When the Whole Team in a Company is Gen Z: Slay or Struggle?
- kristian8120
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
“If all my teammates are Gen Z, then we vibe, we’re solid, and our teamwork must be unbeatable. Projects? Done perfectly.”
It sounds convincing, right? After all, you share the same memes, the same digital fluency, and maybe even the same frustrations about the workplace. But here’s the catch:
Does having teammates in the same generation automatically mean collaboration will be smooth or successful?
The Hidden Risks of All-Gen Z Teams
Think about a time when you worked with an all-Gen Z group. The energy was fun, the vibe was there… but was the work actually moving forward? Some common risks show up in all-Gen Z teams:
Groupthink: Everyone thinks alike, so fewer fresh perspectives make it into the discussion.
Conflict Avoidance: Valuing harmony often means avoiding healthy debate that could sharpen ideas.
Vibe > Discipline: Just because the atmosphere feels good, does it mean deadlines are met perfectly?
Digital-First Traps: Gen Z preference, over-reliance on chat, often lead to miscommunication. It might create misunderstandings when everything runs through chat instead of real or in-person conversations.
So while an all-Gen Z team might feel easy and natural, comfort alone doesn’t drive results.
A Team Theory Check: Tuckman’s Model
Here’s where team science helps us see clearer. Psychologist Tuckman (1965) described how teams evolve through stages:
Forming: everyone’s polite, figuring things out.
Storming: differences surface, conflicts appear, and boundaries are tested.
Norming: the team settles into trust, shared rules, and clearer roles.
Performing: collaboration reaches its peak, and results flow.
The uncomfortable truth? Many all-Gen Z teams get stuck between forming and norming because they try to skip storming. Disagreement feels awkward, so teams stay polite and “vibey”, but never break through to performing.
How Gen Z Teams Can Thrive
So how do you move past the comfort zone and into high performance? A few reflections:
Embrace differences within similarity: Not all Gen Zs are the same. Different upbringings, strengths, and experiences are what give your team real power.
Don’t fear storming: Conflict, if handled with respect, is fuel for better solutions. Disagreeing doesn’t make you less of a team; it increases your critical thinking and makes you stronger.
Balance digital with face-to-face: Emojis and GIFs lighten the mood, but real conversation builds trust in ways messages can’t.
Hold each other accountable: Vibes are great, but without deadlines and standards, the vibe turns into drift.
The Challenge
Here’s the question worth asking yourself:
Is your team really collaborating, or are you just comfortable together?
Being in an all-Gen Z team can feel like an instant advantage. But true collaboration isn’t about sharing playlists or slang; it’s about being willing to storm, norm, and push through to performing. That’s where real teamwork happens—and where your results speak louder than your vibe.
At ALVIGOR, we design training and workshops that help teams, even all-Gen Z ones.
Our programs equip your people to thrive, meet targets and standards, and perform at their best while managing themselves effectively.
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