Leadership and Generational Communication

Communication focuses on the relationship between the sender and the receiver (Module 6). Relationships can vary between each sender and receiver. The message intended by the sender will not always be the same information received by each receiver. Problems can occur in an organization because of ineffective communication (Clark, 2010). Working in a diverse workforce, with employees from different generations, can cause difficulties in communication within an organization. It is important for a leader to know their audience in order to be able to communicate effectively.
According to Hammill, “research indicated that people communicate based on their generational background. Each generation has distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits and motivational buttons.” (2010, para, 6). There are 4 basic generations in the workforce today, Veterans (born 1922-1945), Baby Boomers (born 1946-1954), Generation X (born 1965-1980) and Generation Y (1981-2000) (Hammill, 2010). The biggest difference between these generations is technology. Baby Boomers did not grow up with the technology we have today but have had to adapt whereas; Gen Y grew up with the most technology using computers, smartphones, blogs and social media. Technology is rapidly advancing and this can cause a disconnect among generations (Birkman, 2012). Generations may have conflicting views on how an organization should communicate with each other causing neither party to fully understand the message. This puts responsibility on the manager to obtain skills to find the right form of technology to communicate with all employees on the team even if this means using multiple forms of communication channels.
I would be classified as Generation X. Characteristic of Generation X are adaptability, technological literacy, independence, creativity and a work/life balance (William, 2010). Generation Xers thrive on change and are able to adapt in today’s changing market. As a leader, Generation Xers put priority in participative decision making and have a relationship-oriented leadership style. This is compared to the Baby Boomers who would rather teamwork be directed by the leaders instead (Williams, 2010). I would agree with these characteristics as I feel my leadership style is very adaptable. Once I do enter the career world I will also strive for the ideal work/life balance. As president of my local MOMS Club chapter on and off for the last 8 years I have worked with moms from different generational backgrounds. For me, I didn’t feel that communication was necessarily a problem since we were all in the same point in our lives, staying at home and raising our young children. This would be similar to a work environment where everyone is there for a common goal. Most of the group’s communication took place face to face. I did however observe some issues in communication due to technology miscommunication. Talking over an issue via email did not always have the same outcomes as talking in person. For example, an email was send to all board members ranging in generational age, the older mom did not receive the same message out of the email as others in the group did and reacted strongly via email, causing the youngest mom in the group to react even stronger by making personal attacks. The issue was caused by a lack of communication. Questions were not asked and things were assumed which caused the initial issue to escalate. In this situation the generational gap did play a part in the issue. The older mom was not as comfortable using email communication and the younger mom focused on how she felt at the time instead of considering later repercussions of her actions. I feel that Generation X is the middle of the road between the Baby Boomers and Generation Y and has empathy for both groups.
Whether a leader is dealing with different generations or another kind of diversity there will be some barriers in communication. Leaders need to look into different methods to be able to communicate with diverset groups. Coaching employees can help with communication by providing descriptive feedback in order to help with understanding. Praise and recognition can lead to effective behavior. Mentoring is another method to increase communication (Module 6). Mentoring can improve communication, interpersonal skills and develop leadership qualities in an employee. A leader can take steps to make sure that their message is fully understood by using the most effective forms of communication, understanding the outcome desired, and understanding the audience they are communicating with (Module 6). In conclusion, there is evidence of miscommunication among those born in different generations but, there can also be miscommunication within other diverse groups of people. It is a leader’s job to assess the situation and use a myriad of different tools to communicate the message in order for the receivers to process it as intended. Ultimately a good communicator will be able to lead people from all walks of life.
Writing Process
Having a writing process is important when writing an academic paper. There are five steps in the writing process: pre-writing, rough draft, revision, editing, and the final check. I first began with the pre-writing process by doing research to see if there is a difference between the way different generations communicate. Since I do not know very much about the topic I started with research. I used ProQuest to find articles that relate to my topic as well as searches on the internet. Once I felt comfortable with the topic I began sorting out what each of my paragraphs would look like. Next, I started to write a rough draft by using my pre-writing notes. While writing the rough draft I felt that I did not have enough information so I went back to pre-writing to try and collect more thoughts on the topic. Once I felt I had included enough information I moved on to revising. I read my paper out loud to myself to make sure it made sense. I also asked myself questions to see if there was enough research and if it was logically used throughout the paper. Once I felt the paper flowed I started editing. Editing is also called proofreading. I went through and looked at the hints that Microsoft word had marked as possibly incorrect and corrected those areas. I unfortunately did not have someone else to read this paper so I had to rely on my own editing skills. Finally, I did a final check of the paper to make sure that everything was in APA style and followed the assignment laid out by my instructor. References
Birkman. (2012). How Go Generational Differences Impact Organizations and Teams?.
Retreived from http://www.birkman.com/news/BMI_GenerationsPart2.pdf
Clark, D. R. (2010). Communication and Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcom.html
Hammill, Greg. (2005, Winter/Spring). Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees.
FDU Magazine Online. Retrieved September 13, 2012 from http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm
Modual 6: Leadership and Communication. Retrieved from https://csuglobal.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-625285-dt-content-rid-231288_2/courses/KEY_ORG300/CourseModules/org300_6/org300_6.html Williams, Ray B., (2010, July 5). Is it time for Generation X to lead us?. Wired for Success.
Retreived from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201007/is-it-time-generation-x-lead-us

References: Birkman. (2012). How Go Generational Differences Impact Organizations and Teams?. Retreived from http://www.birkman.com/news/BMI_GenerationsPart2.pdf Clark, D. R. (2010). Communication and Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcom.html Hammill, Greg. (2005, Winter/Spring). Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees. FDU Magazine Online. Retrieved September 13, 2012 from http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm Modual 6: Leadership and Communication. Retrieved from https://csuglobal.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-625285-dt-content-rid-231288_2/courses/KEY_ORG300/CourseModules/org300_6/org300_6.html Williams, Ray B., (2010, July 5). Is it time for Generation X to lead us?. Wired for Success. Retreived from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201007/is-it-time-generation-x-lead-us