When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work [Kindle Edition]

The Book's Thesis: If you work with people from other generations, you need to understand that conflicting perspectives between the generations can generate workplace conflict.

Obviously, this is an old theme. There are plenty of quotable inter-generational digs and barbs recorded in the earliest writings of antiquity.

More recently, during my youth in the tumultuous late 1960s and early '70s, we spoke openly and frequently about the "generation gap."

This perennial topic has been treated seriously by credible writers in other business books over the past decade. (I have penned a few articles on it in recent years as well.)

Of the books on this now familiar theme, this one takes a less statistical and analytical approach in favor of a more anecdotal slant on the topic.

Lancaster, a Baby Boomer, and Stillman, a Gen Xer, are business partners who write in a chatty style. They lace their broad observations about generations with illustrations derived from their own personal lives. Often, they make their point by telling stories about the conflicts between the two of them---which they blame on their age difference.

And they never miss an opportunity to remind you that they speak and give seminars on this topic. While those frequent reminders border on annoying, the authors do not seem to be indulging in crass commercialism---search all you want and you won't find information in the book about contacting the author-consultants to purchase their services.

Instead, speechmaking (and speech coaching to the likes of pop business pontificator Harvey Mackay, who penned the book's anemic Foreword) seems to define the authors' rather limited frame of reference in the business world.

As other reviewers have noted, the authors' attention to detail, facts, and rigorous analysis have taken a back seat to their breezy narrative.

In an attempt to provide statistical data on generational differences, the authors point to results from an online survey they conducted. You don't have to be a career researcher or social scientist to recognize that such surveys are comprised of small, non-random, non-representative and therefore invalid samples. That is especially true when extrapolating tiny slivers of data to reach conclusions about an entire generation representing *tens of millions* of people!

Still, these flaws notwithstanding, this engaging, readable book makes some worthwhile observations about the rather amorphous and extremely broad topic of generational strife. Despite my reservations, I found myself highlighting pithy passages and dog-earring quite a few pages.

If you can look past the authors' indulgent style and occasional gaffs and lapses, "When Generations Collide" serves as an approachable and palatable overview of potential generational friction in the workplace---and wherever people of varying ages interact.

Step 1: Generations are defined as those Americans born between two selected years. The Baby Boomer generation born between 1946 and 1964 or, by other accounts 1943 and 1960, usually is the anchor.

Step 2: Major societal events occurring in the formative years of these generations are cited as forces shaping a personality of these age cohorts which stays with them throughout life.

Step 3: The difference between generations is claimed to be a major diversity concern affecting American businesses.

"When Generations Collide" by Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman follows this pattern. In my view, this is an awful book, flawed on these and other counts:

1. It describes as a generational cohort (sometimes as one generation, sometimes as two) Americans born between 1900 and 1945. This is a mammoth grouping, about which it is difficult to make any meaningful generalizations. To lump together these people, born over several decades, and to proceed to describe a common personality is arrogant. Some of these people came of age during World War I, others during the Cuban Missle Crisis. This large-scale approach is also contrary to the more discrete groupings made by other generational commentators.

2. Lancaster and Stillman describe generational personalities quite differently than other commentators. They describe the Americans born between 1900 and 1945 as "God-fearing, hardworking and patriotic." Aside from the obvious stereotyping, its worth noting that while the historians Strauss and Howe use terms like these to describe some of the Americans born in these years, they also describe some of them as having a declining interest in religion and as a generation coasting along on the accomplishments of others. Who is right?

3. Lancaster and Stillman need a fact checker. Even a nonspecialist notes claims like the one that the dance, the Twist, was a key cultural factor for the 1900- 1945 generation. (It was introduced in the 1960's). Other claims include one that certain modern employees long for workplace of the 1940's, when a worker would need to be at least in their 70's in 2002 to have worked in the last year of that decade. Here is an understatement: there are more such discrepancies.

4. Most significantly, as often happens with the theorists of the generational personality, the authors engage in gross stereotyping. Again, a pattern is followed, beginning with decrying others who stereotype instead of "get(ing) to know who these generations really are..." Note: the authors teach that stereotyping is avoided not in getting to know actual people, but only age cohorts.

It is very tempting to read this as feigned outrage when the authors then proceed to build a book around what seems to be stereotyping. We are taught by Lancaster and Stillman that: Baby Boomers (1946-1964) resent Xers (1965-1980) for finding it easy to change jobs; that Xers resent Traditionalists (1900-1945) for being resistant to change; that Baby Boomers are competitive; that Xers are skeptical. As an aside, I reviewed descriptions of young people as reported in the popular media of the early 1970's. A common description of the young at that time was skeptical. This is suggestive that life stages rather than a generational personality are a far more important factor. Here is a common-sense question: Is it really very unusual to view young people at any time as skeptical? Why build it into a description distinguishing young people of the 1990's from the young a generation ago?

