Connecting or Conflicting?
Randy R. Weigel
“At Home on the Range”
February 21-23, 2006
“How and where did Kennedy die?”
What is a generation?
Generations at Work, 2000, Zemke, Raines and Filipczak
Generational cohort—people born in the same general
time span who share key life experiences and develop
shared values, attitudes and expectations.
Bioecological Systems Theory
Family
Community
Society
Global
Generations, 1991, Strauss and Howe
The Fourth Turning, 1997, Strauss and Howe
Generational
Name:
GI
Silent
Boom
Thirteenth
Millennial
Born:
1901-24
1925-42
1943-60
1961-81
1982-03
Length (Years):
24
18
18
21
22
Age in 2005 104 to 81
80 to 63
62 to 45
44 to 24
23 to 2
Generations at Work, 2000, Zemke, Raines and Filipczak
Generational
Name:
Veterans
Baby
Boomers
Generation
Xers
Generation
Nexters
Born:
1922-43
1943-60
1960-80
1980-00
Length (Years):
22
18
21
22
Age in 2005
83 to 62
62 to 45
45 to 25
25 to 5
Each generation faces………..
Defining Moments or
Significant Social Events
(DM/SSE)
Veterans
Born 1922 – 1943
a.k.a.
Traditionalists
Matures
G.I.
Silent
Good Time
WW II
What were DM/SSEs for this generation?
Defining Events—Veteran Generation
1929 – The Great Depression Begins
1933 – The Dust Bowl in the Midwest
1933 – The New Deal Enacted (WPA & CCC)
1941 – Pearl Harbor--U.S. enters WW II
1945 – FDR dies
Atomic bombs dropped
Victory in Europe and Japan
1950 – Korean Conflict (1950-53)
anticommunist fears surge
What to Remember about Veterans:
• They are dedicated to a job once they take it
• They are respectful of authority, even if it frustrates them
• They place duty before pleasure
• Patience is a virtue. They are willing to wait for rewards
• Honor and integrity are critical parts of their being
• They are reluctant to challenge the system. They are
conformers
• They are strongly patriotic.
Messages that Motivate (Connect) with Veterans:
• “Your experience is respected here.”
• “It’s valuable to the rest of us to hear what has—hasn’t—
worked in the past.”
• “Your perseverance is valued and will be rewarded.”
Baby Boomers
Born 1943 – 1960
a.k.a.
Boomers
Pepsi
Now
Me
Woodstock
NuAgers
Love
Yuppie
Vietnam
What were DM/SSEs for this generation?
Defining Events—Baby Boomer Generation
1949 – TV Age Begins
1957 – Congress passes the Civil Rights Act
1962 – Cuban missile crisis
1963 – President Kennedy assassinated
1965 – U.S. sends combat troops to Vietnam
1968 – Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy assassinated
1969 – Neil Armstrong walks on the Moon
Woodstock
1970 – Kent State University shootings
What to Remember about Baby Boomers
• Boomers live to work
• A general sense of optimism regardless of what happens
• They are champions of causes
• They have always been willing to go into debt
• They tend to be team and process oriented, sometimes to the
detriment of results
• Boomers strive for convenience and personal gratification
• Boomers are very nostalgic about their youth and seek to
preserve it.
Messages that Motivate (Connect) with Boomers:
• “You’re important to our success.”
• “You’re valued here.”
• “Your contribution is unique and important.”
• “We need you.”
Generation X
Born 1960 – 1980
a.k.a.
Gen X
Xers
Thirteeners
Baby Busters
Post-Boomers
Lost Generation
What were DM/SSEs for this generation?
Defining Events – Generation X
1973 – Arab oil embargo--energy crisis begins
1974 – Watergate scandal
Richard Nixon resigns
1976 – First personal computers introduced
1979 – Mass corporate layoffs begin
Iran hostage crisis begins
1980 – AIDS receives worldwide attention
John Lennon assassinated
1981 – Ronald Reagan inaugurated
1986 – Space shuttle Challenger explodes
1989 – Fall of Berlin Wall
What to Remember about Generation X
• Xers work to live rather than live to work
• Jobs are viewed within the context of a contract
• Xers view the world pragmatically
• They are noted for being self-reliant
• Xers are attracted to the “edge”
• Xers approach to authority is casual
• To them, versatility of skills and experience ensures employability.
Messages that Motivate (Connect) with Generation X:
• “Do it your way.”
• “There aren’t a lot of rules here.”
• “We’re not very corporate.”
• “We’ve got the newest hardware and software.”
Millennials
Born 1980 – 2000
a.k.a.
Nexters
Gen Y
Y
Echo Boomers
Net Gen
Nintendo Generation
What were DM/SSEs for this generation?
Defining Events—Millennials
• 1990 – Desert Storm
• 1991 – Windows introduced by Microsoft
• 1995 – Oklahoma City bombing
• 1996 – O.J. Simpson trial
• 1999 – Columbine High School shootings
Impeachment of President Clinton
Y2K crisis
• 2001 – Terrorist attacks on September 11th
• 2002 – War in Afghanistan
• 2003 – War in Iraq
What to Remember about Millennials
• They have been conditioned to live in the moment
• The believe technology has all the answers
• Clear and consistent expectations are essential for productivity
• They are optimistic, civic-oriented but also ‘street smart’
• Work should be fun
• They will give respect when they are treated with respect
• They are astoundingly diverse demographically.
Messages that Motivate (Connect) with Millennials:
• “You’ll be working with other bright, creative people.”
• “You and your coworkers can help turn this company
around.”
• “Your boss is in her sixties.”
The Internet: A whole new world
Lingo:
Phrases:
BTW
IMHO
T2UL8R
“See you online”
“The Server’s
down”
FAQs
SPAM
ISP
SMS
Signatures:
“Email me”
“Behind the
firewall”
:-)
;-)
:-*
1940’s
1970’s
1980’s
1960’s
1950’s
1990’s
Learn all you can about other generations
Manage according to values and attitudes
PERSONAL AND LIFESTYLE CHARACTERISITCS BY GENERATION
Veterans
(1922-43)
Baby Boomers
(1943-60)
Generation X
(1960-80)
Millennials
(1980-00)
Core Values
Respect for
authority
Conformers
Discipline
Optimism
Involvement
Skepticism
Fun
Informality
Realism
Confidence
Extreme fun
Social
Family
Traditional
Nuclear
Disintegrating
Latch-key kids
Merged families
Education
A dream
A birthright
A way to get
there
An incredible
expense
Communication
Rotary phones
one-on-one
Touch-tone
phones
Call me anytime
Cell phones
Call me only at
work
Internet
Picture phones
E-mail
Work Ethic
Hard Work
Workaholics
Eliminate
What’s next?
Hammel, G. (2005). Mixing and Managing Four Generations
of Employees.
Be wary of stereotyping
“I remember”……..The sure-fire way to make
yourself irrelevant.
Appreciate the Strengths of the Generations
Connecting with Generations goes both ways
“…too many family trees are split apart or friendship bonds
are broken because we are stuck in the mind-set that the phrase
in my day means it’s ‘the only way.’ Instead, we have to let
in my day become a way to connect with one another. Exposing
ourselves to generational diversity can offer wonderful insight
into how the world once was, how it is today, and where we all
might be in the future.”
Lancaster, L., & Stillman, D. When Generations Collide
Connecting or Conflicting?