Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground (J-B CCL (Center for Creative Leadership)) [Hardcover]

Jennifer J. Deal (Author)

Book Description

Series: J-B CCL (Center for Creative Leadership) | Publication Date: December 5, 2006

Written in a highly accessible (and often witty) style, this groundbreaking book addresses a number of generational issues. Deal provides a description of each issue, a summary of the relevant research results, a principle that can be applied to resolve (or at least mitigate) the issue, and practical advice for applying the principle in the workplace.  Applying these principles will help everyone to work with, work for, attract, manage, retain, and develop leaders of all generations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘…an intelligent and practical book, conscious of its academic credentials but written in a relaxed non-academic style.’ (Edge, May 2007)

Review

"Finally, a book that puts our cross-generational stereotypes to rest. Deal brings savvy observations and good data to the task of teaching us how to lead a multigenerational workforce effectively."
—Joan V. Gallos, professor of leadership, Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City

"Helps leaders of different generations understand each other. Should be required reading for leaders who coach multigenerational teams!"
—Marshall Goldsmith, coauthor of The Leader of the Future 2 and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"Reading Retiring the Generation Gap helped me understand my coworkers and my children. If you start it you'll be hooked—and helped."
—Ray E. Johnson, director of organizational development—global human resources, SC Johnson

"Using seven years of research that is clear and convincing, Jennifer Deal shows that many commonly held beliefs about generational differences are more myth than fact. Written in an accessible, easy-to-read style, Retiring the Generation Gap offers important insights to all who relate—in work and in life—to those from other generations."
—Russ S. Moxley, author, Leadership and Spirit

"This book takes the topic of generational differences in the workplace head-on. The author uses a solidly empirical, completely practical, and sometimes humorous approach to target—and often shoot holes in—the myths and stereotypes that exist in virtually all organizations. The insights will help any professional create a more collaborative and cohesive workplace. This is a must, not just for HR professionals but for anyone who works in a diverse environment."
—Jeff Harper, head of human resources, Worldwide Studios

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (December 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787985252
• ISBN-13: 978-0787985257
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Removed the gaps in understanding the generation gap, December 4, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground (J-B CCL (Center for Creative Leadership)) (Hardcover)

Reviewed by Barbara L. Fielder

Subtitled: How employees young and old can find common ground

Every person who reads this book will discover something important about their own generation and other generations with whom they come in contact. You can count on this book to offer you two important areas on which to focus:

1. To discover what you can do to retire the generation gap, and

2. Why you should.

Students studying the generation gap or for managers who want to explore options that support improvements in cross generational relationships, this book offers practical information and solutions.

Each chapter contains the following:

--A description of the generational issues
--A description of the author's research on the issue (over 5,800 participants were surveyed from 2000 to 2005).
--The research expressed as a principle.
--The author's best take on how to apply the principle to make cross generational work life easier for the reader.

The author slices the generational demographics into smaller segments, differentiating the empirical data from other researchers that cover similar information and makes the data more relevant and specific.

The generations described in specific detail are:

--Silents born between 1925 -1945
--Early Boomers born between 1946-1954
--Late Boomers born between 1955-1963
--Early Xers born between 1964-1976
--Late Xers born between 1977-1986

You might conclude that the author is going to bore you with statistics. Not so. However, for those who prefer empirical data, there is ample research data to excite you. In addition, the book includes bibliographical references and index. No mistaking, this book is not a riveting page turner, yet the author writes in a conversational tone that makes the book readable.

This is an excellent subject matter book for readers who are focused on conducting their own research or for those satisfying their own curiosity about retiring the generation gap.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the time or money., April 21, 2008

By 

A. Steussy (Wimberley, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground (J-B CCL (Center for Creative Leadership)) (Hardcover)

Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground (J-B CCL (Center for Creative Leadership))

Unless you are looking for statistics, this book does not add much to the working knowledge of the manager seeking advice regarding ways to effectively manage a multi-generational team. Because it came from CCL, I was doubly disappointed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Research-based Generational Differences Book, April 16, 2010

By 

Debby McNichols (Glendora, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground (J-B CCL (Center for Creative Leadership)) (Hardcover)

Unlike many other books written on generational differences in the workplace. Retiring the Generation Gap is an empirically based research study. Jennifer Deal (Center for Creative Leadership) analyzed the workplace perspectives of over 3,200 employees of varying ages. Research-based books are not always enjoyable to read but Jennifer Deal does a good job of making the quantitative analysis bearable and meaningful with practical advice for how employees of all ages can find common ground. Each chapter contains a description of the issue, a description of the research conducted, the principal conclusion of the research expressed as a principle, and the author's take on how to apply the principle to make cross-generational work life easier.

On the first page of the book the author states:

1. Fundamentally people want the same things, no matter what generation they are from.
2. You can work with (or manage) people from all generations effectively without becoming a contortionist, selling your soul on eBay, or pulling your hair out on a daily basis.

Finally, an empirical book with a positive focus that discusses the things that the generations have in common. The introduction also includes an important discussion on the dangers of making generalizations because as the author notes, there will always be individuals who do not fit a particular generalization.

The author divides and defines the generations as:

Silents (1925-1945)
Early Boomers (1946-1954)
Late Boomers (1955-1963)
Early Xers (1964-1976)
Late Xers (1977-1986)

The book presents ten principles but the author also discovered an underlying theme that informs each principle. The theme is that "most intergenerational conflict shares a common point of origin: the issue of clout--who has it, who wants it". The author concludes that fundamentally, generational conflict often stems from a particular group's notion that it gets to make the rules and that the other group has to follow those rules.

The ten principles are:

1. All generations have similar values; they just express them differently
2. Everyone wants respect; they just don't define it the same way
3. Trust matters
4. People want leaders who are credible and trustworthy
5. Organizational politics is a problem--no matter how old (or young) you are
6. No one really likes change
7. Loyalty depends on the context, not on the generation
8. It's as easy to retain a young person as an older one--if you do the right things.
9. Everyone wants to learn more than just about anything else
10. Almost everyone wants a coach

One of the important take aways from Retiring the Generation Gap is "you don't have to tie yourself into knots trying to accommodate each generation's individual whims, and you don't have to worry about learning a new set of whims when you next generation comes along. People from different generations are largely alike in what they think, believe, and want from their work life."