Facilitating Multi-generational Talent Collaboration in a Context-Critical World Through Design Capabilities

摘要

One of the major concerns in today‘s business world is talent retention and development.Leading and working with multi-generational workforce in the age of digital transformation may seem daunting,but this paper argues that it has its advantages in creating opportunities.Through interviews and case studies,this paper discovers that tensions in multi-generational collaboration often occur during the process of setting priorities for a group because different generations might have brought in different levels of capacity and willingness to take risks,and different levels of trust in,and care for people and the organization.The role of design in this context focuses more on capabilities,including observing generational behavioral nuances through practicing empathetic view,inviting people from different age into conversation and actively listening to them through the practice of shifting perspectives,and communicating complex situations through visualization and materialization for people to feel together.If we look at different generations in an organization as natural continuum of knowledge flow,if we see multigenerational workforce as one of driving forces to maintain organizational balance rather than tearing forces,and if we approach generational attributes with honesty,we could steer away from stereotypes and find common grounds to thrive together.