The five researchers studied 10,000 managers and found that management style varied more with age than any other characteristic, such as organizational position or gender. In other words, diversity is maximized by creating an intergenerational workforce and leadership team.
The study found that older managers put greater emphasis on core competencies, customer relationships, and other strategic factors central to a company’s identity, while younger managers were more focused on the company’s positioning in its competitive marketplace and their own positioning for career advancement.
Highly recommend you read the in-depth article as it reinforces what neuroscientists have suggested for decades. In general, the younger brain is quicker and more focused, while the older brain is more methodical and holistic. A team full of solely younger people will come to conclusions more quickly but make more mistakes. An older team does just the opposite. And, you guessed it, a team with mixed ages tends to (but not always) get the best of both worlds.