- Generation Z are Known as Digital Natives - cesarastudillo
Each generation has its own distinct set of values that is developed from the social environment in their early years. Different generations have different values and beliefs regarding family, career, the work/life balance, training and development, loyalty, gender roles, the work environment and expectations of leaders. Demographers have named the different generations around today as Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z.
Not everyone agrees on when each generation started, but the dates given below agree with most of the literature. Some generations include two or more subsets which can have different characteristics.
Characteristics of Veterans
Veterans are people who were born prior to 1946. Their lives were affected by wars, with World War 1 from 1914 to 1918 and World War 2 from 1939 to 1945. They tend to be disciplined, respect law and order and they like consistency. This generation is not comfortable with change. They have fixed views on the role of each gender, and in the workplace are comfortable with a directive, command and control management style.
In the last decade most veterans have retired from the workplace. Veterans are often subdivided into 3 groups:
- Depression Era, born 1912 to 1921, came of age 1930 to 1939
- World War II, born 1922 to 1927, came of age 1940 to 1945
- Post-War Cohort, born 1928 to 1945, came of age 1946 to 1963
The post-war cohort had the best work and education opportunities because of the post-war economic boom. Members of this group highly value security, comfort, and familiar activities and environments.
Characteristics of the Baby Boomers Generation
The Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 and have the largest population of any generation. In their youth they were open-minded and rebellious but became more conservative in their 30’s and 40’s. Job status and social standing are important to this generation who tend to be optimistic, ambitious, and loyal, and believe that employment is for life. They created the concepts of “workaholic” and “superwoman”.
Baby Boomers are sometimes divided into 2 subgroups as life experiences, attitudes, behaviours and society were very different in 1964 compared to 1946:
- Boomers I or The Babyboomers, born 1946 to 1954, came of age 1963 to 1972
- Boomers II or Generation Jones, born 1955 to 1964, came of age 1973 to 1983
The Civil Rights movements and the Vietnam War was very significant to the Boomers I while social issues such as AIDS had more effect on Boomers II.
Characteristics of Generation X
Gen X was born between 1965 and 1979. They often had both parents working, were exposed to daycare and divorce, and became known as “latchkey kids”. They are a well-educated generation with many having tertiary qualifications and are resourceful, individualistic, self reliant and sceptical of authority. Unlike the Baby Boomers they are not interested in long-term careers, corporate loyalty or status symbols.
In the workplace they focus on relationships, outcomes, their rights and skills. They tend to change employment and even careers frequently and will leave a job if they are unhappy. They often have a “what’s in it for me” attitude.
Characteristics of Generation Y
Gen Y was born between 1980 and 1995 and are also known as the Millennium or Net Generation. Millennials are very technology wise and are comfortable with ethnically diverse groups. Their values are similar to Veterans in that they are optimistic, confident, sociable, and have strong morals and a sense of civic duty.
Gen Y are not brand loyal and the speed of the Internet has led the Net Generation to be flexible and changing in its fashion, style consciousness and where and how it is communicated with. They expect great workplace flexibility and are likely to change employers even more frequently than Gen X’s.
Characteristics of Generation Z
Generation Z was born after 1995. They are not yet adults and have never known a life without the internet, computers and mobile phones. They are also known as Digital Natives and are used to instant action and satisfaction due to internet technology. They are mainly the children of Generation X and are born into smaller families with older mums.
Their means of communication is mainly through online communities and social media like Google, MySpace, Twitter and Face Book rather than personally meeting their friends and developing relationships. They are capable of belonging to huge communities and have massive collaborations using the Internet without knowing anyone personally. They may not perform well in areas such as public speaking.
Understanding the differences between generations is useful in communicating with people from different age cohorts. It is also vital for employers to understand the different generations so that they know how to recruit and retain people from different generations. Marketing campaigns also need to be targeted quite differently for the different generations if they are going to be effective.
Sources:
McKay, Hugh. 1997. Generations, McMillan Australia Pty Ltd.
“How to motivate, attract and retain Generation X & Y” presentation by Avril Henry at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, October 2006.
Jo Jackson - Jo is an Australian writer with an MBA and a B.Sc.(Hons) in botany. She has wanted to write since she first discovered books and currently ...
