I
learn most by watching and listening to my children. And it just so happens
that my kids fit nicely into the Gen Y demographic, which sooner or later will
be, not only your predominant workforce, but your primary customer.
(More on my kids later…) Gen Y's are those born between 1976 and 1991. If you haven't noticed, most products and advertisers are pitching to
them. Are you?
We
all realize that when it comes to managing an office of all ages, there has to
be a delicate balance between meeting the needs of the current workforce (and
customers), while also building for the future. Neither can be neglected.
But
what does this newer generation need? What are they looking for?
In a
thoughtful article written by Bill Paterson of Microsoft, published by Forbes
magazine, Bill states:
"The workforce dynamics are always changing – but none more
so than the influx of Gen-Y talent that will make-up the majority staffing over
the next few years. Sure we’ve been hit with new paradigms
before: open-cubicle design, virtual offices, and yes– even the latest
craze of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) IT policies, but this next shift promises
to bring some of the biggest shake-up over last decade. Why might you
ask? Allow me to explain.Generation-Y represent a
new class of employee: one shaped with a deep appreciation of technology
combined with a desire to work collaboratively as teams versus seeking
advancement solely on the basis of individual contribution.
Interestingly, studies have shown that this new generation of employee not only
thrives in highly collaborative workplaces, but is now making this a key
requirement in selecting where to work. And it is in
this area – becoming a highly collaborative workplace– which many organizations
have their work cut out for them."
Given the above research, one begins to understand why Oracle bought
Involver, Microsoft bought Yammers, and Sales Force bought Buddy Media; They
are building the groundwork for collaboration to occur…All are platforms designed to
meet the following needs: collaboration, cooperation, and a sense of belonging. These
companies believe that this kind of platform is important enough to the future of their business to
invest billions of dollars in them.
So, back to my kids… They each work for highly
collaborative environments in completely different industries. Why? Because
they are drawn to such environments, and have actually left companies that were
not highly collaborative. Everything that I am reading about this topic
resonates with what I am seeing right under my own nose.
You might be wondering why we have
been writing so much about social media, without clear direction on how to use it. I can answer that by saying two things: (1) We are studying and writing
about it as a way to learn more, and (2) We are simultaneously developing a
product to provide an answer to all we are proposing…
More on this soon… In the
meantime, please share your thoughts.
Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.
