Intergenerational Teams: How Leaders Can Unlock Their Value

Who might you be underestimating because of their age?

That was the question I left leaders with during my conversation with Stef Clifton-Sprigg of Mix Diversity on 22 July 2026. It goes to the heart of intergenerational leadership: people’s skills, experience and potential are too often obscured by assumptions about age.

We explored why intergenerational teams create business value, how age bias can hide behind good intentions and what leaders can do to build an age-inclusive workplace.

Why intergenerational teams create business value

Age is one characteristic every employee has, yet it remains relatively overlooked on the inclusion agenda. We joke about being too old for technology or reduce colleagues to labels such as boomer, millennial or Gen Alpha.

As Stef observed, even apparently harmless generational humour can turn workplace relationships into an “us and them” conversation. Once we see somebody as a generational type rather than an individual, stereotypes begin doing the work that curiosity should be doing.

Yet age-diverse teams offer measurable benefits. In joint research from ProAge and Ciphr, 88% of employers said multigenerational teams bring a broader range of experience and perspectives. Respondents also identified knowledge sharing, mentoring and succession planning as advantages.

Stef brought this to life with an example from construction: a 16-year-old apprentice might work alongside somebody with 50 years of industry experience. What looks like a difficult generation gap is also an opportunity to combine fresh thinking with hard-won knowledge. 

The leadership challenge is not to “manage the gap”. It is to create the relationships and routines through which knowledge can move in both directions.

When well-intentioned age bias limits people

Age bias in the workplace is not always expressed through openly discriminatory behaviour. It often appears in decisions that sound reasonable or considerate.

A manager might avoid putting pressure on an older employee or assume a younger colleague needs more time to mature. Someone experiencing menopause might be protected from a demanding assignment without being asked what support they want.

The intentions may be positive, but the result can still be limiting.

Stef reflected honestly on whether she might think more readily about the potential of a younger candidate than someone in their fifties or sixties. Bias can be found in the questions we forget to ask as much as in the decisions we make.

Potential does not belong exclusively to the young

Nor should experience be measured simply by counting years on a CV. Someone can spend ten years in a role without developing, while another person may achieve an enormous amount in two. Skills-based conversations tell us more than arbitrary experience requirements.

Leaders should ask: What strengths do I see? What could this person grow into? What mentoring, training or support would help them take the next step?

Age bias affects younger and older workers

Ageism is often discussed as an issue affecting older workers, and the barriers they face are real. But younger colleagues can also be denied a voice, responsibility or progression because they are considered too inexperienced or immature.

I shared the example of a woman returning to the legal profession who noticed junior colleagues sitting at the far end of the meeting table. She invited them closer. That small intervention helped combine newer skills, including AI, with the judgement of more experienced lawyers.

As Stef noted, this required neither a major policy change nor a large training budget. Someone noticed an unhelpful dynamic and acted.

Her examples also reminded us to consider age alongside other aspects of identity. The challenges experienced by younger women managers in one organisation were shaped by gender, age, perceived authority and physical stature. Listening revealed what support they actually needed.

How leaders can unlock intergenerational potential

Leading intergenerational teams well is not about memorising supposed generational characteristics. It means enabling people to contribute, develop and learn from one another. 

Leaders can start by:

• creating mentoring, reverse-mentoring and co-mentoring opportunities; 

• replacing rigid experience requirements with skills-based conversations; 

• checking who receives airtime, stretch assignments and development opportunities; 

• asking people what support they need instead of making well-intentioned assumptions; and 

• building digital confidence across every age group.

Digital confidence is particularly important as organisations adopt AI. Younger workers are often assumed to be naturally capable, while older workers are expected to struggle. People of every age can lack confidence, and it grows through access, encouragement and practice.

AI can be a great enabler. Leaders should create opportunities to experiment and learn, not predict capability from someone’s date of birth.

Who might you be underestimating?

An age-inclusive workplace does not treat each generation as a separate group. It recognises the experience, strengths and potential people bring throughout their working lives—and creates ways for that value to be shared.

Look around your organisation and ask:

Who might I be underestimating because of their age?

There may be someone whose skills and potential, with the right encouragement and support, could take your team much further than you imagine.

Watch my intergenerational leadership conversation with Stef, or explore how ProAge helps organisations strengthen intergenerational collaboration.

Mike Mansfield is CEO of ProAge, the UK charity dedicated to age inclusion at work. He works with employers to create age-inclusive workplaces, retain valuable knowledge and build stronger multigenerational teams.

Learn more about Mike and the ProAge team