Key Points

• Different generations have different preferred methods of learning.
• Utilizing modern technology to enhance your teaching method is a great way of bridging the generational gap.
• Take a closer look at the real-world applications of what they’re learning, case studies are a great example of this.

How do you navigate the generational skills divide? Workforces aren’t hired in a vacuum. At the end of the day, you’ll have to contend with workers and team members from all walks of life, including all ages. Now, this can be a blessing in itself, as you can draw from different perspectives and experiences. However, when it comes to learning new material, the generational skills divide is something that is going to hinder your learning environment.

So, with that in mind, we’re going to look at how to bridge this divide in Lean Six Sigma. This isn’t necessarily a difficult process by any means. However, like any concept, you have to adapt it to your audience. You don’t make highly technical reports to your stakeholders, do you? The same is going to apply to your workforce. The message matters, but how you convey it is going to be far more important on the whole.

Understanding the Generational Skills Divide

Before I tout the phrase around, what is the generational skills divide? This is a natural occurrence that can happen in any workplace. This often comes about because of a difference in ages, with older and younger workers having their particular preferences when it comes to how things are conducted in the workplace.

Consider a younger worker for a moment. They’ve likely spent their entire lives immersed in digital technology, fully embracing things like the internet, video messaging, and so forth. Contrast that with someone pushing into their 60s. They were likely entering the workforce just as networking in the office got more robust, and computers were still likely running something like Windows 95.

Now, that isn’t to say that an older generation is going to be harder to teach. You’ll find the generational skills divide comes into play frequently with younger workers. However, if an older employee hasn’t been keeping up with their training and education, it is going to be more difficult to get them up to speed.

The Impact of This Divide

There are a few nasty areas where the generational skills divide manifests. We often see it in how we communicate in the workplace. The phrase about a meeting being an email rings true partly because of the dominant generation in the workplace currently. This also extends to the focus of today’s piece: training.

I’m a firm believer in being a lifelong student. There is always something to learn, and technology progresses whether or not we want it to. As such, staying up to date with the latest technologies can be difficult for the whole organization.

Further, we can see a curtailing of innovation and creativity when considering the generational skills divide. When you’re set in your ways, it can be difficult to escape that line of thinking. The reality is that we should remain flexible, nimble, and ready to adapt to challenges as they present themselves.

Modernizing Lean Six Sigma Training: Innovating With Teaching Methods

Bridging this divide is a little simpler than you might think. It certainly is going to take a fair amount of work, and might fundamentally change the way your organization conducts learning initiatives. However, this might be for the best, as you’re tailoring things to fit the wants and needs of your workforce.

Now, in an ideal world, we could certainly hire candidates who fit the profile, educational backgrounds, and so forth that benefit our businesses. If only things were so idyllic in the world of business, right? Instead of focusing on what has to change, I urge anyone to look to the benefits of changing their approach to Lean Six Sigma training.

When students have trouble, that further emphasizes an issue in the method of instruction. Going by the training we have in Lean Six Sigma, we can fully understand that there is a pain point somewhere. We optimize processes, cut the fat out of production workflows, and deliver quality. The same is going to hold for the training you’re delivering to your employees.

Digital and Interactive Learning

Digital media is a highly flexible way of bridging the generational skills divide. However, the execution is going to be vital for guaranteeing success. Small, bite-sized modules are one handy way of tailoring your curriculum. This is a great way of reaching the younger members of your team, as their attention spans might not be quite as honed in as more seasoned employees.

Further, taking a page out of online universities, you can make your learning experiences a collaborative online experience. Lean Six Sigma is very much a team exercise, especially when you consider how complex projects can be. As such, setting the expectation early to rely and learn from other members of the team is going to build a foundation of success.

Personalized Learning

One of the major benefits of something like artificial intelligence is the flexibility it bestows to often rigid structures. If you’re looking for an easy way to bridge the generational skills divide, having adaptive, personalized learning is a great way to rope your users in and get them engaged. Think about something akin to Duolingo’s adaptive model for language learning, and you aren’t far off the mark.

Artificial intelligence isn’t going to completely solve the issue, but if you’re creating a digital curriculum, it can guide the learning path of your students to more effectively absorb the material.

Gamified Exercises

Interactive, gamified means of learning are a great way of bridging the generational skills divide with your younger employees. Consider for a moment that most learning online these days has some sort of gamified, interactive component, and it only makes sense to embrace the same sort of trends. Points, badges, and leaderboards are a further way of making sure your younger employees are fully engaged.

Collaboration

Your team is going to have to learn to collaborate to make any project a success. As such, there is no better time to get your greener employees on the same page than during your Lean Six Sigma training initiatives. Have your students move through mock projects, encourage them to work together, and let them exercise the knowledge they’ve gathered for overall success.

Communication

One of the most remarkable parts about the digital workplace is the way it opens up multiple avenues of communication. To this end, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a structured, mandated stream of communication, although that does have its benefits. Instead, you’ll want to consider setting up spaces like in Slack, in-person, and so forth for employees to meet, study, and ultimately communicate with one another.

Focus on Tangible Impacts

One way you’ll notice a huge divide between generations is how older employees relate to the learning material. When it is abstract, laden with jargon, and ultimately just words on paper, that’s harder to understand. As such, this is a great opportunity to look at case studies. Seeing how what they’re learning has impacted larger brands for the better is a great learning experience.

Further, understanding the tangible impacts on a business is going to emphasize the role they have to play in your organization. Coupled with other learning methods, this is a powerful way of imparting your intended message without having to deviate from the curriculum too heavily.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Looking for something else to go with your morning news scrolling? You might want to take a closer look at some of our case studies on how organizations have scaled with the help of Lean Six Sigma. Lean Six Sigma is a powerful means of conducting business, but seeing how it operates in the real world can help inspire your next direction.

Additionally, you might want to consider learning how to conduct remote process optimizations through Lean Six Sigma. Remote teams are a growing trend with many businesses, but that doesn’t mean you have to forego the tools and methodology behind Lean Six Sigma due to the distance.

Conclusion

Bridging the generational skills divide is going to be a continuing issue with any organization. However, by taking the time now to lay a foundation tailored toward your employees’ learning experience, you’re laying the groundwork for further success down the line.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com.