Organizational Behavior Meets Generation X and Y – A Practical Approach

1. Organizational Behavior Meets Generation X and Y – A Practical Approach Richard A. Lewis, CRA Corporate Director, Operations Florida Radiology Imaging (FRi) HPN Fall Conference – Louisville, KY September 23, 2005

2. What is this all about? • This program is intended to help identify the styles of management that some of us may employ and how they impact “new age” employees in our respective fields • This is not intended to be exhaustive, nor a primer for how you should manage your employees; rather, it is good information and some things I have done in previous positions • Finally, this is not the perfect approach; hopefully, this will spark some conversation between generations in this room and your organizations

3. Let’s play People Bingo We are going to take a few moments to see if we can go around the room and identify who is older than the dirt on Noah’s Ark, or younger than the clothes you wore to work last week The initials should represent the earliest event you remember in your lifetime, and you need to identify the year Don’t cheat! Now, let’s play a game!

4. Here we go!

5. Answers!

6. What was the purpose of the game? • Hopefully, this was an icebreaker that allowed you to get to know each other a little better • This also allows us to break down the generations that are in the workplace today: The Veterans, The Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y

7. Veterans (1922 – 1943)now between 61 – 82 years old • Lindbergh Transatlantic flight ’27 • Lindbergh baby kidnapping ’32 • Stock Market Crash ’29 • Depression ’29 – 33 • FDR’s New Deal ’33 • Social Security established ’34 • Hitler and World War II ’37 - 43

8. Dedication and Sacrifice Hard Work Respect for Authority Adherence to Rules Duty before Pleasure Work ethic influenced by manufacturing economy Obedience and conformity over individualism Seniority and age directly correlated Tend to respond well to directive leadership Veterans – Values and Work Ethic

9. Directive leadership • Much more comfortable with “scientific management” style • Comes as result of the military background of this group • Very conformist, little place for individual style

10. Baby Boomers (1944 – 1963)now between 41 – 60 years old • McCarthy Hearings ’54 • The Pill ’60 • Assassinations of JFK (’63) and MLK (’68) • Civil Rights (Rosa Parks ’55) (March on Washington ’63) • Vietnam ’65 • Man on the Moon ‘69

11. Service Oriented Driven by the legacy of World War II Uncomfortable with conflict Can be overly sensitive to feedback Can be judgmental of those who see things differently Baby Boomers – Values and Work Ethic • Optimism • Team Orientation • Personal Growth • Personal Gratification • Health and Wellness • Involvement

12. Management style for the Boomers? • While Organizational Behavioral modifications really began to sink in with the Boomers, they largely responded well (and still do) to “scientific”, directive style of leadership • However, desire to see a more referent model begins to emerge

13. Looking around… • How many of you are described in the previous groups? • Interesting in the fact that the values and work ethic of the Veterans and Boomers are natural outgrowths of the previous

14. Now… • Let’s focus our attention on the groups that our main discussion is based upon… • Generation X • Generation Y

15. Generation X (1964 – 1980)now between 24 and 40 years old • Women’s Liberation Movement ’70 • Watergate and the Energy Crisis ’73 • Tandy and Apple personal computers ’76 • Three Mile Island ’79 • 66 American Hostages in Iran ’79 • John Lennon Shot and Reagan Inaugurated ’80-81 • MTV ‘81 • AIDS ’84 • Challenger Disaster ’86 • “Latch key kids”

16. Diversity Thinking globally Balance Techno-literacy Fun Informality Self-reliance “differently oriented toward work” “just a job” Flexible hours, informal work environment, just the right amount of supervision Multi-tasking Give them lots to do and freedom to do it their way Generation X – Values and Work Ethic

17. What makes them tick? • They tend to avoid corporate politics – they have no orientation for this • They are generally not very interested in traditional perks but (WARNING!!!) they will bail out if they see Boomers getting excessive perks • They are usually motivated by the prospect of independence, the lack of corporate structure, a lack of rigidity, and the latest technological advances

18. How do you teach, train and orient them? • Does your department or facility use Web-based training? • This group is not afraid to ask questions • Say at least 3 times – “We want you to have a life.” • Stress upcoming dramatic organizational changes • Encourage a learning inventory at the end of each day • Stress the importance of training; however, keep the training materials brief and easy to read

