4.2 Interview Report Paper

Running head: MULTIGENERATIONAL INTERVIEWS 1

Multigenerational Interview Paper Example

John Doe

Trevecca Nazarene University

MOL 5800: Special Topics in Organizational Leadership

Dr. David Lomascolo

(Date)

MULTIGENERATIONAL INTERVIEWS 2

Multigenerational Interview Paper Example

With five generations present in the modern workplace, it is more likely than ever that

employees will regularly interact with coworkers outside their own generation on a regular basis.

This diversity can be beneficial, but there are times organizations experience strife as they

struggle to navigate the perspectives of each age group. Employees at Ryman Hospitality

Properties generally believed there were stereotypical generational differences that contributed to

workplace conflicts. Team members expressed a wide variety of opinions on how generational

differences were observed or how they most impacted daily operations, but a few key areas rose

to the surface as common points of contention between cohorts. Specifically, employees focused

on work ethic, communication, and training as three of the major sticking points for team

cohesion in the workplace.

Work Ethic

While work ethic did not rank as a top cause of workplace conflict for most employees in

a survey format, it was a topic of great interest in response to open-ended interview questions.

That attitudes surrounding work ethic caused friction should not be surprising, given that Shaw

(2013) stated “tensions around work ethic come up more than any other sticking point” (p.217).

For instance, Employee 4, a Millennial in a corporate level marketing role, ranked work ethic as

one of the three sticking points least likely to cause problems in the workplace, but also noted, “it

feels like they [Boomers and Gen Xers] consider it a badge of honor to work long days and

nights, and they look down on anyone who doesn’t.” Instead, this employee expressed a

preference for a more flexible work-life balance and the ability to work remotely as needed,

saying:

I don't think I should have to be here over 50 hours a week if I get my projects done.

Having a life outside work is what fills me up and makes me feel ready to give my best to

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the company and my team. After a certain point, I don’t think anyone is actually

performing at their highest potential; they’re just dragging out the work, stuck in a rut, or

not very good at their job.

Employee 5, a member of Generation Z working full-time in an entry-level operational role at

the Grand Ole Opry, also felt that there was pressure from older generations to live up to an

unrealistic standard, and reported “I think there are times they [Baby Boomers and

Traditionalists] expect too much of people, but for the most part we all get along and enjoy being

here.” The younger cohorts also explained that they believed the older generations minimized

their work ethic because of their thought processes, as Employee 5 continued, “there are times I

don’t jump up right away to respond to a request, but I’m adding the task to a list so I only have

to make one trip” and suggested “I’m sure they judge me as lazy because they don’t understand

the mental math I’m doing.” Both younger employees also expressed the frustration that as more

junior members of the organization, they worked at an hourly rate, meaning their compensation

was tied to the time they were considered on the clock within their venues. Employee 4 said:

It’s silly to think that I need to be at my desk all afternoon in order to be paid. I might

finish a project in three hours that would take another person five hours to complete.

Quantity does not always equal quantity, and that stands for the time someone is at work,

too.

These perspectives fall in line with Shaw’s (2013) statement that “millennials have grown up in

the global, electronic age where work never stops, so they wonder what the point of rigid office

hours is as long as the work gets done” (p.221). The younger generations pushed back hard on

the notion that they could only be working hard if they were physically present and immediately

responsive to their superiors’ requests.

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Baby Boomers and Traditionalists responded in kind to questions about work ethic in the

workplace. Employee 2, a Baby Boomer in management at the Grand Ole Opry, did not rank

work ethic as a problem in the workplace, but said “junior level managers are just looking for

their next rung on the ladder, and they don't want to put in the time to learn.” Employee 1, a

Traditionalist in an associate level role at the Opry, was the only employee to rank work ethic as

a top cause of problems in the workplace, and reiterated this rating by saying “young kids just

want to goof around and are attracted to the star power of the Opry and Ryman stages.” The

employee thought that most of the Millennial and Generation Z employees had applied simply

because of the proximity to country music celebrities, either to brag about their jobs on social

media or to use their jobs as an opportunity to network within the music industry.

Generally speaking, the older the generation, the more likely they were to feel that

previous generations were getting by at work with less effort than their more experienced peers.

