Managing teams ‘by the letter’ too simplistic

The challenge of intergenerational leadership is often raised in academy leadership programmes. Over the last five years it has become something of a tabloid ‘pet peeve’: railing at the overweening ambition of Gen Y, the lack of humour of Gen Xers and the Boomers inability to “hand over the reins”.

But is the study of intergenerational leadership a useful model for the modern leader in Australia?  academy students of eastern European origin tell us that this type of generational politics is non-existent in their countries of origin.  Many of these people’s parents and grandparents were all but wiped out in global conflict.  Many Asian cultures automatically defer to their eldest, and approach the intergenerational discussion with a cultural, as opposed to marketing-oriented, perspective.  In the all the marketing hype, we just might have forgotten that intergenerational politics are a social construct specific to wealthy, western, English-speaking nations.

Australia is just such a wealthy, western, English-speaking nation so in that case the model has value here doesn’t it?

A recent report shows 44% of Australians were either born overseas or have at least one foreign-born parent.  Asia is fast becoming a rival to Europe as the dominant source of arrivals; of people who arrived in Australia between 2002 and 2006, six of the 10 most common birthplaces were Asian countries.

So based on these numbers, should the modern Australian manager make a judgment on a leadership issue while factoring the generational make-up of their team?  Considerations about people’s experience and knowledge may come into play, but with people having up to three (if not four) careers in their adult working lives, inexperience can be a feature of any demographic group.

Surely it becomes more and more unlikely that intergenerational leadership is the answer to good leadership practice.  Indeed it could be the source of some uncomfortable questions like “…..am I be judging people’s abilities based on their age?”