Am I smelling a generational smackdown between Recruiting Animal and Employee Evolution? Maybe Animal could get the Evolutionistas on the radio show and really go to town. I could probably put aside some time to listen to that.
And honestly, I feel a bit torn about who I should root for. On one hand, I agree with Animal’s premise in that generational gaps are overstated and that, to a certain extent, they don’t even matter in some companies (whether that affects Y’ers in a positive or negative way) . On the other hand though, Gen Y are my boys. I’ve got some bright eyed bushy tailism in my body and I am part of Gen Y too.
Here’s my issue, I just don’t think Gen Y is that unique. Man, I almost feel like a fraud saying that. What I want at this age and what my Dad wanted at this age are nearly the same when you break it down into principles. Could it be said that we have more of a chance than any other generation to hit the ground running? Maybe. But that has more to do with circumstance rather than generational differences. And ultimately, the level of success is going to vary (just like it has before) and any real statistical analysis of our generation’s impact is going to be…well, a generation away. Nobody can wait that long.
Which is why I don’t talk about it on this blog and it is why I don’t train our managers in generational theory. Those who are hungry and who want to succeed will find the way to do so, not whine about systems bending and accommodating their generation. Those who succeeded in the time of hippies and love did so without accommodation. They did it by creating their own companies and, not surprisingly, they are often times very employee friendly companies (naming Southwest Airlines and Starbucks, both started in 1971). Or they did it by working up through existing systems and doing what it took to move up and gaining enough power to influence systems bending. That’s it. And that’s the way Gen Y, Z and whatever comes after that will do it too.
And see, that isn’t unique to any generation. At least, not in a post WWII paradigm.
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Good post!. Can’t agree more. Generational differences is “more fiction than fact.”
Here is a rather lengthy post of mine on the topic, courtesy of the
Cenek Report:
“The values of the average worker have changed significantly since the 1956 publication of William Whyte’s “Organization Man.†Unlike the ‘organization man or woman,†the typical worker today is not willing to be subservient to the corporation in exchange for security and a sense of belongingness. Employees “work to live,†and not “live to work.†Other than the “young, urban professional movement†in the 80’s, this trend has been on a pretty predictable and steady trajectory for years.
Discussing generational differences is prime cocktail party talk. There is both a certain amount of mystery, as well as a certain amount of sense making by being able to attribute, explain and categorize patterns of behavior in the workplace. Astute pop psychology merchants understand that, and a few have been very creative at reducing complex demographical and societal characteristics into simple nostrums and four quadrant boxes, and have packaged those to provide a nice steady income stream.
Dr. Morris Massey may have popularized the discussion of generational differences with his highly entertaining and at times comical videotapes that focused on the differences in values among workers. Dr. Massey, in a sometimes very blunt fashion, assigned core personal values to different age cohorts in the workforce. Many of his statements really resonated with training audiences, and his success produced a cottage industry of consultants, each claiming to have the latest and most accurate twist on generational differences in the workplace. Not all of the work done by some of these experts has necessarily been bad. Some of their work has helped interpersonally challenged leaders gain a better grip on the intricacies of workplace behavior.
No one can deny that there are some differences among different age groups. However, strong evidence is surfacing that suggests that there are as many similarities as there are differences among workers, Jennifer Deal, who is affiliated with the highly esteemed leadership think tank, the Center for Creative Leadership, has undertaken some of the more compelling and insightful research. She surveyed approximately 3,400 workers according to their key values, interests and desires. Her survey respondents included solid samples from the baby boomers (early boomers born between 1946 and 1954 and late boomers born between 1955 and 1963) and Generation Xers born after 1964. There were fewer however in the pre-1945 age group, named by the researchers the “silent generationâ€, and fewer still in the late Generation X group born between 1977 and 1982.
Dr. Deal’s findings suggest that some of the conventional wisdom about generational differences is more myth than reality. Some of her key findings included:
Older and younger workers have many similar values, including valuing family, integrity, love and self-respect;
fame, affluence, authority, competition and advancement were least likely to rank in the top five, regardless of age;
Younger workers today change jobs no more frequently than they did 20 years ago;
There are no age-related differences in the number of hours worked by employees;
Older people were just as keen to undergo further training and to use computers as the youngest workers; and
Older and younger workers do not find it difficult to work together.
While there were many apparent similarities between generations, she admits to finding a few differences as well. For example, when asked if they saw themselves staying with their employer for more than three years, less than 40 per cent of the late Xers said yes, compared with almost 70 per cent of the early boomers – the most long-term-looking group in the sample. Fewer of the older generation were thinking this way presumably because some were looking at retirement in the short term. Comments made when asked what they wanted from employers often differed in nuance between adjoining generations but markedly between the oldest and the youngest. The silent generation, for example, tended to make comments along the following theme: “Give me interesting work to do, recognize my efforts and pay me fairly.†The late Xers, on the other hand, indicated a strong desire for advancement, with flexibility around work schedules, mentoring and merit pay for good work rather than extra pay for seniority.
Dr. Jennifer Deal’s research findings have been supported to some extent by similar work from Sirota Consulting, a global survey research firm. The firm recently published a book entitled “The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profi t b y Giving Employees Want They Want .†The volume details the results of more than 30 years of survey research by this well-known firm – and debunks many prevailing myths about today’s workplace. One key theme in the book is that the vast majority of workers, regardless of their generational roots, want to be proud of the work that they do and their organization. Further, they yearn to be treated fairly, and value harmonious relationships with co-workers. Similarly, Dr. Gerry Ledford, formerly of the Center for Effective Organizations and Sibson, recently shared a presentation with me that he had delivered to the Irvine Chamber of Commerce detailing some of his earlier research that established that Generations X’ers and Boomers are not that different.”
robert edward cenek, RODP
http://www.cenekreport.com
Uncommon Commentary on the World of Work
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