Conflict management in the workplace can be especially treacherous among different age groups. Fortunately, DiSC is the great generational equalizer!
A world, a part?
In the complex and confounding world of social media there is an ongoing feud between Millennials and Generation Zers about wearing a part down the middle of your hair. Millennials do it. Generation Zers disdain it.
Skinny jeans? Millennials wear. Generation Z swears they’re “old school.” Emojis? That’s how Millennials emote. Emojis lost their mojo with Generation Z. Of course, you do realize that Millennials are between 25 and 40 years old; and Generation Zers are between 6 and 24. Let that sink in….slowly.
Yup. The yap in this generation gap gets louder as the gap gets wider.
Millennial furor vs. fervor
Across the pond, the www.oxfordstudent.com describes them as snowflakes: “…easily offended, attention-seeking and lacking resilience. Often lumped together with the words ‘liberal’, ‘political correctness’, ‘safe space’, and ‘identity politics’; snowflakes are accused of living in a bubble of righteousness, and shutting down free speech when it comes into conflict with their own opinions…”
Ouch! I’ll bet this was written by a Generation Z journalist. Frankly, I think Millennials are unique but they don’t melt that easily. If they did, they wouldn’t be able to cope with the chronic stress of school debt, fluctuating economy, higher rents, and the wave of disasters from climate change that they inherited from their parents—all of this in addition to the trauma of life during a pandemic!
There are 56 million Millennials in the American workforce. Translation: they’re an “offer” no company can refuse. They’re redefining what work is, what it’s worth and how it’s done. Millennials are full of new ideas about what leadership is, what it’s worth, how it should be done, and how it could be done better—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing!
The good old days of employer dominance and employee submission until retirement doth they part is over. And that’s not necessarily bad either. I mean, be honest: how good was it really?
These young people spent a lifetime observing their parents and all the stuff they endured on the job. And even though they reaped the benefits as kids, Millennials are not sure all that “stuff” is worth it now that they are all grown up themselves.
Generation Z favor vs. frustration
In an article published by the Society for Human Resource Management, They “…consider themselves the hardest-working generation yet won’t tolerate being forced to work when they don’t want to, according to a new study. Moreover, although they consider themselves to be the consummate ‘digital generation,’ they say they prefer face-to-face interactions at work.”
There are 61 million Generation Zers out there who are ready to conquer the world! They’re not all in the workforce, yet, but they are already having an impact.
Actually, Generation Zers are no better or worse than Millennials. They’re just different. Their world views are different. For instance, What 9/11 is to Millennials, COVID-19 is for Generation Z. Let that sink in….slowly.
DiSC the great equalizer!
In order to manage such an assortment of mixed nuts, first you have to break open the shells, right? But how? DiSC.
DiSC is a mental life-raft that identifies four personality types and teaches trainees how to stay afloat. Dominants. Influentials. Supportives. Conscientious. Each of us exhibits traits of all to a greater or lesser extent.
Learning how each employee thinks—no matter their age—may determine how much you and your company tread water, cruise along, or even pick up speed during a storm like the COVID pandemic.
And DiSC can be a unifier as well. For example, you will find that the one thing these two generations have in common is that they’re all about support versus control. Collaboration versus domination.
Recognizing the idiosyncrasies of your various Dominants along with their points of commonality—their passions and core values—will open the way forward in developing collaborations between staffers. A Millennial Influential may be an ideal match with a Conscientious Generation Z because of a mutual commitment to CSR projects.
According to an article in The Guardian, “There is a wealth of data bearing out their view that a business which involves and supports its staff is going to have a better relationship with its customers, and be more profitable.”
DiSC is a threshold over which everyone can step on an equal footing. And each individual can move forward with the full assurance that in spite of—and sometimes because of—their age, cultural, social, or other differences they will be valued and supported.
DiSC is the great generational equalizer and that always translates to a healthier corporate culture and a bigger bottom line.