MGMT1201: Business Report on Generational Communication

This business report, prepared for Process Leadership, analyzes communication challenges across different generations (Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials) in the workplace. The report presents findings from primary research on communication preferences, including phone calls, texting, and email, considering factors like age and gender. It highlights the varying attitudes towards work, information retrieval, and expectations among the generations. Secondary research supports these findings, emphasizing the increasing reliance on digital communication, particularly email. The report summarizes that communication preferences vary with age, gender, and exposure to digitalization, concluding that a one-size-fits-all approach to corporate communication is ineffective. The report recommends adapting communication strategies to cater to generational differences to foster a positive and efficient work environment.

Front Matter
REPORT TITLE: Business Report for
fostering improved communication
channel
COMPANY NAME
DATE
AUTHOR
Process Leadership

REPORT TITLE
Executive Summary:
This report intends to present a detailed business report to the senior management of ‘Process
Leadership’. The report would critically assess and highlight the communication needs of the
different generation groups and propose recommendations that can be adapted to envision a
positive work place. The report also presents primary statistical data in relation to the preferred
mode of communication in accordance to age groups and gender groups for professionals
working in North American offices. Also, secondary data has also been used for supporting the
primary research findings and devising relevant recommendations.
2

REPORT TITLE
Table of Contents
Report Body:................................................................................................
Introduction:.................................................................................................
Findings and Analysis:.................................................................................
Summary:...................................................................................................
Recommendations:.....................................................................................
3

REPORT TITLE
Report Body:
Introduction:
Maintenance of effective
communication channel forms an
integral aspect within a workplace.
As per Murray (2017), it has been
stated that within a team a group of
different team members’ work who
possess different personality types
and a different perspective towards
work. In this regard it should be
mentioned that the organization
‘Process Leadership’ has been in the
field of advising companies within
North America. The company
majorly works on one to six months
of projects with organizations that
are intending to develop open and
collaborative organizational work
environment.
However, lately the organization has
been experiencing poor leadership
and this has created a negative
impact within the workplace.
Working with a diverse team of
professionals requires the
implementation of dynamic
communication tools. The primary
reason for the same being the diverse
intercepting ability of the
professionals within a team.
Research shows that while the
millennial tend to be functional
communicators, the Generation X on
the other hand tend to be personal
communicators.
As per Murray (2017), in order to
maintain an effective communication
channel across an organization it is
pivotal to identify and understand the
distinct communication need of every
group of professionals. It should
further be kept in mind that a similar
communication channel does not
cater to the communication need of
every professional group. This
account for the reason why at present
Findings and Analysis:
A primary research study was conducted in order to
evaluate the difference in the level of communication
needs between the three generations of Baby Boomers,
Generation X and Millennial (Murray, 2017).
The differences were studied broadly under the
categories of communication, attitude to work,
information, their expectations at work, key areas of
focus and priorities. For the Baby-Boomers, it was
evaluated that the preferred communication medium was
primarily face-to-face conversation. For the generation
X, the preferred communication medium was Email or
instant messaging and for the millennial the preferred
mode of communication was ‘texting’.
In relation to the attitude to work, the baby boomers
were predominately ‘loyal’ and committed to their work.
The generation X, primarily associated work to be a
survival strategy and for the millennial the work was
secondary to play.
With respect to the retrieving information, the Baby
Boomers possessed a perspective of getting the
information printed, whereas the Generation X, relied
more on the mode of sending a copy of the information
to the concerned; whereas, the millennial were more
likely to be self-reliant and Google up the information.
The primary expectations at work for the Baby Boomers
was to command respect for the designation, whereas for
the Generation X it was primarily about commanding
respect for their idea and the Millennial were more likely
to command respect for the skills.
The primary areas of focus for the Baby-Boomers was
more concentrated on the work process, for the
Generation X, it was more focused on the process
outcome; whereas for the Millennial the focus was more
confined to the area of involvement.
With relation to the criteria of priorities, the Baby
Boomers prioritized work; the Generation X prioritized
family whereas for Millennial the priority was mainly
their group of friends.
Having understood the key differences between each of
the generations, it is clear that in terms of priority,
interests as well as work expectations; all the three
generations are striking different from one another. This
precisely explains why a single mode of communication
would not work efficiently for the members of the three
different generations. In this respect, it should be
mentioned that this section would assess the readiness of
the members of the three different generations to
4

