62+ 43-61 27-42 <26AACRAOOrlando, Florida

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Who's Next? Talking About "My Generation":

An Introduction to Cross Generational Communication

Tom Richmond, Director of Admissions Marketing and CommunicationsBradley University

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http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=10&articleId=9043339&intsrc=hm_topic

Members of Generation Y -- roughly, the group born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s -- are arriving on the job market armed with up-to-the-minute technology skills, but they're lacking in other areas, such as business

communication skills, employers say.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Boomer 1:“I don’t know what to do about my son any more. He is so confident, sociable and optimistic. Every time he hears an inspiring speaker, he wants to go out and work on a civic project. Then, when he’s home, he’s always looking for praise and encouragement for his accomplishments.”

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Boomer 2:“I know exactly what you mean. My daughter is very similar… her expectations at work are so unrealistic. She expects to be trained in all aspects of her position and given constant feedback regarding how she did in her assignments. I’m so afraid she will not succeed in the workplace.”

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Boomer 3: “If I am interrupted one more time by one of these kids asking me for clarification on the assignment I gave, I don’t know what I’ll do. Last week, someone with two Harvard degrees actually came in to ask me to read a preliminary draft to make sure he was on the right track. And yesterday, another one…told me he was unavailable to work on a project this weekend.”

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Boomer 4:“Well, I guess we’d better head home. It’s almost midnight.”

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Session Description:

Who’s Next? Talking about “My Generation”: An Introduction to Cross Generational Communication

At any given time, there are three predominant generations in our workforce.

Just entering this workplace is a generation that will rapidly become its largest segment. As Millennials join Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers, there will also be a decline in the number of working Traditionalists.

What will this generational shift mean to each group?

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1925 - 1945

Quick Generations Survey

1946 - 1964

1965 - 1980

1981 - 1999

Before 1925 or after 1999

Traditionalists

Baby Boomers

Generation X(Baby Busters)

Millennials(Generation Y)

Just Checking

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1.) Each generation is significantly different in their values, perceptions, and communication style.

A Cross Generational Communication Premise

2.) These differences affect how people work together.

3.) When recognized, these differences can be managed – and even turned into assets.

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Demographically:

Significant changes in the number of annual births have happened approximately every 15 to 20 years. It is these population turning points that mark the end of one generation and the beginning of another.

What Makes a Generation?

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Seminal events :“Seminal events” shape the attitudes and perceptions of

each generation.

• cultural changes such as the 1960s civil rights marches

• economic events such as the recession of the 1970s

• technological changes such as the integration of the personal computer into daily life in the 1980s.

What Makes a Generation?

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1. Wal-Mart has always been a larger retailer than Sears and has always employed more workers than GM.

2. Majors in Women’s Studies have always been offered on college campuses.

3. Millennials have encountered roughly equal numbers of female and male professors in the classroom.

4. Barbie has always had a job. 5. Ozzy's lifestyle has nothing to do with the Nelson family. 6. Hip-hop and Rap have always been popular musical

forms.

Are Generations that Different?One Generation’s Perspective:

62+ 43-61 27-42 <267. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about

as scary as the student union.

8. Presidents have always been named either Bush or Clinton.

9. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing churches in America.

10. Public school officials have always had the right to censor school newspapers.

11. A "Hair Band" is some sort of fashion accessory.

12. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.

Derived from Beloit College’s CLASS OF 2005-2007 “Mindset List”

One Generation’s Perspective:

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1925 - 1945

A Closer Look at the Generations

1946 - 1964

1965 - 1980 1981 - 1999

Traditionalists Baby Boomers

Generation X Millennials

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Traditionalists/Silent

• Having Experienced WWII and having parents who experienced the Great Depression has taught this generation how to live with limited means.

• Traditionalists are loyal, hardworking, financially conservative and faithful to institutions.

• Patriotic and respectful of authority.

•Born 1925 to 1945

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26You might be a Traditionalists if…

• You can name all of the members of the “Rat Pack.”

• Saw Casablanca, It’s a Wonderful Life, or Rebel Without a Cause in a movie theater…maybe from the balcony.

• You remember where you were when you heard that the atomic bomb was dropped.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Traditionalists - Here’s your sign.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Boomers

• The boomer generation is almost twice the size of the generations on either side of them.

• Baby boomers invented the 60-hour workweek, figuring that demonstrated hard work and loyalty to employers was one way to get ahead.

• Boomers challenged the status quo, are responsible for many rights and opportunities now taken for granted.

