Prelims

Half Title Page

Leadership in Multigenerational Organizations

Title Page

Leadership in Multigenerational Organizations: Strategies to Successfully Manage an Age Diverse Workforce

AUTHORED BY

Michael Urick

Saint Vincent College, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2022

Copyright © 2022 Emerald Publishing Limited

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83982-735-8 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83982-734-1 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83982-736-5 (Epub)

Dedication Page

I learned to read at an early age in large part due to my relationship with my grandfather, Michael “Ug” Cilli. Thank you, Ug, for always being there for me and for helping me to read – I think you would be proud knowing that I’m now not just reading books but also writing them. You have been influential to me in so many ways – from the music I listen to and perform, to the way I approach interactions with others, and to the way that I see the world. We are (obviously) from different generations but are kindred spirits and the interactions that we had are exemplars of how people from different age groups can learn from each other. I am lucky to have known you and I miss you.

Contents

About the Author

Dr. Michael J. Urick is a Graduate Director of the Master of Science in Management: Operational Excellence (MSMOE) program and Professor of Management and Operational Excellence at the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania (USA). He received his PhD in Management (Organizational Behavior focus) from the University of Cincinnati. His MBA (focused in Human Resource Management) and MS (in Leadership and Business Ethics) are both from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and his Bachelor’s degree is from Saint Vincent College. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses related to organizational behavior, human resources, communication and conflict, organizational culture, operations, and research methods.

The MSMOE program, which he directs, focuses on providing aspiring leaders with cutting-edge management techniques to effectively problem solve, minimize waste, and continuously improve their organizations. The program has been regularly ranked as a “Top 50 Best Value Master’s in Management” program by Value Colleges and as a “Top Online Non-MBA Business Graduate Degree” by US News and World Report.

He is Six Sigma Green Belt certified and is also certified through the Society for Human Resource Management, through the True Lean Program at the University of Kentucky, as a Certified Conflict Manager, as MBTI Certified, and as Diversity Management Certified. He is the recipient of an “Excellence in Teaching” award from the Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati, the “Quentin Schaut Faculty Award” from Saint Vincent College, and a “Teaching Excellence” award from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs among other pedagogical honors. Internationally, he was also recognized by the Institute for Supply Management as a “Person of the Year” in the learning and education category.

Urick is the North American Associate Editor of Measuring Business Excellence Journal and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Leadership and Management. He is also the Editor for the Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture book series from Emerald Publishing.

His research interests include leadership, conflict, and diversity in the workplace. Much of his work focuses on issues related to intergenerational phenomena within organizations. He also often examines how popular culture can be used to advance organizational behavior theory. In addition to authoring or co-authoring over 50 publications including multiple books and peer-reviewed articles, he regularly presents at academic and practitioner international meetings such as the Academy of Management, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and Institute for Supply Management conferences. He is a regular speaker on age-related issues in the workplace throughout the United States and internationally (having presented on four continents) and is an Active Consultant on issues related to workplace interactions, organizational culture, and ethics. Michael has served as a reviewer for a variety of academic publications including the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Journal of Family Issues as well as the Organizational Behavior and Human Resources divisions of the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in addition to other conferences. For six years, he wrote a monthly blog where he blended his research and teaching interests to suggest practical and actionable items for readers to use in their current or future work situations.

Professionally, he has served on the boards of ISM-Pittsburgh in various roles including President and the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival. He has also served on the Westmoreland Human Resources Association board in various positions including Vice President. Prior to academia, he worked in a variety of roles related to auditing, utilities, environmental issues, and training and development. Through these experiences, he became fascinated with interactions in the workplace and how they might be improved which has influenced his academic career.

For fun, Urick enjoys music and, for 24 years, led and performed with a horn rock/jazz band that toured through over a dozen US states and released 11 albums.

Acknowledgments

With any book, even though one author’s name is on the cover, it truly takes a team to get it from an idea into its published form. That is certainly the case with this book and I am blessed that I have the best team on my side.

First, I want to thank my family, especially Janet and Lucy and my parents Rick and Mickie. Without your constant love and enduring support, none of my writing would ever happen. Thank you so much for everything that you do for me. I also want to thank my grandfather “Ug” for whom this book is dedicated. Thank you for your mentorship, friendship, and for teaching me how to read.

Second, I want to thank John Ludvik who worked as a student assistant in the McKenna School at Saint Vincent College while I was in the early stages of working on this book. Thank you for your assistance in helping me set up the interviews necessary to collect data for this book and for all of your behind-the-scenes work.

The current student assistants in the McKenna School, especially Alek Kraft and Kelsey Myers, have also been helpful in offering feedback on my writing. Additionally, they have been generous with their time in running errands and engaging in office work so that I could focus more on my writing. Thank you for all that you do.

I also need to thank everyone who has collaborated with me on research related to generational phenomena in the workplace. Without your partnership and insights, this book could not have happened. I especially want to thank Elaine Hollensbe, Sean Lyons, Suzanne Masterson, Gail Fairhurst, Jim Weber, Therese Sprinkle, Alperen Arslantas, Jim Baehr, Linda Schweitzer, and Lisa Kuron for our work together. Thank you also to Kelly Weeks, Stacy Campbell, and Emma Parry for your ongoing support of my research.

I would like to thank my Dean, Gary Quinlivan, Fr. Paul Taylor, President of Saint Vincent College, and Jeff Mallory, Executive Vice President and COO of Saint Vincent College. I truly appreciate your support of my research and your flexibility in allowing me to pursue my interests.

All of the individuals that agreed to be interviewed for my research were incredibly helpful. Thank you to all of you for sharing your insights and knowledge with me to help make this book specifically, and my other research projects more generally, so much richer. I wish that I could thank each of you individually here but, as you know, the interviews were done with the promise of confidentiality. I hope that each of you know how appreciative I am.

I want to thank my faculty colleagues as well as my support group of friends who listened to and offered feedback on my ideas. I also thank those friends and colleagues who provided additional stories related to generations in the workplace that helped to inform my writing. I especially want to thank Jim Buscaglio, Dave Braum, and Jeff Godwin for sharing their insights and perspectives with me.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank Lydia Cutmore and the entire Emerald team. I would especially like to thank Fiona Allison (the BEST Commissioning Editor ever) from Emerald. Thank you for talking me into doing this project and for your support and enthusiasm for all of my recent book projects. It is truly great to work with you.