Archived Newsletter
What are the Moments that Define a Generation?
Author(s): Jean Walker is executive vice president of OI Partners (Portland)
Our lives are full of defining moments, those times that are so significant that they change our perspective forever. We are never quite the same afterwards. This can be true for an individual, a group, or a generation. It's impossible to judge the magnitude of these moments for anyone else, for what is a defining moment for one might be a mere blip on the screen of life for another. However, when it comes to generational differences, there are critical points in the growing up years of an entire generation that impact how they view life, their own roles and potential, their values and those people and things that are role models for how they make choices throughout their lives.
The four generations in the workplace today came from very different cultural backgrounds, regardless of family, race, religion, geography, politics, economic and social status, or even country of origin that impacted them as individuals. Each of us has multiple influences, unique experiences and defining moments. But as a generation, we share experiences simply by being in the time and place, and it is these experiences that set us apart in general terms and give us an underlying commonality.
There is an old saying that, "People resemble their times more than they resemble their parents." Common history in many ways defines a generation, not the least of which is the labor market we enter in our early twenties. What were the possibilities? Did we believe we had options or were we just grateful to find a job? Whether we considered this job a stepping stone to an exciting future that we could control is a very different perspective than one we thought of as survival at best. Did we stay in the same career or move around? As music and art reflect an era, much can be learned about a generation by studying these manifestations of the era.
What was happening in their world? What was the environment that provided the nurturing or lack thereof that made them believe in themselves and their futures or have serious doubts? Did they have positive role models? Was the country as a whole optimistic or pessimistic at that time? As we examine the defining moments in the lives of the four generations in their formative years, we can begin to understand why they differ so dramatically. Their current attitudes are, in many ways, a reflection of the sense of control they believed they had over their lives and reflect how they relate to an organization and to each other.
The Elders experienced the after effects of the great depression and the horrific realities of WWII. TV came into their homes in the 1950's balancing Grandpa Ike's soothing presence with visions of death and destruction. Patriotism, "Rosie the Riveter," tradition, religion, family values, responsibility and duty are hallmarks of their times. "Waste not, want not," was more than a saying, it was an inherent way of life. Those who were teenagers in the 1950's were not too staid, however, to take to Rock and Roll with a vengeance. It brought the beat, Elvis, pink shirts and black buck shoes, poodle skirts, high energy and fun! It even created a cult like atmosphere that was passed on to their younger brothers and sisters through Elvis Mania.
The Boomers arrived en force, treasured as the hope of the future. Unfortunately, it wasn't long until we faced another war, the Korean War. In addition to the conflict of war, McCarthyism, and the fear of communism undermined communities and caused suspicion and distrust between neighbors. The Boomer Generation extended over twenty years, larger in size, longer in duration than our other focus generations, so their defining moments encompassed multiple wars and a variety of leadership styles, not to mention drugs, Haight Ashbury and dropping out. Rebellion against the rules, regulations and the buttoned down expectations of their parents, they were perhaps coddled and given more freedom than parenting, resulting in a tendency toward self-indulgence. Those who survived became competitive, with themselves and others, often driven to excel, they were highly educated and highly accomplished. The Women's Liberation Movement changed the way we thought about family roles. Toward the end of the era, as this generation was growing up, Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement became defining moments. People took to the streets, enraged, emotionally distraught, fragmented and intense. The Kennedy administration and the image of Camelot as a haven on the hill, the romance and grace, the race for Space, intellectualism and optimism took us out of our everyday traumas, only to be shattered in moments with the assassinations of both John Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King.
Generation X started arriving in the early 1960's, memories still fresh in their parents' minds of the traumas they had so recently experienced. A generation not only has its own defining moments, inevitably it inherits those of its parents. Doubt, uncertainty, fear, and raw emotions relate to the meaning and value of life, to witnessing people torn apart and the horrors of man's inhumanity to man, to the depths people will go to act out their hatred. How could faith and trust be instilled in children when their parents felt so little themselves? In addition, Generation X had its own highs and lows, from Watergate scandals to AIDS, latchkey kids and the Challenger disaster, once again creating doubt and confusion, driving the generations apart and causing those in their very vulnerable years to determine that they, and they alone, would make judgments on their own beliefs. Certainly, distrust of public leadership and the common good was one of the first affects. Even their music reflected their pessimism and kept it top of mind. Rap, Reggae, disco, U2 and Guns and Roses. Where was the light, the beauty, the softness in a world gone cold? They turned to technology, something objective, seemingly much safer because it was devoid of feelings and emotions. Change was the norm as they were growing up, giving them the ability to deal with new ideas and learning opportunities, but separating them from a sense of society, place, and belonging, reflected in much less volunteerism or group activities. More individualists than their parents and grandparents, they have little patience for doing anything they are not interested in or that they can see will bring direct results to one of their goals.
Then came Generation Y, the Millenials. Soccer moms, swim meets, manners classes, horse camp, and computers in their rooms. They have a whole new way of seeing the world. Open, friendly, socially aware, values are important to them and those values include a wide range from family to friends to saving the environment. The most socially and environmentally conscious of any generation since their grandparents era, they often relate more to them than to their older brothers and sisters, or even their parents. They're smart, comfortable in their own skins, confident, optimistic and generally a pretty happy group of people. How will they impact the workplace? Well, you can be sure they are not intimidated or overly impressed with technology. It's been around all their lives and they treat it like their elders treat electricity. It just is. They expect it, use it, continue to find new ways to increase its efficiency and then move on. With their social consciousness and relationship focus, they may well be more likely to want to manage and lead, but it will be on their terms. Hierarchy will be out the window, teams will be natural rather than contrived, and balance of life will be a very high priority. They expect people to be kind and nice to each other, so the high handed management style of old will no longer be tolerated. They will get things done because it is good for the whole, not for individual gain if it harms others. Too optimistic a view of these "Youngsters?" If so, it is a pretty widely held view. Only time will tell how it plays out.
What we do know for sure is that today's workplace is a fascinating, confusing conglomeration of people with widely diverse values, goals, perspectives, personalities and ways of dealing with each other and the professional landscape. Anyone who hopes to gain even a glimmer of understanding of each of the generations has to look backward, to the times and events when they came into the world and to the defining moments they shared with their cohort. When all is said and done, each person is unique and must be considered individually, but having a sense of the generational profile can be a step toward understanding each person within it.
Jean Walker is executive vice president of OI Partners (Portland). She has more than 20 years of experience in education, management and career counseling, and she is author of The Age Advantage: Making the Most of Your Midlife Career Transition. Jean also serves as chairwoman of the Institute of Career Certification International. She can be reached at jwalker@oipartners.net or 503-221-8747.
© Copyright 2007 NetContent, Inc. Duplication and distribution restricted.