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No 43 December 2004 Those Generations!Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.George Orwell, British author (1903-1950)Ever wondered what all this Generation Y, X and Baby Boomers is all about? How that affects business? Let's start by making it clear that in an article like this there are generalisations and in this context the following is offered Our value systems are shaped in our first 10 years or so of life by our families, our friends, our communities, significant events and the general era in which we were born. The biggest influence on us is our parents and their parenting style is affected by the mores, standards and culture of the day. Even though we are all individuals, and experience unique influences on our developing value systems as we grow up, we have nonetheless, as children of the 20th century, all been exposed to global forces that were at work in a fashion unlike that of any other century. As such we are conditioned in our interaction with others.
The following are some of the characteristics of the various generations. Think of how these different generations operate and is it any wonder that there is sometimes real confusion when the values, ethos, understandings of differing generations don't readily sit alongside each other. The G.I. Generation
The Silent Generation
Baby Boomers
Generation X
Generation Y - Millennials
CuspersIf you don’t fit in…you could be a "Cusper"If you have arrived at this point, having read all about the five generations we are profiling, you might feel that you don’t fall into any of our descriptions. You may be feeling really left out, even perhaps a bit irritated? Well, apart from the reasons we give in the introductory– that it is a generalisation, that there are no hard and fast "rules" about if, and where, people fit into the generations – you may be one of those people who fall in between generations. Sociologists have decided to call you "cuspers." You were born either early in a generation and so have taken on some of the characteristics of the generation that preceded yours, or you were born late in your generation and have adopted some of the characteristics of the generation born after you. Also, you may be the young child of older parents, or the old child of young parents, and not have the classic gap of one to one and a half generations between you and your parents. It means that you were born in a time between eras and you have been influenced by both eras. Each of these transition moments between generations has its own character and influence but there are no generic cusper characteristics as such. It is just that you straddle generations and eras There isn't a great deal that any of us can do to change these people, but with a little understanding we as portfolio workers can begin to appreciate why some employers/business managers are coming from such different and in some cases such intransigent positions. |
© 2003 The Nework Centre | email neworknz@yahoo.co.nz |
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