Understanding Millennials and Generational Influences

1
Understanding Millennials andGenerational
Influences

• Carol Hagans, Ph.D., HSPP
• Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Director of
  the Counseling Consultation Center
• Tri Delta Sorority Convention 06

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Seven Attributes of Millennials

• Conventional
• Confident
• Special
• Sheltered
• Pressured
• Achieving
• Team Oriented

3

• GI Silent Generation 1901-1942 10
• Baby Boom 1943 1960 45
• Generation X 1961 1980
• 45
• Millennials 1980/82 2000/02 Now emerging

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Demographic Changes Advantageous to Millennials

• Older parents.
• Smaller families.
• More firstborns (roughly 40) and singletons
  (approximately 10).
• More parental education 1 in 4 Millennials have
  at least 1 parent with a 4 year degree or higher.
• Slowing down of the family break-up.

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Total U.S. Births, in Millions, 1950 to 1998
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U.S. Rates of Divorce and Abortion, 1976 to 1996
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Percentage of College Freshman Having . . .

• Mother with college degree or higher
• Father with college degree or higher

• 1998
• 20 41
• 32 44
• The American Freshman, UCLA (1997-98)

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Life Goals of the Millennials Survey

• 81 Having a well-paying job.
• 77 Having a good relationship with parents.
• 57 Getting married.
• 38 Having children.
• 28 Owning a business.
• In primedia/roper (national youth survey)

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Economic Climate for Millennials

• During the past 10 years (up to 9/11) there
  have been only 2 weeks of interruptions of the
  cycle of prosperity whereas other generations
  will have experienced periods of 9 to 10 weeks at
  a time.

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Money Habits

• They save 26 of the money they receive.
• 66 have savings accounts.
• 20 have checking accounts.
• 16 own stocks bonds.
• 7 own mutual funds.
• (Source Teenage Research Unlimited)

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What Millennials did less of per week over the
past decade

• 4.5 hrs Free play unorganized sports
• 2 hrs television watching
• 1 hr 40 min in household conversations eating
• 1 hr 10 min church

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Millennials spent more time weekly

• 8 hrs 20 min school
• 3 ½ hrs household chores
• 3 hrs additional personal care
• 2 ½ hrs travel or visiting
• 2 hrs organized sports
• 1 hr additional studying and reading
• 2 ½ hrs passive leisure

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Now 28 of college freshman say they feel
overwhelmed.

• In 1985 only 18 of college freshman told the
  annual University of California at Los Angeles
  freshman norms survey that they felt
  overwhelmed.

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Technology Veterans

• Use, Comfort Integration
• Forrester Research The net powered generation
  has internalized the Internet and uses it
  instinctively.
• Fortino Group Research Current 10-17 year
  olds will spend 1/3 of their lives (23 years) on
  the Internet.
• Yankee Group Research By 2005, 70 of teens
  will own a wireless phone.

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High School Class of 2000, Opinion of
Generational Reputations
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Increasingly Diverse

• 34 of Millennials are Black, Hispanic, Asian or
  Native American.
• 89 of them have already been on-line, a virtual
  environment where races does not exist.

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More on Diversity

• The racial and ethnic diversity of the
  Millennials will change our society more than any
  other characteristic of this generation.
• New Strategist, Hot Trends for April, 1999

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One Millennial in 5 has at least 1 immigrant
parent, and 1 in 10 has at least 1 non-citizen
parent. Potentially the largest 2nd generation
immigrant group in U.S. history!

• Mitchell from American Generations Who They
  Are, How They Live, What They Think
• The more tolerant attitudes of younger
  generations will result in an insistence that a
  companys products, services and staff reflect
  the diversity of their world.

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Share of Kids Aged 12-17 Having Specified Drug
within Last Month, 1979 to 1998
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Kids to the rescue?

• Boomers disagreed more than Gen Xers.
• Gen Xers were more likely to agree.

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Trends

• They arent chart and graph oriented so make info
  pragmatic.
• Less hostile.
• Less rebellious than their predecessors.
• More practical-minded.

• More guarded and private about their intellectual
  beliefs.
• May tend to be more respectful of authority.
• May be more reticent about public disputation.

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Additional trends

• Less individualistic and more inclined to value
  team over self, duties over rights, honor over
  feeling, action over words.
• Millennials feel more of an urge to homogenize,
  to celebrate ties that bind rather than
  differences that splinter.

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Millennials Come to Campus (2001) Lowrey
Strauss, pp. 6 12.

• Technology needs
• Competitive, serious students
• Students seeking challenges
• Education as a life-long investment

• Most have never shared a room
• Highly affiliative and form their own communities
• Skill building in how to manage their lives is
  needed

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Millennials Come to Campus (Cont.)

