TEDxCreightonU
Leah Georges: How generational stereotypes hold us back at work
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The Silent Generation, baby boomers, Generation X, millennials, Gen Z -- we're all in the workforce together. How are our assumptions about each other holding us back from working and communicating better? Social psychologist Leah Georges shows how we're more similar than different and offers helpful tactics for navigating the multigenerational workplace.
Leah Georges - Social psychologist
Leah Georges is a professor and researcher who works with organizations to pull apart the enduring fable of generations at war in the workplace. Full bio
Leah Georges is a professor and researcher who works with organizations to pull apart the enduring fable of generations at war in the workplace. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
So, for the first time
in America's modern history,
in America's modern history,
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we have five generations
interacting at work.
interacting at work.
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The veterans, born between 1922 and 1943,
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are known as the Greatest Generation,
the matures, the silents.
the matures, the silents.
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They're known for their self-sacrifice,
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respect for authority
and work as its own reward.
and work as its own reward.
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The boomers came shortly after,
born between 1944 and 1960.
born between 1944 and 1960.
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This is a generation
characterized by hard work.
characterized by hard work.
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In fact, we can thank this generation
for the term "workaholic."
for the term "workaholic."
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They appreciate competition,
they love effective communication.
they love effective communication.
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And they're thinking towards retirement,
if they haven't retired already.
if they haven't retired already.
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Generation X is known
as the lost generation
as the lost generation
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the latchkey generation,
born between 1961 and 1980.
born between 1961 and 1980.
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This is the smallest generation,
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sandwiched between boomers
and the big millennials.
and the big millennials.
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More parents were divorced
in this generation
in this generation
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than any generation prior.
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They also were the first generation
to tell us about work-life balance,
to tell us about work-life balance,
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and the first to really
ask for that in the workplace.
ask for that in the workplace.
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And then millennials -- you know,
the everybody-gets-a-ribbon generation --
the everybody-gets-a-ribbon generation --
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born between 1981 and 2000.
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Never knew a time where technology
wasn't present in the home.
wasn't present in the home.
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They're incredibly pragmatic,
they're hopeful and they're determined.
they're hopeful and they're determined.
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They think they're going
to change the world,
to change the world,
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in fact, I believe they're going to do it.
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They might be a little bit
idealistic sometimes,
idealistic sometimes,
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but in just the last several years,
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we've seen millennials
overtake Generation X
overtake Generation X
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to be the most represented
generation in the workforce.
generation in the workforce.
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In fact, more than one in three people
in the United States labor force
in the United States labor force
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is a millennial.
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And soon to join us there,
Generation Z, born since 2000,
Generation Z, born since 2000,
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our high school interns
or soon to be high school graduates.
or soon to be high school graduates.
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Now, if you open any internet browser,
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look at Amazon,
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search any of your favorite
search engines,
search engines,
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you might assume there's a literal war
in the workplace, right?
in the workplace, right?
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We see blog topics like
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"Seventeen reasons why millennials
are the worst generation."
are the worst generation."
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And "Why baby boomers
have ruined it for everybody."
have ruined it for everybody."
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Or "Bridging the great
generational divide."
generational divide."
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It's like turning into this
"West Side Story,"
"West Side Story,"
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like, boomers come in one door,
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millennials come in
another door, the lobby,
another door, the lobby,
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they just fight with each other all day,
complain, go home, do the same,
complain, go home, do the same,
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come back to work, right?
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02:28
Well, so what if I told you
these generations may not exist?
these generations may not exist?
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I've been spending some time
thinking about this and researching this,
thinking about this and researching this,
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and fellow researchers and I
aren't exactly sure
aren't exactly sure
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that these generations are real.
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And in fact, if we can agree
that these groups even exist,
that these groups even exist,
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we certainly don't agree
who belongs in them.
who belongs in them.
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And they span something like 20 years.
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So at whatever point in history,
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a one-year-old and a 20-year-old
are said to share the same value system,
are said to share the same value system,
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to want the same things at work,
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to have the same stereotypes
working for and against them.
working for and against them.
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And in fact, different areas of the world
define these generations differently.
define these generations differently.
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So we can't even compare generations
across various areas of the world.
across various areas of the world.
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And these stereotypes
about each generation
about each generation
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have, in a lot of ways,
created this self-fulfilling prophecy,
created this self-fulfilling prophecy,
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that people begin to act
as if they're part of that generation
as if they're part of that generation
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because we've said out loud
that generation is real.
that generation is real.
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I'm not so sure that it is.
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And in fact, this idea of generations
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has become deeply embedded
in United States culture.
in United States culture.
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When we talk generations,
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people know exactly
what we're talking about.
what we're talking about.
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In fact, people have
a lot of thoughts and feelings
a lot of thoughts and feelings
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about each of these generations.
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And I'll tell you how I know this.
