When employers think about a generationally diverse team, they most probably fear seeing older staffers constantly grumbling, “Back in my day,” and skeptically looking sideways at their colleagues and younger employees, always hyperactive on social media but passive offline and doing the bare minimum. And there’s no team chemistry between different employee generations whatsoever.
Or is it just a stereotypical picture, and there’s much more to uncover about the role of generational diversity in team building?
Here’s just a taste of the “tea” we spilled in this article: age-related prejudices are typically a prevalent challenge in companies with a multi-generational workforce.
But is generational diversity in the workplace a totally destructive factor for team bonding? Or can it be constructive, too?
Actually, there’s no “black” or “white” answer. The truth is age diversity impacts team building in both positive and challenging ways. In the next paragraphs, you’ll see how exactly. In a few more, learn from business founders and managers how to create a successful multi-generational team.
What Is Generational Diversity in the Workplace?
Generational diversity at work is having employees from several age segments in one workspace, remote or physical.
With a smaller percentage of the Silent Generation (Traditionalists) born between 1928 and 1946, these employee age groups are as follows:
- Baby Boomers → 1947-1964
- Generation X (Gen X) → 1965-1980
- Millennials (Gen Y) → 1981-1996
- Generation Z (Gen Z or Zoomers) → 1997-2012
Source: LinkedIn
However, generational differences go far beyond the age factor. We’ll discuss the most significant peculiarities while reviewing the pros and cons of generational diversity in team building.
Positive Effects of Generational Diversity on Your Team
Plurality of Perspectives and Creativity
When asked about the greatest advantage of generational diversity at work, Murtaza Oklu, Owner of OMO Transfer, said, “To me, it is clear that generational diversity spurs creativity. Age-diverse employees expand their ideation horizons and brainstorm more creative ideas.”
Besides, creativity becomes contagious. When workers from different age groups exchange their viewpoints and experiences, they can also inspire each other and rev the originality engine.
Murtaza Oklu also pinpoints the cumulative effect: “Tried-and-tested solutions by older employees mount on top of why-not-try-this suggestions by younger generations eager to experiment and innovate.”
Cross-Generational Mentorship and Skill Sharing
Knowledge sharing is another positive impact of generational diversity on team building. Nearly nine in ten workers view it as a chance to gain experience from their colleagues.
Indeed, with different employee generations on board, your workplace is like a swap shop of wisdom and competency. For instance, with years of experience behind their back, a Baby Boomer can give a leadership lesson to a Gen Z-er or help set professional goals for career development. Meanwhile, Generation Z and Millennials can share the latest tech know-how with older age groups in the team.
Here are the most suitable mentorship types for multi-generational teams:
- Reverse mentoring
- Peer-to-peer mentoring
- Situational mentoring
- Cross-generational networking circles
- Shadowing programs
Alternatively, it can be a unique mentorship program specifically developed for your needs.
For example:
Luizalabs launched Desenvolve 40+, an exclusive training program for those aged 40 and older to help start a career in technology and join a programming team.
Source: LinkedIn
Higher Problem-Solving Potential
Want to solve complicated business problems faster and more efficiently?
Gather age-diverse team members!
When united, they turn into troubleshooting pros, with everyone having a different background and a unique skill set. In fact, 86% of employees are more eager to work in a multi-generational team because they have a better problem-solving capacity.
As observed by Simon Healy, Director at Wardrobe Warehouse, “Cross-generational collaboration helps cope with the trickiest problems. The breakthrough moment here is to unchain every generation’s fullest potential.”
Source: Boolkah
For example:
The Wardrobe Warehouse team develops complex wardrobe designs and solves storage challenges in the most unexpected spaces, all thanks to teamwork. They combine everyone’s strengths to complement each other rather than contradict.
Richer Culture
Peter Čuček, Owner at Tuuli, says “Generational diversity can also transform team building through cultural enrichment. Your workers can discuss various traditions and life situations or compare past vs. new trends”.
For instance, your team members may cast a comparative look at the music culture during a coffee break: What DJ was trending in the 1990s, and who rocks today? Alternatively, you might host a History Hour. Boomers may recall the moon landing or the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll; Generation X—the rise of MTV; Millennials—the Harry Potter phenomenon; and Generation Z—the newest social media (TikTok, Snapchat, or Threads).
This way, you enrich and strengthen the team with cultural diversity, too.
Challenges of Generational Diversity in Building Strong Teams
Stereotypes
As many as 83% of global executives cite a multi-generational workforce as an essential element for business success, yet only 6% have an unbiased hiring strategy.
Beware of the most commonplace Boomer-to-Zoomer biases:
- Baby Boomers: frugal workaholics with a “work hard, never play” mentality and nostalgia about “good old times.”
- Gen X: apathetic and cynical latchkey kids, “stuck in the middle” being overshadowed by Boomers and Millennials, with the “trust no one” attitude.
- Millennials: unstable job hoppers, spendthrifts, and disrespectful of authority.
- Gen Z: ill-mannered and lazy crybabies and screen addicts.
If not removed, such stereotypes may lead to ageism (discrimination by age) and weaken team bonds.
Communication Barriers and Breakdowns
Differences in communication styles are quite obvious among employee generations. Let’s take the generational slang. When Gen X-ers use words like “bummer” or “lame,” Gen Z-ers love emojis and abbreviations like “OMG” (Oh my God) or “POV” (point of view).
