The Generation Game

The Generation Game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UohOuN NVSDA

Behaviour

Attitude

Values

“the sense of possibility necessary for success comes not from inside us or from our parents. It comes from our time: from the particular opportunities that our particular place in history presents us with�

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers(2008)

“Silent” generation  Born:

- 1920s to 1940s - Age 60s and 70s

 Influences - Great Depression

- World War ll - Industrial era

Values Dedication & Sacrifice Duty before Pleasure Conformity & Reward Delayed Reward Cautious Reticent Reserved Waste not Want Not Don’t like Debt Respect for Position

Winston Churchill “We will fight them” speech

• Winston Churchill? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTw3_PmKtc

“Boomers”  Born - 1945 to 1960

 Influence - Grand visions - Relaxation of wealth and freedom - Beginning of the “empowered individual” - The rise of multinational companies

Values Idealism & Optimism Personal Growth and Gratification Teamwork Live Life on Credit Health & Wellness Image Media Family & Community

Family First

“Generation X” Born: - 1960 to 1989 Influences - Globalisation - Information revolution - Digital era and colour television - Social, political and economical turmoil

Values Global Awareness & Techno Literacy Individualisation & Self Reliance Thrill Seekers Lifelong Learning, Not Scared of Failure Survivors Relationships are Vital Influence of Music

Access to the world Martin Luther King Anti war protest Moon Landing Miner Strike

Charles Kennedy

Generation Y Born: 1990s and 2000s Influences - global village - The internet and cell-phones - 9/11, global terrorism and protection “Known as the Net Generation”

Values Ethical Consumption Optimism Street Smart Media & Entertainment Overload High Self Esteem & Achievement Driven Need to Know Why http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_CgM2btWzM

Overnight Success

How different?

• Grown up with Sesame Street, MTV, the internet, PCs/Macs, video games, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Skype, iPods, iPhones, iPads, PDAs etc.

• They live in a world of media overstimulation and absolutely love it.

Implications Ronald A. Berk (John Hopkins University)

• They expect information at their fingertips.

• Technology interaction has enabled them to master complex tasks and make decisions rapidly.

• Need to be taught information literacy and strong critical thinking skills.

• Has fostered a false sense of ability such that they routinely overestimate their skills at finding and evaluating online information.

• Web 2.0 has fostered peer to peer engagement to create, share and interact via networks.

• Kinaesthetic, experimental, hands-on learners who must be engaged, constantly connected with first-person learning, games, simulations and role playing.

Implications cont‟d • They naturally do several tasks easily at the same time.

Mixing work and play is common.

• They perceive print as expensive, boring and a waste of time, they prefer visuals, graphics and images of any kind.

• The express feeling easily and enjoy meeting new people. Collaboration enables their „collective intelligence‟ to emerge through the pooling of knowledge, research, arguments and insights.

• Social bookmarking with blogs and wikis is also gaining traction as a method to facilitate online collaboration among students and between students and the professor.

Generation Z

Born from the early 1990s.

Grown up with High speed internet, smart phones and online shopping.

Generation Z • Comfortable with and even dependent on technology.

• Constantly multitasking.

• More socially responsible.

• Always connected.

Characteristics • Where they work will no longer be relevant. They will be more transient which cause retention issues. (Karen Osborn, Thales Training & Consultancy) • Their ability to communicate when managing staff or making presentations may be less honed.(Cary Cooper, Lancaster University) • They expect responses to be immediate….may cause frustration as the employee waits for decisions to be made. (Sonja Stockton, Alexander Mann Solutions) • They are complete digital natives and cannot function without communicating through social media. (Alison Heron, KPMG) • Generation Z will have a desire for change for change, stimulation, learning and promotion. (Yvonne Sell, Hay Group)

Expectations • Will expect regular feedback.

• Aware of individuality and demand personalised treatment.

• Possess positive attitudes such as openness to change and creative use of technology.

• “Research suggests that they are imaginative and solutions focused because of their less physical experience of childhood. If they are exposed to online games, the possibilities seem much more limitless.”

(Cooper, Lancaster University)

Entrepreneurs • “When I speak to young people, many of them want to set up their own business. So I believe that this generation will have intellectual curiosity aligned to an entrepreneurial mind set.”

• “But they will need to manage their short term desire for stimulation with a need to focus more on solving big, complex, multi-year problems” (Stockton, Alexander Mann Solutions)

Companies targeting Generation Z will want to….

• Adopt technology-based marketing and sales channels.

• „Catch them young‟ • Enhance their virtual world presence • Develop high value for money products • Provide „green‟ products and services or take a proactive stance towards the environment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCfFcchw1w

Understanding why we don’t understand We may have been living in the same house or working in the same office as these people, but we are

living in different worlds

How does this affect the communication methods used for each set of stakeholders?