigenerational
  Workforce, AARP, Washington, DC
• Fralix, P. (2006). Motivating a Multigenerational
  Workforce, Nielsen Business Media,
  http//www.managesmarter.com/msg/content_display/t
  raining/e31VgPy93okFVWojSp8tc0g1g3D3D?imwY
• Hacker, C. (2008). Managing a Multigenerational
  Workforce, Lawn Garden Retailer 6(5). Scranton
  Gillette Communications
• Lake Shore Staffing. Managing the
  Multigenerational Workforce, Retrieved April 13,
  2009. http//www.lakeshorestaffing.com/print/emplo
  yer_resources/251/
• Erickson, T. (2009). The Four Biggest Reasons for
  Generational Conflict in Teams, Harvard Business
  Review
• Questions?
• Kelly Svenkesen ksvenkes_at_lccc.wy.edu
• Joe Donlay joe.donlay_at_wichita.edu