Managing Generations

An Air Force of All Generations. The word "generation" is thrown around often - sometimes in daily conversations, in lectures given by senior leaders, and even in television broadcasts. So what is a generation and what are the differences between them? Further, how can the differences affect an organization and how can we manage the differences to achieve the best possible outcome? These are just a few of the questions that prompted this investigation into the current generations working in the Air Force and how they can effectively be managed and retained. By looking at the differences and analyzing how the public sector deals with generational issues, some proven best practices and lessons learned can be incorporated into the Air Force. While any organization has inherent challenges, understanding the workforce is essential to creating and maintaining a successful organization. Generations of people are formed and shaped as a result of the time period they grew up in and the influence of national and current events. All of these influences help create a generation's values. There are four different generations present in today's workforce each with different values and ideals: the Silent generation (born from 1925-1946), the Baby Boomer generation (born from 1946-1964), Generation X (born from 1964-1979), and the Millennial generation (born from 1979-2000). The Silent generation's greatest influences were the Great Depression and World War II. The members of this generation are loyal, dedicated, and committed and they believe in fairness, openness, and due process. They believe in authority figures and thrive in structured organizations.