Modern Elders in a Multi-Generational Workforce

Am one myself.   Also a kind of diversity, but hardly emphasized these days.    Here a podcast and transcript on the topic of inter-generational workforces and 'Modern Elders',

Wisdom at Work: Why the Modern Elder Is Relevant  I K@W 

Airbnb executive Chip Conley discusses the benefits of having an inter-generational workforce.

Historically, the boss typically has been older than the staff. But in the last few decades, several trends converged that made it more common for employees to have younger managers. One catalyst is the shift from seniority-based promotions toward those based on merit, according to a research article in the Journal of Organizational Behavior. Also, as the pace of technology innovation increases, companies promote more tech-savvy younger workers into supervisory jobs. Meanwhile, older workers are staying employed longer due to such things as the disappearance of early retirement schemes.

Entrepreneur Chip Conley knows first-hand what it feels like to have a younger boss. The former hotelier works at Airbnb, where the CEO is two decades younger, as its head of global hospitality and strategy. But Conley believes that diversity of ages makes for a better workplace. His new book, Wisdom At Work: The Making of the Modern Elder, argues the case for this “intergenerational potluck” where everyone brings something to the table. He recently joined the Knowledge@Wharton radio show on SiriusXM to explain how one generation can learn from another.

An edited transcript of the conversation follows. .... "