• Hold notion of college as a sheltered place,
  set apart from larger society.
• Civil renaissance via politics.
• Good organizers and functioning in teams.

• Provide opportunities to explore meaning and
  purpose of their life.
• Peer culture!
• Highly concerned about safety on campus.

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Millennial expectations

• They are less vulgar. 36 said they were very
  or extremely offended by sexual activity in the
  media. 26 said moderately offended.

• They are ecologically minded. 101 majority feel
  their generation will do the most to help the
  environment in the next 25 yrs.

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Considerations for Higher Education(The New
Student, 2001, Fred Newton. About Campus)

• Faculty and staff may need to recognize that
  students are already different in their attitudes
  and behavior as a result of the social and
  technological revolution.
• Students need to have skills to manage their
  daily life.
• The information revolution has created the need
  to reduce pressure on students to accumulate a
  personal knowledge base and instead emphasize the
  development of process tools for information
  retrieval.

A campus must still offer deliberate classroom
and out-of-class opportunities for student
personal awareness and exploration to take place.
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(Newton) More considerations

• Campuses need to provide opportunities for
  students to explore the meaning and purpose of
  their life activity.
• We need to understand, nourish, and find ways to
  influence the peer culture.
• Understand and utilize how students are affected
  by what they perceive as the normative behavior
  of their peers in the social environment.
• Finally, it is important for all educators,
  including both faculty and staff, to recognize
  how we model what is important and valued as
  higher learning to students.

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Lowrey Strauss Higher Ed Considerations

• Although students have more general knowledge,
  they come to our campuses with less experience in
  exercising the discipline and focus required to
  explore a subject in depth.
• Social connections and intimacy are taking on
  different patterns as students are less likely to
  be paired off in couples and more likely to
  participate in group activities . . .
• Emotionally, students are experiencing
  increasingly high levels of stress and anxiety.
• More students are taking part-time employment
  during college, while their commitment to school
  work appears to be diminished.

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Lowrey Strauss Higher Ed Considerations
(Continued)

• Students today are on the cutting edge of
  technological proficiency and in most cases they
  are beyond their parents, teachers, and potential
  bosses.
• Students are ambitious in their career
  aspirations yet frequently have unrealistic
  expectations about what it takes to achieve these
  goals.
• Many students do get involved in political
  activity and community service projects, but do
  so within a circle of influence that is familiar
  and connected to their local interests.

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Lowrey Strauss Higher Ed Considerations (3)

• Students are well aware of campus and community
  rules, regulations, and political correctness.
  These rules are frequently perceived without
  personal or moral commitment, so that the
  challenge for students is to find a way around
  the rule, create the right appearance by hiding
  unapproved behavior, and live by a philosophy
  such as cheating is okay if you dont get
  caught.

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Parental involvement (Strauss, 2001)

• Millennials reflect much more parental
  perfectionism than any generation in living
  memory. Colleges and universities should know
  that they are not just getting a kid, but they
  are also getting a parent. (William Strauss, in
  Across Campus, July/August 2001, p. 8)
• So the parents will be involved for better or
  worse in the admissions process actually starting
  with recruitment. In order to recruit kids, you
  have to recruit their parents, too. From the
  admissions process all the way through the
  college experience, expect there to be more
  parental involvement and support and more
  parental intrusion and annoyance.

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Contributions of Millennials

• When summoned, these ordinary youths transform
  themselves into thunderbolting evil fighters.
  Whatever they do from displaying martial arts
  to piloting high-tech weaponry - - they do as a
  choreographed group . . . With strength in
  cooperation, energy in conformity, virtue in
  duty. Their missions are not chosen by
  themselves, but by an incorporeal elder in whose
  vision and wisdom they have total trust.
• (Neil Howe and Bill Strauss, The Fourth Turning)

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Shifting Our Perception

• The Golden Rule
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto
  you.
• (assumes similarities)

• Titanium Rule
• Do unto others, keeping their preferences in
  mind.
• (accepts diversity)
• Raines, 2003, pg. 34.

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Clues that Broadcast Preferences

• Clothes
• Eye contact
• Office
• Posture and body language
• Tempo
• Topics of conversation
• Voice
• Word choice
• (Raines, 2003, Connecting Generations, pg. 39)

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Levels of Response to Generational Disconnects
(Raines, 2003, Pg. 37)

• Level 1 Acknowledge it and let it go.
• Level 2 Change your behavior.
• Level 3 Use a generational template to talk it
  over.

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Generational Clashpoints(Lancaster Stillman,
2003, Pages 30-31.)

