Built To Last

How multigenerational teams unlock business resilience

Imagine this… Two companies, both racing to dominate their market. Company X is a team of professionals from the same generation with the same mindset and way of working. Company Y, on the other hand, has a multigenerational team, blending decades of experience with cutting-edge innovation. Who’s more likely to win?

The answer is clear: Company Y.

Often referred to as monocultures, homogenous teams like Company X may appear to move faster in the short term, as like minds face less immediate conflict. However, diverse perspectives enable a wider and deeper understanding of consumers, resulting in more enduring solutions. 

From startups to Fortune 500s, research consistently shows that age-diverse teams drive better business outcomes in innovation, customer satisfaction, stronger decision-making, and financial performance. Companies that tap into multigenerational talent aren’t just surviving change; they’re future-proofing themselves against it. 

So why aren’t more organizations prioritizing age diversity?

The New Workforce Is More Multigenerational Than Ever

For the first time in modern history, five generations are collaborating side-by-side in the workplace:
 

• Gen Z (born ~1997-2012): Digital natives with fresh perspectives and an AI-first mindset.
• Millennials (born ~1981-1996): Agile, purpose-driven, and experienced in navigating workplace transformation.
• Gen X (born ~1965-1980): The steady, adaptable bridge between the old and the new.
• Baby Boomers (born ~1946-1964): Seasoned professionals with deep industry expertise and a long-term strategic view.
• The Silent Generation (born ~1928-1945): While many have retired, some remain in key leadership and mentorship roles.

Despite this diversity, many companies still hire, promote, and structure teams in ways that skew toward one generation. They do this for various reasons, ranging from stereotyped perceptions of specific generations to referral programs that reward people for hiring people they know. Often, we know, like, and hire people who look and act like ourselves, and a significant subset of our respective identities is age. In essence, hiring homogeneously is a mental shortcut, and it’s time we rethink this approach.

The Business Case for Age Diversity

Build products that actually reflect a company’s customers

A company’s customers aren’t all from one generation—so why should their workforce be? Diverse teams bring different perspectives, leading to better-designed products and more inclusive customer experiences. This also helps their go-to-market teams drive stronger market positioning across age segments and audiences.

A study by the World Economic Forum found that companies with greater age diversity outperform their less diverse competitors because they better understand and empathize with a broader range of users.

Reduce turnover and drive stability

Older employees stabilize organizations by staying in roles longer and valuing steady career growth, contributing to a strong, reliable workforce. Millennials and Gen Z, on the other hand, are more likely to change jobs every few years, driving fresh ideas and innovation. Our research shows that Gen Z graduates held twice as many jobs in the first four years after college as Gen X. Gen Y, on average, worked an average of 2.2 jobs over the first four years of their career, compared with Gen X, holding an average of 1.1 jobs over the first four years of their careers, respectively.

By balancing institutional knowledge with fresh perspectives, companies can create a workforce that evolves without losing its core strengths.

Foster mutual mentorship and skill-sharing

The best teams aren’t just a mix of ages—they actively learn from each other.
 

• Gen Z and Millennials bring digital fluency, new tech trends, and an experimental mindset.
• Gen X and Boomers bring institutional wisdom, industry expertise, and strategic thinking.

This two-way mentorship not only closes skill gaps, it also boosts employee engagement across all age groups.

Balance risk and enhanced innovation

Younger employees often advocate bold changes, while older employees emphasize caution and measured decision-making. A healthy tension between these forces leads to smarter risk-taking and more sustainable innovation.
 

• Seasoned professionals bring deep industry knowledge and risk management expertise
• Lower turnover rates among senior employees reduce hiring costs
• Younger workers contribute digital fluency and drive adoption of emerging technological trends
• Cross-generational collaboration leads to more innovative solutions and better decision-making

Four Actionable Steps for Bridging the Generational Gap

The most common challenges companies face are related to communication style differences, varying expectations about workplace culture, and differing approaches to technology adoption. 

Here are four suggestions for getting started: 

1. Run an employee engagement survey to assess your current state: Conduct age-segmented employee surveys to identify pain points, strengths, and generational gaps in workplace satisfaction to understand what all types of employees need to thrive.

2. Launch cross-training and skill-sharing initiatives: Reverse mentorship programs, cross-generational collaboration, and targeted leadership development initiatives can help bridge gaps and ensure knowledge-sharing happens naturally across experience levels. 

3. Review your hiring and benefits strategy: Audit recruitment processes, benefits, and culture to ensure they attract and retain talent across generations. Does the company’s hiring practices (including job descriptions, interview panels, and questions), perks, and policies appeal to all generations? Adjust accordingly.

4. Invest in communications coaching: Schedule regular communication and conflict resolution training to ensure transparent processes and enable managers. This is especially true for earlier career managers straddling multiple generations on their team.

Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

1. Communication gaps and work styles: Different generations have varying expectations for communication, collaboration, and feedback. Layer in evolving workplace software like Zoom, Slack, or Teams alongside email and in person, and it can feel like a landmine trying to collaborate.

Solution: Document and educate around expectations for all the communication and project management solutions your team uses. Train managers and their teams in feedback delivery and conflict resolution before issues arise. 

2. Unbalanced teams that skew too young or too old: Teams that lean too junior might lack needed strategic know-how and autonomy, while teams that lean too senior might struggle with innovation or desire for repetitive tasks.

Solution: Designing teams to be balanced and skill-diverse can naturally solve these issues. Using HR analytics tools like Included.ai or Praisidio, companies can analyze workforce demographics, skill distribution, and leadership pipelines to prevent teams from skewing too junior—lacking mentorship and strategic guidance—or too senior—potentially resistant to new technologies or approaches. 

Additionally, succession planning and workforce audits should be conducted quarterly or annually to track team balance and career growth opportunities. By embedding data-driven workforce planning, teams can create high-performing, adaptable teams that leverage emerging talent and seasoned expertise to drive long-term success.

The Future Is Multigenerational

As workforce demographics evolve, companies that build inclusive, age-diverse teams will be better positioned to navigate change, drive innovation, and achieve lasting success. 

The most resilient businesses understand that generational diversity isn't just about fairness—it's about creating stronger, more adaptable organizations ready to thrive in an ever-changing business landscape.

Dr. Heather Doshay is Partner, People + Talent at SignalFire. She has 15+ years of experience as a people and talent executive at Webflow, RainforestQA, and Hired.