• Civil Rights Marches, Women’s Rights, Vietnam Protests, Woodstock

• 2% claim they were at Woodstock

•Born 1945-1962 (1964)

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26You might be a Boomer if…

• You saw Dr.Strangeglove, Clockwork Orange, Shaft, or The Graduate, at a drive-in.

• You saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan

• You remember where you were when President Kennedy was shot.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Boomers - Here’s your sign.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26GenX / Baby Busters / 13th Generation

• Generation X'ers are technologically savvy, having ushered in the era of video games and personal computers.

• They witnessed skyrocketing divorce rates, challenges to the presidency, organized religion and big corporations. This combined to instill a sense of skepticism and distrust of institutions.

• Seeing their parents being laid off after years of dedicated service, they don't expect employer loyalty and therefore see no problem changing jobs to advance professionally.

Born (1963) 1965-1980 (1982)

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26You might be an X’er if…

• You can name most of the members of the “Brat Pack.”

• You saw The Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on VHS.

• You remember where you were when you heard the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26X’ers - Here’s your sign.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Millennials / Generation Y / Gen Why?

•Many in this generation are still in school, but the oldest millennials are recent college graduates just now entering the work force. •Have always had access to cell phones, pagers and personal computers.•Millennials have grown up in a world that accepts diversity. Places that are not diverse seem strange to them. (Nearly 31% of Millennials are nonwhite.*)•They favor teamwork and have always functioned in groups in school, organized sports and extracurricular activities. •Expect them to keep their career options open not limited to one job.

Born 1981 to 1999 (2002)

*U.S. Census 2000

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26You might be a Millennial if…

• You believe that Star Wars Episode I was the first Star Wars movie.

• You first saw the Beatles on PBS.

• You saw The Matrix, Office Space, and Fight Club on DVD.

• After Columbine, you remember thinking, “I know kids like that at my school”.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Millennials -

BABY ON

BOARD

Here’s your sign.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26New Silent/ Gamers/ Elmos/ Homeland / Neo-Disney/ Global

• The Iraq war, and its aftermath will shape their world view.

• African Americans, and Women will have always been candidates for President.

Born 1999 (2002) - ???? This generation will enter college in 9 to 12 years.

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Diversity is Diversity is Diversity Diversity isUnfamiliar an an Ideal is Accepted Celebrated

Traditionalist Boomers GenX Millennials

Family focused Job focused Life Focused Lifestyle focused

Trust Create New Mistrust Institutions areInstitutions Institutions Institutions Irrelevant

Shared Sacrifice It’s a Self Reliant Teams withMovement Individuals

Conform to Change Reject Accept the Norm the Norm the Norm new Norms

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Four Generations…

Traditionalists Boomers Generation X’ers Millennials1925 - 1945 1946 - 1964 1965 - 1980 1981 - 1999

62+ 43-61 27-42 26 or younger52 Million 80 Million 46 Million 76 Million

…One Workplace

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26The Workplace Today

6%

40%38%

15%

MillenialsGen-XBaby BoomersTraditionalists

Bridging the Boomer X'er Gap: Creating Authentic Teams for High Performance at WorkConnie Fuller, Ph.D., SPHR

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Attitudes

Do people born into different generations really have different attitudes?

Administered annually to over 400,000 incoming freshmen at more than 600 colleges and universities nationwide

Since 1966: 12 million students; 1,800 institutions

Let’s check the CIRP Freshman Survey

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62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Long-term Commitment

• Traditionalists and Boomers may have spent most of their lives as an employee of just a few organizations

• However, Gen Xers and Millennials have less stable economic outlooks. These children of the families of corporate downsizing may not feel safe putting all of their plans in staying within one organization.

• Or, they may sense that some organizations do not recognize their special ability and accommodate their preferred work habits and then promote them fast enough. If they perceive that promotion is taking too long—more than a year or two—they may perceive that the organization does not value them. They have always been exceptional performers.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26RecognitionSilent GenerationA note from the organizational president may be unnecessary.

They seek no need to stand out and may be uncomfortable with unnecessary applause.

Baby BoomerA note from the organizational president, no matter how

removed from their daily work, may be well appreciated.

Gen XersA note from a direct supervisor for work well done may mean the

most. As they may cynically view it, at least a direct supervisor has seen their work.

