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With generational diversity comes different values, experiences and competencies that can benefit an organisation, but also a range of preferences that can cause division, a leadership specialist warns.

Generational diversity, and in some cases, division, has become a characteristic of many workforces in recent years, says Dynamic Leadership Programs Australia MD, Karlie Cremin.

Perceptions of the function that work plays, and the space it occupies in people's lives, vary from generation to generation, and person to person, and can naturally cause tension, she tells HR Daily.

This can arise from small things such as different perceptions of what constitutes "early", "on time" and "late" to work, for example. Another cause is different communication preferences and levels of technological literacy, including perceptions of when and how various tools – such as Slack, Yammer, email and texts – should be used.

The challenge employers face is to leverage difference to promote learning and understanding, Cremin says...