Organizational Communication Outline

Every generation is influenced by its period 's economic, political and social events. From the Great Depression to the civil rights and women 's movements to the advent of television and advanced computer technologies. Thus generational background/situation may also affect the way they work. The key is to be able to effectively address and take advantage of the differences in values and expectations of each generation in the workplace. The current work place consists of four different generations; The Baby Boomers (1946-1964) who are slowly retiring and existing the workforce, The Generation X (1965-1976), The Generation Y or millennia (1977-1997), and the Generation Z who are about to or are just entering the work force. Although these different generations tend to want similar things in a workplace their environment/background has shaped their character, values, and expectations (Hahn 2011).

The most prominent change in the workforce affecting human resources at St. Anthony’s is the rise of a multi generational workforce. Providing different human resource needs for various employees is an evolving challenge. Being aware of different workplace standards between generations is taken into consideration to reduce “pain points” (Calvert, 2015). In the interview, Judie grouped Generation X and Millennials into the same group, and focused primarily on the differences between Baby Boomers and Gen X/Millennials. She described the Baby Boomers as

It’s the first time in American history that five generations are sharing the workplace, from Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, the Millennials or Generation Y, and the new unnamed generation. With five generations come five sets of ideas, how to conduct one’s self, approach activities, values and motivators. Different beliefs, understandings, and undertakings create misinterpretations and frustrations. The fire service is currently facing a similar situation. It’s imperative to recognize and understand these differences to avoid misunderstandings and to help your department work effectively to meet its goals. Not every employee displays aspect of their generation category, but understanding the individualities of each generation will help with teamwork, supervision, embracing change, and productivity. With each generation there are different communication styles and driving factors that motivate production. It is essential that you understand how each generation communicates and what they motivators are so that you can communicate ideas and organization vision to them. What can we do in the fire service to prepare to handle these challenges?

Today’s leader is faced with many challenges, and one is the generational divide that exists in the workplace today. With four different generations working together it is clear that each group has their own preference for communication. Throughout the context of this paper I will explore the generational differences, and describe the characteristics of my generation with regard to leadership and communication styles. I will also describe how technology and the information age play a role in how leaders communicate. Finally, I will identify basic communication skills that are needed and used in generational leadership.

“After a century of trying to control people, processes and information, we have come to a point in organizational history where we need to recognize that what worked before just simply isn’t enough anymore.” This goes to prove that over time just like everything else evolves our behaviors towards our colleagues has to evolve as well. And management has to learn the new behaviors of his/her employees. The Millennials and generation Z needs to know that they are appreciated and need to be challenged before they get bored, hence the reason why managers need to learn

The generational span is exceedingly larger today than in the prior history of our nation. The multiple generations consist of the veterans 1922-1945, the baby boomers 1946-1964, the generation X 1965-1981, and, the generation Y 1982-1999, in addition, upcoming millennial generation born 2000-2016 (Murray, 2013). There frequently are misconceptions and misunderstandings based on the differing perspectives of each generation. Moreover, as an effective leader, one must comprehend and acknowledge the characteristics of each generation and utilize these individualities to mentor and motivate the staff they are leading (Hendricks & Cope, 2012). In addition to considering the impact of the generational

Currently the Millennial generation comprises between an estimated 10-17% of the Controller’s Office, when defining a millennial as someone between the ages of 18 to 34 (Pynes, 2004, p. 28). In the chart below (Figure 1), you can see the breakdown of the office’s age groups. As the 60-65 year olds leave the workforce it will be important to recruit individuals within the younger generations to develop a visionary workplace

Many employers are challenged with handling the millennial due to the lack of proper understanding of this generation since there is plenty of myths, propagated through anecdotes and assumptions. However the separation of the myths and the facts is important for an organization so as

Generation Y are less brand loyal and the speed of the Internet has helped with the flexibility to change in its fashion, style consciousness and where and how it is communicated with. Lastly, Generation Y whichranges from 1995-2012. According to Generational Kinetics there are currently over 23 million Gen Z in the United States. Gen Z members are still largely kids and adolescents but have earlyindications of being increasingly self-aware, self-reliant, innovative and goal-oriented.One key difference from Millennials and Gen Z is that they don’t remember a time before social media. As a result, they tend to live much more of their entire lives from interacting with friends and family to making major purchases online and via their smartphones. Therefore, Gen Z kids will grow up with a highly sophisticated media and computer environment and will be more Internet savvy and expert than their Gen Y

According to Deep Patel with the Huffington Post, “By 2020, Gen Z will account for almost 40%

“The number of employees over the age of 55 has increased by 30 percent; however, the number of 25- to 54-year-olds has only increased by 1 percent” (Claire, 2009). In 2008 the eldest of the 77 million baby-boomers turned 62. Estimates are that by the end of the decade about 40 percent of the work force will be eligible to retire. As people begin to reach the age of retirement there may be not be enough new employees to fill the gap (Clare, 2009). Companies need to find ways to attract Boomers and Millennials. Companies that want to attract Boomers and Millennials need to be creative in their culture, HR policies and work environments.

The three-phase model of organizational socialization created by Daniel Feldmen was created to help organizations and new employees understand how without proper socialization employees will likely not stay and develop their careers within that organization. The book defines organizational socialization as “the process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior required to assume a work role” and that “unstructured socialization is associated with decreased learning, performance, and satisfaction” (Kinicki and Fugate, 2017, p. 571).

Organizational Socialization is the procedure where people are taking in the ropes of an association’s culture given another or evolving part. It is the manner by which a worker figures out how to fit into his or her role with the organization. Hierarchical socialization advances change in the work environment. The idea elevates individuals to have the capacity to adjust and to be anxious to learn new thoughts and ideas. While promoting likely change, it is fascinating how authoritative socialization can likewise include security and solidarity. Yes, the organizational socialization is put into by using the formal programming process (Keith Porter, 2007).

The most connected, classy and educated generation ever is known as Gen Z. Gen Z is part of a generation that is global, social, visual and technological. They are the teens, the tweens, the youth and the young adults of our society. A Generation is generally described through the years of birth. For example Generation Z is 1995 to 2009 and therefore if you are born within these times, you are considered a part of the Generation. Generation Z is about 2 billion of the world’s population and they don’t just characterize the future, they are creating it. Unfortunately Gen Z individuals have been brought into the world during the times of crisis, terrorism and the global downturn and climate change. However fortunately study has shown that Generation Z is assisting human resource managers in many areas such as employment, and the evolution of the work industry. Like the unfortunate era they’re living in, there is a positive turnaround where the students of today, employees and consumers of tomorrow, are experiencing the workforce for the first time and through this experience they have found and displayed new ways that human resourcing can be publically viewed. It has often been argued that Generation Z kids are irresponsible and lack discipline, however when it comes to employment, many managers have agreed that this Generation is the best.

When it comes to Millennials, there is nothing that screams “business as usual.” Consequently, savvy leaders who want to remain successful in the global business arena, must concede their current method of attracting, engaging, developing and retaining Millennials as future global leaders is ineffective. Therefore, today’s leaders must develop a more compelling strategy to entice Millennials into leadership. Failure to use strategic foresight to recognize trends regarding future organizational trends and take timely actions to change their tried and true, old school philosophy regarding developing and retaining talented employees will result in losing the competitive edge, which is driven by technology-laden Millennial’s who are poised to innovation.