The Multi-Generational Workplace – This Year’s Core Workshop

We often take for granted that we have four different generations working side by side in the modern workplace. It’s an element that, if overlooked, can contribute to friction, miscommunication, and issues that reduce the vibrancy and positive energy in a culture. To address these dynamics, the multi-generational workplace will be the focus of this year’s MVCC Core Workshop, an element of our Employee Enrichment Program.

The years sometimes vary by experts, but the generations are generally labeled as Baby Boomers (1946-1964); Generation X (1965-1980); Millennials (1981-1996); and Generation Z (1997-2012). While individuals certainly have their own unique characteristics, there are general attributes, preferences, and styles that can be applied to each generation based on shared experiences and the context in which they were raised. With the acceleration of technology, some preferences between generations have become more distinct; however, each generation has wonderful assets and perspectives that add to the diversity and productivity of the workplace.

Our summer Strategic Horizon Network colloquium was titled “Engaging the Multi-Generational Workplace.” MVCC joined teams from eight other colleges in Omaha, Nebraska, to hear from the Gallup Organization and Quantum Workplace about the three million workplace surveys they conduct annually. We then visited Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific Railroad, Nebraska Medicine Health System, and the Omaha Public Power District to learn about their strategies and insights on the topic.

During the Omaha program, I learned about the four turnings of history and recently finished reading “The Fourth Turning is Here” by Neil Howe. The author provides an update on his previous research that identifies four generational archetypes (Hero, Prophet, Nomad, and Artist) that have appeared over the past 500 years in the Anglo-American historical pattern. These archetypes influence the ancient Roman belief in the saeculum — a natural cycle of civilization that occurs in four turnings (High, Awakening, Unraveling, and Crisis) over the period of a long life, roughly 80 to 100 years.

While one can identify shortcomings and certainly challenge parts of the framework, I do find it fascinating — just think about 80 years ago (World War II), and 80 years prior (U.S. Civil War), and 80 years prior (rethink the American Revolution as more of a Civil War between those loyal to the King and those of the rebellion). Here’s an eight-minute video where the author describes the four turnings and the generational influence in shaping them.

More directly related to the modern workplace, research from employee engagement surveys conducted by the Gallup Organization and Quantum Workplace has found that despite the differences between generations, individuals want the same things regardless of their age or generational grouping:

• Reasonable and fair compensation
• Flexibility
• Connection between their daily work and greater purpose
• Recognition for a job well done
• Opportunities to learn and grow

As a public community college committed to student success and community development, we strive to provide these five elements to the greatest extent possible. MVCC’s Core Workshop represents a unique opportunity for each of us to learn and grow. It’s a chance to have a shared experience with common information — usually just 60 to 90 minutes — with colleagues we may not interact with on a regular basis. I look forward to the conversations that come from this year’s workshop.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu

Reimagine | Redesign | Restore: A framework for an educated, skilled, and talented workforce in the Mohawk Valley

The Mohawk Valley region is a wonderful combination of urban and rural: left, right, and in-between; pervasive agriculture and semiconductor manufacturing; state-of-the-art healthcare and cybersecurity; inspiring professional sports and arts; the bedrocks of finance and insurance; storied history and the promise of refugees and immigrants. Our history is as alive as it is varied, and it will serve as the foundation of our future. The momentum in the Mohawk Valley is palpable, and many would say the future is as bright as it’s ever been for the region. Delivering on the promise and potential, however, will require an educated, skilled, and talented workforce for the future.

Creating the workforce for the future involves an increasingly individualized experience through a new educational model that clarifies options throughout extended career pathways with multiple on- and off-ramps for people to integrate education, learning, upskilling, and work more easily. In light of the demographic drought that explains workforce shortage challenges in most every industry throughout the country, it’s critically important to find more intentionally designed and inclusive educational program solutions for everyone to more easily find their way into skilled jobs with career potential.

It is within this context that Mohawk Valley Community College has developed a three-level framework to provide our region with a comprehensive workforce solution, offering abundant pathways for individuals to enter into sustainable, well-paying careers. By embracing the “Big Blur” framework from Jobs For the Future, MVCC is partnering with the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM)-BOCES and their component school districts to “Reimagine” the transition from high school to college. With new agreements related to more intentionally shared professional development and educational programming, as well as an innovative partnership for alternative education students, students will benefit from the blurring of lines between high school, college, and work.

The second level of the framework involves redesigning the student experience — a journey of organizational transformation that MVCC has been pursuing since 2018. From remapping curriculum to rethinking developmental education and moving from traditional academic advising to case management advising with wrap-around holistic supports and other disruptive strategies, MVCC has intentionally and effectively redesigned our programs, systems, and processes for a more individualized, efficient, and meaningful student experience.

Finally, restoring the promise of education is the final component to this framework for the future. For the past 40 years, societal norms in this country have fostered a collective narrative that attending college was the singular path to prosperity. While annual income data may reflect this to a certain level, the messaging became narrowly myopic in selling a four-year degree as the primary form of college when multiple options and pathways can yield similar results. Restoring the promise of education requires disrupting our assumptions about who has access to postsecondary education; what they need to learn; how the programming is delivered and paid for; and the pace and rhythm by which education is accessed across varying durations.

The Reimagine | Redesign | Restore framework is intended to serve as a guide for Mohawk Valley Community College and our partners to push ourselves and continue to disrupt our approach to education, learning, and workforce development in the region. This conceptual white paper provides more details for you to consider as we evolve our thinking to bring these elements to life in the years to come.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu