Collaborating Across Generations: Problems That Span Generations Require Leadership That Does Too (2024)

More than half of the people on earth are under the age of 30, yet in political arenas and board rooms they are scarcely present. Why are we building a future without the voices of those who will inherit it?

In a new 2024 global study on the power of intergenerational collaboration published by We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) in partnership with The Possibilists and the Vienna University of Economics and Business, 87% of respondents cited believe youth have ideas and solutions that can improve or solve global issues. Yet, only 19% agree that youth are currently given enough opportunities to lead and contribute. We need young people to help rethink, reshape, challenge, and collaborate alongside today’s decision-makers as we solve the world’s unprecedented problems.

No single generation has all the answers. SAP embraces this methodology of intergenerational collaboration, bringing dynamic perspectives together across its business in hopes that young experts can work alongside today’s leaders to shape the future of both business and our world. As evidenced by WAFF’s global study, here are some additional insights as to why this strategy is one you should consider too.

Youth Are Digital Natives in a Tech-Driven Era

Technology can help address the most profound environmental, economic, and social challenges of our time. Software and analytics can help predict and prevent disasters, make cities smarter, and foster equity in workplaces. In this era of rapid technological evolution, leaders of all generations have valuable perspective and expertise to augment the power of technology as well.

WAFF’s global study reminds us that Gen Z are digital natives who grew up online and “have adapted to learn, grow, and build skills in an entirely new and accelerated ways.” The study goes on to remind leaders that by investing in young people now, global leaders and corporations alike can sooner harness their technological expertise and unique lived experiences.

SAP, for example, is curating partnerships and opportunities that invest in the expertise of young social entrepreneurs, like 19-year-old Sneha Revanur, CEO and founder of Encode Justice and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in AI 2023. At World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this January, Revanur sat alongside Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE Juergen Mueller, hosting a powerful conversation on the future of AI and the opportunity to bring youth to the table. “In spaces rife with credentialism, young people can offer perspectives that are rooted in lived experience,” Revanur shares.

Mueller affirms this approach: “I strongly believe in the power of intergenerational leadership – involving young talents in decision-making processes helps to bring the best in innovation to market. For instance, I have an early talent board in my organization who I regularly exchange with and get valuable guidance from. I also had the opportunity to meet with several young changemakers at events like the World Economic Forum in the last years and could learn a lot from them. Giving young leaders a seat at the table brings the right connections, mindsets, and energy together to create innovative and responsible solutions.”

Youth Demand Accountability

The tech industry and young people are united by a common cause: ensuring responsible data use and harnessing its power for good. Data allows us to generate accurate and actionable insights to transform the way the world works. When companies and governments have access to data-driven information, they can use those insights to achieve their vision – be it to clean the ocean, transform industries, or redefine the future of work. Effective solutions and responsible technology require collaboration, however. Data provides a foundation, but real change occurs when the public, private, and social sectors work together to create solutions.

This collaborative spirit echoes the work of Revanur and Encode Justice to leverage the power of data to shape the future. Encode Justice launched an intergenerational and multisector campaign towards AI ethical regulation by 2023. “Recent breakthroughs are transforming social, political, and economic realities, but they have not come without unanticipated risks…As AI grows more and more capable, harms will only proliferate. Our shared future is more precarious now than ever before. It is young people who have the most to gain – and the most to lose,” Encode Justice’s website reads.

Finding the Tipping Point

SAP’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Alexandra van der Ploeg points out that SAP has been working alongside organizations like We Are Family Foundation and The Possibilists to unlock and scale the power of young social innovators for nearly a decade. “Transformative change takes ages, but this is not something that we can afford to take ages on. 2030 is around the corner. We must identify the levers and find the tipping point as a community to move from data and evidence to solutions that work for the world,” van der Ploeg acknowledges.

Leveraging the global study is a great place to start when considering how to create a more sustainable future. It offers case studies and recommendations for meaningful intergenerational collaboration that any organization can act on, including co-creating projects alongside young experts.

“A new generation of young leaders has emerged – well-informed, resolutely committed, and emboldened by the challenges they face firsthand,” says Annie Greene, director of Programs at We Are Family Foundation. “By investing in these young leaders today, we benefit from their unique insights and extend their runway to help us solve our most pressing problems.”

To advance solutions for humanity, we must change the dynamics in rooms of power. Given the opportunity to collaborate with the leaders of tomorrow on today’s challenges, why wouldn’t we?

Jennifer Beason is global director for Impact Entrepreneurship at SAP.

Tags: AIArtificial IntelligenceCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR)SAP CSRWorld Economic Forum