Life Cycle of Talent

Managing Across Generations

Michael Netzley, PhD

Identifying Talent

Nurturing Talent

Competing for Talent

FT: Changing Employee Preferences

Multinational companies are losing their image as

China’s best employers and are increasingly

struggling to compete for local staff with mainland

Chinese groups…. Management and human

relations professionals in China say it is harder for

foreign companies to attract and retain senior

managers who are Chinese.

Retaining

Talent

Meet Gen Y

http://www.genythinktank.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/esfacebook.jpg

Socializing a Digital Native

• The average college grad starting work

– 5,000 hours of video games on average

– 250,000 email, instant, and text messages

– 10,000 hours of hand phone use

– 3,500 hours of time on-line

• ―Today’s younger workers are not

little us-es.‖

Pew Research, Digital Natives Invade the Workplace, 2006

Asia’s Gen X Characteristics

• Not as different from their parents as Gen

Xers in other parts of the world

– High expectations for career progression, pay,

and material possessions (Singapore dream)

– They are less job-loyal

– They as brand-loyal as their parents

– They are more receptive to media than other

Gen X populations (e.g., North America)

Asia’s Gen Y Characteristics

• Singapore’s Gen Y population does differ from Gen X and Baby Boomers

– Speed: grown-up with compressed time (2 minute noodles, Internet, and text messages

– Stimulation: Xbox, World of Warcraft, multimedia presentations, instant choice

– Gen Y means that they, ―ask why?‖

– Control: custom computers, latte to order, etc

– Constant technology and access

Gen X Gen Y

Style Similar to parents Eye-catching; fun

Content Get to the point—what do

I need to know?

If and when I need, I

will look it up online

Context Relevance to what

matters to me

Relevance to now,

today, and my role

Attitude Less job-loyal than

parents; cut-above-the-

rest mentality

OK with authority that

earns their respect

Tactics Media; some face-to-face

meetings, games, online

Online; wired;

seamlessly connected

Speed Immediate; when I need it Five minutes ago

Frequency Whenever Constant

Gen Y Wave

Coming at You

Three

Questions

Assignments

and Giving

Feedback

Employee Communication

Man

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