Dressing formally can constrain innovative thinking, according to Robert. When clients are really stuck on a challenge, a more casual dress code can sometimes help. Robert suggests that companies with the most liberal approach to workplace attire are some of the most innovative.
But, he cautioned, shedding one’s corporate uniform, which for many convey status and hierarchy, can be stressful, especially for men. Robert advises clients to stay stylish and sharp, even if they’re letting go of dressing up.
Brian Miller, a Gen-X executive at biotech Gilead Sciences, sees the relationship between clothing and creativity as correlation, not causation.
“The innovative and creative folks who work in the lab, they dress very casual, and there are also snappy dressers in marketing,” Brian said. “If you’re down in the lab wearing a suit or jacket — hmmm, suspicion. So just be you — if you have talent and expertise, it will show.”
What’s a Gen X’er to do?
Folks in the workplace have always had to adjust to subsequent generations barging in and demanding acquiescence to a new set of values, priorities and norms.
For Generation X, it can often feel like we never really got to issue those demands. We modeled ourselves after our managers; and now that we are the managers, we’re modeling ourselves after our direct reports.
What remains to be seen is the longer-term impact of adjusting to a larger and more powerful age group alongside whom we work and are productive. Now that this age group is younger, new questions of boundaries are emerging.
Should we hold our ground? Wear what we think befits our role? Are we like parents trying too hard to be their kids’ friends? What message do we send them by changing our image to match theirs?
This story originally appeared on SAP Business Trends.
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Is there really no dignity?
Generational differences have always influenced the workplace. There’s nothing new there. But with Millennials running rampant across corporate America, that influence is creeping into our private spaces. Into our homes. Into our bedrooms. Into our closets.
Yes, millions of Gen X’ers like me are faced with a new daily dilemma — or rather, a new version of an old dilemma.
When my husband and I began our careers, we both struggled with looking very young. To....