Reflections on the Millennial Generation - and a question to you
Millennials are more numerous than any other generation since the Baby Boomers and they are entering the work force in full swing. They are defining the way we work: they have special attitude towards work, they were born with technology at their finger tips, they have never experiences war* (nothing comparable to the World Wars, threats of war, Walls separating families, and other atrocities), they have seen the cure for most diseases, they have grown up in the world of Wikipedia and Google (knowledge at your fingertips), they have grown up in a world of global entertainment and instant gratification.
*Sure they have seen it on TV but the vast majority have not lost a family member.
These experiences have shaped their skills in networking, social media and knowledge sharing, leadership and work ethic, their needs for job-fulfillment (and less for job-security), and more. And if you think that this all abstract and doesn't apply to Continental (or your company), you'd be wrong. At Continental, we have carried out some research (done by our Manufacturing Trainee Pools in the Tire Division) with employees from several plants around the world (extract below).
Different generations do bring different experiences and interpretations — and it is a positive thing as long as we use it to learn from it. An article on Entrepreneur.com inspired me to reflect on my own story of how some of those traits developed (full-disclosure, I am a Millennial).
Knowledge of technology is the one I have a particularly vivid experience with. I do remember in the early 1990s building my own computer and I do remember the late-1990s when I would dial-up through some dodgy free (ad-free) service (waiting for the modem making those sounds that we don't hear anymore), and patiently expecting the page to load. I do remember Alta Vista in the days way before Google was smile between Sergey and Larry. It is not exactly a choice that when it comes to communication inside Continental, I prefer to use our ConNext (IBM Connections implementation - our social collaboration platform) — that's how I've been socialized. And I was reflecting with a colleague the other day about the different communication platforms at Continental — and I know ConNext is not the only one and I need the power of multiple perspectives from colleagues to help me use the other channels more effectively.
That's why diversity matters to me — to experience another perspective and to empathize to it to be empowered to achieve more than what I would be if I focused only on what I know.
Many companies are studying generation differences. And we need to do it even more (while we are at it, here's a recent publication by Google on what kids think is 'cool' today: "It's Lit").
Question: What story shaped you that will help us learn from one another?
