ESCP ALUMNI magazine #202 - Juin 2023 - 41

Campus ❙ École
Different experiences,
similar goals: how EQ can
bridge the generational gap
It takes a village to raise a child - and a global village to make a successful business. The lingua
franca of this global village? Emotional intelligence. As part of our series on this essential skill,
ESCP takes a closer look at how harnessing our differences can redefine traditional expectations
of how we interact at work. Today, we take a closer look at how the generation game plays out
in the workplace, for better or for worse, and how emotional intelligence can act as the glue
businesses need to bring their teams together.
Véronique TRAN
Professor of Organizational Behavior
at ESCP Business School, Dean and Rector
of the Berlin Campus
T
he working world is dead; long live
the working world. Almost a quarter
of a century ago, Ron Zemke's
seminal 1999 work 'Generations at Work:
Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers,
Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace' set the
stage for today's culture clash in no uncertain
terms: " There is a problem in the workplace
- a problem of values, ambitions, views,
mindsets and demographics. " 25 years on, the
balance has continued to shift, with study
after study confirming that today's young
workers expect their jobs to align with their
wider personal expectations, to the incomprehension
of their parents' generation. A
cultural, technological and educational gap
that appears impossible to bridge - almost.
Incompatible expectations: finding
common ground between Boomers
and Millenials
With the average retirement age skyrocketing
around the globe even as the myth of the 'company
man' fades into obscurity, we're working
longer and harder than ever before. Millennials
may be used to the idea of jumping jobs and
slashing skills, but the older generation certainly
aren't, with workers in their fifties averaging
over ten years' tenure per role (vs. 4.9 years for
35-44 year olds). Add to this the dizzying rise
of digital tech, the work-from-home revolution
and the global war for talent, and it's hard to
view intergenerational interactions at work with
anything other than an apprehensive eye. So,
how can we walk the fine line between creating
a workplace that seeks to embody certain values
while remaining conscious of teams' differing life
experiences?
Different experiences, similar
goals: how EQ can bridge the
generational gap
Rejecting the somewhat bleak picture painted by
Zemke at the close of the century, many experts
argue that employees, regardless of age or job
status, continue to seek similar things from their
job: fulfilment, satisfaction, inclusion, and respect.
For Professor of Organisation Psychology
and Dean of ESCP's Berlin Campus Véronique
Tran, this common ground is the glue that holds
the workplace together. For Véronique, diverse
ESCP Alumni Magazine numéro 202 ❙ JUIN 2023
Diversity brings
conflict and
friction - and
friction between
different ideas
ignites creative
problem-solving.
experiences don't necessarily mean dissimilar
values: " Teams with a variety of different backgrounds
bring different points of view, which help us
to solve problems in a more creative way, create products
and services that respond to diverse customers'
needs, and make the workplace a pleasant place to be. "
For many experts, emotional intelligence (EQ)
is the secret to marshalling the power of these
experiences - and there's no place like the workplace
for bringing it out. Unlike certain hard skills,
emotional intelligence is most visible when
working in a team. Skills associated with high
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ESCP ALUMNI magazine #202 - Juin 2023

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