The “generational shift” is no ordinary generation gap in the workplace. Because this is an era of profound historical changes, generational difference today is not only an important diversity issue but also a powerful lens through which to understand the changing labor market, workforce, workplace, nature of employment and even changes in the very nature of work. We should not expect the new millennial workforce to eventually “grow up and settle down” and start thinking and behaving more like those of previous generations. Rather, the “grown-ups” will find themselves thinking and behaving more and more like the millennials. That’s because the second-wave millennials have been shaped by the same historical forces of change driving the fundamental transformation of life and work for us all. The great “generational shift” is an epic turning point driven by profound historical trends that have been unfolding in plain sight for at least two decades.
Globalization. We are all now capable of connecting and traveling to work across borders in every direction and combination. Unlike any other time in history, we can all look forward to a lifetime of interdependency and competition with a rising global youth tide from every corner of this ever-flattening world.
Technology. The pace of technological advances today is unprecedented. In every aspect of life, anything can become obsolete at any time; possibilities appear and disappear swiftly, radically and often without warning.
Institutional insecurity. Ours is a world threatened by terrorism and environmental cataclysm, one in which the economy fluctuates wildly from boom to bust; governments sometimes shut down or run out of money; and great companies conquer, fail, merge or continually downsize, restructure and re-engineer. Institutions in every domain have been forced into a constant state of flux in order to survive and succeed in this constantly changing world. We all know we cannot rely on institutions anymore to be the anchors of our success and security. ‘
The information environment. We are all now forced to think, learn and communicate in a never-ending ocean of information. Ours is an information environment defined by wireless Internet ubiquity, wholesale technology integration, infinite content and immediacy. We have infinite access to information and ideas and perspectives. Human diversity. In every dimension, the world is becoming more diverse and more integrated. Each generation is more diverse than the last. That’s true in terms of geographical point of origin, ethnic heritage, ability/disability, age, language, lifestyle preference, sexual orientation, color, size and every other way of categorizing people. Every single individual, with his/her own combination of background, traits and characteristics, is his or her own unique diversity story.
Virtual reality. We are all plugged into an endless stream of content and in continuous dialogue, forever mixing and matching and manipulating from an infinite array of sources to create and then project back out into the world our own ever-changing personal montage of information, knowledge, meaning and selfhood. The final article in this series will focus on “transformation in the very nature of employment.”
For more information, visit www.rainmakerthinking.com or email Bruce Tulgan at brucet@rainmakerthinking.com.
