At the Root of Many Intergenerational Issues is 'Ageism'
Just my initial sense of things as I am working on the problem statement for this study and the management research questions that will be needed...a real core problem when it comes to intergenerational problems is, in fact, ageism.
I never noticed this sort of thing until I began this study. Now it seems to show up everywhere.
What I am thinking about specifically is how there is prejudice or discrimination in this area that can go both ways--older people can say or do condescending things to younger people and vice versa. And there seems to be no monopoly on this from my observation.
When a Gen X-er (yes, that is considered an "older" person today) tells a Gen Y-er that "I know you're good with computers because all of your age group are good with computers," this is a type of ageism. Actually it puts pressure on the Gen Y-er to deliver, to be this computer savvy person, when he or she may not necessarily be so.
The same happens when a Gen Y-er will make subtle references to some 1960s pop culture concept or persona when describing someone from the Silent Generation. Example: "Man, he's got that Jimi Hendrix thing going on, doesn't he?"
These are not the best examples and I am still working with my thinking in this area, but one thing seems clear at this point: just like discrimination or bigoted comments based on race or gender, these sorts of comments can destroy opportunities to develop close communication between dissimilar groups of people. In a complex organization that needs all sorts of people to work together, such a condition can stymie growth of that organization and, worse, poison the culture so that creativity and innovation wanes.
I never noticed this sort of thing until I began this study. Now it seems to show up everywhere.
What I am thinking about specifically is how there is prejudice or discrimination in this area that can go both ways--older people can say or do condescending things to younger people and vice versa. And there seems to be no monopoly on this from my observation.
When a Gen X-er (yes, that is considered an "older" person today) tells a Gen Y-er that "I know you're good with computers because all of your age group are good with computers," this is a type of ageism. Actually it puts pressure on the Gen Y-er to deliver, to be this computer savvy person, when he or she may not necessarily be so.
The same happens when a Gen Y-er will make subtle references to some 1960s pop culture concept or persona when describing someone from the Silent Generation. Example: "Man, he's got that Jimi Hendrix thing going on, doesn't he?"
These are not the best examples and I am still working with my thinking in this area, but one thing seems clear at this point: just like discrimination or bigoted comments based on race or gender, these sorts of comments can destroy opportunities to develop close communication between dissimilar groups of people. In a complex organization that needs all sorts of people to work together, such a condition can stymie growth of that organization and, worse, poison the culture so that creativity and innovation wanes.
posted by Robert McTyre Sr. at 9:37 AM
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