1. © 2013 Centre for Executive Education
www.ipma.com.sg
11TH ANNUAL HR TRANSFORMATION
& SERVICE DELIVERY SUMMIT
Harnessing the Potential of
Multigenerational Workforce
Prof Sattar Bawany
CEO, Centre for Executive Education
Strategic Advisor, IPMA Asia Pacific
Managing Director, EDA Asia Pacific
20 – 22 February 2013
Grand Copthorne Hotel, Singapore

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Every morning in Asia, a tiger
wakes up. It knows it must
outrun the slowest deer or it
will starve to death.
Every morning in Asia, a deer
wakes up. It knows it must run
faster than the fastest tiger or it
will be killed.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a tiger or a deer: when the
sun comes up, you’d better be running…..
Are You A Tiger Or Deer?

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
 The Centre for Executive Education (CEE) is the Executive
Development Division of The International Professional Managers
Association (IPMA).
 IPMA is a global ‘not-for-profit’ (NPO) members organisation
headquartered in Kent, UK with Regional Offices in Europe, Africa and
Asia Pacific
 CEE’s mission is to assist client organisation to secure a leading
position in their respective market place and developing a sustainable
competitive advantage through developing their key asset, intellectual
capital of the people.
 CEE is the Strategic Partner of Executive Development Associates Inc.
(EDA) for executive coaching and custom-designed leadership
development solutions to accelerate individual performance
 EDA established in 1982 is a pioneer and leader in creating custom-
designed learning and executive/leadership development strategies,
programs and processes to help clients (many Fortune 500 companies)
achieve their strategic objectives and win in the marketplace.
Who We Are

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
 CEO, The Centre for Executive Education
 Strategic Advisor, IPMA Asia Pacific
 Managing Director & C-Suite Coach with EDA Asia Pacific
 Co-Chair of the Human Capital Committee of the American Chamber of
Commerce in Singapore (AmCham Singapore).
 Member of Frontier Strategy Group’s Expert Advisory Network (EAN) for
Talent Management issues in Asia Pacific advising CEOs and CHROs of
global and regional organisations.
 Over 25 years’ international business management in executive coaching,
facilitation, leadership development and training
 Adjunct Professor of Strategy at Paris Graduate School of Management
teaching international business strategies, leadership development and
human resource courses
 Previously assumed senior leadership roles with global management &
HR consulting firms: DBM Asia Pacific, Mercer Human Resource
Consulting, The Hay Group and Forum Corp
About Your Speaker

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
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 Stallman ‘When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the
Generational Puzzle at Work’, 2002.
Overview of Generational Differences

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Source: Sattar Bawany, “Unlocking the benefits of a multi-generational workforce in Singapore” published by Singapore Business
Review, 24 January 2013: http://sbr.com.sg/hr-education/commentary/unlocking-benefits-multi-generational-workforce-in-singapore
Multigenerational Work Perspectives
Generation Years Born Work Perspectives
Traditionalists 1922 - 1945 “Company loyalty” - Believed they'd work for the same
company their entire career.
Boomers 1946 - 1964 “Live to work” - Believe in putting in face time at the
office. Women enter the workforce in large numbers.
Gen Xers 1965 - 1980 “Work to live” - Believe that work should not define their
lives. Dual-earner couples become the norm.
Gen Yers (Millennials) 1981 - 1994 “Work my way” - Devoted to their own careers, not to
their companies. Desire meaningful work.
Gen Zers (Linksters) 1995 to present “Living and Working their way” - Their struggles in the
work environment are tied to their youth and
inexperience. Desire for change, stimulation, learning
and promotion that will conflict with traditional
organisational hierarchies.

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
 Baby Boomers are retiring at
the rate of one every eight
seconds
 The vast majority of
organizational leaders are Baby
Boomers with the most typical
age being 58 years old.
 There are 11% fewer Gen Xers
than Baby Boomers
 Generation Y (twenty-five and
under) will not be
management/leadership
material for years to come
EDA Research: The New Realities

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Source: The Straits Times, 8 April 2010

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
 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.
 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.
 Multi-generational teams improve organizational
effectiveness and performance.
Adapted from: TAFEP’s Report on ‘Harnessing the Potential of Singapore’s Multi-generational Workforce’, 2010
http://www.fairemployment.sg/assets/files/Publications/Publication%20-%20Harnessing%20the%20Potential%
20of%20Singapore's%20Multi-Generational%20Workforce.pdf
Generational Diversity in Today’s
Workforce

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
 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
Multigenerational workplaces can be a source of positive challenge,
opportunity, and significant growth if managed effectively.
Benefits of Multigenerational Teams

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
How Does the Multi-Generational
Workforce Impact Employers?
HR professionals can play a strategic role by partnering with
their Business Leaders in meeting the needs of their
employees.
 Are there specific business units that have a higher percentage of baby
boomers set to retire in the next 10 years?
 What are some possible flexible work options that will simultaneously
attract all generations while encouraging Traditionalists and Boomers to
remain employed and play key roles in knowledge transfer, leadership
development, and mentoring of younger workers?
 How can Human Resources professionals coach managers to maximize
the performance of each generation?
 What specific tactics are HR professionals using to attract the ‘best and
brightest’ of the Gen Y employees that might differ from strategies used
for other generations?

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Source: “’Y’ Are They Different” – A Study of Gen Y at Work, Their Views and How They are Viewed,
Published by GMP & Temasek Polytechnic, 2009
Leadership Characteristics
That Gen Y-ers Want Their
Leaders To Demonstrate
Leadership Characteristics
That Managers From The
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.
http://www.gmprecruit.com/resource_hub/..%5Cpdf%5CResourceHub%5Cgeny_press.pdf
Leading Gen Y Employees

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Top Factors That Motivate Gen
Y To Stay In Organizations
Retention Strategies Most
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.
Engaging Gen Y Employees

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
 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.
Exercise: Managing the ROI on Gen Y?

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Bringing a New Type of Language
to the Workplace
 Your gf is getto lol
 Rofl nah she’s cool
 Lol coolies ttyl gtg pos
Your girlfriend is lower class
laugh out loud
Rolling on the floor…
Laugh out loud, stay cool,
talk to you later, got to go,
parents over (my) shoulder

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Generation Z: The digital natives
Students today are all
“native speakers” of
the digital language of
computers, video games,
instantaneous
communication, and the
Internet.
Students today are all
“native speakers” of
the digital language of
computers, video games,
instantaneous
communication, and the
Internet.
Source: Marc Prensky, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” (2001)

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
 The Linkster Generation (those born after 1995) is the one
just entering the workforce now. Like any other generation,
it brings its own mindset into the workforce.
 Linksters primarily work part-time while attending school.
 They are called Linksters because no other generation has
ever been so linked to each other and to the world through
technology. Their struggles in the work environment are
tied to their youth and inexperience.
 They are complete digital natives and cannot function
without communicating through social media.
 Desire for change, stimulation, learning and promotion that
will conflict with traditional organisational hierarchies.
Source: Generations, Inc., by Meagan Johnson and Larry Johnson. 2010, AMACOM.
Gen Z or The Linksters

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
 Get them into a routine that they can master.
 Generation Z will be unlike Baby Boomers, who are often
loyal to a firm. They don’t expect jobs for life and will move
onto the next job, similar to Generation Y.
 Managers of Generation Z employees will have to be
prepared to give regular feedback that tells them they are
making a difference to the organisation
 Development and work/life balance are more important than
financial reward, with both Gen Y & Z being committed to
their own personal learning and development.
Source: Edge Online Future of work - Employees 3.0: Managing Generation Z published on 28 August 2012
http://www.i-l-m.com/edge/managing_generation_Z.aspx
Managing Gen Z

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
• Profitability/ROI
• Cost Optimisation
• Employee Turnover /
Retention
• Employee Satisfaction
• Employee Loyalty
• Policy on CSR, Sabbatical
• Rewards and Flexibility
• Culture, Espirit De Corps
• EQ Level & EI Competencies
• Servant Leadership/Level 5
• Leadership Styles
Organisational Results
Talent Engagement
Organisational Climate
Leadership Effectiveness
Customer Loyalty
• Customer Satisfaction
• Service Value/
Relationship
Bawany, S. (2011) “Ways to achieve Organisational Success: Role of Leaders in Engaging the Multi-Generational Workforce” published by
Singapore Business Review, 1st November 2011. http://sbr.com.sg/hreducation/commentary/ways-achieve-incredible-organizational-success-0
Engaging Your Multi-Gen Talent

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Conclusion: Strategic Tips
 Build team spirit by talking about the
generational issues to depersonalize the
conflict that arises due to the differences.
 Recognize and celebrate the differences.
 Over communicate. Seek to understand
and only then to be understood.
 Engage through Managerial Coaching
 Encourage constant feedback and show
recognition for Y-er’s & Z-er’s contribution
 “Opportunities for Career Advancement”
and “Good Relationships” are key factors
 Learn to use technology – it is here to
stay!

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03o1JZ7c7gI
Video: Leading Multigenerational Team

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
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!!!
Final Thoughts

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© 2013 Centre for Executive Education Pte Ltd
www.ipma.com.sg
Prof Sattar Bawany
CEO, Centre for Executive Education &
Strategic Advisor, IPMA Asia Pacific
Email: sattar.bawany@ipma.com.sg
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bawany
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ipma.singapore
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sattarbawany
Skype: sattar.bawany
Keeping in Touch on Social Media