Monday, September 24, 2012
Generational Clashes in Healthcare
According to a national survey taken by Lynne
Lancaster and David Stillman, authors of When Generations Collide and
The M-Factor, 65% of all respondents who work for both public and private
organizations agree with the statement,"Generational gaps make it hard to get
things done at work." Health care, including mental health care, is no
exception. Like other workplaces, health care employers now have four separate
generations endeavoring to deliver quality patient care, but with sometimes
vastly different ideas about how to accomplish this goal.
Born prior to 1946, the Traditionalists continue to occupy positions of leadership and influence in health care. Reared during the Great Depression and World War II, they number approximately 75 million. The first beneficiaries of the the revolution in medicine which dramatically extended life span and productive years, they are now of retirement age. However, many remain in the workforce out of necessity or choice. They often take retirement in stages, transitioning gradually out of the workforce. With their extensive knowledge and experience, they may view themselves as valuable, but under-appreciated, contributors.
Traditionalists are more likely to come from stable families and were reared with more cultural and legal gender and racial restrictions. They may have entered the workforce when many hospitals were segregated, just as barring women and racial minorities from medical schools was common and legal. While many Traditionalists welcome the changes of the past 50+ years, they tend to be more conservative in their outlook and dress. These are the nurses who view the abandonment of the white uniform for scrubs with ambivalence. Traditionalists value loyalty and hard work, tend, to be patriotic and are generally more accepting of authority and established institutions. Often intimated and mystified by rapidly developing technology, they tend to view technology as tool, rather than recreation. They are justly proud of their accomplishments and find satisfaction and reward in a job well done.
Baby Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, number about 80 million and comprise the greatest number of people currently in the workforce.Coming from smaller familes and reared to believe they can accomplish anything, Boomers are powerful and believe in their ability to change the world. Indeed they have, they have revolutionized health with their discoveries, including enormous technological and medical advances. Careers are often the focus of their lives. Boomer women, especially married women with chidlren, and minorities have joined the professional workforce in large numbers. More educated than their parents, they tend to be highly competitive, question authority, distrust establish institutions, and are, in general, comfortable with change. They like to spend money and tend to be self-absorbed; nevertheless they work hard and take responsibilities seriously. Many find themselves reponsible for the care of their elderly parents, as well as their own children and grandchildren. Retirement, at least full retirement, is not particularly attractive to them and, indeed, may not be an option.
Generations Xers, born between 1965 and 1981, are the first generation to be reared with computers and the resulting advances in technology and availabiltiy of information. Numbering around 46 million, they are not only comforable with technological change, they embrace it and are mystified by those who do not.
Born during the Vietamn War and Watergate, Generation Xers have seen virtually every American instituion, including healthcare, subject to scandal and called into question. The divorce rate tripled during their childhood and they are more likely to have been reared by a single mother and to have experinced blended families and step-parents. Therefore, they tend to be independent, yet skepitcal, frequently to the point of cyncism and disengagement from established institutions.
They have seen loyality and trust betrayed too often both personally and professonally, yet they are the generation who embrace the concept of mentoring and are comfortable with a diverse workforce. Their loyalty is to themselves and their continued growth and learning They are more likely to accept the need for advanced degrees and change jobs often, especially early in their careers, in order to pursue their goals. A generation with many contradictions, seeking accomplihsment yet valuing leisure and balance, having a sense of entitlement and often colliding with authority yet comfortable with the concept of teamwork, they are viewed, according to Lancater and Stillman, by 47% of managers, including other Gen Xers, as the most difficult to supervise.
Recently arriving in the workforce are the Millennials. Born after 1982, like the Gen Xers, they embrace technology and social meida. Cherished and reared with praise by Boomer parents, they need feedback and praise and may become upset by criticism. Casual in their dress and manner, they are tatooed and pierced. Having seen thier parents fail to maintain a healthy balance between work, leisure, and family life, they view time off from work as essential to a desirable lifestyle. Small wonder that the Boomers who manage them are often bewildered and annoyed with both GenXers and Millennials.
Accustomed to working in teams, Millennials view leadership as earned and authority as situational and based on knowled and proven competence. They are globally aware and accepting of the need for cultural competence in the workplace. Interestingly, Millennials seek meaning in their lives and value organziations and work that make a difference the world. Health care will likely benefit from their desire for meaning and making the world a better place, but it may also dramaticallly change the way services are delivered. Heavily impacted by the current economic downturn, it will be interesting to see how the work place is changed by the influence of both Millennials and Gen Xers.
Just as with any attempt to categorize groups of peole, there is a wide variety of differences among people of any generation and ablsoutes are not only flawed, but counter-productive. That being said, we are influnced by the culture and events around us resulting in marked generational differences. The era in which we are born influnences our concept of self' and our outlook on life, as well as our motivations and behavior in the workplace.
