What I have learnt through the journey of this thesis is:
The value of working closely with people of all ages and the different contributions they can make;
The desire to work closely with younger generations in my consulting work because we can learn from each other and keep each other honest;
193
The value of keeping people focused on the primary task of the organisation and establishing enough systems and processes to maintain appropriate boundaries to minimize anxiety without stifling creativity;
The difficulty of ever achieving an organisational environment in which everybody feels engaged and focused on common goals and the need to keep working on it;
The difficulty of researching an organisation at any one point in its life cycle without taking into account the power of the external environment to
influence behaviour.
Possible direction of further research
While it was apparent through the research in one organisation that the different generations wanted to be respected for their competence, it is possible that there are other things for which they would like to be respected. For example, it is
possible that older workers want to be respected for their status, position power and work ethic while younger workers might wish to be respected for their education or their attitudes to the environment. Those sandwiched in between may be seeking respect for their ability to survive through the economic downturn of the early 90s, and for their ability to step up to management positions at an earlier age than their predecessors. It is also possible that workers in different industries want to be respected for different things, eg those in the not for profit sector may wish to be respected for their compassion and social responsibility; those in government might wish to be respected for their focus on the community. Or not. Either way, it would be interesting to find out whether it is a common need for workers of all ages to be respected for the work that they do and the value they bring to organisations. Another research topic might be to consider further the relationship between generational issues and diversity issues – what, if any, are the similarities?
And another might look at the ways women take up power and authority roles within the different generations.
194
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