‘What’s All The Fuss About Generation X, Y & Z — Or Is That C?’

Looking for that magic formula for business success?

Trying to understand how to lead in a complex world?

Does the answer lay in how the Generations can most effectively work together and learn from each other?

To get the best out of both yourself and other people, you first need to understand what makes you and them tick, &, on the face of it today’s workforce looks to be made up of several distinct generational types, each with their own behavioral traits, wants and needs.

Of course, there are still a few (maybe more) Baby Boomers (& Super Boomers)out there and clocking-on, but the bulk of today’s workforce are now Generation X and increasingly Generation Y — or is that C?

Confusing? Maybe, so let’s firstly try and understand what exactly these definitions mean and it may surprise you!

The term Generation X is commonly used to describe those born after the Western Post-World War 2 Baby Boom and includes anyone born from the early 1960’s to the mid 1980’s. The Harvard Centre for Influence uses the period 1965–1984 to define Generation X and these represent the fastest growing and most powerful socio-demographic out there.

They are the:

• Highest consumers of adventure travel and luxury goods
• Represent 43% of the population, but control 80% of the wealth; &
• Spend three times more than any other demographic

Generation Y (or Echo Boomers) on the other hand is made up of people born during the mid 1980’s up to the early Noughties.

Both the X and the Y used to refer to educational schemes — the X one driven by the upsurge of TV in our life, while Y was linked to computer penetration in our homes along with the speed of ever easier internet access.

It follows then that the Y’s also called Millennials are technology-wise.

Whilst the X’s, also known as the Lost Generation or Latch-door kids are highly educated, but also highly skeptical. In addition, given the AKA’s above, it might surprise you to know that X’s are also family orientated and pretty happy to boot!

Of course, there are massive generalizations playing out within and across these broad demographic categories, but they also contain some very real truths.

And then we have Generation C.

C’s have been defined in age terms as anyone today between 18 and 34. That means however that they cut right across Generation Y. So, is Generation C the same as Generation Y? Not quite!

The C actually stands for Connected and the definition is more about behavioral usage — the what and the how — and less about age, education and culture.

Generation C as coined by Nielsen and the Booz Allen Consultancy in 2010, is really just a new buzz-term heralding the downfall of Generation Y and the barriers of age and other old-fashioned socio-demographic factors.

It’s more about how we now do things in our digital world and the C could equally stand for Creative, Communicative, Community, Curation or Collaborative, as well as Content-driven and Cloud-surfing.

So, the good although maybe confusing news is that you can be part of Generation C at 40+, because to make it all work you need both life and work experience.

Very quickly Generation C has shifted from being a label for a demographic to being representative of a mindset with an inter generational span.

What then does this all mean for the workplace? For behaviors, attitudes, how things get done, what employees feel and how they want to be treated?

Typical characteristics of the (now) Baby Boomers who are moving on from senior roles in the workplace and into full or semi-retirement — using their skills and breadth of experience to bridge the divide — are working hard, desiring status and reward, respecting authority and being loyal to their employers.

Generation X, who in turn have now moved into senior positions as the Baby Boomers retire, tend to be more independent. They like to lead with a vision and have been heavily influenced by non-traditional management thinking that has attached importance to factors such as Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Going the Extra Mile, as well as various approaches to leadership including Authentic, Servant, Adaptive and Embedded.

Whilst Generation Y or the Millennials have come of age in the fast paced Web 2.0 age. They access knowledge at the touch of a button and have been central to the advancement of social media.

Brian Solis, the author of The End Of Business As Usual & What’s The Future Of Business, writes that Generation Y & C members have brains that are,

“…Wired differently…We complain about privacy in social networks. They’ve mastered it. We don’t get why people share as much on-line. They’ve created incredible filters to sort through the noise. We use Google to find information, but they go to trusted networks and You Tube videos to make decisions. We watch TV on a television. They watch TV on tablets and smart phones”.

