Future-proof HR - Values & Strategy

Antwerp Management School

In episode 2, host Yasmine El Alji invited expert Geert Vercaeren, practitioner Edwin Schenck and student Nobonita Chowdhury to shift the focus to values and strategy. In this episode, the guests discuss research that indicates that the differences and expectations between different generations are relatively minimal and that these are influenced by other factors such as an individual’s personality, education, work experiences, and geographic position. This means that stereotyping the values of many generations can be risky and harmful for organizations and it does not facilitate cross-generational collaboration on the work floor.

Therefore, it is important for organizations to recognize the differences that are present and leverage them to achieve innovative solutions, increase performance, and deliver better products and services. However, these differences can often lead to challenges in collaboration due to unconscious dynamics. As a result, it’s crucial for organizations to create an optimal environment and culture that values diversity and develops leaders who can serve as role models in empathy, open dialogue, and building trust. This will help to minimize the negative impact that generational differences can bring.

On top of this, organizations that focus on a single generation or that are single value-based, will not achieve the same outcomes as those that welcome diversity and find methods to bring people together for a common purpose. Thus, it is essential to foster an inclusive environment that stimulates collaboration between different generations, enabling them to work together effectively towards a shared goal.