1. CCAS REGIONAL SYMPOSIUM
19-20 OCTOBER 2011
LEADING & ENGAGING A
MULTI-GENERATIONAL WORKFORCE
Prof Sattar Bawany
Chief Learning Officer & Master Executive Coach, IPMA
Adjunct Professor of Strategic Management, PGSM

2. ARE YOU A TIGER OR A DEER?
Every morning in Asia, a deer wakes
up. It knows it must run faster than the
fastest tiger or it will be killed.
Every morning in Asia, a tiger wakes up. It knows it
must outrun the slowest deer or it will starve to death.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a tiger or a deer: when
the sun comes up, you’d better be running…..
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3. ABOUT IPMA
 A Global ‘Not-for-Profit’ (NPO) Member Organisation
headquartered in Kent, UK with Regional Offices in
Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific
 Mission: As an International Examining, Licensing and
Regulatory Membership Qualifying Professional Body to
improve managerial performance at all levels
 Facilitates group learning in organisational development,
change management, leadership effectiveness,
managerial coaching and customer service excellence
for Contact Centres across various industries
 IPMA Singapore is the Master Licensee for the ‘Scores on
the Board™’ developed by Bill Lang International and
marketed by The Human Performance Company
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4. Agenda
Generational
Overview
Diversity in Today’s Workplace
of Generational Differences:
 Perceived
Strengths
 Common Perceptions
 Communication Across Generations
Leading
and Engaging Gen Y
Recommendations
Summary
on Achieving Synergy
and Q & A Session
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5. BREAKING NEWS
Gen Y: Can’t work with or without them
By: Sabrina Zolkifi, Singapore
Published: 19 October 2011, 2015hrs

The quarterly Hudson Report, which was released
today, found 62% of 450 local respondents had trouble
managing staff aged 30 and under, as they felt these
Gen Ys have unrealistic job expectations and are too
impatient.

Executives polled also believed that Gen Y employees
lack loyalty, need constant attention and have little
respect for authority.

Despite that, employers across all industries still
realised the importance of not only retaining top Gen Y
talent, but also developing them.
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6. Gen Y – Y Are They Different?
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7. Generational Diversity in Today’s
Workforce

Changing Demographics


Increasing numbers of Gen Y entering the workforce.
Baby Boomers & Traditionalists are continuing to work for longer
tenures or are Re-engaged into the workforce.
 Key findings from survey commissioned by Tripartite Alliance for
Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP), 2010:
 Gen X and Gen Y make up 60% of the Singapore workforce.
 Means that 40% of the Singapore workforce is over 45 years of
age.


Key to Business Success – Quality of Workforce in
sustaining high performance
Multi-generational teams improve organizational
effectiveness and performance.
Adapted from: TAFEP’s Report on ‘Harnessing the Potential of Singapore’s Multi-generational Workforce’, 2010
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8. Benefits of Multi-Generational Work
Teams

More flexible in changing demographics

Broader insight into your customer base

Wider pool of Talent

Diverse perspectives leading to stronger
decision-making

Greater innovation and creativity

Meet the needs of diverse stakeholders
Multi -generational workplaces can be a source of positive
challenge, opportunity, and significant growth if managed
effectively.
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9. Multi-Generational Differences –
An issue?
Age
Conditions
Experience
Generational
Attributes

Each generation has its own characteristics; different
values and workplace concepts (E.g. Work-life balance,
loyalty, teamwork) are understood differently.

These differences can breed misunderstanding, conflict
and compromise growth.

Key is in managing these differences effectively and
reducing bias.
Source: Justine James, Sally Bibb, Simon Walker, ‘Global Tells How It Is’ Summary Research Report, 2008.
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10. Source: The Straits Times, 8 April 2010
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11. Overview of Generational Differences
Traditionalists
Baby Boomers
Gen X
Gen Y
Career
Goals
Legacy
Stellar Career
Portable Career
Parallel Careers
Rewards
Satisfaction of
a Job Well
Done
Money, Title,
Recognition, Corner
Office
Freedom Is The
Ultimate
Reward
Work That Has
Meaning
Work-Life
Balance
Support in
shifting the
balance
Help me balance
everyone else and
find meaning in
myself
Give me
balance NOW!
Not when I’m 65
Work isn’t
everything.
Flexibility to
balance my other
activities
Job
Changing
Carries a
stigma
Puts you behind
Is Necessary
Is Expected
Training
I learned the
hard way, you
can too!
Train them too much
and they’ll leave
The more they
learn, the more
they’ll stay
Continuous
learning is a way
of life
Source: Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman ‘When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the
Generational Puzzle at Work’, 2002.
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12. Why The Focus on Gen Y?
• Calculate Your Current (and Future) Investment in Gen
Y.
 How many Gen Y employees does your organisation currently
have?
 What is the average compensation for Gen Y employee at your
organisation?
 Multiply the number of Gen Y employees x Your average
compensation.
• Can be seen as the risk your organisation takes in
assuming Gen Y will meet your employment needs.
• The better managed this investment, the lower the risk
and the better return for all involved.
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13. Food For Thought
• What is the average tenure for your top-performing Gen Y
employees?
• What are the top three (3) reasons good employees leave
your organisation?
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14. Leading and Engaging Gen Y
Organisational Results
Employee Engagement
Organisational Climate
Leadership
Effectiveness
• ROI
• Employee
Turnover/Retention
• Employee Satisfaction/
Loyalty
• Customer
Satisfaction/Loyalty
• Rewards
• Espirit De Corps
• Flexibility
• EQ/EI Competencies
• Managerial Skills
• Leadership Styles
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15. 15

16. Leading Gen Y Employees
Leadership Characteristics Leadership Characteristics
That Gen Y-ers Want Their That Managers From The
Leaders To Demonstrate
Other Generations Believe In
Demonstrating To Gen Y-ers
1. Caring (54%)
1. Competent (54%)
2. Inspiring (45%)
2. Honest (32%)
3. Competent (44%)
3. Forward-looking (31%)
*Numbers in parentheses reflect percentage of respondents who selected this as a preferred strategy.
Source: “’Y’ Are They Different” – A Study of Gen Y at Work, Their Views and How They are Viewed,
GMP & Temasek Polytechnic, 2009
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17. Organisation Climate: Gen Y feels
Valued and Involved when they feel:
Employees are
involved in decision -making
Employer demonstrates
concern about employees’
health and well-being
Managers listen to
employees
Employees have the
opportunity to
develop their jobs
Good suggestions are acted
upon
Feeling
Valued
and
Involved
Senior managers
show employees
that they
value them
Employees feel able
to voice their opinions
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18. Engaging Gen Y Employees
Top Factors That Motivate Gen Retention Strategies Most
Y To Stay In Organizations
Utilized By Organizations
1. Opportunities for Career
Advancement (63%)
1. Opportunities for Career
Advancement (43%)
2. Good Work-Life Harmony (41%)
2. Emphasis on Learning &
Development (37%)
3. Good Relationships (40%)
3. Good Compensation (24%)
*Numbers in parentheses reflect percentage of respondents who selected this as a preferred strategy.
Source: “’Y’ Are They Different” – A Study of Gen Y at Work, Their Views and How They are Viewed,
GMP & Temasek Polytechnic, 2009
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19. Emotional Engagement of Gen Y by
their team leaders has significant
impact
• Showing Care is largely the responsibility of an
employees direct Manager
• Manager’s need how to learn to be more “emotionally
engaging” when leading their employees
• Employees need to feel “valued and involved” with their
manager and colleagues
• Manager’s can learn this but traditionally leadership
training has little impact
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20. Engaging Multi-Generational Employees
Achievement
Defining and
attaining goals
and results
Motives
Power
Influencing others
and having an
impact
Affiliation
Establishing and
maintaining positive
personal
relationships
Source: David C. McClelland, "Methods of Measuring Human Motivation", in John W. Atkinson, ed., The
Achieving Society (Princeton, N.J.: D. Van Nostrand, 1961), pp. 41–43.
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21. Scores-on-the-Board™ Engagement
System
Mentors Managers on being “emotional engagineers”
• A simple 5 part system:
Team
VISION
Vision / Goals /Feedback
/ Gaps / Action
• Used by thousands of
leaders around the world
ACTION
PLANS
GOALS
IN PRIORITY
AREAS
• Develops the leader
• Empowers the team
• Engages all employees,
GAPS
FEEDBACK
TOOLS
especially Gen Y’ers
Source: Bill Lang, “Scores-on-the-Board: The 5-Part System for Building Skills, Teams and Businesses”,
John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
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22. Case Study: Impact of ‘Scores-on-the
Board™
1. Contact Centre – 450 Seats
2. Call volumes more than doubled
3. Implement Scores on the Board (SOTB)
4. Result:
•Hewitt Engagement up 44%
•Absenteeism down 60%
•Attrition by 60%
•First call resolution rate up 25%
•Cost per call down 40%
•Customer Satisfaction up 15%
•Sales up 30%

23. Customer Service Excellence at
Contact Centres
•R eliability
•A ssurance (Trust)
•R esponsiveness
•E mpathy

24. Recommendations
• Communicate is key to inspire commitment
 “Opportunities for Career Advancement” and “Good Relationships”
are key factors that motivate Gen Y-ers to remain in organisations.
 Regular dialogue between Gen Y-er and supervisor should start
from the first day at work, as a means for supervisors to build and
maintain a good working relationship.
 Engage Gen Y through Coaching
 Develop Coaching competency of managers to be comfortable and
confident in having conversations surrounding professional
development plans.
 Encourage constant feedback and show recognition for Y-er’s work
contribution
 Team Work ‘Y’ Style
 Encourage staff gatherings, social events and ‘mixers’ with
workmates
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25. Conclusion – Key Takeaways

Each generation brings to the table different approaches to
- Work, Interaction, and how they view business strategies.

The end result is a greater diversity and variety of
opinions, creativity and talent.

When managed effectively, a multigenerational team can
add tremendous value to your organization.

However, as employees in the various age groups may not
naturally interact with each other, leaders may need to
adopt different leadership styles and make a concerted
effort to facilitate collaboration and reduce bias.
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26. Video on What Makes a Great Leader?
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27. Final Thoughts…
If you do tomorrow what you did yesterday
Your Future is History……………
If you do tomorrow what we’ve covered today
Your Future is Historic!!!
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28. Question & Answer
For further dialogue, contact:
Prof Sattar Bawany
Chief Learning Officer & Master Executive Coach, IPMA
Adjunct Professor of Strategic Management, PGSM
IPMA ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICE
Email: ipma.singapore@gmail.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bawany
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bawany
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