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“Generations” Understanding the Cross-Generational Workplace. Generation is …. Is the aggregate of all people born over roughly the span of a phase of life. Particularly telling are a generation’s defining moments:. Social. External Factors. Personal.
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“Generations” Understanding the Cross-Generational Workplace
Generation is … Is the aggregate of all people born over roughly the span of a phase of life .
Social External Factors Personal Birth 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 AGE (years) Formation Of World View
USCG Demographics E 1 445 / 442 99.3% E 2 3,104 / 3,103 99.9% E 3 3,516 / 3,507 99.7% E 4 5,941 / 5,908 99.4% E 5 5,824 / 4,943 84.87% E 6 5,288 / 2,608 49.3% E 7 2,666 / 526 19.7% E 8 539 / 22 4.0% E 9 261 / 4 1.5% TOTAL 27,584 / 18,273 66.2% E 1 - E 6 24,118 / 20,511 85.0% Numbers of Coast Guard Enlisted Personnel under the age of 36 as of 01/01/00
USCG Demographics W 2 696 / 75 10.7% W3 351 / 1 0.2% W4 363 / 0 0% O1 334 / 329 98.5% O2 1,038 / 1,005 96.8% O3 5,288 / 2,608 63.9% O4 1,045 / 262 25.0% O5 717 / 0 0% O6 316 / 0 0% O7-10 26/ 0 0% TOTAL 10,168 / 4,280 42.0% O 1 - O4 7,705 / 4,204 54.5% Numbers of Coast Guard Officer Personnel under the age of 36 as of 01/01/00
Generations • G.I. Generation • Silent • Boomer • Generation X • Millennial
Living Generations • G.I. Generation (1901-1924) • Depression Years World War II Entitlements Rebuild the World Belief in Progress Presidency from JFK to Bush JFK, Ronald Reagan, Walt Disney, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Walter Cronkite
Living Generations • Silents (1925-1942) • Korean War, Technocrats, Sandwiched, Mediators, No President, Permission Givers Retirement Colin Powell, Walter Mondale, Woody Allen, Martin Luther, King Jr., Sandra Day O’Connor, Elvis Presley
Silent Generational Personality • Conformers • Interested in the system rather than individual enterprise • No individual culture - sandwiched group • Looked to refine and humanize the G.I built world
Silents on the Job Assets • Detail Oriented • Loyal • Thorough • Stable
Silents on the Job Liabilities • Reluctant to buck the system • Uncomfortable with conflict • Reluctant to go against peers • Overly resistant to change
Living Generations • Boomers (1943-1963) • Vietnam, Inner Directed, Transform World, New Women’s Role, Left Mainline Church, Mid-Life Issues (reinventing them!) Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates Candice Bergmen,
Boomer Generational Personality • Believe in growth and expansion • Think of themselves as stars of the show • Tend to be optimistic • Learned about teamwork • Have pursued their own personal gratification --repeatedly, obsessively, and recreationally
GI/Silent Followed traditional roles (male/female, ethnic) Loyal (to their marriages & companies) Disciplined and patient, waiting for the rewards Played by the rules Boomers Redefined roles; promoted equality Left unfulfilling relationships Sought immediate gratification Manipulated the rules How Boomers Differ From Their Parents
Boomers on the Job Assets • Service oriented • Driven • Willing to “go the extra mile” • Good at relationships • Want to please • Good team players
Boomers on the Job Liabilities • Not naturally “budget minded” • May put process ahead of result • Overly sensitive to feedback • Judgmental of others seeing things differently • Self-centered
Messages That Motivate • “You’re important to our success.” • “You’re valued here.” • “Your contribution is unique and important.” • “We need you.” • “I approve of you.” • “You’re worthy.”
Boomers What the Other Generations Say About Them G. I.’s say . . . • They talk about things they ought to keep private…like the intimate details of their personal lives.” • “They’re too self-absorbed.”
Boomers Cont. What the Other Generations Say About Them Gen Xers say . . . • “They’re self-righteous.” • “They’re workaholics.” • “They’re too political, • “They do a great job of talking the talk. • “Lighten up; it’s only a job.” • “What’s the management fad this week?”
Today’s Workplace:Boomers, X’ers, and Millennials Boomers 76 Million Generation X 51 Million Millennials 72 Million
Living Generations • Generation X (1964-1983) • Desert Storm, Down Sizing, Increased Violence, Broken Homes, Boomerang, Hi-Tech, Diverse, Hope (Is there any?) Friends Tom Cruise, Jodie Foster, Michael Dell, Deion Sanders, Alanis Morissett Winonna Ryder,
Movie Portrayals of “Evil Children During X’ers Growth Years MOVIES 1964 Children of the Damned 1968 Rosemary’s Baby 1973 The Exorcist 1974 It’s Alive! 1976 The Omen 1977 Exorcist II: The Heretic 1978 Damien- Omen II 1978 Halloween 1980 The Children 1981 The Final Conflict 1984 Children of the Corn
Gen Xers on the Job Assets • Adaptable • Negotiation skills • Independent • Not easily intimidated by authority • Creative
Gen Xers on the Job Liabilities • Impatient • Poor people skills • Inexperienced • Cynical
Boomers Fight against authority Media darlings Workaholics Political at work Nostalgia for the 1960’s Xers Go around authority Avoid the media Get a life Politics is a waste of time Oh, Lord, not again How Xer’s Differ From The Previous Generation
Gen Xers What the Other Generations Say About Them G. I.’s say . . . • “They’re not educated.” • “They don’t respect experience.” • “They don’t follow procedures.” • “They don’t know what hard work is.”
