It’s the mix that does it

Intergenerational cooperation in the team

An opportunity lies in the use of different experiences: Within a mixed team there is a wide range of expertise and perspectives available that can be incorporated into projects. Each employee has the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge of the others and to develop himself/herself further. This increases the likelihood that goals are better achieved and career ladders are climbed more quickly. Especially when different perspectives and complementary expertise are required, combined teams of young and old have advantages over homogeneous groups.

Age-mixed cooperation leads to a mutual exchange of knowledge – each generation learns something new from the other. In joint work, this exchange of knowledge takes place automatically. The younger ones are given practical experience and the older ones get access to the latest theoretical knowledge. Mutual support and the feel-good factor of working together also have a health-promoting effect – but all this only if all those involved approach each other with a low level of prejudice and accept the possible differences in an appreciative manner.

The following topics will be dealt with in particular:

• Generational personalities (generation-specific differences)
• Perception, interpretation and expectations of younger colleagues towards older colleagues and vice versa
• Generation-specific conflicts and solutions in and with different hierarchies
• Performance and “older” employees: age-differentiated employment conditions – myths and truths
• Motivation and “younger” employees: career orientation vs. sense of family – myths and truths
• Knowledge management in demographic change
  – Acquiring new knowledge
  – Knowledge sharing
  – Securing acquired knowledge/know-how for the company
• Learning strategies of older people/learning strategies of younger people
  – Develop mentorship and mentoring skills

Methodology

The practical work is the main focus of the workshop. Through discussions, exercises, case studies and checklists, the participants examine their attitudes and their experiences on the topic of “Working in mixed-age teams”. They check, correct, confirm (pre-)judgements and become aware of their own blind spots. New positive attitudes offer behavioural and action alternatives and provide security and self-confidence. They contribute to personality development and lead to high personal motivation.

The selfish Generation Y collides with the career-addicted Generation X – and in the middle of it all are the family-oriented baby boomers. Can this go well? One thing is certain: with demographic change, there will be more mixed-age teams in the work areas. But that demands a great deal of tolerance.

The cooperation of mixed-age teams offers opportunities and risks. This 2-day workshop is about becoming aware of the opportunities and making use of them, as well as getting to know and avoiding the risks.

Seminar costs

The participation fee for this 2-day seminar includes seminar documents, cold/warm drinks during breaks and business lunch and amounts to 850 Euro/participant plus VAT.

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