Generation X and Y - Ekram Attai

1. ASSIGNMENT
GENERAT
ION X & Y
DATE OF SUBMISSION
3/29/2014
DEAR SIR
Jagdeep
singh
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
NAME
EKRAM
ROLL NO
AO3
ALL CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
IMPORTANCE
&
APPLICATION
DATA ANALYSIS
SUMMARIZING
SWOT ANALYSIS
LEARNING
RELEVANCE
OF TOPIC
CONCLUSION
REFERENCE

2. INTRODUCTION………………………………………
RELEVANCE WITH ONE EXAMPLE STORY
GENERATION X AND Y
Picture this scenario: the leader of
your long-established team has
retired, and his replacement is a
young manager, straight out of
Business school.
She's anxious to get going in the
organization, and you hope that
she'll bring some new life and
energy into the company.
As the weeks go by, however, you
begin to see growing discomfort
and conflict between the older staff
and this new team member.
Your older colleagues think "the new kid" is overconfident, pushy, and too
anxious to leave at precisely 5:00 p.m. The newcomer finds it hard to get support
from her older colleagues. She's concerned that they can't (or won't) multitask,
they're less confident with technology, and they're unwilling to share their hard-
earned knowledge. As a result, cooperation is suffering.
How can you bridge this Generation Gap? And why is this important?
There's little doubt that the U.S. workforce is at a unique point in history (other
countries face similar situations). As "Baby Boomers" – people born between
1946 and 1964 – begin to retire, a new generation is stepping into their shoes.
Generation X, or Gen X (born between 1965 and 1976), and Generation Y, or
Gen Y (also called "Millennial," born between 1977 and 1998), have values and
work styles that are completely different from the baby boomers.
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3. INTRODUCTION………………………………………
LET’S FOCUS OUR ATTENTION ON THE
GROUPS THAT OUR MAIN
DISCUSSION IS BASED
UPON…
Generation X
Generation Y
Workers who grew up influenced by the Great Depression, World War II, the
Andrews Sisters, and the Berlin blockade entered the workforce through the 1950s
And early 1960s believing in hard work, the status quo, and authority figures.
We call them Veterans (some use the label Traditionalists). Once hired, Veterans
tended to be loyal to their employers and respectful of authority. They tend to be
hardworking and practical. In terms of the terminal values on the RVS, these
employees are likely to place the greatest importance on a comfortable life and
family security.
Boomers (Baby Boomers) are a large cohort born after World War II when military
Veterans returned to their families and times were good. Boomers entered the
workforce from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. This cohort was influenced
heavily by the civil rights movement, women’s lib, the Beatles, the Vietnam War,
and baby boom competition. They brought with them a large measure of the “hippie
ethic” and distrust of authority, but they place a great deal of emphasis on
achievement and material success. They work hard and want to enjoy the fruits of
their labors. They’re pragmatists who believe that ends can justify means. Boomers
see the organizations that employ them merely as vehicles for their careers. Terminal values
such as a sense of
Accomplishment and social recognition rank high with them.
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4. Xers (Generation X ) lives have been shaped by globalization, two-career parents,
MTV, AIDS, and computers. They value flexibility, life options, and the
achievement of job satisfaction. Family and relationships are very important to this
cohort. Unlike Veterans, Xers are skeptical, particularly of authority. They also
enjoy team-oriented work. Money is important as an indicator of career
performance, but Xers are willing to trade off salary increases, titles, security, and
promotions for increased leisure time and expanded lifestyle options. In search of
balance in their lives, Xers are less willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake
of their employer than previous generations were. On the RVS, they rate high on
true friendship, happiness, and pleasure.
The most recent entrants to the workforce, the Nexters (also called Neters,
Millennials, Generation Y, and Generation Next) grew up during prosperous times
but find themselves entering a post-boom economy. Though they face insecurity
about their jobs and careers, they have high expectations and seek meaning in
their work. Nexters are at ease with diversity and are the first generation to take
technology for granted. They’ve lived much of their lives with ATMs, DVDs, cell
phones, laptops, and the Internet. This generation tends to be money oriented and
desirous of the things that money can buy. They seek financial success. Like Xers,
they enjoy teamwork, but they’re also highly self-reliant. They tend to emphasize
terminal values such as freedom and a comfortable life.
An understanding that individuals’ values differ but tend to reflect the societal
values of the period in which they grew up can be a valuable aid in explaining and
predicting behavior. Employees in their late sixties, for instance, are more likely to
accept authority than their coworkers who are 10 or 15 years younger. And workers
in their thirties are more likely than their parents to balk at having to work weekends
and more prone to leave a job in mid-career to pursue another that provides more
leisure time.
Another research by leadership searchers
Generation X, or Gen X (born between 1965 and 1976), and Generation Y, or Gen Y (also
called "Millennial," born between 1977 and 1998), have values and work styles that are
completely different from the baby boomers.
Finding ways to bridge the gaps within this new multigenerational workforce takes great skill –
and it all starts with understanding how new generation leaders and employees think, and
what's important to them.
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5. APPLICATION………………………………………
GENERATION Xnow between 24 and 40 years old
Generation X – Values and Work Ethic
• Diversity
• Thinking globally
• Balance
• Techno-literacy
• Fun
• Informality
• Self-reliance
• “differently oriented toward work”
• “just a job”
• Flexible hours, informal work environment, just the right amount of
supervision
• Multi-tasking
• Give them lots to do and freedom to do it their way
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6. APPLICATION………………………………………
THE MYTHS SURROUNDING GEN X
• They’re materialistic.
– Many are struggling to make ends meet. This generation is probably
the American generation that probably will not replicate or improve on
their parents’ lifestyle. They worry that they will not have the money
to pay for a house and children’s education. They want to get out of
debt. While money is important to them, material wealth and status
items are largely scorned.
• Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X
(Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)
• They’re whiners.
– Gen Xers face some rather daunting challenges – college loans,
skyrocketing health care costs – yet most are philosophical about the
problems they are inheriting.
• Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X
(Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)
• They have a “you owe me” attitude.
– No more so than any other generation.
• Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X
(Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)
• They’re not willing to work hard.
– In interviews, Gen Xers consistently tell us they are willing to work
very hard. They don’t want to be taken advantage of, though. Many
believe it’s unfair to expect a seventy-hour week for forty hours of
pay. And, as a generation, they’re committed to having a life beyond
work.
• Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X
(Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)

