Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Managing an Intergenerational Workforce: Strategies for Health Care Transformation

Generational differences—one factor of diversity—are changing workforce dynamics. Traditionalists, baby boomers, Gen Xers and millennials have different priorities, attitudes, communication styles, work approaches and ways to interact with colleagues that influence organizational culture and performance. Hospital leaders can leverage common and unifying characteristics across all generations to create efficient teams. This is critical to finding success in a value-based environment and achieving Triple Aim outcomes—improved population health, better individual care experience and lower per capita cost of health care. The 2013 AHA Committee on Performance Improvement developed this report to help leaders build an organizational culture that develops and nurtures employees of all ages to provide excellent patient care. The report outlines three key strategies for health care leaders to implement:

• Build a strong generational foundation: Leaders need to understand their organization’s employee profile and develop programs and policies that will support individuals at all levels of the organization.
• Establish effective generational management practices: Leaders must focus on increasing the level of generational understanding among managers and supervisors so they can better manage their teams and relieve generational tensions in the workplace.
• Build generational competence: Once generational strengths are identified and leaders develop practices to leverage these strengths, they can spread generational understanding and sensitivity among the entire workforce.

Access the report here or below on "view item"

View the slide presentation.

View the video of Jim Diegel, 2013 chair of the Committee for Performance Improvement describing the report.

View Atlantic Health System's success story.

View the HPOE webinar for case studies and highlights of the report.