ok, excuse the plug here but this seems appropriate for this topic.... There is a new book just out called Surviving the Baby Boomer Exodus: Capturing Knowledge for Gen X & Y Employees, written by two of my colleagues, Ken Ball and Gina Gotsill. It explores “brain drain” as many of the 76 million Boomers prepare to leave the workplace in the next few years. It looks at the three primary generations in the workplace, Boomers, X and Y (Millennials) and how understanding their learning styles, preferences and differences are critical to ensuring that knowledge gets effectively shared. Ball and Gotsill assert that OD people have a great opportunity to engage the generations, using social media and social network analysis to reduce conflict by fostering collaboration.

Indeed, there are new challenges in the workplace since this is the first time there are four generations simultaneously. A lot has been written about the fact that Boomers may not be retiring as early as one might expect given their financial needs and their desire to stay intellectually stimulated. The younger generation brings many positive attributes to the workplace: their ability to collaborate, their comfort with technology, their desire to learn and be coached. You can read more about working across the generations at my blog: http://linked2leadership.com/2009/11/11/we-created-them-now-what/ Barb Miller - BMiller@ArtemisManagement.com

It's interesting since your discussion intrigued a different thought in my brain. What is the impact of this generational gap in our environment. Sustainability has been looked as via different perspectives. Environmental sustainability and business sustainability being two of the most popular. Once the baby boomer retire, I think the gap will first create a balance for employment and bringing us back towards an economical stability. However, the escaping knowledge and the impact of that gap on organizations will not be so positive. But that in turn will have an inevitable impact on our environment. What is that impact? where will it hit most and how?

ritamaselli [Jun 10, 2010] Interesting… and a topic to be taken seriously. We are all concerned about the impact of the retiring baby boomers. But I wonder if the extent and depth of the impact of their leaving the work force will be the same in developed economies as in developing economies. In countries such as Egypt, there is a very deep divide between the baby boomer generation and the young people coming into the workforce. The older generations are threatened by the computer skills and changing attitudes of these young people. And if you add in the fact that the majority of managers in place are old school: directive, inflexible and not people-oriented. Once these mangers go, how long will it take to have a change in management style for the better or will the cultural paradigm continue to produce these types of managers? Also, I would love to have a more defined idea of the positive and negative impacts that their retirement would produce. How do we get this info? Maybe this information can be used to make more effective succession planning decisions and better fill the gaps left by them. Dr. Rita Maselli

Deserie, I, too, am intrigued (and excited) with the opportunities presented to us by the multigenerational workforce. Indeed, this could represent an unprecedented opportunity for OD practitioners. In my training role, I typically find my classroom comprised of members from several, if not each, generation. And, while adult learning principles, practices and theories apply, their application and/or impact may vary with each generation. You requested readings of interest on the topic: My favorite is "When Generations Collide", by Lancaster and Stillman. Also, I would recommend "Managing the Generation Mix--From Collision to Collaboration" by Martin and Tulgan. I have also found Daniel Pink's books to be somewhat relevant. Thank you for opening dialog on this important topic for us, and I look forward to insights and comments from the GBT community.