Change management is always evolving. As the experienced talent of yesterday move on to well-earned retirement pastures without the need to be near a phone for an emergency callout, a new, younger generation is just learning their knowledge and joining the workforce. However, there is trepidation. Some fear new hires are not acquiring the skills of the older set at a fast enough rate.
The prevailing attitude and thought process has been putting the generations at odds. Dated excuses such as, “they are just unable to communicate due to differences in age culture” and “Baby Boomers and Millennials will never be able to transfer understanding because they can’t relate to each other” are being touted as fact when they are simply opinioned conjecture.
All generations have many things in common – families to support, bills to pay, the desire to achieve, and quests to stay healthy, just to name a few. Technology is another shared experience. In today’s world, tech fuels our progress and there are not many who do not own a cellphone, computer or been at the receiving end of the blue-screen of death.
Change Management has proven that we must focus on employee similarities and discard the differences. Differences create a divide in shared learning as focus is always lost when a teacher and student are busy mentally ticking off a generational list of how they are so mightily unlike each other. This requires a shift in thinking and begins before master and disciple are even paired together.
Organizations can start by having all employees take a tech survey. The survey should ask questions about their knowledge of certain programs but go deeper by asking what apps they use on a regular basis – including games. You might be surprised how much communication can open when the experienced lineman or office worker knows that the person they are training plays Pokémon Go too. It is a much quicker way for two people to reach across the bucket seat, shake hands and start learning and understanding each other. It also can help team up individuals who know the same material and have a technological shared data point.
ARCOS mobile solutions can help the process by allowing all parties to realize how tech savvy a utility is. Skill transfer can be instituted at a much faster rate when an educator and class know they are on the cutting edge of future innovation. Who needs hi-def when you have 4K? Check out our Managed Services offerings and talk to one of our experts to learn more.