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APPLICATION………………………………………
• They’re living on easy street.
– In the 1950s, young homeowners could make the monthly mortgage
payment by using 14 percent of their income. Today it takes 40
percent. And today, folks older than sixty will get back about $200 for
every $100 they put into Social Security. Gen Xers will lose more
than $100 for every $450 they contribute.
• Adapted from Claire Raines, Beyond Generation X
(Menlo Park, CA: Crisp Publications, 1997)
GENERATION YNexters are at ease with diversity and are the first generation to take technology
for granted. They’ve lived much of their lives with ATMs, DVDs, cell phones,
laptops, and the Internet. This generation tends to be money oriented and desirous
of the things that money can buy. They seek financial success. Like Xers, they
enjoy teamwork, but they’re also highly self-reliant. They tend to emphasize
terminal values such as freedom and a comfortable life.
GENERATION Y – VALUES AND WORK ETHIC
• Optimism
• Civic Duty
• Confidence
• Achievement
• Sociability
• Morality
• Street smarts
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8. • Collective action
• Tenacity
• Heroic spirit
• Multi-tasking
• Technological savvy
• Have difficulty dealing with difficult people issues
• Education and teaching
• Business
• Computer related fields
• Law
• Psychology
• Medicine
HOW DO YOU TEACH, TRAIN, AND
ORIENT THEM?
• Allow plenty of orientation time
• Create a clear, realistic picture
of the work environment –
good and bad
• Spell out expectations and
goals
• Take the time to find out their
goals and help them define a
strategy for meeting them
• Take note that gender roles of
the previous generations do
not apply
Related to article
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10. SWOT ANALYSIS
SWOT
STRENGHTS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
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11. STRENGHTS
 They love a challenge
 They function well as team members – a bit different from
their older siblings in Gen X
 They want to be heroes
 They want to be surrounded by bright, creative people
 They want it – right now
 They are a unique mix – a very independent group
politically
 They are not as conservative as their older siblings in
Generation X; however, are not as liberal as their Baby
Boomer parents were when they were that age
 They are religious, but not in a traditional sense
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12. WEAKNESSES
 They’re materialistic.
Many are struggling to make ends meet. This generation is probably
the American generation that probably will not replicate or improve on
their parents’ lifestyle. They worry that they will not have the money to
pay for a house and children’s education. They want to get out of debt.
While money is important to them, material wealth and status items are
largely scorned.
 They’re whiners.
Gen Xers face some rather daunting challenges – college loans, skyrocketing
health care costs – yet most are philosophical about the problems they are
inheriting.
• They have a “you owe me” attitude.
– No more so than any other generation.
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13. OPPORTUNITIES
 “differently oriented toward work”
 Give them lots to do and freedom to do it their way Y
 OPPORTUNITY TO Create a clear, realistic picture of the
work environment – good and bad Y
 Their morality is an outgrowth of being raised in more
conservative times
 They have opportunity to make level of work life balance
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14. THREATS
• The youth of today are “going to hell in a hand basket.”
– Experts believe this is a fine group of young people who will make
heroes of themselves.
• They tend to avoid corporate politics – they have no orientation for
this
• They are generally not very interested in traditional perks but
(WARNING!!!) they will bail out if they see Boomers getting excessive
perks
• They are usually motivated by the prospect of independence, the lack
of corporate structure, a lack of rigidity, and the latest technological
advances
• Today’s kids are getting a great education.
– Not all of them. Gregory Schmidt of the Institute for the Future,
Menlo Park, CA, says, “Tomorrow’s haves and have-nots are already
diverging in today’s third grade classrooms as they either advance
into the information age or fall behind for lack of reading and math
skills or access to computers.”
• Kids need to spend more time reading and less time watching TV and
playing video games.
– Kids are spending more time reading. Business Week reports that
surveys show video games cut into TV, not reading time.
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