When Generations Collide

Written by two consultants specialized in managing intergenerational relationships, this book offers a complete outlook on the subject. It is also one of the few texts which has examined what the authors call the Millennium Generation (young people born after 1980-1985), as it tries to pinpoint the specificities that differentiates them from the preceding Generation X. Its culture and references are exclusively American, which may put the European reader off. Nevertheless, its thoroughness and quality of advice make it essential reading.
The first part portrays the four generations and provides an overview of the difficulties arising from their cohabitation. It may be sufficient to get a quick grasp of the subject. Chapter 3 is worth a close look, as it suggests some developments on a rarely studied topic: people who fall between two generations. The rest of the book focuses on all kinds of concrete cohabitation problems and ways of resolving them, with this underlying piece of advice: ""Adapt your management techniques to the values and expectations of each generation"". Among the most useful chapters, we recommend those devoted to rewards (chapter 6), recruitment (chapter 11), gaining loyalty (chapter 15), expectations regarding feedback (chapter 16) and relations with authority (chapter 18).