Intergenerational Relationships and Knowledge Exchange

The key to including and engaging different generations in a workforce is an understanding of effective intergenerational relationshipsIntergenerationalrelationships. In essence, this means recognising and accepting age diversity and facilitating interactions between the generations. In an organisational context, management structures and leadership are vital to establishing and supporting multigenerational work teamsWork teams and programsMentoringprogram that foster relationships and knowledge exchangeKnowledgeexchange between age groups. Intergenerational teams and programs allow for the recognition and acceptance of complementary skill sets, increased communication channels, and development and training opportunities that address age-related biases. In this chapter we explore the nature and purpose of intergenerational relationships, and intergenerational knowledge exchange and mentoring as core components in building an equitable, productive and sustainable multigenerational workforce. Drawing on data from our case study organisations (CSOs), we identify both the opportunities and challenges associated with fostering and sustaining intergenerational relationships and provide evidence of strategies and programs implemented in contemporary workplaces to facilitate knowledge exchange and succession planning. We begin with an outline of the current state of thinking regarding intergenerational relationships and knowledge sharing within organisations, and then apply this in evaluating the evidence on the nature and quality of such relationships in our CSOs. The chapter concludes with recommendations to address some of the opportunities and challenges.