The younger the generational cohort, the more likely the responses were to indicate a feeling of

pressure to perform at unrealistic standards and a lack of respect from older coworkers. Work

ethic and respect were considered two separate sticking points by Shaw (2013), but in terms of

the surveys, three generations indicated respect was a top cause of problems in the workplace,

although all five spoke more about work ethic as a challenge when answering open-ended

interview questions. Only the Traditionalist ranked both as problem areas in the workplace.

These findings indicate that the need for respect is closely tied to generational attitudes

surrounding work ethic, and it can be difficult for employees to recognize the connection and

distinguish the differences between the two.

Communication

The ability, or lack thereof, to effectively communicate between generations was by far

the most agreed upon sticking point among all cohorts, with all employees rating communication

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as the highest-ranking cause of problems in the workplace. The topic of communication

overlapped with a number of sticking points, including feedback, meetings, decision making, and

knowledge transfer. Employee 3, a high level Generation X manager on the corporate marketing

team, expressed that “older coworkers think we magically can solve problems with the touch of a

button,” and elaborated that meetings also acted as a top three sticking point, closely related to

communication because “they set so many meetings that it becomes impossible to find the time

to actually do the work.” This aligns with Shaw’s (2013) assessment that Baby Boomers and

Traditionalists tend to prefer more face-to-face communication than younger cohorts; Employee

3 suggested that many meetings could be preempted by a phone call or email, freeing up much

more time to focus on the objectives and strategic business priorities.

Technology Differences

As expected, technology played a key role in the communication issues seen by the team.

Employee 1 suggested that Millennials and Generation Z members were consumed with

technology, stating “the newer team members are always on their phones, consumed with

posting on social media” and elaborating that “they take photos and video at the shows, and try

to get pictures with the artists so they can brag to their friends.” Employee 2, who is partly

responsible for hiring and firing decisions, added “in the past decade, the number of people I’ve

had to reprimand for inappropriate phone use has skyrocketed; I have to deal with cell phone

policy write ups multiple times a month now.” Employee 5 responded:

Cell phones are so standard now, and often we use them on the venue floor to

communicate quickly during a show because they are easier to use, more available, and

more reliable than the work-issued walkie talkies. A lot of the leaders have a work phone

and personal phone, which makes no sense; having one device that you can use for both

just simplifies things and makes it easier for us to work together as colleagues, especially

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when we’re all spread out throughout the Opry House. I don’t understand why leadership

is dragging their feet to rethink this policy- it would improve our communication

overnight.

Employee 4 echoed the sentiments about leadership needing to rethink their opinions toward

mobile devices, including phones and laptops:

It’s ironic because they [older generations] accuse us of not paying attention, when more

often than not, you see those same leaders in meetings tuning out and checking email on

their phones. They think because they are getting distracted, we will too, but most of the

time if I use my phone in a meeting, I’m researching or brainstorming on the topic, so it’s

directly related to what we’re doing.

These findings indicate that older generations are generalizing the effects of technology on

younger generations based on their own experiences; however, because older generations have

not relied on technology throughout their lives and careers in the same way that young

generations have, there may be a fallacy in their assumptions. Younger generations claim to be

able to multitask with the aid of their mobile devices, leading them to perceive these

technologies not as distractions, but as critical tools in the workplace.

Productivity as a Shared Value

One aspect of communication stood out as important to all generations: the desire for

productivity. The means to get there, however, remained a point of contention. Employee 4 said

“we live in an age when I can attend a meeting by phone or videoconference, and you can easily

assign a task in Asana or by email; I don’t have to be physically present to be productive.”

Employee 1, however, expressed how technology can be costly: “I don’t even have an email

address, so I would never get important messages, and I don’t want to play phone tag. Just meet

face to face for 15 minutes and cut out the middlemen [technology].” Employees 2 and 3 both

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expressed that in-person meetings are helpful at times, but in other situations, an email or quick

phone call could have been more efficient. Employee 3 elaborated further that remote work

helped maximize work time: “sometimes, I’m actually more productive when I’m able to work

remotely, because I can focus on my project and don’t get distracted by coworker conversations

or interrupted by walk-ins to my office.” Employee 5 suggested that there were ways the

company could leverage technology to create more efficient systems as well: “we have an HR

app that could be better used for company-wide messaging, and some leaders might get quicker

responses by group texting.” While each team member had a different idea about their preferred

modes of communication, it was clear that all of them valued their time and wanted ways to cut

down on wasted effort at work.

