Traditionalists: Typically workers born prior to 1946.

These workers – many of whom are working into their seventies and eighties – lived through the Great Depression, World War II, and the Korean War.

Traditionalists’ characteristics are linked to their primary values — DEPENDABILITY AND SACRIFICE. They are willing to put aside individual goals and aspirations for the good of the group. They are big on discipline, team play, and respect for authority. They tend to be the conservative or even pessimistic, and strive to think in the long term.
They are the most resistant of the five generations to new forms of communication technology.

Note: Traditionalists, like Baby Boomers, are often seen by younger workers as “digital immigrants” because they did not grow up speaking the language of a digital world. To offer only the most obvious example, most Traditionalists took their time embracing twenty-first century social media forums. A fair number of them are still holding out against this powerful medium, which is now second nature, and a potentially important workplace resource, to millions of younger workers.

KEY TAKEAWAY: To work effectively with Traditionalists, you should be prepared to appeal to the common good.

Book: The Great Workplace Revolution