Title: Four Generations and What to Do About Them
1Four Generations and What to Do About Them
- Kelli D. Peck Parrott, Ph.D.
- Director and Associate Clinical Professor,
Student Affairs Administration in Higher
Education - kpparrott_at_tamu.edu
- Texas AM University
2Theory to practice
- What were the national events you remember as you
were growing up?
3Generations The History of Americas Future,
1584-2069 (Strauss Howe, 1991)
- Generations
- Length is approx. the phase of birth to
adulthood, 22 years. - Boundaries are fixed by peer personality
- Four primary types of generations Idealist,
Reactive, Civic, and Adaptive
4Two Important Social Moments
- Secular Crisis
- Focus on reordering the world of
institutions and public behavior
- Spiritual Awakening
- Focus on changing the inner world of
values and private behavior
5Types of Generations
- Idealist - increasingly indulged youths
after a secular crisis - Reactive - grow up under-protected and
criticized youths during a spiritual
awakening - Civic - Increasingly protected as
children after a spiritual awakening - Adaptive - Overprotected and suffocated
youths during a secular crisis
6Generations
Lost Generation 1883-1900 Reactive
GI Generation 1901-1924 Civic
Silent 1925-1942 Adaptive
Boom 1943-1960 Idealist
13th/ Gen X 1961-1981 Reactive
Millennial 1982-2003 Civic
Homeland 2004-2024? Adaptive
7Our Upper Level Administrators Co-workers
Silents or Traditionalists (1925-1942)
- Spent their youth in the great depression and
WWII - The in-between generation
- No US president (If Mr. McCain had won, he would
have been the first) - Very protective parents, who were sacrificing for
them
8Our Upper Level Administrators Co-workers
Silents or Traditionalists (1925-1942)
- After all their parents sacrificed and went
through and having experienced the Depression,
they still feel somewhat lucky to have jobs. - Have seen so much change so quickly in the
workplace.
9Our coworkers supervisorsBoomers (1943-1960)
- Looking for spiritualism, flocked to drugs and
religion most active era of church formation in
the 20th century - Redefined Gender roles gender was their issue
- A generation that when young trusted nobody over
30 today trusts nobody under 30. - Issues remember when seen a great deal of
change, especially in the workplace raised with
the work ethic of parents who survived the
depression and WWII.
10Our coworkers supervisorsBoomers (1943-1960)
- Work is a dominant force in their lives they
often sacrifice far too much for the good of the
employer. - One Benchmarks leadership study was full of
largely Boomer execs lamenting over sacrificing
time with family, spouses, and personal interests
for the sake of work (Downing, 2006).
Downing, K. (July/August 2006). Next generation
What leaders need to know about Millennials.
Leadership in Action, 26, 3.
11Our coworkers and mid-managersXers (1961-1981)
- True children of the 1960s and 1970s
- Awakening period to their parents for them was a
nightmare of self-immersed parents,
disintegrating homes, AIDS, and a Me economy - Find a world of more punishing consequences than
anything the Silent or Boom generations ever knew - Knew that where the Boomer children had been
worth the parental sacrifice of prolonging an
unhappy marriage, they were not
12Our coworkers and mid-managers Xers (1961-1981)
- Not shielded, so adult life held no
secretsbelieve they need to keep their eyes
open, expect the worst and handle it on their own - Two-thirds have found they have to work harder
than other generations to enjoy the same standard
of living - Try to call as little attention to themselves as
possible, really have not come together as a
generation. You can find anything in this group. - FEAR
- Race was their issue
13Millennials The Next Great Generation (Howe
Strauss, 2000)
- Young Americans born 1982 or after
- Most numerous, affluent, and ethnically diverse
generation in American history - Largely the children of Boomers, pre-teens are
the children of Xers.
14Millennialsour colleagues???
- Conventional turning back toward
traditionalism, but with a modern twist very
rules oriented and highly moral - Confident very optimistic about people and
themselves - Special have been perceived as special since
birth
15Millennialsour colleagues???
- Sheltered sheltered and protected in ways that
prior generations have not - Pressured feel more stress than any other
generation has - Achieving group is perceived as achieving so
individuals feel pressure to keep up - Team Oriented oriented toward teams rather than
individuals
16Millennialsour colleagues?
- Very close to their parents. You are not just
getting an employee, but parents too. - Helicopter parents
- Family oriented 71.3 considered raising a
family to be an essential or very important
objective - These parents provide a great deal of support,
but also intrusion and annoyance as well.
ACE UCLA Higher Education Research Institute,
The American freshman National norms for Fall
1999.
17Millennials
- Candidates are stalling on job offers to consult
with their parents. Parents are calling hiring
managers to protest pay packages and trying to
renegotiate. - Numbers of companies are involving parents in the
recruiting process with welcome packets and
including them on informational sessions, but not
beyond.
Downing, K. (July/August 2006). Next generation
What leaders need to know about Millennials.
Leadership in Action, 26, 3.
18Millennialsour colleagues?
- Very technologically savvy, though there are
socio-economic differences. - Often form initial opinions of organizations
based on their websites.
Downing, K. (July/August 2006). Next generation
What leaders need to know about Millennials.
Leadership in Action, 26, 3.
19Our work and workplaces
- By 2010 will see an exodus of Boomers 2 leaving
for every one new hire (Gerdes, 2006) - 85 million Baby Boomers, 51 million Xers, 75
million Millennials
Theilfoldt, D. Schief, D. (August 2004).