5. There is a trendy, cliche-ridden writing style. Beaver Cleaver is linked rhetorically with Eldridge Cleaver as influential people for Baby Boomers; "Mad" Magazine with Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) as an example of life being complex. There is gross exageration: The so-called conflicts between generations are called "earth shattering." One of the worst examples of hyperbole is this description of the 1980's: "Children mysteriously disappeared from neighborhoods and showed up frighteningly at the breakfast table on milk cartons." O.K., but this just might be stretching things a bit.

There is another problem with this whole notion of a generational personality. Besides the lack of any coherent foundation and aside from all the stereotyping, it diverts crucial resources from real diversity issues. I might speculate on why managers would find it more comfortable to talk about their diversity concerns as they pertain to Baby Boomers or what is was like to be young, but I can't understand why diversity professionals allow the concept of a generational personality to take resources away from concerns about race, gender or sexual orientation.

The best clue that the idea of a generational personality may lack content comes near the end of this 352-page book, when Lancaster and Stillman summarize their advice. They tell us: flexibility is in; give people the benefit of the doubt; don't forget the little things.

Thanks, we needed that information.

With four generations in the work system, misunderstandings happen. Additionally, progressive organizations are realizing they need to develop new recruiting procedures, create new compensation,benefit and retention strategies to attract and retain the best of the four diverse groups in the work system. When generational collisions occur, it results in reduced profitability, presents hiring challenges, increased turnover rates, and decreased morale. Understanding the various generational identities will help in building bridges in the work environment. The book authors, Lancaster and Stillman, describe for the reader the four generational personalities and provide suggestions regarding rewards/retention/motivatational techniques that appeal to each generation. Briefly, the four generations are defined:

Traditionalists were born between the turn of the last century and the end of World War II (1900-1945) and they number about 5M in population. The Traditionalists were impacted by two World Wars and the Great Depression. They learned to do without and the management style they learned came from the military - a top-down, boot-camp method. They were cautious, obedient. and spoke when spoken to. They would have never called their boss by `his' first name. For years they had career security of life-long employment opportunities so all the downsizing of the 80s/90s initially took them by shock. They have their own preference regarding rewards and respond to different recruiting messages.

Baby Boomers: (Born from 1946-1964) represents the largest population ever born in the U.S. Their large number of about 80M created a competitive nature among them for jobs/opportunities. For the most part, they grew up in suburbs, had educational opportunities above their parents, saw lots of consumer products hit the marketplace (calculators, appliances). The television had a significant impact on their views of the world regarding equal opportunity and other human rights. They represent a great recruiting target as they `retool' for new career opportunities for those recruiters who have the knowledge on how to attract them.

Generation X: Many members of the Generation X emerged into the workplace during the 1990s expansion and this is the smallest generation in terms of numbers (46M- due to birth control and working moms). They had a distinct competitive advantage in choice jobs `they wanted.' The technological revolution exacerbated their successes as they are techno savvy unlike their Boomer competitors. Rather than `paying their dues for a number of years' as previous generations did, they were able to demand that organizations adapt to their ways of doing things creating disbelief from the Traditionalist/Boomers. (Actually, the Gen Xers have made the work place a better system for all of us by demanding flex hours, telecommuting, etc). Gen Xers grew up a skeptical group due to fractured family systems, violence in the news, AIDS, drugs, child molsters and downsizings. Generation Xers are dash board diners and being latchkey kids taught them independence. They detest micro-management in the work environment and want constant feedback on how they are performing. Recruiters and HR personnel need specifics to attract, motivate and retain Gen Xers.

Gen Y/ Millennial Generation: This 75M techno-savvy, multi-tasking generation has had access to cell phones, personal pagers, and computers most of their life. They have, for the most part, led privileged lives traveling more than previous generations to world wide areas, growing up in `fun' day care programs/activities, owning the best in technology and being included in family collaborations that involve major issues ranging from where to live, the decorations in their bedroom to vacation trips. Their parents/teachers have coached them to build extensive portfolios (for college), therefore, they will most likely be portfolio conscious and looking for career expansion opportunities. Futurists predict they will change jobs 7-10 times and even change careers 2 or 3 times. They were also taught to question parents/teachers and the status quo. They have served in school peer-court systems having a say in major decisions and this will impact how they will respond and adapt within workplace system. The authors provide some specific recruiting/retention strategies to attract this generation.
Looking at the workplace as a system, these generational variances present recruiting, rewarding and retention challenges. Employee turnover eats up management hours and dollars spent advertising and conducting searches for, interviewing, hiring and training new recruits. Its takes up remaining employees' time covering open positions. It frustrates customers who often receive substandard or inconsistent service.