3-5 Page Executive Summary and PowerPoint.

        A. Gaps in workforce

1. Supply

In today’s work force we are experiencing large gaps in generational workforce. Many areas in various industries are experiencing this. One aspect is that a large majority of workers are either just starting fresh out of college in their careers and on the opposite side the other workers are getting ready to retire. The overwhelming majority of workers are either Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) or part of Generation X (born 1965-1980) -- and they are distinctly less engaged. Employers would be wise to find ways to boost engagement among those in the middle generations, as they comprise 88% of today's workforce (Garman.2013).

2. Experience

This creates such a huge gap in experience because so many of the baby boomers are working towards their retirement and have a hard time transferring that tribal knowledge to the incoming. At a manager level, it is important to recognize generational identities and how work styles are influenced by these identities. This is true for both leaders and team members.(Kovarv,2013)

The generations preceding the Millennials are sort of like cowboys, a rugged, individualistic lot. In general, these Baby Boomers and Gen Xers believe in a command-and-control management approach, value working individually, view managers as experts and look to their employers for career planning. They like clear boundaries and have a generally inward-looking perspective as compared to Millennials (Lynch, 2008).

            B. The Changing Workplace

One major aspect of the newer incoming workforce is the affect they are having on their working environments. Millennials are generally more upbeat about all aspects of engagement than are Baby Boomers or members of Generation X, but Millennials are specifically more positive about growth and development opportunities (Garman.2013)

Traditionally leaders tend to carry on the managerial styles they were exposed to when they first started. This however is not the most effective way of dealing with Millennials. The new way of business needs to be to create a team working environment. This helps to engage all generations in the work force and it also motivates creativity. managers should be trained, supported and skilled in creating a work environment that motivates and engages all four generational cohorts. The goal is to equip managers with the tools to maximize the skill sets of all four generations, while managing the differences in order to drive greater team performance.(Kovarv, 2013)

References:

Garman, K. Sorenson, S (August 6, 2013) There’s a Generation Gap In Your Workplace.