Generation X and the Millennials What you need
to know about mentoring the new generations. Law
Practice Today.
20Issues and areas of conflict
- Issue Silents and Boomers have sacrificed all
for the company/organization, Millennials appear
to have no loyalty to the organization. - Common Ground This is not new. Xers were not
loyal either. Millennials and Xers seem to form
more loyalty to the project, their co-workers,
and perhaps the values of the company. Are
looking for companies that value social
responsibility, diversity, and the environment.
Gerdes, L. (September, 2006). The best places to
launch a career. Business Week, 4001.
21Issues and Areas of Conflict
- Issue The generations share a similar language
with totally different meanings. Ex. Broken
record technique, OMG, BFF - Common ground Find means for keeping up,
Facebook, MySpace, blogs
22Issues and areas of conflict
- Issue Silents and Boomers feel devalued, as if
their experience and contributions are no longer
important. Millennials are not willing to pay
their dues. - Common Ground Millennials are impatient to make
an impact, but they are eager for feedback.
While they want to be respected, they are also
looking for leadership. Several orgs are giving
new employees senior level mentors.
Gerdes, L. (September, 2006). The best places to
launch a career. Business Week, 4001.
23Issues and areas of conflict
- Issue Silents, Boomers, and especially Xers are
highly independent. The Millennials involvement
of parents and need to work on teams is seen as
childish. They just need to grow up! -
- Common Ground The biggest complaint about Xers
was their inability to work with others.
Millennials do this well and can teach us all.
The truth is teams do accomplish more than
individuals.
24Issues and Areas of Conflict
- Issue Authority Silents respect it, Boomers
have a love-hate relationship with it, but now
are the authority. Xers are unimpressed with it
and Millennials do not see the need for it. - Common Ground They are used to instant answers
and the internet, the great equalizer. They will
seek out the most knowledgeable and influential
person regardless of rank. Training and
information are key.
Robinette, K. (July 24, 2009). Millennials in the
workplace challenge managers. Daily Journal of
Commerce.
25Tips for working with Millennials
- State desired outcomes clearly and specifically,
then get out of the way. Allow freedom to do it
how, where, and when they prefer if possible, but
with clear quality/volume expectations and
timelines. Time is a 24/7 resource. Tell them
when its due, not when to do it. - Put it in writing they are rules oriented.
Heathfield, S. (n.d.). Managing the Millennials
11 tips for managing the Millennials. Retrieved
November 1, 2009. http//humanresources.about
.com/od/managementtips/a/millenials.htm Shepard,
S. (2004). Managing the Millennials. Retrieved
April 28, 2008. www.shepardcomm.com/managin
g-millennials-wp.pdf
26Tips for working with Millennials
- Have the work be meaningful help them see
meaning and impact KEY - Provide continuous feedback, but be as positive
as possible Oreo or sandwich method - Experiential learning is preferred use different
learning techniques, multimedia, activities, etc.
Phillips, C. (February, 2008). Get the best out
of Millennials by tweaking habits.
Advertising Age, 79, 6.
27Tips for working with Millennials
- Be prepared to train them about EVERYTHING
assume nothing about behavioral norms - Cross-train keeps them engaged, challenged, and
helps them to form attachments to the work and
colleagues (train them to get a job somewhere
else) - Provide work-life balance important to them and
all of us.
Heathfield, S. (n.d.). Managing the Millennials
11 tips for managing the Millennials. Retrieved
November 1, 2009. http//humanresources.abou
t.com/od/managementtips/a/millenials.htm
28Tips for working with Millennials
- Provide leadership and guidance they want to
look up at you, be connected, and learn mentor
and coach. - Play to their strengths, let their creativity,
technological skills, and brainpower loose and
they will do amazing things. - Remember we were all young toothey are in the
process of becoming.
29The Most Important Tip for working with
Millennials
- People are like onions, they have lots of layers.
Generation is only one layer and this information
may or may not apply. There is criticism of these
generational images. - Treat everyone as the INDIVIDUAL they are.
30Generational Views
- Children nowadays are tyrants, they contradict
their parents, chatter before company, gobble
their food, and tyrannize their teachers. - attributed to Socrates
31Questions? Comments?
32References
- ACE UCLA Higher Education Research Institute,
The American freshman National norms for Fall
1999. - Downing, K. (July/August 2006). Next generation
What leaders need to know about Millennials.
Leadership in Action, 26, 3. - Gerdes, L. (September, 2006). The best places to
launch a career. Business Week, 4001. - Hallon, J. (March, 2008). Millennials at the
gate. Workforce Management, 87, 4. - Heathfield, S. (n.d.). Managing the Millennials
11 tips for managing the Millennials. Retrieved
November 1, 2009. http//humanresources.about.com/
od/managementtips/a/millenials.htm - Howe, N. Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials
rising The next great generation. New York
Vintage Books. - Phillips, C. (February, 2008). Get the best out
of Millennials by tweaking habits. Advertising
Age, 79, 6. - Robinette, K. (July 24, 2009). Millennials in the
workplace challenge managers. Daily Journal of
Commerce. - Shepard, S. (2004). Managing the Millennials.
Retrieved April 28, 2008. www.shepardcomm.com/mana
ging-millennials-wp.pdf - Strauss, W., Howe, N. (1991). Generations The
history of Americas future, 1584-2069. New York
Morrow. - Theilfoldt, D. Schief, D. (August 2004).
Generation X and the Millennials What you need
to know about mentoring the new generations. Law
Practice Today.