HBR: Today, many organisations face an intergenerational challenge that, if left unaddressed, can lead to a significant waste of energy. We discuss this with Hermes Consulting.
We ask for the perspective of Diego Martone, consultant at Hermes Consulting and author of the book “Senza Età. Come generazioni diverse coesistono e insieme creano valore”.
Currently, four generations coexist in workplaces, often described solely in terms of what sets them apart: background, culture, language, needs, skills, and aspirations.
Company surveys on intergenerational dynamics often run into a common cliché: “It’s hard to understand, see, recognise one another and speak the same language”. This mindset is an easy shortcut, a blend of simplification and confirmation bias, which focuses almost exclusively on differences, often exaggerating and stereotyping them. The result is predictable: a breakdown in communication and a lack of mutual recognition.
How can we address these distortions? We can nurture human interoperability: a system that values every contribution through a unified, integrated, forward-looking perspective, looking beyond age to pursue a common goal.
Doing so is not merely beneficial; it is essential for the wellbeing of the organisation, generating positive outcomes for both business performance and people’s health.
Why is it so difficult for us to accept and integrate generational diversity, despite our conscious efforts? We ask Eleonora Ventura, Wellbeing Psychologist.
Integrating diversity has never been straightforward.
Neuroscience shows us that our brains naturally seek homogeneity and are wary of what we perceive as different. We are biologically wired to form an ingroup and reinforce its sense of worth by distinguishing ourselves from others, exaggerating the traits most distant from our own.
An instinctive mechanism that once helped simplify complexity. All too often, it has led us to overlook one another, judge to simplify, jump to conclusions, and exclude each other, reinforcing bias and stereotypes.
What do you see happening in organisations where generational silos exist? We ask Lucia Grazi, Partner for over 20 years and head of onboarding young talent at Hermes Consulting.
The “Young talent wanted” or “Talent drain” phenomenon is now unmistakable, running parallel to the marginalisation of people over 50.
The emergence of generational silos brings clear symptoms of dysfunction: we see ineffective communication and marked resistance to change, especially among senior members of the organisation. These points of friction not only restrict mentoring opportunities across generations, but also create tensions that undermine collaboration, making the work environment less cohesive. Furthermore, the lack of integration across generations often leads to high turnover: younger employees leave in search of new opportunities, while senior staff feel overlooked and undervalued.
In addition, the difficulty of driving deep innovation and the challenge of speaking the same language as new clients stem directly from knowledge that is not shared as it should be. What we learn and how we interpret information should be a collective asset, yet too often it remains compartmentalised.
Who can enable this transformation?
To transform corporate cultures, three parties must engage in dialogue: Management, HR, and a representative cross-section of generations.
We need an inclusive and attuned leadership, capable of facilitating connection and mediation between people, championing diverse contributions and bringing them together into a single voice. Likewise, HR needs to rethink the foundations of people development: from recruitment and evaluation to continuous team dialogue and tools that enable genuine sharing.
Eleonora, in your role as Client Manager, what do you suggest organisations do to identify and build upon strengths and areas for growth across different generations?
First, we run a workshop called “Senza Età”, after Diego’s book, to help leadership teams and managers uncover hidden biases.
Next, our approach captures an accurate picture of the organisation through generational climate surveys and inclusive focus groups, where we also explore potential future scenarios using a proven methodology. We identify the desired outcome and choose the steps to take together to achieve it: we call this Future-proof horizons strategies, and it immediately turns participants into active co-creators, making the journey truly “ours”.
And after building this awareness, Lucia, how do we break out of silos and bridge the gap for co-creation?
We do this through inclusive representation, where the Leadership Team, HR, and an intergenerational cross-section of employees co-create the Employee Value Proposition. Dedicated working groups embody different parts of the organisation and its culture, invited to capture and share aspects of their workplace both today and looking ahead. They reflect shared values, practices, and meaning.
This is followed by the Grounding Action Labs: practical programmes designed to turn culture into action. We bring together diverse groups who, starting from common goals and identity, first align on strategic priorities to be incorporated into the business plan. Then, they translate these action priorities into design sprints, testing, and pilot rollouts, tested within controlled environments and short cycles.
Generations come together and create together. Furthermore, we can align values and innovation. One example is the “Value Innovation Week”, an initiative involving the entire organisation to explore corporate values together and turn them into fresh ideas through cross-pollination and mutual understanding.
And let’s not forget the “Age of Value”, group coaching programmes designed to reignite the professional drive of experienced professionals, celebrating their expertise and encouraging the transfer of best practices.
How do you frame the projects you design around generational challenges?
We cultivate collective intergenerational intelligence.
Diego, how do you define intergenerational intelligence, and what impact does this approach have on workplace culture?
We see individual intergenerational intelligence as the ability to recognise the different perspectives, skills, and values of one’s own generation and others, harmonising them and finding common ground to develop new solutions.
Hermes Consulting brings this approach into organisations, viewing age diversity as a valuable asset rather than an obstacle.
Putting collective intergenerational intelligence into practice means building an environment where ethics, shared values, hands-on experience, proven practices, and role-specific expertise meet fresh ideas, open mindsets, and a renewed drive to collaborate towards a common purpose.
Through dialogue and intergenerational collaboration, organisations can significantly enhance their capacity to innovate and solve problems creatively. This lays the groundwork for stronger internal harmony, high resilience, and long-term organisational vitality.
How can organisations begin a project with you?
We are always keen to meet with interested organisations to explore the most suitable solutions for their context. You can reach out to lucia.grazi@hermesconsulting.com and visit our website at www.hermesconsulting.it
