Generation Y

What makes Generation Y managers different? Everyone’s personal values and attitudes are shaped by their family, community and significant events...

What makes Generation Y managers different?

Everyone’s personal values and attitudes are shaped by their family, community and significant events (wars, violence, technology, politics, finance etc.) in their world as they are growing up. The academic world has created a model to review, compare and contrast people born within certain time frames and has developed the “Generation Theory” which links world events with changes in the attitudes and values of the general public.

	Baby boomers (1946-1964)	Generation X (1965-1980)	Generation Y (1980-2000)
Outlook	Optimistic	Sceptical	Hopeful
Work ethic	Driven	Balanced	Determined
They work to:	Increase their self-worth	Fund their lifestyle	Help change the world
View of authority	Love or hate	Unimpressed	Polite
Respect:	Is given automatically to those with titles, authority or experience	Is not automatically given to authority figures	Must be earned by all levels of society
Leadership by:	Consensus	Competence	Pulling together
Don’t like:	Discrimination	Cliché / hype	Self-importance
Values	Fairness Team orientation Hard work Personal growth	Self-reliance Informality Pragmatism Global thinking	Civic duty Confidence Honesty & integrity Diversity
Motivators	Tell them they are “valuable” Put them “in charge” Personal closeness to the boss	Gadgets Tell them “do it your way” Tell them “what is in it for you” Positive feedback	Small rewards given frequently Working with creative people Tell them “we need your help to move the company forward”

Generation Y have grown up in a time of affluence and rapid social change. They are the first generation whose parents planned to have them (contraception, maternity leave etc.), who wanted to be “friends” with them (sharing music, activities, decision making etc.) and allowed them to have the longest teenage to adult phase ever. Generation Y saw their parents work long hours to earn money, to buy things they didn’t need, to impress people they didn’t like and have come to realise that free time is more valuable than money.

And now Generation Y are entering the upper levels of management in our organisations.

What are the challenges for the older generations?

Gen Y are far less formal and more social than older generations, especially at work. This shift from business to social relationships in the work place can challenge older colleagues’ need for professional distance.
Age, title, position and experience do not command the automatic respect of Gen Y. Respect can only be earned from them.
Hierarchical management is a thing of the past. Gen Y demand that decisions are transparent, aims / targets / purpose are clearly defined and that they should be involved in the business – life on a “hamster wheel” is unacceptable.
Loyalty to an employer is fading. A long career in the same company is not an attractive life model for them.

Tips

Explain clearly how what they do fits into the big picture. They want to make an impact – NOW!
Give them more than one task at a time. The modern world of social media and technology means that they are great multi-taskers.
Give them the flexibility to find their own work / life balance.
Make sure they have a mentor / supervisor who helps them to create and work within a structured environment.
Mentors can also help Gen Y managers to understand other people’s perspectives and deal with difficult people. This can be especially important if there is a conflict with older members of Generation X who see Gen Y as “soft”, weak and over-protected.
Continually develop and challenge your Gen Y managers. If you don’t (or can’t), they will quickly move to an organisation that will.

But having said all that, like every generation, they still need: