Building capacity: Navigating organizational opportunities as if they were a subway system

8th Annual NW Diversity Learning Series (2006)

Session Four: July 13, 2006:
Becoming an Experienced Commuter: Bridging the Generation Gap in Moving up and Around the Organization

By Steve Hanamura

Four generations in the workplace

The fourth session of the NW Diveristy Learning Series focused on the impact of generational differences on career development and access to opportunities.

As part of the session, Steve Hanamura provided participants with a description of the characteristics/traits of the four generations that work side by side in today's workplaces.

Veterans (Traditionalists, Silent Generation) 1922-1945

They shook off the great depression and rejuvenated a failing economy. They won the world war and hammered out a lasting peace. They built a durable national infrastructure of inter-state highways, bridges and dams. Veterans are traditionalists at heart and believe in hard work.

Baby Boomers 1946-1964

The baby boom was more then just a postwar nine-months-after-the-party phenomena. It was the beginning of a dramatic reversal of an American population trend that had begun in the mid 1940s. It was the tumultuous and noisy dawn of a promising new day that had carried the Veterans through blackouts, rationing and the anxiety of separation. Boomers have a mix of hard work ethic and they were the group that marked the beginning of challenging the system of management. They pushed for what was then known as, "participative management," which was novel at the time.

Generation X 1965-1980

This group sees themselves as independent thinkers; they are technologically savvy and manage change well. They are creative in their problem solving approaches and are not intimidated by authority.

Generation Y (Millennials, Nexters, Echo Boomers, Neters) 1981 - 2000

This group likes to multi-task; they love branding and are committed to work hard while on the job. However, they challenge us to look at the importance of work / life balance.

Steve Hanamura, Hanamura Consulting, Beaverton, OR, was the presenter for the July 13 Diversity Learning Series session on generational differences and access to organizational opportunities.

The 2006 NW Diversity Learning Series (now in its 9th year) focused on the theme, Building Capacity: Navigating organizational opportunities as if they were a subway system.

Using the metaphor of a subway system, each of the six-bi-monthly morning seminars explored some of the ways that access to organizational opportunities and career development are hidden and therefore more difficult for women and people of color, as well as people who speak English as a second language, to utilize. The purpose of this Series was for everyone to become more aware of organizational culture and how it impacts building people's capacity, and for everyone, managers and employees, to become better at navigating these cultural obstacles along career paths.

For more information about the NW Diversity Learning Series, please visit the Series section of our website.

2006 Series Sponsors:

Gold Sponsors:

Silver Sponsor:

Bronze Sponsor:

Supporting Sponsors: