Managing Generational Change - Part 2 of 4

Generation X:

Timeframe definition

• Born 1965 – 1980[i]

Age range in 2021

• 41 – 56

U.S. population in 2021

• 64.95 million[ii]

Defining events

For most of Generation X, childhood occurred during the 1970s. While their parents were preoccupied with cultural revolutions, shifting societal values, and a struggling economy, children were not seen as the main priority. Compounding this, shifting family dynamics due to the women’s movement meant that more families featured two working parents instead of one. For this reason, Generation X has been occasionally dubbed the “latchkey generation”, a reference to children returning from school to an empty home with less adult supervision than previous generations.

As they entered adolescence in the 1980s, they experienced the new digital technological advances firsthand, becoming the first generation to benefit from the expansion of personal computers and play the earliest video games. By the 1990s, they were young adults during the digital revolution, and were able to take advantage of their inherent comfortability with technology to become pioneers of these developing technologies.

In the last two decades, this generation has reached middle age, becoming parents to younger millennials and older Gen Z. Research describes them as happy, active, and focused on achieving a work-life balance.[iii]

Cultural influences

Throughout their lives, Gen X has been characterized as overlooked. They are the smallest generation by population, and grew up at a time when society was more focused on adults than children. For this reason, they are seen as a “middle child” generation, sandwiched between two more distinct, vocal and discussed generations.

During their teenage and early adult years, they were stereotyped as cynical, disaffected, aimless and apathetic; more focused on MTV and video games than in affecting society. Later research indicated that this generalization was overstated, and that this characterization was actually a product of malaise and cynicism levels rising for all of society, not just Generation X.[iv]

As adults, their characterization as individualists has led to their involvement in entrepreneurial pursuits and startups. Some of these startups led by Generation X members, like Google’s Sergey Brin or Tesla’s Elon Musk, have proven to be highly influential. Pew Research describes them as “savvy, skeptical and self-reliant; they're not into preening or pampering, and they just might not give much of a hoot what others think of them. Or whether others think of them at all.”[v]

Education

For Generation X, education styles shifted from rote, lecture-based learning to a more individualized system. Teachers focused on providing support, feedback and flexibility. In this peer-oriented environment, students engaged with each other more than previous generations, with techniques like experiential learning, cooperative learning experiences, and role-playing scenarios.[vi]

Having grown up with limited parental guidance, Generation X developed skills in independent problem solving. They looked to teachers for individual attention and feedback, rather than step-by-step instruction.

In addition to this change in education style, Generation X was also the first generation to benefit from technology in the classroom. While the Internet was still limited, they were able to access CD-ROMs, research databases and VHS videos. This early adoption of technology in the classroom helped them embrace digital tools in their careers later in life.

Values

Independence, resourcefulness, adaptability, distrust of rules/systems/authority, skeptical, entrepreneurial, work-life balance, pragmatic, realist[vii]

Millennials:

Timeframe definition

• Born 1981 – 1996[viii]

Age range in 2021

• 25 – 40

U.S. population in 2021

• 72.26 million[ix]

Defining events

Millennials’ childhood occurred during the 1980s and 90s, a period of more stability and prosperity compared to the childhoods of the other generations in this study. Their largely Baby Boomer parents had gotten over their individualism phase of the 70s and were ready to invest in their children, unlike the ignored childhood of their Generation X predecessors. Millennials’ childhood was characterized by embrace of technology, an abundance of media options, and a period of growth and nationwide prosperity.

As they entered adolescence at the turn of the century, the innocent and carefree days of their youth were stripped away in September 2001. They experienced their teenage years in the midst of a polarizing war, and then witnessed the Great Recession firsthand. This recession, combined with the skyrocketing cost of their education, left many Millennials in a difficult financial position.

During the 2010s, early adult Millennials experienced more acute cultural conflict, as the presidency of Donald Trump divided our society more starkly along political lines than had been experienced in decades.

Now early and middle-aged adults, the recent COVID-19 pandemic further strained the Millennial’s financial position. All of these factors have led to Millennials delaying or avoiding traditional life stage accomplishments, including home ownership and having children.

Cultural influences

In many ways, the defining cultural influence for millennials is technology. While Generation X was the first to use personal computing at a young age, Millennials were the first to be born into the Internet era. They witnessed the early Internet, with many having fond memories of nights spent chatting with friends on AOL Instant Messenger. As they entered teenage years, the Internet as we know it today began to form. Millennials were the first users of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and quickly became synonymous with these social media networks.

Almost every aspect of Millennial culture revolves around this technology. Fads come and go on social networks due to the instantaneous connection that they enable. Popular cultural figures rely on these networks to gain followers, build their brand and demonstrate their own values.

Due to the abundance of technology, Millennials have a large range of cultural influences. Since everything is digitized and easily accessed, Millennials can dive deeply into just about any group/topic/trend that they can think of, so they have a diverse range of interests, opinions and lifestyles. Cultural norms for this generation mean that these differences and unique individual expressions of self are embraced. Diversity is welcome and accepted.