19. The Myths surrounding Gen X • They’re materialistic. • Many are struggling to make ends meet. This generation is probably the American generation that probably will not replicate or improve on their parents’ lifestyle. They worry that they will not have the money to pay for a house and children’s education. They want to get out of debt. While money is important to them, material wealth and status items are largely scorned. • Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

20. The Myths surrounding Gen X • They’re whiners. • Gen Xers face some rather daunting challenges – college loans, skyrocketing health care costs – yet most are philosophical about the problems they are inheriting. • Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

21. The Myths surrounding Gen X • They have a “you owe me” attitude. • No more so than any other generation. • Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

22. The Myths surrounding Gen X • They’re not willing to work hard. • In interviews, Gen Xers consistently tell us they are willing to work very hard. They don’t want to be taken advantage of, though. Many believe it’s unfair to expect a seventy-hour week for forty hours of pay. And, as a generation, they’re committed to having a life beyond work. • Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

23. The Myths surrounding Gen X • They’re living on easy street. • In the 1950s, young homeowners could make the monthly mortgage payment by using 14 percent of their income. Today it takes 40 percent. And today, folks older than sixty will get back about $200 for every $100 they put into Social Security. Gen Xers will lose more than $100 for every $450 they contribute. • Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

24. Do not make the mistake of buying into the media stereotype of this group… • Once again, these are the latch-key kids all grown up… • This group grew up with task lists to be completed with minimal supervision… • “Quality time” is a part of their lexicon – make it worthwhile when you have their attention… • Make it clear “what’s on the test?”

25. Style of management? • This group, while understanding a need for conformity in healthcare, and respectful of legitimate authority, wants to see referent power in action

26. Generation Y (1980 - )now 24 years old and younger • Oklahoma City Bombing • The Internet • Clinton/Lewinsky scandal • Columbine High School Massacre • September 11, 2001 • The popularity of ESPN

27. Optimism Civic Duty Confidence Achievement Sociability Morality Street smarts Diversity Collective action Tenacity Heroic spirit Multi-tasking Technological savvy Have difficulty dealing with difficult people issues Generation Y – Values and Work Ethic

28. Be prepared… • Education and teaching • Business • Computer related fields • Law • Psychology • Medicine

29. What makes them tick? • They love a challenge • They function well as team members – a bit different from their older siblings in Gen X • They want to be heroes • They want to be surrounded by bright, creative people • They want it – right now

30. How do you teach, train, and orient them? • Allow plenty of orientation time • Create a clear, realistic picture of the work environment – good and bad • Spell out expectations and goals • Take the time to find out their goals and help them define a strategy for meeting them • Take note that gender roles of the previous generations do not apply

31. The Myths surrounding Gen Y • The youth of today are “going to hell in a handbasket.” • Experts believe this is a fine group of young people who will make heroes of themselves. • Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

32. The Myths surrounding Gen Y • Today’s kids are getting a great education. • Not all of them. Gregory Schmidt of the Institute for the Future, Menlo Park, CA, says, “Tomorrow’s haves and have-nots are already diverging in today’s third grade classrooms as they either advance into the information age or fall behind for lack of reading and math skills or access to computers.” (Wall Street Journal, 2/9/97) • Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

33. The Myths surrounding Gen Y • Kids need to spend more time reading and less time watching TV and playing video games. • Kids are spending more time reading. Business Week reports that surveys show video games cut into TV, not reading time. (4/19/97) • Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X (Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

34. Some takeaways for this generation • They are a unique mix – a very independent group politically • They are not as conservative as their older siblings in Generation X; however, are not as liberal as their Baby Boomer parents were when they were that age • They are religious, but not in a traditional sense

35. Don’t forget… • These are the children who grew up with Ronald Reagan as “The Great Communicator” • Their morality is an outgrowth of being raised in more conservative times • They have largely known prosperous times (despite a few hiccups in the early ’90s) • They desire a good education so that they can make their mark • Really, they are the Veterans in a different generation

36. What will make them seek out greener pastures? • They respect legitimate authority, but they will follow referent authority • Work does not bother them, but it needs to be meaningful, not just busy work • Overemphasis on outward appearance – not overall neatness, but picky on insignificant matters • Perceived disrespect of their youth

