The Potential Alliance Between Old And New Generations In The Workplace

Forbes

26-06-2025

Davide Sartini, Chief Corporate Officer at G. Mondini Spa / Forbes Italy's Top 100 CMOs (2021) | Capital Magazine's Top 150 Managers (2020).
In the 1989 film Dead Poets Society, the legendary Professor Keating urges his students to think for themselves, challenging social conventions and preconceived notions. The film can be read as a powerful metaphor for the limits we place on ourselves when facing complex existential challenges. Let's apply this concept to a challenge I often witness in the workplace: generational confrontations.
I often come across conversations among ambitious young professionals who, perhaps driven by their hunger for success, tend to speak of older generations with a certain superficiality, reinforcing the stereotype of Gen Z seeing 'boomers' as outdated and unable to keep pace with change. Older generations fear being replaced by younger colleagues, while younger professionals fear not having the space to show their talent and ideas. But is this actually the case? Are we really obstacles to each other, or is it a cognitive barrier, a prejudice that weakens us all by preventing us from appreciating people who are different from us and who, precisely because of this difference, can bring added value?
Innovation is not a question of age but a state of mind. As we are reminded, a revolution does not come from the introduction of a new technology but from the adoption of new behaviors.
Now, more than ever, the interactions—sometimes bordering on unproductive conflict—between different generations, shaped by different educations, study paths and historical contexts, risk becoming a missed opportunity. In my view, this intergenerational overlap represents the greatest advantage that democratic Western societies have in addressing both the major challenges of our time and the more enigmatic, fascinating ones that lie ahead.
A survey conducted by the Adaptavist Group and discussed in an article in the Financial Times highlighted a mix of distrust between generations in the workplace. Those over 50, for example, have even criticized younger colleagues for not having traditional pens on their desks, replaced instead by tablets and smartphones—tools the younger generation is more comfortable with. The topic of intergenerational exchange and renewal is increasingly relevant as millions of new workers—better educated and trained on modern technologies than those nearing retirement—are expected to enter the global workforce.
In my view, the value that older generations can provide to their younger cohorts lies precisely in their hands-on experience and commitment to their values. Generations Y and Z, on the other hand, bring in new skill sets, especially digital ones, having grown up—or even been raised from infancy—with technology. These young people remain ambitious and carry new values focused on social rights, with fresh priorities and expectations.
Many of the stereotypes about the Baby Boomer generation highlight their strengths: their dedication to work, the fact that they grew up during the post-war economic boom and that they witnessed firsthand a strong economy. An indisputable strength of Generation Y (also known as Millennials) is their duality: they are both analog and digital, having lived through the transition between these two ways of writing, working, thinking and living. They are a bridge generation that faced challenges because of this, but today they have a great deal to offer.
Faced with such human potential, does it really matter whether there's a pen on someone's desk? I believe the true challenge for today's leaders, who must manage such different teams, lies in distinguishing actual problems from simple differences in working style. In other words, to recognize and value individuality, to appreciate people for their distinctive traits and broad potential without falling into ideological rigidity. After all, this has always been true—not only across age groups but also across cultures, social backgrounds and political perspectives. These differences have never stopped organizations that knew how to integrate diversity and amplify uniqueness.
Today, we have more people and better tools to do just that. Different cultures, different personal stories. Those who have spent 30 years working in a world dominated by the analog still have a lot to teach—from stress management, to patience, to the ability to introduce technologies that generate real value. It is not a question of adopting a novelty just because it is considered 'innovative' but of choosing what is actually useful.
At the same time, younger generations have a better grasp of digital tools and broader technological fluency simply because they grew up with them. For that reason, they face no resistance to using them at work. The only real answer, once again, lies with managers who are called to lead companies and teams rich in human capital, diverse in every sense. A good leader can help shape wiser, more grounded young professionals and encourage seasoned workers to be bolder and more digitally savvy. Isn't that what every leader hopes for? And who knows, maybe even the old pen will find its way back onto the desk, perhaps just to scribble a morning greeting on a Post-it, stuck to the coffee machine—still the most enduring symbol of intergenerational connection.
Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?