Product managers aren’t often able to manage the direct reporting of their employees. But, to ensure that a product is successful, it is common for us to have to be the ones being in charge of some sort of “virtual team” composed of individuals scattered throughout the company. In the event that our products are to be successful, it is essential to be effective in taking care of this virtual group. This means we have to figure out a way to tackle the issue of age gaps…
Where Did the Age Gap Come From?
Once you’ve created the definition of your product’s development, Now it’s time to manage the people who comprise the virtual team of your product. The situation may change from time to time. The situation, but for the moment, we have three distinct generations of employees that compose our teams. The first is the so-called “Baby Boomers”, who were born between 1946 and 64. They are the older people on the team. Then there are the “Generation Generation X” people who had their birth between the years 1964 and 1980. Then you’ll have the most recent generation of workers. They are known as the Millennials. They were born between 1908 and 2000. Best of luck in getting everyone working together to make your project successful!
The main issue facing an executive in charge of a product is that each of these groups is able to communicate in a distinct way, and all respond to different motivations. There isn’t one answer that will be able to bring everyone in the same direction when it comes to the product. If you are able to find an answer to this issue that way, you’ll have something for your resume as a product manager.
How should Product Managers Manage The Age Gap?
The first thing you’ll confront as a product manager is discovering the way that each generation wants to be communicated to. The answer will depend on the communication tools they were raised with and feel at ease with. The Baby Boomers are comfortable using the phone and face-to-face communication. They prefer face-to-face communication. Gen X workers are more comfortable with instant messaging and email. The Millennials also prefer using their smartphones and connecting via social media apps like Facebook as well as Twitter.
What each generation hopes to accomplish in their work (and creating the product) will be different for each generation. The senior people in your group will possess more knowledge of more traditional hierarchical organisations. The younger members are more comfortable in flatter organizations in which they feel they have the ability to contribute and their voices are heard. Be aware that this could result in conflicts when your older employees believe that the right to have their voice heard is to be earned over time.
As a product manager, it’s your responsibility to determine the ways that the members of your virtual team communicate and what they hope to gain from the work they do on your project. That means the responsibility of determining this information lies yours to discover. Once you’ve got this information, you are able to begin tailoring how you communicate with other members of your team in order to be sure that your messages and needs are acknowledged and accepted by the individuals you must engage with.
What does all Of This Mean For You
There would undoubtedly be a wonderful world if every single person who was on your company’s “virtual group” was the same. However, the reality isn’t always perfect, and you’ve got three distinct generations of employees to deal with, even when it wasn’t an element of the job description of your product manager.
Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials all have their own ways of communicating. They are also seeking different aspects out of their work. As a product manager, you have to know what these items are and use these to make connections with people in your team.
It’s unlikely to be straightforward, and there might be some people from one generation that prefer to follow the same method the other generation does. This is fine. It is essential to spend the time to determine what your product’s team would like to communicate with you and then make use of that information. Remember the fact that your item is likely to be as effective as the team who works on it. Find out what they are looking for. Give it to them, and then see them work hard to create a successful product.
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