Key cultural concerns for Millennials include environmental issues, social justice, the role of police in society, and economic inequality.

Education

In terms of learning style, Millennials were educated in a peer-oriented learning environment. In the classroom, they prefer group work that is participatory and activity based. Teachers act as facilitators and mentors that guide collaborative discussions, while students are encouraged to form persuasive, data-backed opinions. Highly involved in after-school activities, sports coaches also guide their development and provide personalized feedback. From these teachers and coaches, they expect continuous guidance and instant feedback that is reflective of their individual performance.[x]

Their emphasis on digital competence has empowered Millennials to embrace digital tools throughout their education. This reliance on technology also shapes how they retain information. They seek bite-sized chunks of information that they can access in real time through their devices. For this reason, the content of information is less important than the context of accessing it at the right moment. Lifelong video game players, Millennials are receptive to gamification, a learning technique which combines game mechanics, game dynamics, rewards and recognition in a digital platform that is appealing to this achievement-oriented generation.[xi]

Values

Diversity, finding happiness, achieving goals, flexibility, instant feedback, tolerance, social justice, environmental sustainability, inclusion, global perspectives, embracing technology[xii]

Gen Z:

Timeframe definition

• Born 1997 – 2012[xiii]

Age range in 2021

• 9 – 24

U.S. population

• 67.06 million[xiv]

Defining events

Gen Z is the first generation to be born in the post-Internet era. While their Millennial predecessors have a clear divide in their lives pre/post 9/11, most members of Gen Z do not remember the world before September 11, and did not feel or understand the impact of the Great Recession.

As the first “digitally native” generation, their lives have been shaped by the abundance of technology available to them. Their usage of technology matches (or exceeds) their Millennial predecessors.

Unlike their Millennial predecessors, Gen Z’s early life has been characterized by disruption and cultural unrest. They have grown up at a time when society is questioning the longstanding norms that have enabled some people/groups to excel while systemically denying opportunity to others. They have seen the impact of climate change throughout their lives, and have been victims of the horrific school shooting incidents that plagued our nation.

Entering their teenage and early adulthood years, they have been impacted acutely by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of social interaction. Much of this generation missed a whole year of their primary or secondary education due to lockdowns.

Cultural influences

Gen Z is an aspirational generation that seeks to improve the world. A McKinsey report describes them as truth seekers. “The survey reveals four core Gen Z behaviors, all anchored in one element: this generation’s search for truth. Gen Zers value individual expression and avoid labels. They mobilize themselves for a variety of causes. They believe profoundly in the efficacy of dialogue to solve conflicts and improve the world. Finally, they make decisions and relate to institutions in a highly analytical and pragmatic way.”[xv]

For Gen Z, diversity is an expectation. They have grown up in an era of blurring family structures, gender roles and orientations. Gen Z embraces these differences.

All of the cultural unrest that Gen Z has experienced in their young lives has led to mental health challenges. This generation has internalized (and in some cases exemplified) the struggles for critical issues like climate change and gun control. Their increased time spent online has led to increased feelings of isolation and depression.[xvi]

Education

Gen Z was taught through a blended learning approach that leverages digital media and technology to a greater extent than the previous generations. Blended learning combines aspects of in-person collaboration along with recorded video to maximize learning outcomes. As an example, students would independently access pre-recorded lectures for homework, then use class time for active learning activities and collaborative discussions.[xvii]

Their comfortability with digital tools for learning extends to their utilization of asynchronous learning management systems to post assignments and interact with their teachers and other students.

This generation is very comfortable learning by watching online videos, given their usage of prerecorded videos, and their lifelong exposure to YouTube. Gen Z is also the most experienced generation in learning in a remote environment due to their pandemic learning experience over the last 2 years.

Values

Diversity, security, environmental sustainability, vocal activism for social issues, skeptical of being sold, skeptical of “traditional values” that exclude certain groups, progressive, creative, personalization, self-expression[xviii]

[i] https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/ [ii] https://www.statista.com/statistics/797321/us-population-by-generation/ [iii] https://lsay.org/GenX_Rept_Iss1.pdf [iv] https://news.stanford.edu/pr/98/980821genx.html [v] https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/05/generation-x-americas-neglected-middle-child/ [vi] https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED411414.pdf [vii] https://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/Glance-Inclusion.pdf [viii]https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/ [ix] https://www.statista.com/statistics/797321/us-population-by-generation/ [x] https://www.td.org/newsletters/atd-links/generational-differences-in-the-classroom [xi] https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/designing-learning-for-millennials [xii] https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2010/02/24/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change/ [xiii]https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/ [xiv] https://www.statista.com/statistics/797321/us-population-by-generation/ [xv] https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies [xvi] https://www.aecf.org/blog/what-are-the-core-characteristics-of-generation-z [xvii]https://www.panopto.com/blog/rethinking-training-and-development-for-generation-z/ [xviii]https://tokion.jp/en/2020/11/13/what-are-gen-z-values-vol1/