
I came across an article the other day, ‘Thumbs up, given Thumbs down by Gen Z,’ and as someone who is not quite a boomer but still of a ‘mature’ vintage, I began to wonder how often I have inadvertently and unintentionally offended Gen Zers.
My daughters (Gen Z’s) are quick to call my partner and me out when we slip up at home, but this idea of cancelling the thumbs-up spills over into the business area, and I’m keen to know how others feel about it. After all, we use a thumbs-up icon on Linkedin to demonstrate our approval – should it be changed to something else?
I’ve just read a fascinating book ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer, in which she explores and expands on the skills necessary to navigate the cultural differences in our increasingly globalised world (review on this website)
Cultural differences can cause miscommunication and misunderstanding in global business dealings, but so too, it would appear, can generational differences! I think there’s a book to be written here!