Anatomy of conflicts between ‘oldies’ and ‘newly joined employees’ in corporate

The conflicts between newly joined employees versus those who are already working in the same organization for donkey years are quite common. The real cause of conflict is nothing but issues relating to ‘adaptation’. The people who are working in the same corporate for several years are reasonably adapted to the culture and the functioning style of the corporate.

These people know very well as how to butter the bread, which slice and side of the side of the bread to be buttered, when and how etc. Because of such ability only these people could create long legacy for themselves in the same corporate.

The employees who are with the corporate for more than 4 years are reasonably adapted both ‘anatomically and behaviourally’. It means, in structure and function, their adaptation is near permanent in the given corporate ecosystem. Most bosses in corporate that are run directly by the entrepreneurs will never fail to appreciate the people who are well adapted. By praising them only, these bosses certainly get them on board as their ‘sycophants’. After all, every human being wants some one to tell they are great, nice, good, intelligent etc.

The people who are adapted both at structural and functional level will find it hard to change. Therefore they will not change. On the other hand, the newly joined people also come with the same baggage. Only due to some ‘obvious’ reason, they have migrated to the new corporate. Hence they also resist change. The corporate initially will demand the new employees to change/adapt. They also refuse to change/adapt to the new environment.

The cause of conflict in most corporate between the ‘oldies and the new joiners’ are purely due to they refuse to change/adapt. Adaptation is inevitable but too much of adaptations are dangerous to the growth of the corporate. When too much of adaptation happens/occur with people, the people will develop only newer skills to survive and never learn the art to deal competition. This is the problem with people who are working in the same corporate for more than 4 years. On the contrary, the newly joined employees refuse to adapt to the new environment as their old ‘conditions’ hinder them to do so.

Remember, when the corporate leaders ask the newly joined people to adapt, they also must question those who are already adapted to shun their old habits and practices. Perfect adaptations always breed incompetence, lack of leadership skill and foresightedness. Like how both group of people (oldies and newly joined employees) resist change, but both have to change.

The oldies must change to the new and the new must change to further new. The only difference is the ‘direction of the adaptation’. The process is same but only the direction is different. Unless the direction is set well, told/explained to people and guide them well, asking them to change will not yield any result.

Therefore, set the direction well for people and then ask them to change so that the people know what the corporate expects out of them and corporate also will know how its people should change/adapt.

Dr S Ranganathan