REPORT TITLE
there are differences that have
slowed down the organizational
dynamics for the firm; ‘Process
Leadership’. This report intends to
address the existing crisis within the
organization using the available
evidence base data and the primary
research results so as to improve the
quality and efficiency of the work
environment.
communicate over the mediums of phone calls, texting
and email.
The overall findings of the primary research data in
response to using phone calls as a medium of
communication characteristically differed on the
parameters of age and gender. Statistical evidence
showed that within the North American offices,
communication via phone calls was mostly preferred by
the age group of 21 to 30 years. 77.1% of the individuals
belonging to the age group believed that communicating
over phone calls reduces the scope of
miscommunication. The research data further suggested
that 74.7% of the individuals aged between 31 to 40 also
believed that communication conveyed over a phone call
reduced the scope of miscommunication. 55.2% of the
individuals aged between 41 to 50 years also believed
the communicating over phone calls reduced
possibilities of miscommunication; followed by 45.9%
of the individuals aged 51 to 65 years of age who
supported the fact. Overall, the statistical data showed
that within North American offices, 64.0% of the total
males preferred phone call as the optimal medium of
communication against 53.7% of the female employees.
The collected research data further reflected that 70.4%
of the male employees believed that communication
over phone calls made it easier to communicate against
65.2% for the females. In this aspect, maximum
preference towards phone call conversation was shown
by individuals aged between 21 to 30 years of age
(88.6%), followed by 81.1% for the individuals aged 31
to 40 years. Relatively lesser preference in relation to
this criterion was shown by individuals aged between 41
to 50 years (66.7%) and (54.1%) for individuals ages 51
to 65 years.
In relation to phone call being an effective medium for
improving relations with colleagues, the response
retrieved was similar for both the genders; 51.3% for
both males and females. It was most preferable for
individuals aged 21 to 30 years equivalent to 88.6%,
moderately preferable for 70.5% of the individuals aged
between 31 to 40 years and relatively less preferable
equivalent to 60.9% for individuals aged between 41 to
50 years and 42.1% for individuals aged between 51 to
65 years. With respect to the criteria of phone calls being
a medium to improve relations with clients; the retrieved
statistics were almost similar for both males and females
equivalent to 66.1% for males and (61.6%) for the
females. The mode of communication was mostly
5

REPORT TITLE
preferable for individuals aged between 21 to 30 years
equivalent to 88.6% followed by for individuals aged 31
to 40 years, equivalent to 82.1%. The mode was
moderately preferable for employees aged 41 to 50 years
equivalent to (60.09%) followed by 46.6% for females
aged between 51 to 65 years. In relation to the criteria of
work being made easier with the use of phone call
conversation, the response across the male and female
groups was retrieved equivalent to 65.6% for the males
and 64.0% for the females. For individuals aged, 21 to
30 years, 88.6% of the individuals preferred the mode of
conversation followed by 75.8% for individuals aged 31
to 40 years. 63.2% of the individuals aged between 41 to
50 years and 51.9% of the individuals aged between 51
to 65 years preferred to communicate over phone calls.
6

REPORT TITLE
Reduces
miscommunicatio
n
Makes
communication
effective
Improves relations
with colleagues
Improves relations
with clients
Makes work
0.00%
5000.00%
10000.00%
15000.00%
20000.00%
25000.00%
30000.00%
35000.00%
40000.00%
Similar criteria were used in order to assess the attitude of professionals towards text
messaging as a source of communication. The findings suggested that 37.6% of the male
employees believed texting helped to reduce miscommunication against 34.8% of the female
employees. 54.3% of the age group between 21 to 30 years stated that communicated helped
to reduce miscommunication, against 42.1% of the individuals aged between 31 to 40 years
and 21.3% within the age group of 51 to 65 years. Further, 41.4% of the males agreed that
texting made communication easier against 45.7% of the females. Overall, 71.4% of the
individuals agreed that texting made communication efficient against 55.8% for individuals
aged between 31 to 40 years, followed by 41.3% for individuals aged between 41 to 50 years
and 24.6% for individuals aged between 51 to 56 years. Further, 32.3% of the males believed
that texting helped to improve relation with colleagues against 21.3% for the females. 60.0%
of individuals aged between 21 to 30 years believed that texting improved relations with
colleagues against 37.9% of the individuals aged between 31 to 40 years. Also, 28.7% of the
individuals aged 41 to 50 years agreed that texting was a convenient mode of communication
against only 11.4% of the individuals belonging to the age group of 51 to 65 years.
32.3% of the males believed that texting helped to improve relationship with clients against
26.8% of the female employees. 54.3% of the individuals aged between 21 to 30 years,
34.7% of the individuals aged between 31 to 40 years, 31.0% of the individuals aged between
41 to 50 years and 24.3% of the individuals aged between 51 to 65 years believed that texting
was an optimal mode of communication for improving relations with clients. Further, 43.5%
of the males and 40.02% of the females believed texting as a convenient communication
option. 65.7% of the individuals aged 21 to 30 years, 56.8% of the individuals aged between
31 to 40 years, 35.6% of the individuals aged between 41 to 50 years and 21.3% of the
individuals aged between 51 to 65 years believed texting were an effective communication
medium that made work easier.
7