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I did the thing
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that every red-blooded American
and pre-tenure academic does
and pre-tenure academic does
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when they have a question.
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I Googled some stuff.
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And this is what I learned.
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Google is based on algorithms,
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and they provide you
with commonly searched terms,
with commonly searched terms,
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or suggested hits, based
on what other people are searching
on what other people are searching
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surrounding the same topic.
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And it gave me a really good sense
of what people think
of what people think
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about each of these generations.
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Take a look.
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I learned that baby boomers
are conservative,
are conservative,
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that Americans think they're stupid.
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The worst generation, they're angry,
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apparently they're racist
and they're so important.
and they're so important.
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Looking at Generation X,
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I learned Generation X is a cynical group,
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they're angry,
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they're known as the lost
generation -- we know this;
generation -- we know this;
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they're the smallest generation.
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Apparently, they're stupid too.
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(Laughter)
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And mostly, they're frustrated
with baby boomers.
with baby boomers.
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Alright, millennials,
this is what I learned about us.
this is what I learned about us.
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So, we're obsessed with food.
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(Laughter)
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We're also stupid, ah!
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We're lazy, we're sensitive, we're fired,
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we're also hated,
and we think we're important.
and we think we're important.
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And perhaps the most terrifying
search result on the internet --
search result on the internet --
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Generation Z is screwed.
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(Laughter)
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04:53
OK, so, for five years,
I've been talking to leaders and followers
I've been talking to leaders and followers
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across a wide variety of organizations.
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And this is what I've come to realize.
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Generations haven't become
part of the conversation --
part of the conversation --
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generations have become
the conversation at work.
the conversation at work.
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What I've learned
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is that we're working under the assumption
that those Google results are true.
that those Google results are true.
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And so, what I think
is that organizations are now desperate
is that organizations are now desperate
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to figure out how to "manage"
the multigenerational workplace.
the multigenerational workplace.
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"Manage" it.
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We manage all sorts of things.
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We're preparing for this
wave of millennials to come to work.
wave of millennials to come to work.
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So we prepare for hurricanes, right?
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We prepare to take the MCAT,
we prepare for natural disasters.
we prepare for natural disasters.
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Why are we preparing
for 23-year-olds to come to work?
for 23-year-olds to come to work?
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(Laughter)
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I've talked to these organizations,
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and I've heard amazing things
that they're doing
that they're doing
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to create a workspace
for everybody to get along
for everybody to get along
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and to have autonomy
and to feel like they're thriving.
and to feel like they're thriving.
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But I've also heard some
really incredibly harebrained ideas
really incredibly harebrained ideas
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about how to navigate
the multigenerational workplace.
the multigenerational workplace.
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Are you ready?
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This is what I saw.
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I visited an organization,
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and they adopted this idea
that if you can see it, you can be it.
that if you can see it, you can be it.
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A really important concept.
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But I think they blew it.
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The put pictures on the walls
of the ideal multigenerational workplace,
of the ideal multigenerational workplace,
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because if you can see it, you can be it.
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(Laughter)
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Or like this one.
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(Laughter)
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Like, I don't even want to work here.
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(Laughter)
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You don't get to wear
color here, apparently,
color here, apparently,
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and HR seriously has problems
with people jumping in heels,
with people jumping in heels,
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I promise you that, OK?
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I talked to an organization
who recently decided
who recently decided
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against putting a ball pit
in the break room
in the break room
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because that's how you retain millennials.
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We're 30, not three.
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(Laughter)
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And in fact, I know a young,
at the time, millennial,
at the time, millennial,
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who was told that if she wanted
people to take her seriously,
people to take her seriously,
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just because she was a millennial,
she would have to do this --
she would have to do this --
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wear shoulder pads.
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Yes.
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People younger than her and older than her
wouldn't take her seriously
wouldn't take her seriously
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unless she wore shoulder pads.
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Straight-out-of-the-80s,
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can't-even-buy-them-anywhere
shoulder pads.
shoulder pads.
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This young woman had two graduate degrees.
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This young woman was me.
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And this is the best we came up with?
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How to navigate the multigenerational
workplace ... is shoulder pads?
workplace ... is shoulder pads?
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(Laughter)
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So, this is also what I've learned
talking to organizations
talking to organizations
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that employ a wide range
of people of various ages.
of people of various ages.
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We are so much more similar
than we are different.
than we are different.
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And we're hearing this consistently.
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People want work that matters,
they want flexibility,
they want flexibility,
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they want support, they want appreciation,
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they want better coffee.
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But none of these things
are tied to a generation.
are tied to a generation.
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Now, sure, we see small differences
in what people want.
in what people want.
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We know 20-year-olds and 60-year-olds
go home and do different things.
go home and do different things.
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They have different values.
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At least when it comes
to things happening outside of work.
to things happening outside of work.