Millennial Constant praise has been a given, a personal statement by a

peer may have as much meaning as from any superior.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Mentoring

• According to Fortune magazine, Lehman Brothers provides a mentor to almost 90 percent of new hires and at PricewaterhouseCoopers all new employees are mentored. Also at PricewaterhouseCoopers, new hires who show success are guaranteed a promotion within three years.

• In addition to higher employee retention rates, there are also tangible benefits to those who are doing the mentoring. By working together, these two groups can grow to better understand each other.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Team Versus Individual

• Gen Xers are fierce individuals. From latchkey kids who have taken care of themselves to cynical children of parents who were let go from jobs no matter how good of a worker they were when their organization downsized, Gen Xers grew up in a world in which they had to be independent.

• Millennials experienced the pendulum swinging back. Gen-X parents raised their kids in “collaborative learning” classrooms, dance studios and the soccer fields of the suburbs. Millennials have always been members of teams. What one generation considered a “competitive event,” the next considered a “chance to participate and be a part of a team.”

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Money Isn’t Everything

• Might Millennials be motivated by money? The average college graduate’s debt is now $19,646.

• According to the Pew Research Center, 40 percent of Millennials live at home. Imagine the financial flexibility they have without rent or utility bills and with the numerous other perks of living with limited financial responsibility beyond their college debt.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Redefining the Workday

• Millennials question everything. So, if there is not a good reason for working past 5 o’clock, or even 3:30, do not expect them to do it.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Feedback: Employee and Performance Reviews.

• In the age of instant gratification, people are used to getting immediate feedback. E-mail, text messages and online polls. If you are a Millennial or Gen Xer, the feedback was probably very positive.

• Annual review. Annual?

• Some ratings are below average? Below average?

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Multitasking

• With text messages, laptops, instant messaging and cell phones, there is a new dynamic to workplace communication. Is it more productive to be able to read your e-mail or be electronically accessible at a meeting, or is it better to go off-line and give your undivided attention to the people in the room?

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Dress Code and Self-expressionYou Can’t Judge a Book by it’s cover.

Nonverbal communication in a multicultural world leads to interaction with people who are visually different from each other.

“This isn’t a group you’ll catch in flannel. They’re all about quiet kitsch—a funky T-shirt under a blazer, artsy jewelry, silly socks—small statements that won’t cause trouble. The most important decorations, though, are electronic—iPods, BlackBerrys, laptops—and they’re like extra limbs.” Fortune magazine’s “Attracting the Twentysomething Worker,”

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Debunking a popular beliefMillenials are more civic minded and

volunteer more.Observation: there has been a rise in youth volunteering.

Support: an increasing number of high school and college students report that they have volunteered their time in the last year.

Reality: Many high schools and colleges require community service (or colleges like to see it on admissions applications). So even the rise in short-term volunteering might instead be "involuntary volunteering."

Weblog of Generation Me author Dr. Jean Twenge

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Debunking a popular beliefBelief: Baby boomers are commonly

noted to be the most self-absorbed generation in American history

Observation: As Boomers enter the end of the traditional workforce

years, they are not just stopping. They are refocusing.

Support: Nationally, boomers (33%) have higher volunteer rates

than either seniors (24%) or young adults (24%), reports the Corporation for National and Community Service.

USA Today’s 'Me Generation' becomes 'We Generation' Posted 8/2/2006 by Daniel J. Kadlec

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26More of those Nice Young People“ I stumbled onto a network of Millennial blogs that paint a very different picture of Millennials than the media portrays. These nice young people are much more of what I was expecting (and experiencing for the most part) and far less of what I've been hearing about until very, very recently.

From: Tracy McGaugh’s blog at http://www.themillennials.org/

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26Be Cautious with Cross-generational

AssumptionsAlthough Traditionalists and Boomers grew

up at a time when technology changed less rapidly and was less integrated into daily life, it does not universally mean that they are not “plugged in.”

•Google founder Larry Page is a Gen Xer •Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs is a Boomer •Astronaut Neil Armstrong is a Traditionalist

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26The Foundation of Understanding Generations

1. Begin by accepting what you cannot change. 2. Reflect upon your knowledge of generational

differences.3. Actively seek to step beyond acting on

generational stereotypes. 4. Consider generational values, attitudes and

communication styles, but do not expect this knowledge to answer all of your questions.

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This concludes

our broadcast day.

62+ 43-61 27-42 <26AACRAOOrlando, Florida

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Who's Next? Talking About "My Generation":

An Introduction to Cross Generational Communication

Tom Richmond, Director of Admissions Marketing and CommunicationsBradley University

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