The challenges of delivering health care within a milti-generational workplace are best approched with respect for the skills , experiences, and values of each generaton. As Jennifer Hobbs stated in her article in Nursing Leadership, "Any attempt to bridge the generation gap requires open-mindedness and a certain amount of trust that each generation is acting, within its own context, for the good of the whole."
Born prior to 1946, the Traditionalists continue to occupy positions of leadership and influence in health care. Reared during the Great Depression and World War II, they number approximately 75 million. The first beneficiaries of the the revolution in medicine which dramatically extended life span and productive years, they are now of retirement age. However, many remain in the workforce out of necessity or choice. They often take retirement in stages, transitioning gradually out of the workforce. With their extensive knowledge and experience, they may view themselves as valuable, but under-appreciated, contributors.
Traditionalists are more likely to come from stable families and were reared with more cultural and legal gender and racial restrictions. They may have entered the workforce when many hospitals were segregated, just as barring women and racial minorities from medical schools was common and legal. While many Traditionalists welcome the changes of the past 50+ years, they tend to be more conservative in their outlook and dress. These are the nurses who view the abandonment of the white uniform for scrubs with ambivalence. Traditionalists value loyalty and hard work, tend, to be patriotic and are generally more accepting of authority and established institutions. Often intimated and mystified by rapidly developing technology, they tend to view technology as tool, rather than recreation. They are justly proud of their accomplishments and find satisfaction and reward in a job well done.
Baby Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, number about 80 million and comprise the greatest number of people currently in the workforce.Coming from smaller familes and reared to believe they can accomplish anything, Boomers are powerful and believe in their ability to change the world. Indeed they have, they have revolutionized health with their discoveries, including enormous technological and medical advances. Careers are often the focus of their lives. Boomer women, especially married women with chidlren, and minorities have joined the professional workforce in large numbers. More educated than their parents, they tend to be highly competitive, question authority, distrust establish institutions, and are, in general, comfortable with change. They like to spend money and tend to be self-absorbed; nevertheless they work hard and take responsibilities seriously. Many find themselves reponsible for the care of their elderly parents, as well as their own children and grandchildren. Retirement, at least full retirement, is not particularly attractive to them and, indeed, may not be an option.
Generations Xers, born between 1965 and 1981, are the first generation to be reared with computers and the resulting advances in technology and availabiltiy of information. Numbering around 46 million, they are not only comforable with technological change, they embrace it and are mystified by those who do not.
Born during the Vietamn War and Watergate, Generation Xers have seen virtually every American instituion, including healthcare, subject to scandal and called into question. The divorce rate tripled during their childhood and they are more likely to have been reared by a single mother and to have experinced blended families and step-parents. Therefore, they tend to be independent, yet skepitcal, frequently to the point of cyncism and disengagement from established institutions.
They have seen loyality and trust betrayed too often both personally and professonally, yet they are the generation who embrace the concept of mentoring and are comfortable with a diverse workforce. Their loyalty is to themselves and their continued growth and learning They are more likely to accept the need for advanced degrees and change jobs often, especially early in their careers, in order to pursue their goals. A generation with many contradictions, seeking accomplihsment yet valuing leisure and balance, having a sense of entitlement and often colliding with authority yet comfortable with the concept of teamwork, they are viewed, according to Lancater and Stillman, by 47% of managers, including other Gen Xers, as the most difficult to supervise.
Recently arriving in the workforce are the Millennials. Born after 1982, like the Gen Xers, they embrace technology and social meida. Cherished and reared with praise by Boomer parents, they need feedback and praise and may become upset by criticism. Casual in their dress and manner, they are tatooed and pierced. Having seen thier parents fail to maintain a healthy balance between work, leisure, and family life, they view time off from work as essential to a desirable lifestyle. Small wonder that the Boomers who manage them are often bewildered and annoyed with both GenXers and Millennials.
Accustomed to working in teams, Millennials view leadership as earned and authority as situational and based on knowled and proven competence. They are globally aware and accepting of the need for cultural competence in the workplace. Interestingly, Millennials seek meaning in their lives and value organziations and work that make a difference the world. Health care will likely benefit from their desire for meaning and making the world a better place, but it may also dramaticallly change the way services are delivered. Heavily impacted by the current economic downturn, it will be interesting to see how the work place is changed by the influence of both Millennials and Gen Xers.
Just as with any attempt to categorize groups of peole, there is a wide variety of differences among people of any generation and ablsoutes are not only flawed, but counter-productive. That being said, we are influnced by the culture and events around us resulting in marked generational differences. The era in which we are born influnences our concept of self' and our outlook on life, as well as our motivations and behavior in the workplace.
The challenges of delivering health care within a milti-generational workplace are best approched with respect for the skills , experiences, and values of each generaton. As Jennifer Hobbs stated in her article in Nursing Leadership, "Any attempt to bridge the generation gap requires open-mindedness and a certain amount of trust that each generation is acting, within its own context, for the good of the whole."
