Gen Z mentors flip the corporate learning script

Bengaluru: Experience is important, but in today's workplace, so is knowing how to write a good AI prompt. A senior leader mentoring a young colleague in the morning may be turning to the same person by afternoon to learn how to get the best out of ChatGPT.

Several companies including Axis AMC, Capgemini and the Hinduja Group are increasingly adopting reverse mentoring programmes and cross-generational learning initiatives as artificial intelligence rapidly becomes an integral part of work. "Reverse mentoring is gaining genuine traction in India, though formalisation remains uneven across organisations," said Debasmita Das, senior director and executive remuneration and rewards design practice leader at professional services firm Mercer India.

Earlier this year, Axis AMC completed the first cohort of its 'Genius@Work' initiative, a multi-generational learning lab designed for age-diverse teams. The company, which has about 1,200 employees, including a significant Gen Z workforce, brings together management trainees, early-career professionals, mid-career employees and senior leaders in the same learning environment.

"Instead of lectures, participants work through simulations, story-based exercises and role-plays that mirror typical tensions at work: feedback conversations, decision speed, ways of pushing back and styles of collaboration," said Himanshu Misra, head of HR at Axis Mutual Fund.

"Over time, three shifts are becoming visible: more empathy for where other generations are coming from, more shared language to describe tensions and fewer unspoken assumptions driving day-to-day friction," he added.

Tech major Capgemini is also seeing a significant shift in workplace dynamics as AI levels the playing field between generations.

"In our experience, historically, senior employees possessed institutional knowledge, industry expertise, and access to information. With AI, access to knowledge has almost been democratised," said Aarti Srivastava, CHRO-India at Capgemini.

"As a result, there has been a switch in the way people from different generations now work together. While Gen Z can now generate market insights in minutes and analyse large data sets, senior employees add value through context and decision-making - areas where experienced professionals continue to excel. The learning relationship is now a two-way street," she told ET.

Capgemini has introduced initiatives such as AI Labs, learn-a-thons, Learning Unplugged and experiential workshops that bring together employees across levels to solve real business challenges. The company also uses role-based learning, mentoring, communities and certifications through its learning platform, Next.

Consultants said the trend is gathering momentum as employees seek to remain relevant amid rapid technological disruption.

According to a Randstad Workmonitor survey, 85% of Indian employees rely on colleagues from different age groups to broaden their professional perspectives, while 98% of employers view generational diversity as a driver of organisational performance.

At Hinduja Group, teams are increasingly being organised around skills rather than tenure or functional expertise.

“The question we are encouraging leaders to ask is, ‘Who has the best capability for this problem?’ rather than ‘Who is the most senior person in the room?’” said Amit Chincholikar, group president of human resources at Hinduja Group.

Younger employees now often teach AI tools, prompt engineering, automation and digital workflows, whilst experienced employees continue to be sought for strategic thinking, stakeholder management and risk judgment, he added.

The group runs programmes such as Digi-Rise to improve digital literacy and technology fluency across the workforce.

Earlier this month, K Raheja Corp rolled out a reverse mentoring programme aimed at giving senior leaders direct access to younger employees’ perspectives on AI, digital transformation, evolving workplace expectations and future-ready skills.

Mercer India’s Das said, “Managing a multi-generational workforce has moved from an employee consideration to a core organisational design priority, and the organisations seeing the most impact are those pairing structural changes with deliberate knowledge-sharing formats, from cross-functional project teams to internal capability academies where institutional experience and emerging skills can genuinely intersect.”