Who are the millennials and do we need to be concerned with their needs? Well, there is lot’s of debate over what started out as Generation Y, or the NetGen, but for the most part, millennials are those born after 1981. They will populate the workforce after their parents, the Baby Boomers, start retiring en masse at about 2011, and they think, learn, and do things differently.
Why do they do things differently? They are wired differently – not through nature but through nurture. While Generation X was raised on TV; the millennials were raised on the Internet with access to information like no population before them. Some say they are spoiled with their sense of entitlement, and some are, but characteristically, they like to be challenged and rise to the occasion. Look at the millennials in the workforce today - unlike some of their Generation X forbearers, millennials tend to get the job done right and done on time. Much like their baby-boom parents who embraced the advances that followed WWII, the millennials are masters of technology who embody the principles of goal setting espoused by Lock and Latham with a bit of bravado. Yeah, they have their own way of doing things, but as a parent who is a baby-boomer, I think they understand the world is different one that’s ripe for the picking.
For those of you who have teenagers 13 and up, watch what they are doing before dinner (or between after-school athletics, karate, dance, heading out with friends, etc.). What do you see them doing when you walk into their rooms at 7 PM? I don’t know about you, but mine have a book open (they are either reading or doing a good job of pretending); they have their TV on (the volume is off at least); they are listening to their iPods (that’s why the volume is off); SMS-texting on their cell phones; their computers are on so they can do homework in Word or on Blackboard; and update Facebook while IM’ing on Yahoo Chat... All at the same time! Oddly enough, they do well in school, one’s in line for a sports scholarship the other an academic one… How the heck do they do that? Those of you with teenagers, does any of this sound familiar? You have probably heard this story before, but the fact that so many convey similar anecdotes lends support to what makes them special.
Their needs are are important because they are the managers and key technicians of the future. From an instructional perspective, we need to map the characteristics and tools of this new learner to the required job-skills and organizational needs of the workplace. Like everyone who came before them, as professionals in learning and development, we need to enable them while managing behavior and performance. We need to design and develop systems and programs that support rapid information gathering and channels of collaboration, through technology. At the same time, we need to create opportunities for knowledge-transfer where the intellectual capital for those who are leaving the workforce can be passed on to the millennials entering. Web 2.0, Learning 2.0, and mobile devices are where we can bridge this gap between the boomers and the millennials.
There’s an old saying my grandfather used to say when I would try something new, “you will get out of it what you put into it…” The millennials seem to have mastered this concept. Not a believer?... I am. Look at some of the millennials entering the workplace now – easier to manage than the GenX’ers that preceded them - and they are bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to conquer. Are we ready? Well, let’s just say we are moving in the right direction. Hey, you are reading a blog aren’t you?
Recommended Articles:
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_consulting_millennialfactsheet_080606.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y
http://www.generationsatwork.com/articles/millenials.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200.shtml
BTW – I strongly recommend the Deloitte article.
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