Group Cohesiveness

Another aspect of communication that was important to all team members was the impact

on team unity and cohesion. Employee 2 said, “I like having an open-door policy; I find that

older team members take more advantage of coming in for an impromptu chat” and explained

that younger team members were more likely to drop by only if they had a serious interpersonal

issue with a colleague or were in need of HR advice. Employee 2 reported that at times, this

made relationships with younger coworkers feel more transactional, and it also made it harder to

know their personal circumstances to bond with them. Employee 1 seconded how technology

had impacted team cohesion, stating:

Some of my younger coworkers are so sweet and talkative, while others are buried in

their phones. Especially when you’re in a guest-facing role, it’s rude to ignore the people

in front of you for the little screen you’re carrying around in your pocket. It makes them

seem selfish and I don’t want to get to know them better.

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What some of these older employees may not realize is that the younger cohorts are using their

phones to bond with one another, across the organization. Employee 5 said, “I have several

group chats going with some of my colleagues, both those I work with closely and those on other

teams.” Employee 4 agreed that technology helped to connect with coworkers: “we use Slack all

day for work, but we also send music links, GIFs, and funny news articles. The conversations

can run after hours or on weekends, so we always feel connected.” Technology to these younger

cohorts is not an impediment to connection, but the means to it, and the more comfortable all

coworkers are in using a breadth of communication options, the more likely they will be to foster

a sense of team unity and integration among colleagues.

Training

Closely related to communication, training and knowledge transfer were seen as major

sticking points within the organization. Employees’ perspectives on how training created

challenges depended in part on where they fell within the hierarchy of the organization.

Employees both had access to different opportunities and faced different training requirements

based on their level of management; typically generational cohort was proportionate to

managerial level (the more recent the cohort, the lower status within the organization), but that

was not always the case.

Industry Training

Employees at lower levels within the organization had access to generalized company-

wide training that focused on either hospitality or music industry knowledge. They explained “I

love the NCVC [Nashville Convention and Visitors Corps] Nashville neighborhoods and

customer service trainings and the music industry question and answer sessions” (Employee 5)

and “me and my friends love learning about our city… it comes in handy when we’re talking to

out-of-town guests and helping them enjoy their trip” (Employee 1). However, there were some

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drawbacks to RHP’s approach to cultural knowledge transfer, as “we are expected to attend

training offerings on our own [without pay for the training time], so the classes are considered

optional. Turnout could be better and the customer service skills would certainly be worthwhile

for new team members” (Employee 5). Employees 1, 4, and 5 all agreed that in-person trainings

for this kind of information was useful, particularly the music industry roundtables, as “it’s a

networking opportunity to learn more about how to get further into the industry” (Employee 4).

Results from this group support Shaw’s (2013) explanation that Traditionalists value experts and

titles, such as those of outside consultants coming to explain the Nashville hospitality or music

industries, and Millennials are looking for interaction when it comes to training. As such, these

groups may be more willing to attend voluntary lecture-style trainings because of the intrinsic

rewards of learning that will benefit them personally, rather than requiring the extrinsic benefit of

being on the clock for training.

Leadership Training

The higher-level team members had a different relationship with training, based on a

much different organizational experience. As managers of other team members, they were

required to go through a three-day off-site leadership training course, and they heavily

questioned the benefits of the training. There were complaints that “the training is a waste of

time… I don't have time to sit in a retreat for three days to hear about culture basics that are

never going to be followed up on, I have a business to run” (Employee 2) and “I don't want to

have to stop production for the whole team to attend training at the same time” (Employee 3).

While Employee 2 was skeptical of the benefit of any type of training, Employee 3 was more

open to skill development for direct reports:

Training should be customizable to the team member; I don't have the time and budget to

have my whole team go away for a day, but I'd be glad to provide them a stipend so they

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can take a course on graphic design or sharpen their photography skills. I want them to

feel like they are growing, because we'll all benefit from their expertise.

