Leadership Style and Multigenerational Workforce: A Call for Workplace Agility in Nigerian Public Organizations

Abstract

In today’s work organization, leaders are faced with the task of harmonizing workplace friction occasioned by multi-generation workforce, each with different perspectives and traits toward achieving organizational goal and objectives. Consequently, public organizations around the world and Nigeria inclusive comprised of four different generations of employees i.e. Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y otherwise known as Millennials – who can bring out the best or worst of the organization depending on how well the leader can manage the talent mix. Thus, it become imperative for leaders to develop knowledge on how to address the differences in motivations, working styles, communication pattern and technological  preferences of multigenerational workforce. This task cannot be ignored by organization that aimed to achieve harmonious working environment and progress in the current global economy. In light of this reality, the paper examined leadership and multi-generational workforce in Nigerian public organizations through extensive review of literatures on concept of leadership, dynamics of multigenerational workforce and the strategies on how to integrate the multigenerational differences to bring about many benefits such as workplace productivity, creativity and innovation, talent attraction, reduced turnover and increased competitive advantage as well as to reduce tension in Nigerian public organizations.

Keywords: Workforce, Multi-generation, Integration, Creativity, Organizational Productivity