Five lessons on how to turn generational differences into an asset within organisations
A study of twenty companies shows how targeted organisational practices promote the integration of diverse skills, creating an ecosystem of shared learning and innovation
by Ivana Pais and Antonio Palmieri
Knowledge generates value when it circulates. For years, we have discussed skills, referring to skills, upskilling, courses and platforms. But when examined closely, it is the organisations themselves that reveal a different truth. This is demonstrated by Five lessons from those who turn generational differences into value, a qualitative study – conducted by Fondazione Pensiero Solido and Università Cattolica di Milano on twenty profit and non-profit organisations – as part of the Circular Economy of Skills project. Five lessons emerge from their experiences that can become a shared asset for all organisations seeking to grow: knowing how to adapt, recognise, influence, anticipate and preserve.
Knowing how to fit in: people do not struggle to learn a trade; they struggle to learn how an organisation works. To understand how decisions are made, how people collaborate, and how roles and responsibilities intertwine. It is a silent learning process, one that is not taught in the classroom, but takes place when a young person chooses to observe their working environment carefully, to understand how the workplace functions, and to grasp the unwritten rules that guide the work.
Knowing how to recognise: skills often emerge unexpectedly and do not necessarily correspond to age or role. They emerge where we least expect them to. Research shows that people’s true contribution only becomes apparent when the organisation stops looking at CVs and starts observing behaviour. It is a shift in perspective: from the ‘profile’ to the value demonstrated.
The art of cross-fertilisation: as long as the problem is known, established skills and roles are often sufficient. The differences between generations become decisive when they are applied to problems for which there is as yet no solution, in situations of uncertainty. In this context, the relationship between generations is a resource to be harnessed, particularly when the organisation is faced with problems for which there is as yet no answer. It is then that different perspectives – faster, more experienced, more intuitive, more structured – become indispensable for building something that does not yet exist.
The ability to anticipate: organisations do not change when new technologies arrive, but when someone recognises in good time that something is changing. This is why anticipating does not mean predicting exactly what will happen, but creating the conditions to explore possibilities. The organisations that manage to do this are not those that predict best, but those that create spaces where an idea can be put to the test without having to be perfect from the outset. This is how the future becomes visible.
