Companies can utilize the multigenerational team to their advantage to improve productivity and efficiency due to the availability of a variety of skills. Creativity and innovation in the multigenerational team is a major aspect that is developed as people learn from each other, which helps to create ideas and projects that contribute to the growth and development of the company (Lewis, 2017). The multigenerational team embraces open discussion that results in the development of ideas from rational reasoning. Companies enjoy the benefits of team collaboration that enhances responsibility and problem-solving among people with differences due to diversity.
Also, a multigenerational team is advantageous to the company through staying updated, which helps to acquire a competitive advantage. According to Lowe (2020), the company manages to make changes as per the trends in the market since the team accesses information on the new aspects of the market that are combined with previous knowledge that enables decision-making on the way forward. The multigenerational team learns to appreciate the diversity of the culture, which helps to build a sense of belonging in the company and secure chances to achieve the mission and vision. The team also has flexible work arrangement schedules due to individual preferences, which vary from generation, covering the company’s timeline adequately.
Multigenerational teams create diversity in various aspects that can challenge the management in the working environment. Values vary among the employees due to culture and age aspects that result in differences among the team (Morrow-Howell, 2020). The management experiences conflicts among the employees due to differences that force the management to work on values to respect and appreciate diversity and generate common grounds for the parties involved. Multigenerational teams present differences in working relationships that, due to blending between conservative members of the group, become rigid to embrace changes and others’ opinions. The management faces challenges when relationships affect the well-being of individuals in the working team.
Moreover, the management faces challenges in communication style and feedback preferences that vary in multigenerational teams. According to Lewis (2017), the generations within the workplace have differences, which creates a challenge for the management to make a decision that meets the needs of the team in communicating effectively. Feedback preferences vary as some employees need immediate feedback on different areas of work while others find the feedback demotivating and unnecessary in some cases. Also, the management faces challenges in emphasizing the implementation of work ethics on the multigenerational team due to varying perceptions among the employees.
The company and management team need to consider some factors when attracting new employees of all generations to account for the preferences and expectations. Embracing diversity is paramount for the company and management to create a connection between the organization and the employees (Morrow-Howell, 2020). The employees look forward to working in an enabling environment that builds a sense of belonging due to the connection that acts as motivation to work and build skills. The management is obliged to share the values of the company with new employees who learn the position, and contribution will be valued for psychological preparedness and well-being.
The creation of diverse benefit packages is another way to attract new employees of all generations for the management. The inclusion of needs of varying generations entices job applicants with the perception that their preferences are catered to in the company (Lowe, 2020). For instance, young people may be attracted by the career development offers in the company, while older people enjoy retirement benefits and health and life coverage. The company may also consider optimizing job descriptions to accommodate diversity and avoid limiting the applicants with knowledge and skills. Therefore, a multigenerational team requires companies and management to consider their needs and diversity for efficiency.
References
Lewis, L. F., & Wescott, H. D. (2017). Multigenerational workforce: Four generations united in lean. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 8(3), 1. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/multi-generational-workforce-four-generations/docview/1880365877/se-2
Morrow-Howell, N., Lawlor, E. F., Macias, E. S., Swinford, E., & Brandt, J. (2020). Making the case for age-diverse universities. The Gerontologist, 60(7), 1187-1193. https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/articlepdf/doi/10.1093/geront/gnz181/33749242/gnz181.pdf
Lowe, J. B., Barry, E. S., & Grunberg, N. E. (2020). Improving Leader Effectiveness Across Multigenerational Workforces. Journal of Leadership Studies, 14(1), 46-52. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jls.21681
write