Joanne G. Sujansky | Stephanie Miller | Sutter Gould Medical Foundation

When devising policies that have a ­company-wide impact, like those designating rewards and flex time, Stillman advocates including representatives from all generations. And to be blunt, that's really what successful intergenerational management is all about: fostering real communication and understanding between people of different ages. It's not about one group being right and the other being wrong, and it's certainly not about older workers reconfiguring the way they do everything to conform to the demands of early-career employees.

That's one of the lessons that Stephanie Miller at the Sutter Gould Medical Foundation took home from a seminar led by BridgeWorks. It was enough of an "a-ha" moment, in fact, for her to begin rolling out classes so workers of different ages could understand each other better. "We hope they'll appreciate the differences rather than focusing on them as something negative," she says. "That can only help to strengthen the teams."

There are advantages and opportunities for companies that do this well. In her work for the Pittsburgh-based consultancy Key Group, Joanne G. Sujansky helps businesses get the most out of the diversity of their workforce. To her, having multiple generations working together is a boon in many areas, including creativity. "The reality is that a heterogeneous workforce brings wonderful things to idea generation," she says. "What we say is don't just invite diversity to the table, tap it and employ it. Some of these younger folks that come into the workplace are never a part of brainstorming. What a waste." Sujansky also believes that including people of different generations in every facet of a business can be particularly helpful when it comes to meeting the needs of multigenerational customers.