Leading Across Generations: What Does It Mean for Innovation?
Different generations are increasingly working side by side, bringing different experiences, expectations and perspectives into today's workplace.
This diversity can open new ways of thinking. But it also raises questions about how we lead, collaborate and create the conditions for new ideas to emerge.
Earlier this year, I ran a survey to explore one part of this question:
How do different generations see leadership today?
Almost 100 people responded.
The results revealed areas of common ground, but also differences in what people expect from leaders, teams and the organisations they work for.
Now I want to take those findings beyond the report and into conversation.
From survey to a conversation
This is the first in a series of workshops I am putting together, to share the survey insights and explore what they mean in practice, especially around Gen Z and today's organisational structures.
For this first edition, I am bringing the conversation to the Open Door Innovation community, with a particular lens on cross-generational teams and innovation.
Together, we'll explore:
What do different generations expect from leadership?
Where do those expectations align, and where do they differ?
What does it take to lead a cross-generational team?
How can different perspectives become a source of new thinking rather than friction?
How prepared are organisations for the next generation entering the workforce?
And what might all of this mean for our ability to innovate?
This is not intended to be a presentation of the survey results.
I will share selected findings as a starting point, and afterwards we will work with them together, bringing in the experiences, questions and perspectives of the people in the room.
The intention is to raise awareness and make this a real working conversation: a space to compare experiences, question some of our assumptions, and explore what leading across generations requires in practice in the field of innovation.
The survey is still open. If you'd like to add your perspective and help shape the findings as this work continues, I'd love to hear from you.