Gen Xers Cont. What the Other Generations Say About Them Boomers say . . . • “They’re slackers.” • “They are rude and lack social skills.” • “They’re always doing things their own way, instead of the proscribed way (our way).” • “They spend too much time on the Internet.” • “They won’t wait their turn.”
Gen Xers Cont What the Other Generations Say About Them Millennials say . . . • “Cheer up!”
Messages That Motivate • “Do it your way.” • “We’ve got the newest technology.” • “There aren’t a lot of rules here.” • “We’re not very corporate.” • “We focus on results, not process.”
Living Generations • Millennials (1984-2005) • Net Generation, Lap Generation, Valuable Asset, Movie Heroes (kids fix it), Open (new info), Collaboration, Innovation, Early Responsibility Jessica McClure, the Olsen twins, Prince William, Anna Kournikova
Movie Portrayals Children During Millennials Growth Years MOVIES Raising Arizona Baby Boom Parenthood Three Men and a Baby Home Alone 1, 2,3 Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
Millennial Persona Traits • Special • Sheltered • Confident • Team-oriented • Achieving • Pressured • Conventional
Messages That Motivate • “You’ll be working with other bright, creative people.” • “Your boss is very experienced.” • “You and your coworkers can help turn this company around.” • “You will have chances to excel here.”
Gen Yers What the Other Generations Say About Them G. I.’s say . . . • “They have good manners.” • “They’re smart little critters.” • “They need to toughen up.” • “They watch too much TV…with crude language and violence.
Gen Yers Cont. What the Other Generations Say About Them Boomers say . . . • “They’re cute.” • “They need more discipline from their parents.” • “They can set the time on the VCR!” • “They need to learn to entertain themselves; they need too much attention.”
Gen Yers Cont. What the Other Generations Say About Them Gen Xers say . . . • “Neo Boomers.” • “Here we go again…another self-absorbed generation of spoiled brats.” • “What do you mean, ‘What’s an album?”
Generational Comparisons Core Values Boomer’sXer’sMillennial’s OptimismPragmatismCivic Duty Team OrientationSelf-reliance Confidence Personal GrowthBalanceAchievement InvolvementDiversityStreet Smarts
Generational Comparisons Heroes Boomer’sXer’sMillennial’s GandhiNONEMichael Jordan Martin Luther KingPrincess Diana John & Jackie KennedyMother Teresa John GlennMark McGwire Mia Hamm
Historical View of Time Over the millennia, man has developed three ways of thinking about time: Chaotic - Dominate view of primitive man Cyclical - Popular among ancient and traditional civilizations Linear- Prescribed by most Western historians
At the core of modern history lies a remarkable pattern. Over the past few centuries, American society has entered a new era--a new turning-- every two decades or so.
Turnings come in cycles of four. Each cycle spans a long human lifetime, roughly 80-100 years. Together, the four turnings make up history’s seasonal rhythm of growth, maturation, disorder, and destruction.
Cycle of Time 4th Turning Winter 1st Turning (Spring) 2nd Turning Summer 3rd Turning Fall
First Turning: is a high • Upbeat era of strengthening institutions • Weakening individualism • New civic order • Culture feels conformist and wholesome • In current Millennial Cycle--American high of the Truman, Eisenhower & Kennedy pres
Second Turning: is an Awakening • A passionate era of spiritual upheaval. • Civic order comes under attack from a new set of values. • In current Millennial Cycle--Awakening was the Consciousness Revolution, from campus revolts of 1960’s to tax revolts of the 1980’s.
Third Turning: Is an Unraveling • Downcast era - strengthening individualism • Civic order declines and the culture feels splintered and decadent • In current Millennial Cycle--unraveling began with the cultural wars in mid-80’s • Era due to expire during the Oh-Oh Decade
Fourth Turning: is a Crisis • Decisive era of upheaval replacing the old civic order with a new one. • A sudden spark will catalyze a Crisis mood. • In current Millennial Cycle--due to begin shortly after the start of the new millennium. • The cycle starts over.
“Mountain Top” View of American History • New World 1594 - 1704 • Revolutionary 1704 - 1794 • Civil War 1794 - 1865 • Great Power 1865 - 1946 • Millennial 1946 - 2026?
Revolutionary Cycle1704 - 1794 Age of Empire (1704-27) First confident flowering of provincial civilization: booming trade, recognizable cities, rising living standards. 1st Turning
Revolutionary Cycle 1704 - 1794 Great Awakening (1727-46) Spiritual revival (Jonathan Edwards), pitting young believers against elders. Old World social barriers were burst. 2nd Turning