Collision or Collaboration Addressing the Generational Mix in Academia and the Workplace

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Collision or Collaboration? Addressing the
Generational Mix in Academia and the Workplace

• Midwest Scholars Conference
• February 24, 2006
• Cheryl Torok Fleming, B.A., M.S., Ph.D.
• Patrick Okorodudu, LL.B., B.L., LL.M

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Generational Signposts






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The differences a few years make1975 to 2005

• 1975
• Long hair
• KEG
• Acid rock
• Moving to California because it's cool
• Trying to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor
• Seeds and stems
• Hoping for a BMW
• The Grateful Dead
• Going to a new, hip joint

• 2005
• Longing for hair
• EKG
• Acid Reflux
• Moving to California because it's warm
• Trying NOT to look like Marlon Brando or Liz
  Taylor
• Roughage
• Hoping for a BM
• Dr. Kevorkian
• Receiving a new hip joint

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Feeling older?

• Just in case you weren't feeling older today,
  these facts will certainly change things
• The people who started college this fall across
  the nation were born in 1986.
• They are too young to remember the space shuttle
  blowing up.
• Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
• Bottle caps have always been screw off and
  plastic.
• The CD was introduced the year they were born.
• They have always had an answering machine, cable,
  and a remote.
• Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.

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And moreover. . .

• Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
• They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
• They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
• They don't know who Mork was or where he came
  from.
• They never heard "Where's the Beef?", "I'd walk
  a mile for a Camel", or De plane, Boss, de
  plane".
• They do not know who J.R. is, let alone care who
  shot him.
• McDonald's food never came in Styrofoam
  containers.
• They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.

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What is a generation?

• The average interval of time between the birth of
  parents and the birth of their offspring
• A group of individuals born and living about the
  same time.
• A group of generally contemporaneous individuals
  regarded as having common cultural or social
  characteristics and attitudes They're the
  television generation (Roger Enrico).
• A stage or period of sequential technological
  development and innovation
• www.dictionary.com

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Voices of Three Generations
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Sounds of Conflicts among Generations
He asks me, Do you have an email address?I
felt like telling him Since you were in
diapers, buddy.
If I hear We tried that in 87 one more time,
Ill create a worm and crash your website.
I need to get some information on health care. I
better Google it.
They have no work ethics, just a bunch of
slackers.
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Understanding the Generations

• Greatest Generation
• ?Individuals born between 1923 and 1945
• ? 52 million people
• ? Earliest memories and influence associated
  with WWII
• Baby Boomers
• ? Individuals born between 1946 and 1960/64
• ? 73.2 million people
• ? Raised in an era of extreme optimism,
  opportunity, and progress

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Understanding the Generations

• ?Generation X
• ? Individuals born between 1960/64 and 1980
• ? 70.1 million people
• ? An age deep in the shadow of the Baby Boomers

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Understanding the Generations

• ?Millenials
• ? Individuals born between 1980 and 2000
• ? 69.7 million people
• ? 25 of the worlds population
• ? Living in a high-tech, neo-optimistic time.
• ? So global, so diverse

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Attributes of an Information-Age Mindset

• ? Highly accustomed to multi-media environment.
• ? Perceive the Web as their information universe.
• ? Like communal learning.
• ? Learn through sieving answers, synthesizing
  rather than
• looking at a single, validated piece of
  information.
• ? Like to co-design and personalize their
  learning experiences.
• ? Prefer active learning based on experience with
  
• opportunities for reflection.
• ? Zero tolerance for delay.

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Some Questions

• How does a Boomer Faculty teach, supervise, or
  motivate a Millennial Student?
• How on earth can we reach those students coming
  into class with orange hair, sagging pants,
  headphones and latest tech gizmos?
• While you are still thinking about that. . .How
  does a fifty-something relate to a twenty-or
  thirty-something in class or workplace?

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Case Study 1

• Boomer Comment on Millenials/Gen X-ers
• The University experience was good overall. I
  worked hard, as did everyone in the classes. We
  all had the same goal in mind and that was to
  better ourselves and be successful and advance in
  our career and in life. While taking classes on
  campus, the University changed the age of
  students who could attend. The University
  changed the age requirements to 20 years of age.
  I do not know if this was a trial period for one
  location, but this was a deterrent for me to not
  want to come to my weekly class. The individuals
  were a disruption to the class. They were
  anywhere from 3-5 minutes late. Cell phones and
  text messaging were on the individuals priority
  and they dressed like high school adolescents and
  not as a professional adult. I would recommend
  that University of change their enrollment age
  policy to 24 years of age.

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Questions for Case Study 1

• What conflicts can you identify?
• What do you think is the chief complaint?
• Would a member of the same generational cohort as
  this speaker make the same comment?
• When you were under 20, would this have been a
  correct depiction of you?
• If so how would you have wanted others to respond
  to you?
• Why should they dress like professional adults?
• Traditional college age students are seeking new
  status as adults but non-traditional students
  i.e. the real adults, are hindering the
  initiation to adulthood, by asking them to fit
  into a mold.
• How do we tear down this barrier to
  co-generational learning?

