Shared Attitudes and Values - A Bridge of Generational Gaps

Generational gaps threaten cultural norms. Generations communicate differently; they value certain behaviors more than others, and view power differently. But not all attitudes and values are age or generation specific.

Culture tells you a lot about an organization. Culture is a pattern of shared assumptions and values about how things are done in an organization. It determines how people communicate in the organization, what behavior is acceptable or not acceptable, and how power is distributed. Culture also determines how the organization meets goals and deals with outsiders.

Author/diarist Anais Nin wrote, "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." She was quoted by journalist Ted Koppel in attempting to explain the source of political and cultural differences that divide our nation at times. People tend to look at characteristics and judge one another's character. When they form a negative impression of someone else, it is often because they think, "I would never do that!" Their own behavior and motivational values become the norm, and anything different can be labeled abnormal or substandard.

These personal attitudes and values seem transcend to generations and like DISC they create another marvelous opportunity to find common ground between four generations as well as defuse non-generational initiated conflicts. Six values were described in a model introduced by Dr. Eduard Spranger in 1920. Spranger identified six motivators that are keys to our personal outlook and response to the world, and he published his insights in the book Types of Men. The six attitudes and values I wrote about in my book titled Understanding Business Values and Motivators in 2004 are based on Spranger's work.

In the next few paragraphs I briefly describe the six values and how they might influence cultural rewards, recognition, and employee engagement. As you read each value, pay attention to how do they make you feel. Do they engage you or turn you off? Or could you care less about what it offers?

Conceptual Value: Organizations that promote continuous learning, research, subject matter expertise, and problem solving attract employees who share the conceptual value. Individuals in these cultures are self-motivated by the discovery of truth. They are generally curious and inquisitive, with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Objectivity reigns and problems are solved based on facts, not hunches or gut instinct. A theme for the Conceptual organization might be "knowledge is power."

Aesthetic Value: Form, harmony and beauty pervade cultures that value aesthetics. Individuals most comfortable in these cultures tend to be inner-directed and self-actualizing, searching for the link between their job and a greater purpose. Cultures that encourage self-expression and individualism are easily identifiable with the Aesthetic value. Aesthetic cultures are most often shared by employees in businesses that value the arts, design, creative marketing, and environment. "Be yourself" might be theme for the Aesthetic culture.

Economic Value: Talk about the bottom line dominates the Economic -driven culture. Return on investment drives all decisions and discussions. Individuals who thrive in the Economic culture value efficiency and resourcefulness. Everything and everyone is measured by time, money, and effort. Top performing sales organizations are driven by the Economic Value. "Money is power" or "Whoever dies with the most toys win" could be the slogan for the Economic Value.

Power and Authority Value: "Winning is everything "sums up the Power & Authority culture. Organizations that encourage intense competition, power rankings, and dangle corner offices as rewards epitomize the Power & Authority driven culture. GE under Jack Welch prototypes the Power & Authority culture, when the top 20% were celebrated and the bottom 10% "retired." Individuals in these cultures believe individuals are in control of their own destiny. When these energies can be channeled toward a common purpose, winning teams results. When individuals turn rogue, the cultures can become cut-throat and dysfunctional. "Second place is the first place for losers" dominates Power & Authority thinking.

Social Value: When management talks about creating a "family-like" culture, they are referring to the Social value. The Social culture promotes harmony, collaboration, teamwork and community involvement. The Social-driven culture is most often associated with Best Places to Work but it is also the one most represented. Nearly every mission and values statements includes words aspiring toward the Social culture but actions driven by other values often collide and interfere with successful Social "living." A Social culture theme might be "one for all, all for one" or "it's better to give than receive."

Doctrine Value: The Doctrine-driven culture epitomizes an organization that walks and talks a particular viewpoint. It is most often associated with faith based organizations. But other cultures like the military, police and political parties attract individuals who are willing to fight - and sometimes die - for a particular cause. Doctrine-driven cultures exude passion but are the most likely to struggle with change, adaptation, and diversity. A Doctrine theme heard with many variations during the recent presidential campaign was "it's my way or the highway."

Can you pick the two attitudes that you value the most? What about the least? Can you recognize other people who might value what you value?

To learn more about how you can use Business Values and Motivators to define your company culture or bridge generational gaps, contact us or call 800-803-4303.

Perfect Labor Storm Warnings

During the month of June 2009 in the United States there will be:

1 birth every 7 seconds.
1death every 13 seconds.
1 international migrant (net) every 35 seconds
Net gain of one person every 11 seconds.

Source: US Census Bureau

For more workforce and hiring trends. subscribe to the Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 blog.

Purchase the NEW Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 books (soft and hard cover versions) at PerfectLaborStorm.com.

What Do Employees Value

Zig Ziglar once said he had never met a person who was truly lazy, but he'd met many people who were under-motivated. He also said his job as a speaker was not to motivate anyone in his audience- doing so was impossible, because people motivate themselves. His job was to help them recognize that truth.

That truth is described in Understanding Business Values and Motivators. This book is THE 21st Century manager's primer to understanding how to motivate employees and how managers can tap into those motivators to encourage continuous productivity improvement, improved morale, and peak performance.

Save 25% off retail. (Only $9.95) Download your copy of Understanding Business Values and Motivators here.

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Quotes from Hire Authorities

"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric."

Bertrand Russell

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