Just when it seems as if businesses have coped with everything imaginable, they are experiencing a new challenge: a workforce made of at least four generations.

There are at least four generations in the workforce today, a trend expected to continue as the lifespan increases and people continue working well into their 60s for personal and financial reasons. Each generation has unique characteristics, with the younger ones greatly influenced by growing up with technology. Since each generation has a different communication style, career expectations, and technology comfort level, managers are challenged with promoting a collaborative business culture that elicits innovation from each generation by utilizing their particular skills, experience, and knowledge. To succeed requires developing a greater understanding of each generation’s perspective in critical areas like diversity, idea generation, technology as a collaborative tool, and stereotyping.