Gen Z, Millennials, Boomers, and Beyond: Harnessing Age Diversity by De-siloing Generations

Intergenerational dialogue is an underrated topic. And yet, it is the cement that holds our society together. Whether in education or within companies, it can be a powerful lever for personal and professional growth. On one condition, though: to dispel the misconceptions that pit generations against each other. Held at the Cartier - ESCP - HEC Paris Turning Points Chair Cross-generational Dialogues event on March 20, on the challenging theme “Going transgenerational”, one of the panel-sessions explored these issues.

People living in multi-generational households live longer than people living on their own. Professor Anne Laure Sellier, co-holder and co-scientific director of the Cartier-ESCP-HEC Paris Turning Points Chair, opened the “Going transgenerational” round table of the 2024 Cross-generational Dialogues by sharing these eye-opening results, which stem from research by Columbia University professors.

The HEC Paris professor of behavioral sciences evoked lessons from ancient Greece to anchor the debate. The oïkos, which refers to all of the family members and people living under the same roof (which meant that all ages were included, as were slaves), was the basic unit of society, and was the cornerstone of the ideal city’s functioning. A “community constituted according to nature for daily life” (Aristotle, Politics I, 2, 5)… ”Consider our modern industrialized societies, in which the individual is the basic unit. Haven’t we lost something along the way? Wouldn’t we derive benefits from going back to some modern-day form of oikos to resolve some of today’s most pressing issues?”, asked Sellier.

HEC Paris Dean Eloic Peyrache emphasized that intergenerational dialogue is not only essential "to pass on wisdom and knowledge", but also "to foster innovation and creativity", in his opening remarks alongside his counterpart from, ESCP Business School, Dean Léon Laulusa.

But, they explained, this is a much-neglected issue.

Exploring the blind spots in the debate and deconstructing biases is one of the hallmarks of the Turning Points Chair, and a commitment and passion shared by its two scientific directors, Professor Ben Voyer of ESCP. and Professor Anne Laure Sellier.

 

When labelling generations leads to building walls between us

The terms Generation X (people born between 1965 to 1980), Generation Y (commonly referred to as “millennials”, between 1981 to 1996) - more commonly called the millennials because many of them became adults around the year 2000 - or Generation Z (between 1997 to 2012) are staples of the mainstream vernacular. “But do you know how long it's been since we decided to label generations?”, Sellier asked an audience largely composed of Gen Zers.  The most frequent answer was “Baby Boomers”, the generation born after World War II. In fact, the practice of labeling generations began earlier, with "the Lost Generation", of people who came of age around the time of World War I.

These categories by definition “raise walls between generations, thereby compromising communication”, Sellier pointed out. We tend to overestimate, amplify, and stereotype generational differences, she explained, when much of what we attribute to generational factors has actually more to do with living different experiences in different phases of our lives.  

While it is important to recognize that Generation Z brings unique questions, solutions and perspectives to the world, it's also important to stress that many of the same concerns are shared by the vast majority of the population, whether it is work-life balance, flexibility at work in a post-Covid era, or climate action.

“We shouldn’t embrace the perception that each generation experiencing challenges that are incomprehensible to other generations”, warned Tiffany Lam, an HEC Paris MBA student, and a Gen Z Observatory content curator 2023-24.

To illustrate, a recent survey in France shows that eco-anxiety is not specific to the younger generation, but that over 70% of the population is worried about climate change.

It has probably never been more important to “build bridges between past, present and future, and foster transgenerational dialogue to solve global challenges” asserted Dean Peyrache.

Recognizing this simple fact can be an interesting starting point in fostering transgenerational dialogue.

 

Reversing the transmission of knowledge

A 2023 survey showed that 74% of managers find Gen Z to be the most challenging generation to work with. By 2025, Gen Z will comprise 27% of the OECD workforce. It is therefore urgent for companies to understand how to best integrate this new cohort of employees, lead them—and, crucially, trust them—and inspire them in order to unleash their full potential.

The Gen Z Observatory, created as part of the Cartier, ESCP and HEC Paris ‘Turning Points Chair’, aims to fill this gap in understanding by exploring emerging generational and cultural changes. Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier, is one of the strongest advocates of this necessary intergenerational dialogue. Deploring the lack of bridges between higher education and the business world, he added "we need reverse transmission to better understand the world.".

The Maison that he leads walks the talk. At Cartier Japan, reverse mentoring is an institutionalized practice at the highest level. Veronica Prat van Thiel, former President and CEO of Cartier Japan, now Cartier’s International High Jewellery Director, explained how she involved members of Generation Z in her executive committee, in order to learn from a different perspective. This kind of experimentation is perhaps not so surprising from the Maison. Cartier fully breathes its "Creative Heritage" motto. "Transmission is a responsibility", said Veronica Prat van Thiel of Cartier's "savoir faire", which has continuously passed on through apprenticeship, a dialogue between generations of craftspeople and artists. As a working environment, Cartier may resemble more a modern oikos than the sum of the talents working there.

Getting generations to work together: the best road to true diversity?

The concept of reverse mentoring was made popular by Jack Welch as CEO of General Electric, in the late 90’s. He realized the need to understand the internet and its disruptive consequences in the workplace. His idea was to get junior employees to teach technology to senior employees.

Amidst the current data revolution at a time when generative AI could prove as transformative as the Internet, the need to get generations to work together may mean that reverse mentoring could become a major asset for companies to keep up with technological change. "The role of the new generation is to push the culture and expand the possibilities of technology", said Sinan Bursa, Data Manager at Cartier and Gen Z Observatory content curator 2021-22.

When computers and digital communications entered the office in the 90s, “the traditional hierarchy was turned upside down and the younger generation of workers was empowered, leading to a rebalancing of power," explained Ginevra Capece Galeota, Meta's Global Account Director for EMEA, referring to her experience in the media and advertising industry.

"The workplace is a great place for generations to work together," added Bursa. Professor Sellier went further, declaring that the representation of all ages within a company may be "the diversity dimension we should be paying closest attention to in the years to come".

Very well…However, who learns from whom? Who's the mentor and who's the mentee? A question to which Galeota replied, "We should see it as a two-way flow, a circle of giving and receiving". Or, as organizational psychologist Adam Grant put it in his 2013 book, "Give and Take", articulating how personal and professional success depends on how we interact with others.

To tap into the potential of age diversity, we must first recognize that everyone has a contribution to make if we are prepared to listen, share, and promote others. There may go the modern oikos again, an intergenerational group breathing exchanges to collectively move forward.

 

Listen and learn from our elders

We have somewhat lost our ability to learn from our elders compared to a few decades ago, Professor Sellier pointed out.

This poses a challenge to our current working and societal cultures, especially given the increasing proportion of older people in developed countries and of the working population over the age of 50. How can we value their experience in the workplace, continue to interact with them after retirement, or take care of them while benefiting from their wisdom?

In everyday life and in the workplace, their past experience can serve both as a memory and a guide the future. Galeota recalls the first time she arrived on Meta's California campus, surrounded by people 20 years younger than her. She felt "like a dinosaur in the room!".

But that feeling quickly faded as she realized how much she had to offer them.

"I realized that I had become a mentor by asking the right questions, making them take a step back and bringing them new perspectives. Intergenerational dialogue within a company”, she adds, “is a question of emotional intelligence, and these abilities tend to improve with age."

 

Self-awareness, the key to transgenerational dialogue

Emotional intelligence (EI) was first used by Peter Salovey, and John D. Mayer in 1990 in a scientific article in psychology (describing a form of social intelligence that involves our ability to perceive emotions, use emotions, understand emotions and manage emotions in order "to guide one's own thinking and actions"). It became very popular in the field of organizations and leadership in 2008 with Daniel Goleman's book "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ" (Bechtoldt, 2008). He proposed a new definition of intelligence, one that can be learned and enhanced at any stage of life, and which is essential for building a successful life and maintaining fruitful relationships.

Emotional competencies were at the heart of the Turning Points Chair panel discussion, with speakers emphasizing that self-awareness is an essential social skill for engaging in intergenerational dialogue.

