Mentorship programmes are necessary to keep up with the changing industry needs. Between 56% to 71% of organisations now use mentoring to some degree — and chances are you do, too.
But are you still stuck with the traditional hierarchy-based, senior mentor-junior mentee approach? Then, you might be ignoring an excellent method to create a more well-rounded workforce.
The business world is now at a juncture where baby boomers, millennials, and Gen Zs are leading professional lives at the same time. However, they have different priorities and outlook in their personal and professional lives. While the baby boomers are more idealistic and driven, the younger generations prioritise work-life balance and believe in thinking outside the box.
Now, you can either see this generational gap as a roadblock or take the more profitable way and turn it into a holistic learning programme in your company.
Want to do the latter? Try cross-generational mentoring.
It combines your older employees’ extensive experience with the fresh ideas of the younger ones. Result? You get a diverse and resilient workforce capable of handling varied business challenges.
what is cross-generational mentoring?
Cross-generational mentoring is when a company pairs an employee from one generation with an employee from another with the aim of knowledge sharing and mutual growth. It is a type of peer-to-peer mentorship that recognises everyone, no matter how experienced, has several things to learn from others.
In simple terms, cross-generation mentoring puts both the involved individuals to act as mentors and mentees. Unlike traditional mentorship programmes, pairing an upper-level employee with a junior-level employee isn’t a requirement — you just need to bring together people from different age groups.
Benefits of cross-generational mentoring in business
Mentoring employees isn’t a new trend. So why are we particularly emphasising cross-generational mentoring? How exactly does it benefit your business? Let’s find out.
Knowledge Transfer
Older and experienced employees in your workforce have a wealth of knowledge and skill that only comes with practical experience. Alternatively, younger generations are generally more fluent in the latest technology and fresh perspectives.
Cross-generational mentoring lets them exchange their unique expertise with each other, creating a well-rounded workforce. Younger ones learn how to uphold the company’s culture and work in a team, while experienced employees learn how to adapt to new trends and implement non-traditional ideas in their roles.
As the baby boomers in your workforce keep retiring, they take years of institutional knowledge with them. You risk losing critical skills from your company because you can’t entirely document and add such acumen to your training modules.
Solution? Let your older employees transfer what they know to the younger ones before they retire through cross-generational mentoring. They can offer regular feedback and help the new-age mentees hone their knowledge.
Skills diversification
Different generations usually have varied approaches to problem-solving. While the extensive industry experience of your older employees is critical to business success, they are often averse to trying new solutions.
The Millenial and GenZ are far more advanced in the technical lingo and aren’t afraid to take risks. However, they lack the experience to mitigate the potential pitfalls.
You can’t just bridge this generational gap through traditional training and mentoring. So, let them learn from each other’s strengths through cross-generational mentoring since such programmes give them opportunities to exchange ideas and apply them in practical situations together.
For example, pair a Gen Z and a baby boomer in your marketing team for your cross-generational mentorship programme. Here, the younger employee can teach the older one how to leverage social media to its full potential for their campaigns. The baby boomer, on the other hand, can teach their partners how to maintain the marketing standards of your industry.
Cross-generational mentorship creates an exchange of strengths, alleviates weaknesses, and builds a diversely skilled workforce. It broadens their perspective and makes them more resilient to abrupt business problems.
Holger Sindbaek, the owner of WOCG, shares, “In our lean, remote team, we embraced cross-generational mentoring as a cornerstone of our culture. This wasn’t about formal training sessions but a seamless exchange of skills and insights across digital platforms. From shared documents to spontaneous video calls, every interaction became a learning opportunity. This approach diversified our skill sets and fostered a sense of unity and innovation, proving invaluable for our asynchronous work environment. It’s a testament to how mentorship can thrive beyond traditional boundaries, enriching both our professional growth and the vibrancy of our team dynamics.”
leadership development
After working for a company throughout the years, older employees are bound to have valuable leadership skills. They know what it takes to command a team and how to get the best out of their subordinates. However, their younger counterparts are more in tune with the workforce’s expectations today.
Your seasoned employees are close to the core of your organisational culture. They know the work habits of their colleagues and what keeps the morale high in your workplace.
Cross-generational mentorship lets the older mentees pass on their tried-and-true leadership recipes to the younger generation. They can coach younger employees about diverse communication styles, resolve conflicts, and uphold your organisation’s core values. Experienced mentors can also teach ways to harness empathy and collaboration — a crucial skill for any leader.
Younger mentors can contribute insights into new leadership skills and the results they bring to the modern workplace. They can teach their seniors how employee priorities are changing and what a current-day professional looks for in their leader.
enhanced communication and collaboration
Seamless communication and teamwork are the lifeblood of any organisation. However, when you have different generations working together, misunderstandings may happen.
Your Gen Z and millennial employees may use jargon, slang, and cultural references your older employees don’t understand, hindering prompt communication in the workplace. The baby boomers may prefer to talk face-to-face, while the younger ones tend to send texts. The younger ones may want to push innovative changes, which the older ones may resist. This creates communication barriers and hinders workplace collaboration.
Cross-generational mentorship gives them a levelled learning field. As both act as mentors and mentees, they bond without feeling intimidated by the hierarchy. They learn to overcome age-related prejudices, understand and appreciate each other’s views and strengths, and work together harmoniously.
succession planning
Organisations must implement succession planning strategies to replace team leaders and executives so the workflow doesn’t get hampered when they leave. You can identify high-potential individuals from your workforce and pair them with older team leaders and managers through cross-generational mentorship.
Older employees nearing retirement can groom the younger generation with leadership wisdom and crucial strategic information about their particular roles. This keeps your succession pipeline filled with employees who can step up to the positions one day, ensuring a seamless transition once an older employee retires.
enhanced employee engagement
Cross-generational mentorship lets your employees connect beyond the barriers of the generation gap and professional responsibilities.
Your older employees may experience burnout because they have been working for years. However, the younger generation’s infectious energy and zeal for learning can fill them with new vigour towards their job. They can challenge baby boomers’ lack of agile perspectives, pushing them to learn new things and boosting employee engagement.
The millennials and Gen Zs can learn how to navigate the complexities of corporate life from their seasoned mentors. They can get professional advice from their older counterparts and feel supported. Such workplace bonds make your employees look forward to a workday filled with learning, mutual respect, and appreciation. This boosts productivity, engagement, and retention.
adaptability and innovation
Cross-generational mentoring lets you blend the strengths of different generations. Old employees bring their years of industrial acuity, while the younger ones add freshness and creativity.
Combining traditional experience and modern perspectives leads to more innovative business solutions. Every generation in your workforce elevates the process with each others’ strengths, boosting their adaptability to impromptu problems.
Get started with cross-generational mentoring programmes
Before we wrap up, here is a rundown on why you must prioritise cross-generational mentoring for your business:
- It transfers critical institutional wisdom from the baby boomers to the new-age employees.
- Pairing two people of different generations lets them exchange their strengths and creates a well-rounded workforce.
- Cross-generational mentoring also develops leadership skills and fosters seamless succession.
- It fosters mutual respect, driving better difference management, communication, and collaboration.
- Older employees feel energised to learn new things, while younger employees feel supported — improving workplace engagement.
- Cross-generational mentoring drives innovations and collective adaptability.
Start cross-generational mentoring programmes in your organisation today to stay on top of the changing business standards while upholding your core traditions and values.
Author: Juned Ghanchi – Co-Founder and CMO, Indian App Developers
Photo credit: Vanessa Garcia
