feature
leadership
Bridging the Gap Handling a multigenerational workforce is one of the key challenges that needs to be addressed in order to get the best out of a team Atanu Kumar Das
H
andling a multi generational workforce has been a persistent issue that organisations have been dealing with. Fixed mindsets are the root cause of differences among employees of varied age groups. With organisations having both, the young and old, working side-by-side, it becomes a challenge for business units heads and the CEO to create a conducive working environment that meets everyone’s expectations. For a technology leader, it is no different. Enterprise technology decision makers have their task cut out. Not only do they have to add to the top line, they have to increasingly look at creating new revenue streams for their enterprises. This is possible only if they have a team that is innovative, cohesive and works as a well-oiled machine. What could come in the way of a CIO is the multigenerational workforce within his depart-
22
CFO india
september 2012
ment. The younger generation is restless and wants things to move fast. The middle and the older generations have their own concerns. The middle aged, though not too resistant to adopting new technology, feel that consistent change is an irritant. The older generation, meanwhile, lacks awareness. For them to adopt cutting-edge technology, a CIO has to hand-hold them and make them understand the benefits accruing from the technology. According to Jijy Oommen, Executive Vice President and Group IT Head, Bajaj Capital, “The younger generation today is very difficult to handle. The young are fueling the BYOD trend. For a CIO, it is increasingly becoming difficult to manage the proliferation of gadgets within the organisation.” “As a CIO, I have to understand that handling a multigenerational workforce is a tricky thing. Instead of forcing a technology on the user, it is important to come up with innovative technologies that can be adopted by users of different age groups within the organisation.”
Oommen feels that the younger generation wants to explore more – a trait that is rarely found in the older generation. “I have seen several youngsters in my organisation bringing gadgets that the IT department has no clue about. In fact, they know many more functionalities of such latest gadgets than the IT department,” she says. According to Vilakshan Jakhu, CIO and Sr. VP, BPTP Ltd, “All the problems that persist in an organisation regarding handling multigenerational workforce is because of mindset issues. For example, people who have been traditionally Microsoft and dot Net server deployers may not consider open source architectures at all. Of course, Microsoft products are good, but there are products that promise to change the IT landscape and the approach to computing these days.” Echoing Oommen’s sentiment on the fast-emerging trend of BYOD, he avers, “It is because of the younger generation that organisations now allows employees to buy or bring their