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Workshop: What Are They Thinking?!!
If you’re hearing that refrain in your organization, you may be seeing the signs of a generational clash. With four generations working together in today’s workplace – each bringing different experiences and assumptions to the job – it’s easy to misinterpret “the other guy†or fall into easy stereotypes for thinking about the other generations’ actions.
Helping your organization – senior leaders, middle managers, and new recruits – learn how to work together more effectively is a key priority for organizations today. Understand generational diversity and turn a potential clash into constructive relationships. Once you understand the perspectives of those other guys, it will be easier to create a work environment that taps the talent across the ages.
This workshop is appropriate for everyone who wants to learn more about generations in the workplace. Because the work sessions are designed as breakouts, the total group can be as large as the room space accommodates. Each breakout group should ideally include no more than 8 participants.
Highly interactive delivery format with an extended breakout session, providing pragmatic take-aways.
The total time parameter is 4.5 hours, not including breaks.
Workshop Agenda
| Time (minutes) | Title | Key Content | Design Format | Syllabus |
| 15 | Context for Understanding the Generations | Logic behind individual beliefs and assumptions | Interactive Lecture | Slide Deck: pages 1-5 |
| 45 | Overview of the Generations in the United States | Major formative events and resulting characteristics of five U.S. generations | Interactive Lecture | Slide Deck: pages 6-15 |
| 30 | How Can Sarah Work More Effectively with Josh? | Example of interactions – and misunderstandings – among a Gen X manager, Gen Y employee, and Boomer senior executive in the workplace | Case Study Discussion | Harvard Business Review Case: “Gen Y in the Workforce†Slide Deck: page 16 |
| 30 | What Are They Thinking?! | Six of the most important differences in perspectives among the generations in the workplace | Full Group Discussion | Slide Deck: pages 17-30 |
| 45 | What Are They Thinking?! (breakout) | Exploration of common workplace situations from different generational perspectives | Breakout Session Full Group Review and Discussion | Slide Deck: page 31 Card Deck: What Are They Thinking?! |
| 45 | Attracting and Motivating Each Generation | Practical, research-grounded tips for working with each generations | Interactive Lecture | Slide Deck: pages 32-59 Harvard Business Review Article: “The Leaders We Need Now†|
| 30 | Priorities for Strengthening Our Practices | Identification of opportunities for making current practices more attractive to each generation | Breakout Session with a Facilitated Report-back | Slide Deck: page 60 Worksheet: Strengthening Our Practices for Each Generation |
| 30 | Leading in Our Organization | Practice handling situations likely to be faced by participants in this workshop | Breakout Session with a Facilitated Report-back | Slide Deck: page 61 Scenarios: What Would You Do? |
| 15 | Leading a Multi-Generational Team | Summary of key lessons for managing multiple generations | Interactive Lecture | Slide Deck: page 62-64 |
| 15 | Wrap Up and Debrief | Reactions and feedback from participants | Discussion |
