Arlington, Va. – A recent Eagle Hill survey of more than 1,000 working professionals nationwide suggests that generational preferences for change management align. Respondents said that strong leadership, effective communication, and understanding the need or reason for change were the most important factors to successfully adopt a change. What’s more, Millennials, Generation Xers, and Baby Boomers were split almost equally in their preference for these three factors.
Millennials, Generation Xers, and Baby Boomers responded similarly when asked their preferred medium for receiving information during change. In descending order: team meetings, one-on-one meetings, e-mails, group trainings, and company-wide meetings were each group’s preferred communication medium. Most respondents—regardless of generation—preferred forms of in-person communication over e-mail 4 to 5. When asked if they actually received the communication methods they preferred, respondents of all three generations said they experienced far more e-mails and too few one-on-one and team meetings.
“Successful managers know their people, the nuances of how they accept or reject change, and what individual employees may need to hear”, said Melissa Jezior, President and CEO of Eagle Hill Consulting. “Adding to this insight and concentrating on leadership and communication makes all the difference in leading people of all ages through change.”
Methodology
Eagle Hill conducted a nationwide online survey polling more than 1,000 full-time professionals about their experiences undergoing workplace change. The survey polled currently employed professionals across multiple industries and generations, including Millennials (238), Generation X (395) and Baby Boomers (443). The survey was conducted through SurveyMonkey in July 2014.
About Eagle Hill Consulting Eagle Hill provides management consulting services in the areas of business strategy, organizational transformation, human capital transformation, process improvement, program management, and change management. Eagle Hill works with a range of public, private, and non-profit organizations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Eagle Hill has been recognized by the Washington Business Journal and Washingtonian Magazine as a great place to work. More information at www.eaglehillconsulting.com.
