Generational Diversity in the Workplace

I’m back from vacation in Japan. And although I did have internet access while I was there, it really was a vacation—no work, no blog posting, no reading Harvard Business Review. I didn’t even work during my 26 hours of flying time (but I did watch four movies).

But despite the work hiatus, I can post today on something that I completed the day before I left for Japan. I’ve just published a downloadable “e-book” about generational diversity in the workplace.

I’ve been interested in this topic for years. I do a training program on the topic once or twice a year, and it has also been something Jeff and I have discussed on the Association Renewal Blog. I mentioned in my “year end stats” post in January that the article I did on that topic a few years ago is downloaded constantly—over 4,000 times last year.

It’s clearly a hot topic. But that is part of the problem. The topic is overly hyped. There are certainly people out there who have done in-depth research on the topic, but when I hear people discuss the issue, they rarely talk about it with any depth. Lots of stereotypes. Very little thoughtful dialogue.

So I decided to try to write something that provided a little more depth (without trying to “prove” anything with new research). The result is my new e-book. It’s 57 pages long—not an academic treatise—and it provides both an overview of the different generations in the workplace as well as (more importantly) a discussion of how to actually apply this kind of knowledge in workplace contexts, like marketing new products, creating organizational systems and processes, and resolving inter-generational conflict.

Since I was so pleased with Lulu.com as a publisher of our Always Done It That Way book, I decided to go with them again for this e-book. It’s only $5, and you get it instantly as a PDF that you can read on your computer (or print out, if you’re a Baby Boomer. Okay, just kidding, but you can print it out).

I would love feedback from people on the publication. Let me know what you think. One of the great things about electronic publishing is the ease with which new versions can be released, so believe me, feedback can find its way into the book very easily.

Comments

[Barry Schapiro]

I ran across this copy of your blog and am interested in the e-book you refer to. Apparently, the new price is $9.95, but Lulu says it's no longer available. Any suggestions?

Barry Schapiro
Practice Leader - Management and Team Development
Center for Business, Industry and Labor
St. Louis Community College
bschapiro@stlcc.edu
314-539-5329