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If your workplace sometimes feels like
a battlefield and your colleagues sometimes seem like aliens,
you are not alone. Today there are four distinct generations
of employees glaring at one another from across the conference
table, and the potential for conflict and confusion has
never been greater.
In this insightful, captivating book, generational
experts Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman shed much-needed
light on how to bridge generational gaps at work by understanding
the differences that drive generations apart.
Traditionalist employees with their "heads
down, onward and upward" attitude live out a work ethic
that was shaped during the dark days of the Great Depression.
Meanwhile, the eighty million Baby Boomers are at a crossroads,
trying to balance their overwhelming need to succeed with
their desire to slow down and enjoy the fruits of their
labor. They alternate between admiration and abhorrence
for the chutzpah demonstrated by Generation Xers, who, in
addition to feeling as if they have to prove themselves
constantly, are chafing under the image of being overly
ambitious, disrespectful, and irreverent. Nipping at everyone's
heels are the new kids on the block, the Millennials --
with their unique mix of savvy and social conscience, they
promise to change yet again the landscape of the workplace.
Whether you're a manager, an employee, an
entrepreneur, or a skilled professional, you'll derive hands-on,
take-home business benefits from understanding this vital
form of diversity affecting today's high-performance workplace.
Using a wry and practical approach to bottom-line
business issues and drawing upon interviews, experiences,
and the findings from their national survey, Lancaster and
Stillman give you in-depth insights into each generation.
With their help, you'll have the tools you need to recruit,
retain, motivate, and manage each generation more effectively.
And you'll recognize that while collisions are inevitable,
ultimately it's how we manage them that counts.
Baby Boomer Lynne C. Lancaster is a Phi
Beta Kappa summa cum laude graduate of the University of
Minnesota. She earned her stripes as a corporate communication
consultant to companies such as Coca-Cola and Pillsbury,
where she conducted research and coached executives on communication
strategy. Lynne has served as a contributing faculty member
at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management,
and her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including
The Futurist and Nation's Business. Lynne
is married and stepmother to two Gen Xers.
Generation Xer David Stillman is an honors
graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison with
a B.A. degree in communications and sociology. David interned
for PrimeTime Live,
then traveled the world as a roving reporter for CBS radio,
covering stories such as the end of apartheid in South Africa
and the fall of the former Soviet Union. David's cutting-edge
work in communications has won him numerous accolades, including
Worldfest-Houston Medals, the New York Festivals Award,
and the much-coveted Clio Award. David is married and the
proud father of two Millennials.
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