37. Our driving question is how do we appeal to these groups to enter allied health professions? • The American Hospital Association issued a significant statement of interim positions a few years back entitled Workforce Supply for Hospital and Health Systems which outlined some interesting recommendations for recruitment • Even the New England Journal of Medicine realized the need to appeal to this group as they broaden their reach to undergraduates reaching towards medical school – introduced a online newsletter geared specifically towards Gen X and Y entitled The Next Generation • What are we doing to broaden our outreach? Are we going to high schools, middle schools, even elementary schools to start planting the seeds? • While we are still a high touch group of professionals, we also need to play up our rapid ascension into high technology and the need for those who can balance the two • How do our various organizational websites look when it comes to appealing to those that we potentially want to recruit? (Some members of these generations have “webmaster” skills that could put us all to shame)

38. What practical steps worked in the past to retain younger employees? • We had the luxury of having a technologist training program at my previous facility • We routinely identified excellent candidates from our school to come on board as graduate technologists • We consistently communicated to them that they were valued members of our team, even as students • And, as a result, we had the luxury of having more qualified candidates for positions than positions available • Provided excellent technology for folks to work with – PACS, CR, DR, and in 2003, the health system completed a system wide “go live” that will pave the way for automated clinical and financial processes (EMRs, real time diagnostic results, CPOE) – our efforts garnered a “Most Improved” in a survey of “The 100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Care Networks”

39. How did we keep them? • Retention “scholarships” – in exchange for a year of employment, we reimburse them for tuition, books, uniform expenses, and a couple of coins towards the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists registry examination • Immediately involve them in QC/PI initiatives in the department, and give feedback to their contribution towards meeting organizational goals • Rotating opportunities to be a part of a peer interviewing group

40. Encouraged membership in a Service Quality Committee • This group volunteered to meet weekly to go over issues that impact the quality of the department’s service delivery • Those who volunteer have to go through an interview process with the existing committee members, and they have to commit to regular and meaningful attendance and participation

41. What was the impact of this group? • Created “90 Day Party” for all employees of the service, where the employee is thanked for being one of our care partners, and gives opportunity for folks to interact with others and department leadership • Conducted an Imaging Services employee opinion survey to look at areas of concern – worked to address them. Hospital did general employee survey six months later, and Imaging was one of the strongest areas in the facility in employee satisfaction • Continued emphasis on good communication – instrumental in creating e-mail accounts for all service partners, and also creating the parameters to make sure that they are being appropriately utilized

42. What is the impact…(cont’d)? • This group was not afraid to ask tough questions or tackle tough subjects – questioned Human Resources on creating a more coordinated recruiting effort; questioned the VP of Human Resources on the provision of domestic partners’ benefits; grilled the senior department leadership on various subjects • Most importantly, they injected fun into the service again!

43. So, what have we learned? • Really, the kids are alright! • Forget scientific management – the days of “I tell, you do”, are over • Referent leadership, with appropriate balance between boss and team member • Give the kids the chance to succeed, with the appropriate tools needed to get the job done, and they will do it • If you believe the stereotypes and media hype, you will miss out on the next great generation of hard workers, willing to sacrifice and make contributions – however, take consideration of their values • Create your own practical approach to applying OB to your folks, and don’t miss an opportunity to let them know how much they are appreciated

44. Questions?

45. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of the conference! • References - Generations At Work – Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers and Nexters in Your Workplace, by Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, and Bob Filipczak, 2000 - American Generations: Who They Are, How They Live, What They Think, by Susan Mitchell, 1999 - Managing Generation Y – Global Citizens Born in the Late Seventies and Early Eighties, by Carolyn A. Martin, Ph.D., and Bruce Tulgan, 2001 - Beyond Generation X, by Claire Raines, 1997 - Workforce Supply for Hospitals and Health Systems, American Hospital Association Strategic Policy Planning Committee, January 23, 2001 - The Next Generation, edited by Lester Y. Leung, New England Journal of Medicine - New Generation, New Politics, by Anna Greenberg, taken from The American Prospect, Volume 14, No. 9, October 1, 2003 - Law Firms Mull the ‘Gen Y’ Equation, by Leigh Jones, The National Law Journal, March 2, 2005 Special thanks to: - Martin Isganitis, Staff Development and Service Excellence Specialist, DeKalb Medical Center, Decatur, GA - The Imaging Services Service Quality Committee of DeKalb Medical Center, Starla Longfellow, RT(R), Manager, Imaging Services and Group Facilitator - Susan L. Moore, BBA, RT(R), Assistant Director, Radiology, Athens Regional Medical Center, Athens, GA