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LET'S BUILD A SILO-FREE WORKPLACE with a Coalition On Inclusion and True Opportunity
In my February 2015 newsletter, I started making a pitch for breaking down silos around age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation (and much more) and creating a coalition on inclusion and true opportunity. Once a certain level of awareness is created, I believe the separateness approach stands in the way of, or slows, progress in achieving stated goals.
As William Edmonds, an HR specialist at Corning Inc. and a Millennial put it: “One of the strongest biases is an affinity towards someone who has similar traits. With a culture of inclusion, you mitigate this bias by purposefully letting everyone in.”
A primary reason dealing with intergenerational challenges at work is so crucial is that not only do they directly affect bottom line revenues, but also they intersect with other diversity factors that organizations already admit have an impact on their market position, workforce hiring, retention and productivity. The big data folks and the politicians know this is true, and realize it is complex. And they are better at crunching the numbers and talk than marshalling coalitions to work constructively and productively for change. But some optimistic signs are appearing.
Edmonds, a member of the Corning Leadership Development Program, told me about an employee group he leads that is dedicated to helping those who are new to the geographic area or the company to adjust. “We also welcome and encourage more tenured employees to join and support our group so we can utilize their knowledge of the company and the area,” he explained. So it is an affinity group or employee resource group (ERG) – headed by the youngest member of the Corning HR Department – that essentially bucks the trend to siloed affinity groups.
Some other corporations have also seen the light, particularly around gender. The Wall Street Journal (3/11/15) reported on efforts by Cardinal Health, Rockwell Automation Inc., Dell and American Express and a program organized by Catalyst, a nonprofit research group long focused on women’s advancement. CFO Mike Kaufmann, a white male, now heads the women’s networking group of Cardinal Health. The company’s CEO George Barrett was motivated by women’s comments that it turbocharges the system when men were involved with women’s groups. The idea is to build alliances between men and women. To learn about more examples click here.
I will continue my writing and be speaking about breaking down the affinity silos and creating coalitions for inclusion and changing workplace structures in the future. I welcome anyone who is interested to come on board and contact me (pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com). We can achieve much more progress together.
Call to Action: Please do forward and share this with your colleagues and friends, do contact me, and brainstorm in your cross-generational conversations about how to accelerate the coalition building as a norm.
© Phyllis Weiss Haserot 2015.
Keep the conversation going directly with me or comment on the Cross-Generational Conversation group on LinkedIn. Thanks!
Phyllis
* The generational chronology for easy reference: Generations are defined by the similar formative influences – social, cultural, political, economic – that existed as the individuals of particular birth cohorts were in adolescence or early childhood. Given that premise, the age breakdowns for each of the four generations currently in the workplace are approximately:
Traditionalists: born 1925-1942
Baby Boomers born 1943-1962
Generation X born 1963-1978
Generation Y/Millennials born 1979-1998
Struggling with how to achieve vital knowledge transfer among the generations? Ask about our highly praised workshop “Avoiding the Cliff: the Relationship Side of Succession Planning and Knowledge Transfer.”
Check out our signature program GENgagenenttm: 5 Things to Know About Each Generation that Will Change How You Interact, Persuade, Recruit, Retain and Sell.
Make sure every day is a Cross-Generational Conversation Dayat your organization.
Contact us to learn about the process, tools, and how your firm/organization can participate in the coming year.
For coaching, training and special programs on inter-generational challenges for and among 4 generations in the workplace, attracting and retaining clients and employees of different generations, and maximizing the potential of young professionals and work teams, call or email Phyllis for an exploratory talk or complimentary coaching session at 212-593-1549 or pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com.
Phyllis is available to speak at your organization or at firm retreats on inter-generational relations and organizational effectiveness topics. Call or e-mail for a list of topics or to custom-tailor your own.
03/2015