• Chain of command Veterans
• Change of command Boomers
• Self-command Xers
• Dont command collaborate! Millennials

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Clashpoints on Feedback(Lancaster Stillman,
2003, Pg. 255)

• No news is good news. Veterans
• Feedback once a year, with lots of
  documentation! Boomers
• Sorry to interrupt, but how am I doing? Gen
  Xers
• Feedback whenever I want it at the push of a
  button. Millennials

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Clashpoints Career Goals(Lancaster
Stillman, 2003, pg. 55)

• Veterans Build a legacy.
• Boomers Build a stellar career.
• Gen Xers Build a portable career.
• Millennials Build a parallel career.

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Clashpoints around Rewards(Lancaster
Stillman, 2003, pg. 77)

• Veterans The satisfaction of a job well done.
• Boomers Money, title, recognition, the corner
  office.
• Gen Xers Freedom is the ultimate reward.
• Millennials Work that has meaning for me.

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Clashpoints around Job Changing(Lancaster
Stillman, 2003, pg. 242)

• Veterans Job changing carries a stigma.
• Boomers Job changes puts you behind.
• Gen Xers Job changing is necessary.
• Millennials Job changing is part of my daily
  routine.

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12 Ideas to Manage Millennials(Raines, 2003, pg.
181)

• Arrange space to share ideas.
• Assign group projects evaluated for the group
  reaching the goal.
• Set up a reverse mentoring program.
• Establish a community volunteer program.
• Hold anniversary celebrations for entry-level
  employees.
• Develop a one-year plan (goals and expectations)
  for new hires.
• Issue certifications to employees who complete a
  set or series of goals.
• During the hiring process, find out personal
  goals and incorporate those into job.

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12 Ideas (Continued)(Raines, 2003, pg. 181)

• Encourage Millennials to speak up in meetings.
• Teach managers and supervisors paying your
  dues is no longer a valid precept.
• Extracurricular activities that are family
  gatherings invite parents.
• Encourage Millennials to set up internet chat
  rooms for projects.

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Messages to Motivate(Zempke, Raines, Filipczak,
2000, pgs 49, 77, 113, 145.)

• Boomers
• Youre important to our success.
• Youre valued here.
• Your contribution is unique and important.
• We need you.
• I approve of you.
• Youre worthy.

• Veterans
• Your experience is respected here.
• Its valuable to the rest of us to hear what has
  and hasnt worked in the past.
• Your perserverence is valued and will be
  rewarded.

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Messages to Motivate 2(Zempke, Raines,
Filipczak, 2000, pgs 49, 77, 113, 145.)

• Millennials
• Youll be working with other bright, creative
  people.
• Your boss is in her (or his) sixties.
• You and your coworkers can help turn this
  company around.
• You can be a hero here.

• Gen Xers
• Do it your way.
• Weve got the newest hardware and software.
• There arent a lot of rules here.
• Were not very corporate.

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The Way They See the World . . .(Zemke, Raines,
Filipczak. 2000. pg. 155)

• Veterans Boomers Xers Millennials
• Outlook Practical Optimistic Skeptical Hopeful
• Work Ethic Dedicated Driven Balanced Determined
• View of
• Authority Respectful Love/hate Unimpressed Polite
  
• Leadership
• By Hierarchy Consensus Competence Pulling tog.
• Relationships Personal Personal Reluctant
  to Inclusive
• sacrifice gratification commit
• Turnoffs Vulgarity Political Cliché,
  hype Promiscuity
• incorrectness

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Bibliography/Resources

• Friess, Steve. (2003). Yo, can u plz help me
  write English? USA Today, 04/01/03. AN
  JOE058731796903.
• Howe, N. Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials Go
  To College. American Association of Collegiate
  Registrars and Admissions Officers and LifeCourse
  Associates. ISBM 1-578-58033-1.8
• Howe, N. Strauss, W. Millennials Rising The
  next great generation. New York A Vintage
  Original, September 2000.
• Lancaster, L., Stillman, D. (2002). When
  generations collide Who they are. Why they
  clash. How to solve the generational puzzle at
  work. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. ISBN
  0-06-662106-2.
• Raines, Claire. (2003). Connecting Generations
  The sourcebook for a new workplace. Crisp
  Publications, Inc. Menlo Park, California. ISBN
  1-56052-693-9.
• Raines, Claire. (1997). Beyond Generation X A
  practical guide for managers. Crisp Publications,
  Inc., Menlo Park, California. ISBN
  1-56052-448-9.
• Zemke, R., Raines, C., Filipczak, B.
  Generations at work Managing the clash of
  veterans, boomers, xers, and nexters in your
  workplace. New York American Management
  Association, 2000. ISBN 0-8144-0480-4.