four generations, one workplace · four* generations, one workplace erin m. fuller, fasae, cae...
TRANSCRIPT
Four* Generations, One Workplace
Erin M. Fuller, FASAE, CAE President, Association Management & Consulting
MCI USA
Generational Perspectives
Greatest (born 1928 – 1945)
Boomers (1946 – 1960)
Xers (1961 – 1979)
Millennials (1980-1995)
Generation Z (1996 - )
Each Generation is Impacted By…
Internal
Parents’ views
Religion
Race, Ethnicity, Gender
Socioeconomic status during upbringing
External factors
External
Community changes
Global changes
Economic changes
Social changes
Greatest
WWII Victory
Cold War
New manufacturing technology
Booming Post-War economy (But Depression childhoods)
Growth of suburbs
Explosive growth of consumer goods
Greatest
Joiners
Loyal to institutions
Accepting of hierarchy and rules
Respectful of positional authority
Interested in money as a metric of success
Greatest
Outlook: preserve the past Work ethic: dedicated View of authority: reverent Leadership by: hierarchy Perspective: civic minded Participation: seat at table Involvement criteria: networking value \ Attendance: regular
Boomers: Shaping Their Experience
Kennedy’s idealistic “Camelot” Presidency
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Vietnam
Civil Rights
Women’s liberation
Widespread protests
Assassinations
Watergate and Nixon’s resignation
Lots of other Boomer teenagers!
Boomers
Competitive – viewing life as a “zero-sum” game
Hard-working and driven
Anti-authoritarian
Idealistic
Boomers
Outlook: Idealistic Work ethic: driven View of authority: love/hate Leadership by: consensus Perspective: teams Participation: seat at table Involvement criteria: networking value Attendance: regular
Gen X Troubled economy
Widespread lay-offs from re-engineering
Women entering the workforce
Rising divorce rates
Challenger disaster
CNN and electronic games
Entered workforce during economic downturn
Gen X
Self-reliant
Mistrustful of institutions
Rule-morphing
Tribal – beyond family lines
Dedicated parents
Xers
Outlook: skeptical Work ethic: balanced View of authority: unimpressed Leadership by: competence Perspective: self-reliant Networking: e-mail, chat room Participation: pay for access Involvement criteria: educational value Attendance: maybe, depends on the cause
Millennials
Terrorism: 911, World Trade Center, Oklahoma City
School violence: Columbine
Ubiquitous technology
Sexualized content
Working mothers
Unprecedented bull market
Pro-child culture
Millennials
Immediate and eager to live each day to the fullest
Confident and determined
Optimistic and upbeat
Digital natives
Tolerant
Family-centric
Millenials
Outlook: optimistic Work ethic: energetic View of authority: respectful Leadership by: achievement Perspective: global Networking: e-mail, chat room Participation: pay for Involvement criteria: educational value Attendance: maybe
Generation Z: 1995+
Recession and refinancing
Resource shortages – energy, water
Self-reliant parents
Reality TV
Mobile technology
Visible diversity in leadership
Gen Z
Reality and finite limits
Ubiquitous access to information
Conservation and renewal
Frugality
Pragmatism
Tradeoffs and compromise
Commitment to make a difference
How to Ensure You Won’t Get Any Millennials On Board
Culture resistant to change
Overestimating knowledge and understanding
No value propositions for engagement
Not appreciating financial barriers
Not communicating the benefits of engagement
Not creating paths for engagement
Underestimating the influence of external factors
How to Engage the Young
Be specific Allocating a larger percentage of marketing around
awareness and knowledge Investigate the goals, attitudes and perceptions of young
professionals Identify and customize young professional engagement
models Develop outreach strategies that link young professionals
with more senior Focus on trial engagement strategies Create engagement paths with rewards or recognition
The Young Have Always Had…
Less experience.
Less power.
More uncertainty.
Barriers
Awareness
Role
Career benefits
Traps
Underestimating the level of career commitment
Underestimating career education requirements
Poor links between association benefits and career paths
Influences
Managing work/life balance
Workload management
Information overload
Financial pressures
Association alternatives
Competing engagement alternatives
Thanks! Questions?
Erin M. Fuller @erinmfuller
@mci_usa @MCIAssociations