Letter from the Editor - In the Lead Magazine
Welcome to the eighth edition of In the Lead.
How do we integrate Gen Z into the multigenerational workforce?
Gen Z represents approximately 16 percent of the workforce, according to estimates. Millennials represent 42 percent, Gen X 24 percent and baby boomers 17 percent.
There is little common ground among these groups other than the work itself. Gen Z is seen as mission-oriented, seeking meaningful work and workplace wellness. Millennials seek structure and growth. Gen X values independence. Baby boomers are loyal corporate citizens.
Complex forces at play in society don’t help. Jamais Cascio, distinguished fellow at the Institute for the Future, characterizes these forces as BANI: brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible — representative of a world and organizations that are like a house of cards. Operating in this environment, leaders find themselves at the helm of organizations where the quest for shareholder returns fuels work, which has dented or decimated the best of the best. A general anxiety has taken over the workforce.
Social media adds to the anxiety. There is enough evidence to call out social media as a societal ill worse than the opioid crisis. Without regulation, it continues to build an alternate reality that we all struggle to cope with. And this bleeds into the workplace.
Considering these challenges, how do we manage our organizations and care for our multigenerational workforce? How do the older generations prepare and pass the baton to the next generation? Most importantly, how do we prepare Gen Z to enter the workplace and take the baton for the future?
Our contributors in this issue share perspectives on Gen Z and address the critical questions of managing and integrating them into a multigenerational workforce. Several themes emerge: Open communication and trust are crucial. Listening, breaking through stereotypes and adapting are also important.
Reid Litman uses the term frientorship, which may be a new talent development model organizations can benefit from. However, leaders must create a safe space to provide feedback and hold people accountable.
Adapting workplace practices to keep up with the times is essential. Ultimately, the older generations must be great role models. Our contributors see millennials as the bridge between the generations.
Gen Z must do its part, but I am not concerned. Through my interactions as a college professor and a father, I find them to be curious, ambitious, hard-working and good-natured — having a desire to make a positive impact. I am confident they will be the trailblazers, changemakers, caretakers and preservers we need — just like we and generations before us have been.
We must stop, listen, trust — and help Gen Z unleash their potential!
- Ruchin Kansal, Editor
About the Editor
Ruchin Kansal, M.B.A. is a professor of practice at Seton Hall University and the founding editor of In the Lead. Prior, he led the Business Leadership Center at the Stillman School of Business, and held senior leadership roles at Capgemini, Deloitte, Boehringer Ingelheim & Siemens Healthineers with a distinguished record in strategy and innovation, digital health, strategic partnerships and business launches. He received his M.B.A. from NYU-Stern.