They are also co-creators who like to work collaboratively

And the line between home and work is more blurred for them than any previous generation. Interestingly as well, the relationship they have with their immediate manager is very likely to be more relevant to them than any relationship with the wider organisation.

The impact of technology for all of us in the workforce, on how we work and the sorts of skills we’ll need in the future, is already being keenly felt. It’s not a case of it’s going to happen. It’s happening!

Here’s a sobering thought — by 2020 the number of people over the age of 60 in North America will have increased by 70%. This prediction comes from the Future Work Skill 2020 report by the Institute for the Future, for the University of Phoenix Research Institute.

No longer then to echo the words of Jimmy Webb’s song, ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix” — we’re already there and counting down, &, tomorrow’s workplace will undergo a major shift in the whole approach to careers, family life and education.

Perhaps things are finally going to get done and we’ll see the first real wide-reaching changes to working practices since the mid-1980’s.

Already, to bring out the full potential of each Generation and what they have to offer, forward thinking companies are introducing greater flexibility into both their workplaces and their processes, whilst remembering each Generation has it’s own particular foibles.

For instance, Gen X’rs reached working-maturity in a meetings culture, whilst Gen Y members typically view them as time-stealers, &, a standard regime of annual appraisals is unlikely to be sufficient for the feedback hungry Y’s.

In addition, Gen Y’rs expect to have control over where and how they work, so organisations need to consider new forms of flexible, &/or remote working to reap the full dividend from these employees. Whilst, in turn, if employees are out-of-sight, managers must be taught to measure performance on outputs rather than hours worked. This has started in some sectors, but much more needs to be done!

The case grows for embedding coaching and inter generational mentoring opportunities into the workplace and empowering managers as coaches so they can handle these new ways of working and the new working relationships that will follow.

Few things can have such an immediate impact upon engagement and performance in the workplace as an effective relationship with one’s direct manager and coaching helps people do their jobs better, increases their overall satisfaction and according to recent figures, contribute to staff retention by up to 74%.

And this is all very important to remember at this time of great upheaval and change, when recent figures from the Economist tell us that 84% of senior leaders globally believe that disengaged employees are one of the three biggest threats currently facing their business.

So, business and personal activities will mingle seamlessly and social collaboration networks will proliferate and expand, impacting on both business and personal life.

Learning Agility — knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do — will be a prerequisite both for the individual and the organisation. This also includes being comfortable with being uncomfortable and knowing the questions to ask and the people to work with to find the answers you need.

There is vast potential for the transfer of knowledge, skills and experience across age-diverse groups and an effective way of capitalizing on this is reverse mentoring, which also encourages interaction with the Y’s & C’s mentoring the X’s, especially around social media and the use of technology, &, perhaps will lead to more mindset-orientated C’s!

Adaptability and flexibility in a rapidly changing workplace will also have a high premium, together with a focus on critical thinking skills and an emphasis on Soft Skills for a Global Market Place, which is the subject of another recent LinkedIn post.

After a couple of false starts are we about to enter the Real Age of Lifelong Learning, &, Experienced Based Learning, with Adaptive Skills more valued than purely Technical ones?

Let’s hope so and here’s to the Generations working and learning together!

Paul Mudd is the author of ‘Uncovering Mindfulness: In Search Of A Life More Meaningful’ available on Amazon and www.bookboon.com; the ‘Coffee & A Cup of Mindfulness’ and the ‘Mindful Hacks For Mindful Living & Mindful Working’ series. He is also a Contributing Author to The Huffington Post and a Contributing Writer to Thrive Global. Through The Mudd Partnership he works with business leaders, organisations and individuals in support of change, leadership excellence, business growth, organistional and individual wellbeing and well doing, and introducing Mindfulness. He can be contacted at paul@themuddpartnership.co.uk and you can follow the continuing journey uncovering Mindfulness on Twitter @TheMindfulBook and at @Paul_Mudd