It's about how individuals understand themselves, the emotions that drive their behaviors, as well as their strengths and limitations, as a prerequisite for understanding others (to learn more on EI: Cultivating Your Leadership Capabilities, University of New Hampshire). It's about being honest about yourself with others, or, as Vigneron put it, "bringing something of yourself out in a relationship".

Developing self-awareness in younger generations can start with recognizing their own vulnerabilities  (see Brené Brown on The Power of Vulnerability). An attitude embodied by Tiffany Lam recalls the transformative encounter she had with a retired business leader as part of the MBA mentoring program.

“Many Gen Z grapple with uncertainty about the future. In these moments, conversations with older generations provide reassurance and perspective. Hearing their stories of overcoming challenges reminds us that adversity is a universal human experience, bringing us greater resilience and optimism. At the same time, it is important to show appreciation and be inviting if we wish to engage other generations in meaningful dialogues.”

 

Empathy to broaden our experiences and worldviews

The other key social skill that speakers advocated cultivating is empathy, “the ability to perceive other people's feelings and the way they see the world” (Goleman on empathy as the main component of social awareness), - or perspective-taking, a central topic in Professor Voyer's research.

Empathy is a word that came up frequently in the debate.

Through her work with the Gen Z observatory, Lam has developed a clear vision of the problem and the solution, she says. “Being a member of Gen Y, I straddle the line between feeling old and young simultaneously. That allows me to observe how generations can learn empathy and listen to one other (e.g. the older generations feeling left behind because of the rapid technological advancements, and the newer generations feeling lonely despite being constantly connected). If generations take more time to understand each other, they may realize that they have more in common than meets the eye at first. By practicing perspective-taking, we can cultivate empathy –as they say, empathy is the new currency. And that’s certainly something we can practice on more.”

 

Is Tech To Blame?

Technology can and should be a major area of collaboration between generations, and everyone has expertise to contribute, but it's also seen as something that divides. When we think of Gen Z as the first digital natives, or the first generation to have grown up with the internet and social media as an integral part of their lives, it widens the generational gap, as if we are no longer able to understand them because of our different use of communication technologies and social media.

All of the panelists, regardless of age, generation or relationship to technology, agreed on the need to balance this divide. "Technology can be a catalyst for division, but there will always be something that divides generations," stressed Meta’s Director, Ginevra Capece Galeota. What's more, the way Gen Zers communicate with each other and use social media not only distances them from their elders but, paradoxically, can also distance them from each other. The most connected people are also those who suffer most from "technological loneliness", added Galeota.

Veronica Prat van Thiel echoed this sentiment, pointing out that while communication technology "was bringing those who were the most (geographically) distant closer together, it was also distancing those who were the closest".

For Lam, today’s communication creates more silos. "We see the world differently", depending on the app or social media we use, and the community we are part of.

A way of pointing the finger at the phenomenon of the filter bubble or echo chamber, which narrows our points of view, making our use of the internet and social media sources of isolation or polarization rather than a place of friction with new ideas.

 

Concrete solutions to foster intergenerational dialogue

After such a rich discussion, ideas for the next iteration of intergenerational dialogue abounded, such as an intergenerational community-building app. Other concrete solutions have been put forward, such as the creation of a civil service to look after other generations than our own, whether it is the elderly, people with disabilities, children who may not get enough supervision after school, in order to bridge the generation gap and perhaps also move towards a society that respects all ages and values their untapped potential more.

Existing initiatives was "Tom & Josette", a network of intergenerational micro-nurseries. This startup, founded by two HEC alumnae, brings together babies and the elderly, building a unique pedagogical project based on the benefits of intergenerational relations. Storytelling, gardening, cooking together…transmission, mutual empathy, and feeling comfortable with one another is allowed to organically flourish in this new, shared space.

The stimulating debate that took place at this Cartier-ESCP-HEC event demonstrated the many virtues of focusing generations on what they have to share rather than in terms of how they differ.

Departing from the focus of the Gen Z Observatory, these Cross-Generational Dialogues are a new initiative of the Chair, which is meant to continue as long as generations will productively inspire one another.