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Bridging The Generation Gap

Jeffrey Lindsey, PhD, CFO, PM, EFOJeffrey Lindsey, PhD, CFO, PM, EFO

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Pre-Test

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The High School Class of 2009

The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in 1991. 

They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and probably did not  know he had ever been shot.               

They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged.

They were 9 when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember theCold War. 

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Overview of Generations

The GenerationsGeneration Age Influence Traits

Millennium/Generation Y

Pre-school – Early 20’s

1982 - 2000

* Fall of the Berlin Wall* Expansion of technology* Mixed economy* Natural disasters* Violence* Drugs and Gangs

* Independence* Globally concerned* Health conscious* Cyber literate

Generation X Late 20’s – Late 30’s

1965 - 1981

* Sesame street, MTV* End of Cold War* Rise of personal computing* Divorce* AIDS, crack cocaine* Missing children on milk cartons and missing parents at home

* Technosavvy* Diverse* Independent* Skeptical* Entrepreneurial

Baby boomers Early 40’s – late 50’s

1946 -1964

* Booming birthrate* Economic prosperity* Expansion of suburbia* Vietnam, Watergate* Human rights movement* Sex, drugs, rock’n roll

* Idealistic* Competitive* Question authority* “Me” generation

Traditionalists Early 60’s – early 90’s

1909-1945

* The Great Depression* The New Deal*World War II* The G.I. Bill

* Patriotic* Loyal* Fiscally conservative* Faith in institutions

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Are you a CUSP?

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The High School Class of 2009

They are too young to remember the first space shuttle blowing up.

Tianamen Square means nothing to them. Bottle caps have always been screw off and

plastic. Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums.          The statement "You sound like a broken

record" means nothing to them.  They have never owned a record player.  

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Traditionalists

Born between 1909-1945

75 million births

37 year span

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Baby Boomers

Born between 1946-1964 80 million births 19 year span

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The High School Class of 2009

They have always had cable.     There have always been VCRs, but they have no

idea what BETA was.   They cannot fathom not having a remote control.         They don't know what a cloth baby diaper is, or know

about the "Help me, I've fallen and I can't get up" commercial.  

They were born the year after the Walkmen was introduced by Sony.  

Roller skating has always meant inline for them.   

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Generation X

Born between 1965 – 1981 46 million births 17 year span

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Generation X

Sesame street, MTV End of Cold War Rise of personal

computing Divorce AIDS, crack cocaine Missing children on milk

cartons and missing parents at home

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Generation X

Less loyal Independent Crave attention Home Priorities Experience View of world Expectations

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Generation X

Best learn: Best to use materials with fewer words than those

designed for older generations, they don’t read as much as their older, are attracted to pages that provide lots of visual stimulation – headlines, subheads, graphics, and lists

Motivated Time off, meeting own goals, recognition from

boss, skills training, stock options, mentoring, fun

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The High School Class of 2009

No idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.   Can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.            Don't know who Mork was or where he was from. (The

correct answer, by the way, is Ork)   They never heard: "Where's the beef?", "I'd walk a mile

for a Camel,“ or "De plane, de plane!"   Do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R.

was.   Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are

bands, not places.          There has always been MTV.   They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter. 

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Generation Y

Born between 1982- 2000 76 million births 19 year span

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Generation Y (1976-96)

Self-reliant Stability, heritage,

volunteerism, escapism Tolerant and accepting of

diverse lifestyles More than 40% must take

remedial math or English after high school

Vocational experience limited Reading, writing, ES technical

knowledge needed

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Millennium

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Expansion of technology

Mixed economy Natural disasters Violence Drugs and Gangs

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Millennium

Independence Globally concerned Health conscious Cyber literate

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Generation Y

Best learn: Materials that suit them are lively and varied; they

will become bored with learning/training that is not highly active and interactive. Printed materials should have the same multiple focal points as the materials targeted at Xers.

Motivated Time off, portable skills, training, meeting own

goals, stock options, mentoring, money

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Generation Z

2001 – 2012 23 million and growing rapidly

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Clashpoints Around Career Goals

Traditionalists…”Build a legacy” Baby Boomers…”Build a stellar career” Generation Xers…”Build a portable

career” Millennials…”Build parallel careers”

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Clashpoint Around Job Changing

Traditionalists…”Job changing carries a stigma”

Baby Boomers…”Job changing puts you behind”

Generation Xers…”Job changing is necessary”

Millennials…”Job changing is part of my daily routine”

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Rewarding the Generations

Traditionalists…”The satisfaction of a job well done”

Baby Boomers…”Money, title, recognition, the corner office”

Generation Xers…”Freedom is the ultimate reward”

Millennials…”Work that has meaning for me”

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Clashpoint Around Feedback

Traditionalists…”No news is good news” Baby Boomers…”Feedback once a year,

with lots of documentation!” Generation Xers…”Sorry to interrupt, but

how am I doing?” Millennials…”Feedback whenever I want

it at the push of a button”

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Clashpoint Around Training

Traditionalists…”I learned it the hard way; you can too!”

Baby Boomers…”Train ’em too much and they’ll leave”

Generation Xers…”The more they learn, the more they stay”

Millennials…”Continuous learning is a way of life”

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Recruiting Generations

Create cross-mentors of Gen Xers, Boomers and Yers

When recruiting, focus on how the job benefits the applicant, not just the organization.

Manage people as individuals. Set up programs for flexible or semi-retired work. Set up continuous learning programs to retain

workers. Challenge each generation with appropriate

responsibilities.

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Training Xers andY’s

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Pedagogical Implications

Provide an opportunity for team assignments. Provide an opportunity to select or define

some aspect of the assignment  Demonstrate concern about vocational

growth  Demonstrate interest in their personal life  Develop a reputation for fairness  Discuss issues frankly; ask for opinions and

solutions 

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Four Areas to Remember

Personal Interactive Stimulating Practical

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Personal

Want to be recognized as individuals Want relevant examples Want a voice in class decisions Want a relationship with professor

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Interactive 

Value group interaction Class as a social, as well as

educational experience Need nonjudgmental sounding board

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Stimulating 

Not passive recipients of information Must be engaged to comprehend/retain

information Want a variety of learning experiences Used to being entertained

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Practical 

Course work needs to be relevant to “Real World”

Want to learn marketable skills Want information to be current

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Managing and Training Generation X & Y

Accept them Care Hands off, be there Talk, talk, talk High input Mentoring Exert authority from reason Learn to move faster in making

change Convey the meaning of

assignments

Be explicit about your expectations

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Post Test

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Bibliography

Generation Gap – http://library.thinkquest.org BridgeWorks – http://www.generations.com Adams, S.J. (2000, January). Generation X. Professional Safety

26-29 Salopek, J.J. (2000, February). The Young and the Rest of Us.

Training & Development 26 –30 Alch, M.L. (2000, February). Get Ready for the Net Generation.

Training & Development 32 – 34 Ruch, W. (2000, April). How to Keep Gen X Employees from

Becoming X-Employees. Training & Development 40-43

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Questions

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Contact Information

Jeffrey T. Lindsey, Ph.D., PM, CFO, EFO

Author - Brady Publishing Chief Learning Officer, Health & Safety

Institute Adjunct Professor, The George Washington

University & St. Petersburg College 239-560-0083 jtlindsey1@aol.com