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But I think what's happened
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is that this focus
on generational cohorts,
on generational cohorts,
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these groups of people,
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has created a space where we just forgot
that people are people.
that people are people.
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And to know who they really are,
who we really work with,
who we really work with,
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we have to figure out
how to better navigate
how to better navigate
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this multigenerational workplace
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than ball pits.
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Call me one of those idealist millennials,
but I think we can get there.
but I think we can get there.
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And I don't think the idea
is too terribly difficult.
is too terribly difficult.
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What if we radically, simply, not easily,
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meet people where they are?
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Individualize our approach.
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08:34
I've never met a generation.
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I've had a lot of conversations
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with people who happened to identify
with a specific generational cohort.
with a specific generational cohort.
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I know that 80-year-olds text message
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and 23-year-olds crochet blankets.
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None of these things are stereotypical
of that generation, right?
of that generation, right?
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Nilofer Merchant --
she's a thought leader in innovation --
she's a thought leader in innovation --
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she tells us we have to meet people
in their onlyness,
in their onlyness,
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that is, that spot in the world
where only we stand,
where only we stand,
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as a function of our unique history,
our experiences and our hopes.
our experiences and our hopes.
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But this requires
flexibility and curiosity.
flexibility and curiosity.
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And what happens when we meet
people in their onlyness,
people in their onlyness,
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only the spot in the world
that they stand,
that they stand,
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we learn that that boomer who is just
acting "angry" at work all the time
acting "angry" at work all the time
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is scared.
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Because he's worked every day
since he was 16 years old,
since he was 16 years old,
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and on a Monday,
sooner than he can imagine,
sooner than he can imagine,
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he'll never go to work again.
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He's got plans.
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It's going to take like a week and a half
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to do all the things
on that retirement list.
on that retirement list.
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But then what?
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What if we give a little bit of grace
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to the person that might be
a little scared?
a little scared?
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Or that Generation X-er
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who has four drop-offs,
three kids, two hands,
three kids, two hands,
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and is just trying to keep
the wheels on the bus.
the wheels on the bus.
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Sure, maybe she's a little aloof at work.
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Maybe she's a little independent,
maybe she's exhausted.
maybe she's exhausted.
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Or that millennial
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who asks for a raise after two months
because they're "entitled?"
because they're "entitled?"
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Well, maybe it's because
that generation has more debt
that generation has more debt
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than any generation before them,
coming out of college,
coming out of college,
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and they just need the money
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to keep going, to pay rent.
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And suddenly, when you meet people
in their onlyness,
in their onlyness,
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that spot in the world only they stand,
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we're not talking
about a generation anymore.
about a generation anymore.
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We're talking about Jim or Jen or Candice.
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And so here's my challenge to us.
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Pick a person, just one,
and explore their onlyness.
and explore their onlyness.
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And then learn.
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And then in the moments
where it's appropriate, teach.
where it's appropriate, teach.
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And figure out what they bring to work
that no one else can bring to work,
that no one else can bring to work,
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because that's what makes work richer.
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And then do it again.
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And do it again.
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And then some day, we're not
working with generations anymore.
working with generations anymore.
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We're working with people.
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And so to really understand the beauty
of the multigenerational workplace,
of the multigenerational workplace,
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I think we just have to meet
people where they are.
people where they are.
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And that doesn't require
that we unpack and live there with them.
that we unpack and live there with them.
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But we might find, at least on occasion,
it's a beautiful place to visit.
it's a beautiful place to visit.
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And so I think there's just no need
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to argue about which generation
is the most angry
is the most angry
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or the most entitled
or the most so obsessed with food.
or the most so obsessed with food.
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We all come to the classroom,
to work, back to our homes,
to work, back to our homes,
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a little bit tired and a little bit
tattered sometimes.
tattered sometimes.
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Maybe let's just do our best
to humbly meet people where they are,
to humbly meet people where they are,
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how they show up that day,
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generation and all.
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And in those moments
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where it can feel a little bit
like intergenerational warfare,
like intergenerational warfare,
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I think we can at least all agree
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that shoulder pads aren't the solution.
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(Laughter)
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Leah Georges - Social psychologistLeah Georges is a professor and researcher who works with organizations to pull apart the enduring fable of generations at war in the workplace.
Why you should listen
Leah Georges, Ph.D., M.L.S., approaches most questions as if they are 50 percent math problem and 50 percent art project. Her training at the intersection of social psychology and law taught her that facts are rarely altogether factual, answers are seldom black and white, and the most fascinating explanations happen in that gray area in between. It's a mess in there, but it's worth it.
Georges is an assistant professor in Creighton University's doctoral program in interdisciplinary leadership, where she challenges herself and her students to explore complex, real-world problems and create data-driven and interesting solutions. As a leadership and research methods professor, Georges has been recognized as an award-winning educator and advisor by her students and peers.
Leah Georges | Speaker | TED.com