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Case Study 2

Your writing class of 30 is filled with a
selection of people from four generations,
ranging in age from 18 to 80 years. The Matures
and the Boomers want to discuss and tell stories.
The X-ers want to "get on with it," and the
18-year-olds seem content to just sit there and
watch what happens. What should you do?

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Case Study 3
As a member of University/College faculty, you
are now in the middle of a war. The students
and younger faculty members are pushing for a
modernized curriculum, which includes PowerPoint
presentations, computer-based training,
Microsoft games and simulations, and an emphasis
on Internet research for completion of papers
and projects. The long-time veterans have been
resistant from the start. "Book learning has to
be mastered, they maintain, before students
can take on "all these distractions." The Dean
has asked you for curriculum recommendationsand
the group members are miles apart. What should
you do?

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Case Study 4

• Your company services copy machines. Four of the
  long-time employees meet daily at the office to
  dole out the assignments for the day. Two
  younger technicians complain about this, wanting
  to know why they cant just work from their
  homes. You find it difficult to keep track of
  them using their system. Yet, skilled technicians
  are hard to find. . .
• What should you do?

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What is going on?
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Why do Generations differ?

• Based on values
• Affected by events occurring in each generation
• Values developed in youth become adult values
• Conflicts arise as a result of values

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Value formation

• Values formed at age 10
• Based on
• Family
• Formal education
• Influence of friends, neighbors, pastors
• Religion
• Media
• Income
• Geographic location

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Value development at age 10 A Basic Theoretical
Framework

• Basic beliefs begin to solidify
• Piagetconcrete operational
• Kohlbergconventional stage
• Eriksonmastery of skills

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Sources of conflict

• Religious beliefs
• Morality issues
• Finances/Money
• Work ethic
• Government/Authority
• Recreation
• Fashions
• Food

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Trends in Academia

• Increased enrollment in higher ed in the last 30
  years
• Enrollment growth in two-year institutions
  exceeded growth in four-year institutions
• More students attend college part-time
• Higher proportion of students are women
• More students are over age 25

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Trends in Academia

• Three-quarters of all undergraduates are
  non-traditional
• Delayed enrollment
• Attend school part-time
• Work full-time
• Financially independent
• Have dependents
• Are single parents
• Lack a high-school diploma
• Need to re-tool due to corporate down-sizing
• Need job skills/degree to advance

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Issues in Academia

• Multi-tasking
• Technology use
• Ethics
• Working the system
• Rely on parents to rescue them
• Busy schedules/responsibilities/work

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Implications for Academia

• Eliminate delays in processes such as financial
  aid and admissions
• Focus on customer service
• Incorporate experiential, interactive, authentic
  learning games, sims, online labs/courses, group
  learning
• Stay connected through technology email, online,
  wireless access

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How to Teach and MotivateStudents Across
Generations

• Know the cultures-likes, dislikes, interests,
  characteristics
• Be very clear with your expectations
• Stress personal responsibility Be consistent in
  your responses
• Mind how you handle inquiries from parents/family
  members
• Take extra time to discuss problem-solving
  options

• Give students some independence in
  problem-solving and decision-making
• Help students access their critical thinking
  skills
• Understand how they feel about working in teams
• Have fun
• Lead with caution guide, not boss
• Listen-be attentive

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Workplace Style

• Builders Teamwork, work until the job is done
• Boomers Personal fulfillment in work
• X-ers Unwilling to sacrifice family or personal
  time in order to work, less willing to spend long
  hours at work
• Net-Gen High-tech, networked, respect competency
  not position, work quickly and creatively

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Workplace Issues

• Punctuality
• Work schedule
• Job Performance
• Supervision
• Dress
• Etiquette
• Payroll

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Conflict Resolution

• Awareness of/ understanding the differences
• Accepting the differences
• Forgiving others when clashes occur
• Resolving conflicts
• Encouraging positive values
• Living/ modeling values
• Communicating openly

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Questions
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References

• Hicks, R., Hicks, K. (1999). Boomers, X-ers,
  and other strangers Understanding the
  generational differences that divide us. Wheaton,
  Illinois Tyndale.
• Oblinger, D. (2003). Boomers, Gen-Xers, and
  Millennials Understanding the new students.
  EDUCAUSE Review 38(4), 37-47.

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References

• Chester, E. (2002) Employing generation why.
  Lakewood,CO Chess Press
• Howe, N. Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials
  rising The next great generation. New York
  Vintage.
• With Thanks to. . .
• Megan Palmer, Terri Tarr, IUPUI--Office of
  Professional Development
• Jerry Pattengale, Indiana Wesleyan University