If Baby Boomer employees tend to see training as a reward for high potential team members

(Shaw, 2013), then Employee 2’s feelings may explain why this cohort would be wary of this

training style; if all leaders are required to go to training, then the specialness and reward of such

skill building is called into question. Meanwhile, Employee 3’s outlook aligned with the Gen X

approach that training is “essential for all… they want learning to be practical and fast-paced”

(Shaw, 2013, p. 210). Perhaps this Gen X manager is aware of the need to develop bench

strength on the team in order to create a foundation for succession planning, in part because of

personal awareness that skill gaps will grow as previous generations retire and create vacancies

at higher levels.

No Career Development for Individual Contributors

The individual contributor seemed most frustrated about the ways training created a

sticking point within the organization. Employee 4, a Millennial, expressed that “leadership at

this company does not take training seriously,” saying that they want individual contributors, or

those who have a specialized role without managing others, to increase their skill and knowledge

but are unwilling to assist in providing tools and resources for that knowledge attainment.

Employee 4 noted “they want you to invest in your career growth, but then when there is a role

open at the next level, they hire from outside because they didn't spend the time developing the

team from within.” At this level, there were few assets dedicated to building career paths for

team members, and many of the available trainings for front line guest service associates were

not applicable to individual contributors’ skill gaps. As Shaw (2013) noted, Millennials “are

frustrated by busywork or the training exercises that take a lot of time but provide little practical

value” and “they know they have no future if they don’t learn, and they want to learn” (p. 211).

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The Millennial individual contributor’s desire to learn far exceeds the resources available within

RHP, and as a result, there is a great deal of frustration surrounding this sticking point.

Discussion

Every organization must learn how to help employees across age ranges and generational

cohorts cooperate to execute on the mission. Shaw (2013) notes a dozen different areas of

potential conflict, and in the case of RHP, all employees discussed how work ethic,

communication, and training created challenges in the workplace between generations, noting

some overlaps between sticking points related to communication (including feedback and

meetings), work ethic (including respect), and training (including knowledge transfer) . While

more investigation would be helpful to clarify if opinions regarding the sticking points were

based solely on generational cohorts or were impacted by other factors, such as tenure or rank

within the organization, the employee responses were generally consistent with Shaw’s (2013)

description and discussion of generational attitudes toward each topic; given this accuracy, it

seems that Shaw’s five step leadership approach to reconciling teams around these sticking

points would be beneficial at RHP as well.

It is noteworthy that RHP still holds many operational policies that favor attitudes and

preferences of Traditionalists and Boomers, such as a preference for in-person meetings, a ban

on personal cell phones for guest-facing associates, and lecture-style training methods. Also

important is the recognition of the large amount of assets available to RHP, given its size and

positioning within the entertainment world; RHP is beginning to recognize that expanding its

digital and social services and products for guests and country music fans will provide it a unique

competitive advantage within the world of live music offerings. Given this acknowledgement,

and the tensions highlighted by several current employees, it seems wise for RHP to consider

using some of its available resources to test alternative communication methods, specifically

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related to training. Shaw (2013) states that “while no organization has unlimited money, even

small ones can offer four or five different approaches to learn the same content” (p.212). By

diversifying its training options, RHP may be able to create awareness of different

communication technologies and platforms across all generations in order to increase confidence

among all ages with the options available.

In addition, RHP should consider seeking the input of all generations, not just those

concentrated at the highest levels of leadership. This will allow for a variety of inputs and will

decrease the likelihood for false consensus effect, where decision makers assume their own

preferences and choices will be pervasive across the general public. By involving

intergenerational groups in decision making, the company may be able to increase the number of

team members who routinely participate in training, developing employee skills at all levels for

the benefit of the organization. This, in turn, might also create a shared understanding among

team members of the working knowledge necessary to complete tasks, leading to a shared pool

of meaning that helps each team member recognize the dedication and work ethic of other

cohorts.

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References

Shaw, H. (2013). Sticking Points: how to get 4 generations working together in the 12 places

they come apart. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum.