Alina Pospischil

Alina PospischilAge Differences

In communicationThe power ofyouthFashion of being young:In developed countries like U.S., desire to be young is easilynoticeable. Is because our cultures are much more young-orientated than 20/30 years ago.

Youth = strenght, energy, possibilities, freedomEarlieragesymbolizedwisdom,experience and elicitedrespect.Now age is associated with something completely different.

Age = declining powers, loss of respect and authority

Ourculturetendstotreatthe elderly aslessimportant group, but the fact is, that they can often offer broader experience, more business relationships (because they were nurtured over many years) and high degrees of practical inteligence.

Practical intelligence = ability to solve complex, poorly defined problems.

Contrast In many Asian sociates employee, who can boast of more than a mature age usually earns respect and much more power than young employee.

In many cultures leadership rolesareavailable only for older people, and the most powerful jobs and most impressive titles are reserved only for the oldest.

If a younger employee disagrees with one of these senior executives, the discussion is never conducted in public. Is because of notion of saving face (avoiding public embarrassment).SolutionHow to avoid age-related conflictsRespecting one anotherWorking toward common goals as a specialistVirginia Byrd said its a real blessing to have different generations in our workplaces. There is so much we can share, if we make the effort.