Now, let’s talk about different preferences in communication tools.
According to statistics, 65% of Boomers are enthusiastic about face-to-face meetings, but merely 34% of Generation Z are willing to meet in person. And when half of Zommers choose instant messaging platforms for workplace communication, only 28% of Boomers support this idea.
The consequences?
Communication obstacles like these may lead to major collapses in collaboration, undermine your projects, and entirely sabotage your customer success efforts.
The Conflict of Values and Interests
In the SHRM study, 60% of employees reported generational conflicts in the workplace.
The greatest conflict is, by far, between Boomers (sometimes Traditionalists) and Gen Z in the modern workplace. The same research reveals that younger workers blame their older colleagues for economic discrepancies and high unemployment rates for those aged 20-30.
At the same time, the oldest employee generations express higher sentiments toward traditions. Influenced by different societal and economic contexts, their hobbies and life priorities also differ.
The Technological Divide
No sweeping it under the rug either—the tech divide exists.
It exists for objective reasons, not because the oldest generations intentionally want to resist innovation.
Samo Polegek, Owner of The Most Iconic Art, says, “For one thing, the youngest workers were born into the digitalized world—they are “digital natives.” Then, there are psycho-physiological reasons. It’s objectively harder for older people to master new skills due to cognitive decline and memory deterioration with age. It’s also difficult to give up habits formed over the years”.
For example:
It may be tough for Baby Boomers and Generation X to learn using virtual collaboration tools. And when it comes to team-building events, they may be reluctant to try innovative ideas like gamification or AR/VR technologies.
Expert Advice on How to Build a Diverse, Multi-Generational Team
Mind Your Language
According to Conrad Wang, Managing Director at EnableU, “Inappropriate phrases relating to the employee’s age not only bring discomfort and distantiate colleagues from each other but also violate workplace anti-discrimination laws.” A few such regulations are the ADA (The Age Discrimination Act 2004) in Australia and the ADEA (Age Discrimination in Employment Act) in the United States.
Discriminatory phrases against the older workforce:
- You’re too old for this task
- When are you retiring at last?!
- You’re the office’s dinosaur, as far as I can see.
- We need younger blood in this leadership role.
Discriminatory phrases against the younger workforce:
- You’re too green to understand.
- When you’ve got more gray hairs, we’ll talk.
- What can you know? You’re just a kid!
- Let the grown-ups handle this.
To bridge the generation gap with the help of proper language, Conrad Wang recommends using inclusive, neutral phrases without reference to age and highlighting strengths and achievements instead.
Remember: Age-inclusive language is integral to workplace inclusion and team cohesion.
Encourage Open Sharing and Unmute “Numb” Topics
For Adrian Iorga, Founder & President at Stairhopper Movers, “Transparency in communication is the key to team building with generational diversity in the workplace. It is a definite win if your employees honestly speak up without the fear of being judged or laughed at. For that, you must pay closer attention to the generationally silenced or ‘numb’ problems that bring awkwardness and tension into the team.”
For example:
Mental health is one of the most critical ones. Here’s why, research proves that older generations still stigmatize mental issues (workplace anxiety, mental burnout, depression, etc.). In this context, younger employees may feel ashamed or awkward to voice their mental health concerns at work.
So, promoting mental health awareness and support is vital in cross-generational teams.
Mix Different Team-Building Activities
To smooth the edges of generational diversity in team building, Roman Zrazhevskiy, Founder & CEO at MIRA Safety, recommends prioritizing universally applicable team-building ideas. “It would be best to pick timeless activities that never go out of style, regardless of the generation. The universal appeal makes them a perfect fit for building multi-generational teams.”
Consider these:
- Trivia nights
- Volunteering
- Wellness challenges
- Board games
- Talent shows
- Sports (tennis, volleyball, hockey)
For example:
When organizing team-building events, the multi-generational team at Shade Systems often chooses outdoor sports, such as racing or crossbow shooting competitions.
Source: Instagram
However, Derek Suckling also reminds us about generational mixes in team-building planning. “Once in a while, plan a team-building event with a combination of ideas, a generational fusion, drawn from different epochs to learn from each other.”
How about playing several team-building games that are popular among different age groups?
For example:
Your older employee can bring their favorite board game from childhood. Afterward, a Gen Z team member can immerse everyone in their preferred Metaverse game in VR. Why not?
Prepare Your Team for Tech Adoption
As much as we may love sticky notes and flipcharts, digital transformation is coming into literally every sphere, and we can’t deny or ignore it.
In the opinion of Nick Esposito, Founder of NYCServers, it is inevitable, and it can help you close the age divide in your company faster. But—“If you have generational diversity in the workplace, you shouldn’t force-start technological adoption without thorough preparation. Instead, do it gradually and organize tech training sessions for everyone to feel more comfortable during the transition.”
Digital advancements, such as the rise of EdTech and FinTech, are particularly reshaping industries like education and finance, and age-diverse teams have to adjust.
For example:
Santander Bank adopted Nimble’s Kanban board as an online visualization tool for work management to meet new IT demands.
Time to Try Out Nimble in Your Multi-Generational Team
From Boomers to Zoomers, Nimble is an easy-to-adopt work management platform with an intuitive interface. No headaches—just seamless cross-generational collaboration and project management wrapped in a user-friendly design.
Get Nimble, collaborate on projects and tasks more effectively online, and build the strongest team.
