We summarized the Randstad USA study, Confidence and Concern: The World of Work in 2008. The study's most interesting findings were the generational data. The study authors concluded that cross-generational interaction in the workplace is rare. “Workers walk the same halls, but are separate generational societies.”… The generations aren’t talking, sharing, teaching and learning from one other. For example, 51% of Boomers and 66% of Matures report little to no interaction with their Gen Y colleagues. And three of the four generations report little to no interaction with the most experienced workers – Matures (Gen Y, 71%; Gen X, 67%; Boomers, 58%).
This prompted a response from a long-standing NewWOW member:
- "This is a fascinating study! It's the most pessimistic--and thus believable--research I've seen on the multi-generational workforce. Anecdotally, in my limited experience, I would agree that I have not observed very much cross-generational interaction--much less cross-fertilization of ideas, learning, or cross-functional teaming--between/among different generations. . . . At the very least, we need to rethink the "knee-jerk" assumption that "more open = more collaborative." Read the rest of the post at: http://www.newwow.net/members/node/872#comment-583