REPORT TITLE
Reduces miscommunication
Makes communication efficient
Improves relations with colleagues
Improves relations with clients
Makes work easier
0.00%
2000.00%
4000.00%
6000.00%
8000.00%
10000.00%
Males
Females
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-65
Total
Secondary evidence from research studies revealed that Email was the most preferred mode of
communication for the members of Generation X and the Millennial (Stevenson, 2019).
Research data also showed that the members of the Baby Boomer generation were also
moderately reliant upon emails as an effective mode of communication for important business
affairs (Sanina et al., 2016). Research studies specifically indicated that the proportion of baby
boomers within the workforce was gradually diminishing and the Generation X and the
Millennial being increasingly exposed to digitalization over their growing up years have resulted
in the increased preference of using electronic mail as the most convenient option for
communication (Eyre, 2016).
8

REPORT TITLE
Summary:
On the basis of the primary and secondary research
findings, it can be summarized that the preference of
communication media varied with respect to gender and
age. Exposure to digitalization was also noted to be one of
the characteristics that determined the feasibility and
acceptance of a mode of communication. While texts
were relatively a lesser preferred mode of communication
for the individuals aged between 41 to 65 years, a
relatively increased acceptance was witnessed over phone
calls as the mode of official communication. The
employee survey across the North American work places
showed that individuals across all age groups believed on
a scale of strong to moderate degree about phone call
being an effective communication mode to connect with
colleagues and clients and agreed that it helped make
work easier. Further, communication over digital media
was also preferred by the members of the Generation X
and millennial but had lower acceptance among the baby
boomers. One of the explanations could be due to the
limited exposure to internet during the development
years. Hence, overall the findings revealed that different
generation groups across the floor require different
approach for corporate communication (Eyre, 2016).
Recommendations:
Compliance with the following recommendations can
enable the organization to recreate its positive workplace
environment (Sanina et al., 2016):
Adapt measures to match the media with the recipient
The findings show the recipients of the Baby-Boomers’
category are more likely to prefer formal tone of
communication. Hence, using written communication in
the form of e-mail or voice call would help foster
effective communication across this age group. On the
contrary, making use of social media messages, blog
posts and using a moderately informal tone is likely to
intercept the attention of the millennial and the generation
X members.
Careful choice of the media and the message
 Use of simpler texts for setting up meetings
 Use of mails for the circulating lengthy
notice/memos/circulars
 Use of face to face mode of communication for
9

REPORT TITLE
discussing critical business matters
Facilitating unity within work place
Effective use of open-ended discussion sessions would
help strengthen intra-team relationships and assist in the
fostering of a positive and a highly productive work-place
environment.
10

REPORT TITLE
Back Matter:
References:
Eyre, E. C. (2016). Business Communication: Made
Simple. Elsevier.
Stevenson, C. N. (2019). Help Me Understand:
Effectively Communicating Across Generations.
In Handbook of Research on Strategic Communication,
Leadership, and Conflict Management in Modern
Organizations (pp. 338-359). IGI Global.
Sanina, A., Balashov, A., Rubtcova, M., & Satinsky, D.
M. (2017). The effectiveness of communication channels
in government and business communication. Information
Polity, 22(4), 251-266.
Murray, R. (2017, September 19). Communication among
different generations. Retrieved from https://robert-
murray.com/communication-among-different-
generations/
11