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Performance Management

Published February 2008

Build a Multigenerational Performance Management Strategy

Shelly Heiden

Inclusion is the key to performance management success, and today's leading organizations are crafting performance management strategies to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce and keep all workers engaged, productive and happy long after their first day on the job. Yet, there is at least one lens through which too few companies look when crafting a comprehensive performance management strategy: generational differences.

Currently, there are four generations in the U.S. workforce: traditionalists (1900-1945), baby boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980) and millennials/Generation Y (1981-1999). Workers in each generation not only have widely different values, needs, motivations, career goals and work styles, each also brings drastically different expectations to the workplace in terms of what is required to keep them motivated, productive and engaged.

While most companies readily acknowledge successful management of generational issues in the workplace is essential to their success, few take anything more than an ad hoc approach to address them. They "shoot from the hip," developing a generational initiative here or a one-off career development program there.

To not only address but capitalize on generational differences in the workplace, talent managers must evaluate performance management strategy through a generational prism and develop a plan to proactively address the expectations and needs of each generation. They also must provide managers with a clearly defined framework to develop, evaluate, advance and compensate each generation accordingly.

What to Offer Internally

Effective performance management begins with effective on-boarding of new hires. Consider tailoring on-boarding programs to specifically address generational differences. Global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) revamped its new-hire on-boarding program last year to, among other things, better meet the needs of millennials. Recognizing workers in this age group have a pronounced desire to work for values-based organizations committed to making a difference, PwC incorporated bicycle-building into on-boarding training. Now new hires learn valuable teamwork skills while working in groups to build children's, adult and even stationary bikes. Post-training, the bikes are donated to various charities.

For traditionalist workers, who tend to be less tech-savvy than their generation X and Y counterparts, consider crafting an on-boarding program that allows extra time for technology-related training to ensure these workers feel comfortable with the tools they'll be expected to use on the job.

An organization's training programs should be designed to address an array of learning styles and modality preferences, and they also should address generational differences. Baby boomers, for example, tend to prefer relationship-based learning situations, such as coaching and mentoring. More independent-minded and autonomous Gen X workers crave autonomy and the freedom to find their own way. They may be less appreciative of the traditional "sage on the stage" approach to trainer-led classroom instruction. Yet, they may leap at the opportunity to participate in collabora-tive training environments where they are encouraged to share their own in-sights, knowledge and expertise with others, while learning from their peers and colleagues.