Resultados del Análisis de Varianza de las variables a estudiar

Chapter One attempts to define the concept of „generation‟ and includes an analysis of relevant literature which points to the following:

 There is much interest in the topic of inter-generational issues;

 There are generational as well as age-related differences which affect the dynamics of organisations;

 These differences are capable of instigating surprising emotional responses;

 There are some ways of managing the different generations which can minimise the extent of the inter-generational conflict.

Chapter Two describes the research organisation‟s (ResOrg) history and its culture, and the Research Project Design. This consisted of many different methods for gathering research in an attempt to balance the quantitative (through an

Engagement Survey) with the qualitative (individual interviews and case studies).

Organisational Snapshot

This is a study of one organisation‟s experience (ResOrg) with generational

differences, and although caution needs to be exercised about the degree to which generalisations to other organisations can be made, there has been some testing of the emerging hypotheses in other organisational environments. It must also be pointed out that the research was conducted at one point in time, before the global economic crisis changed the nature of the world‟s economy and the economic prospects for this company. Therefore the research findings will only apply to the organisation in that environment and although hypotheses can be drawn about people‟s behaviour in uncertain economic times, they will only be hypotheses and not backed by actual research data.

I had been working as a consultant to the particular organisation I approached to do my research project with. Each time I ran a two-day leadership workshop the conversation invariably turned to the trouble they were having managing the

33 different generations and I was curious about some of the approaches they were taking to attract and retain young graduates.

ResOrg described itself as „an international professional services company‟ which, according to their web page delivered „innovative solutions by combining technical skill and experience with an understanding of [our] clients‟ objectives‟. If I was a bit confused about the primary task of the organisation, there were others in the company who were also unclear.

It is fair to say that at the time of the study, the organisation was experiencing considerable change which was taking it in a different direction from its roots as a provider of engineering consulting services to the government water industry. Historically, these services included anything from building pipelines and sewers to constructing dams and bridges. It was generally staffed by „grey hair‟ engineers who had built up significant and valuable experience in the water industry. It expanded and changed over the years by an association with different engineering consulting companies based in other Australia states. These regions were

managed independently but the senior managers came together as a Board to deliver corporate objectives. When they formally incorporated in the nineties, they remained a privately owned company with employee-owned shareholdings. A Board is elected (not openly) by the shareholders. In people‟s minds it is largely shrouded in mystery and they fantasise that it consists of older male engineers from the „old school‟ although when pressed to elaborate, people concede that there are at least two „younger‟ men (50-something) with more innovative mindsets on the board. The others are described as „older male engineers‟, the implication being that they are conservative by nature.

Historically, people have been actively encouraged to retire when they turn 60 but were given a couple of years to exit the company. This policy has changed over recent times. Over the years, the company broadened its engineering capabilities, incorporated architecture as a discipline and became a consulting company offering all things to all people – anywhere! They acquired several companies and recently added another architecture firm to their list. For a few years they experimented with management consultancy but found that this was neither profitable nor was it their core business.

34 Prior to the global economic crisis in 2008 they rapidly grew from 1800 to 6000 employees in just fifteen months, and had offices throughout the world with significant investment in the Middle East and Asia. At that time 60% of employees had been in the company for less than three years. They were heady times for the company but posed new challenges, not the least of which was how to retain its culture and values while expanding so rapidly and into so many other different countries. In one rapidly expanding location it was reported that there were thirty different nationalities amongst the 320 employees.

The work culture in the Australian business was largely male, engineering and sometimes described as „old fashioned‟ but there seemed to be a genuine respect for each other. In fact „Respect‟ was one of their espoused core values, along with „Teamwork‟ and „Integrity‟. A few women were brought in to fill senior roles and others took up HR positions. Office space was predominantly open-plan and most managers sat in cubicles with their staff when they were not in meetings. And from all reports, senior technical engineers were mostly in meetings and hard to pin down when needed by younger employees.

At the time of the research study „billable hours‟ or „utilisation‟ drove everything they did. An incredible percentage of hours - more than 90% - was expected each week to be billed to the clients. This didn‟t leave much time for managing or training or coaching or developing others or learning or reflecting or networking as I was so often told in my workshops. Time sheets dominated everything. And at the time of the research, the revenue was rolling in. The major challenges were in attracting new professionals and in retaining them at all levels of the organisation because they were experiencing huge competition for technical professionals, especially engineers and environmental scientists, from other companies. In workshops the major challenge cited was: „how to resource new projects‟. On the one hand they had to keep the utilisation up; on the other they had to recruit and train new people to deliver. How could they deliver on this impossible task, they asked?

35 Ethical Considerations

Permission to study the organisation was given by the Director of HR in a signed document. Each of the Organisational Role analysis (ORA) participants volunteered for the assignment, read a „Plain Language for Individuals‟ letter, and signed an „Informed Consent‟ form. Participants in the Young Professionals‟ Group (YPG) conference also read a „Plain Language‟ statement and signed an Informed Consent form. The transcript of each individual interview was sent back to them for

correction and approval. The names of individuals have been changed in order to preserve confidentiality.