Dr. Eliza Filby is a thought leader on generational trends, a trusted advisor to global organizations, and one of the world's foremost experts on understanding the new workforce and Generation Z. At Oslo Business Forum, she revealed how generational shifts are the big shift in business today, and how leaders can harness the power of multiple generations coming together in the workplace.
The Big Shift: Understanding a Multi-Generational Workforce
Anyone who hits their mid-30s quickly realizes: they're no longer young. That moment of recognition—when we encounter the next generation and see how differently they communicate, think, and behave—reveals one of today's greatest business shifts.
For leaders, the challenge isn't simply managing age diversity. It's harnessing it. Across four generations currently in the workforce, each group brings distinct strengths, values, and expectations:
The Multi-Generational Landscape
Each generation has lived through experiences that are unique and contribute to their perspectives—and ways of being—in ways that we often find difficult to relate to. Rather than viewing one generation as the "problem," we need to recognize their perspectives and the unique ways in which they're positioned to contribute.
Dr. Eliza Filby: Historian of Generations and Contemporary Values
Baby Boomers: The Exceptionals
Boomers are living longer, working longer, and driving a surge of late-career innovation that has redefined what aging and entrepreneurship look like. With their extraordinary amount of accumulated wealth that's trickling to the generations behind them, they're both funders and founders in the modern economy.
Gen X: The Ignored
The unsung generation that witnessed Norway's emergence and integration into Europe also experienced the rise of women in higher education and the growth of dual-career households. Now in mid-life, Gen X is squeezed between caring for children and aging parents—a balancing act Millennials will soon inherit.
Millennials: The In-Betweeners
Millennials can be described as the bridge between analog and digital generations. They entered the workforce amid the 2008 financial crisis, faced rising costs, and learned resilience by suffering through instability. Now entering midlife themselves, they crave stability and purpose.
Gen Z: The Experimentals
This is the first generation with no memory of the twentieth century. Gen Z has come of age amid global crises and technological acceleration. While they may lack the social resilience of their older cohorts, their digital fluency and ethical awareness are helping to reshape the modern world of work.
Where Friction Arises
Despite its rapid evolution across generations, Eliza claims that technology isn't the great divider. Rather, it's values.
"We're seeing rising individualism," she said. "And that is very difficult to integrate into a company built on processes, standardization, and teams."
The biggest generational flashpoints show up in how we view:
Hierarchy: Questioning authority versus respecting it.
Learning: Seeking mentorship versus self-teaching through AI.
Innovation: Experimentation versus process.
Individualization: Autonomy versus standardization.
Values and balance: Work as identity versus work as livelihood.
We're now beginning to witness the rise of what Eliza calls Gen AI: an augmented generation for whom artificial intelligence will define education, communication, and creativity. The risk? Further de-humanizing the workplace if we fail to adapt.
Managing the Gap
Two major forces are transforming the way we work: hybrid work models and the rapid adoption of AI. Both bring benefits, like flexibility and efficiency, but they also have unintended consequences. Consider the erosion of informal learning and mentorship as junior employees increasingly turn to AI for answers, rather than seeking guidance from their managers.
Leaders must recognize the very real human cost of technology and how AI is impacting human relationships in the workplace. Rather than causing greater generational friction, technology and human connection should work concurrently.
Ultimately, the question is this: How do we bridge generational gaps and integrate AI successfully while sustaining a thriving, human-centric workplace?
What Every Generation Wants
Despite our differences, Eliza reminded leaders that all generations share three core desires in the modern workplace:
Voice. The right to be heard, contribute ideas, and shape processes.
Learning. The need for constant development and upskilling to prevent people from leaving when their growth stalls.
Care. A longing for genuine concern for our well-being, mental health, and balance—needs that have only intensified since the pandemic.
These desires reflect what humans do best and what can't be automated: connecting, teaching, and caring. In other words, she said, "The stuff you can't count."
From Friction to Fusion: How to Harness Multi-Generational Power
To turn generational tension into strength, Eliza offered a four-step framework:
1. Diagnose the problem. Use tools like her Multi-generational Scorecard to assess where the business stands today and identify friction points.
2. Raise awareness across the business. Recognize values, career, and learning gaps across generations and ask how biases might be influencing behaviors and decisions.
3. Change the conversation from condemnation to curiosity. Create intergenerational moments throughout the day to encourage open dialogue and shared experiences.
4. Prioritize the right policies. From UBS's Communication Charter to Citi's Cross-AI Collaboration programs, leading companies are already modeling inclusive, cross-generational practices.
"Generational labeling gets us nowhere."
Generational labeling, Eliza cautioned, gets us nowhere. "Every business needs two things," she concluded. "The innovative spirit of youth and the wisdom that comes with age."
Key Points
Questions to Consider
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