11.02.2014

Workshop for Tool Development by the Combined Project DEBBI, at the GeKu-House in Essen.

On the 11th February 2014 a new DEBBI-tool was introduced for the development of intergenerational innovation potential and coping with generational conflict in the workplace. It took the form of a workshop with the residents of the GeKu-Haus, “Generational Culture House”, in Essen (Link: http://www.generationenkult.de/haus/) forming the cross section of society for the pilot exercise. The GeKu-Haus is a multi-generational house situated in the middle of the pedestrian zone in Essen, where the young and the old are brought together for mutual benefit. Unlike many other multi-generation houses the GeKu House is equally focused on the needs of younger people who want to pursue a career, carry out networking, make money, and not only those who are satisfied not only with the balance of "child care against pulling beers". (Website GeKu House, extract).

Through their daily confrontation with the problems and challenges of intergenerational balance and a high degree of awareness of these problems, the residents of GEKU-house were an ideal partner for the first test run of the instrument.

The project waned to developed the tool with the help two groups, one group of 6 people in an older category (+45) and one group from a younger category (-30). The participants provided an unwavering commitment and gave the DEBBI team important suggestions for further development and improvement of tools. In return, they benefited from the identification of complementary potential in different generational groups. Especially in the last work phase, in which the teams had to plan projects from the GeKu-Haus world, by making an intergenerational team which benefited from the competences of different age groups. It became clear that the three hour workshop lead to an altered perception, and a more positive assessment of other generations. It should be noted that the participants already had a developed appreciation about questions of intergenerational balance. The scientific evaluation of the workshop course is of high importance for the final conceptual design of DEBBI tools. The next step in the development is testing and improving the workshop tools with the help of DEBBI’s partner IT-companies.

Link to the GeKu-Haus:

http://www.generationenkult.de/haus/ 

Pictures from the event: