Newsmaker: Net generation comes of age

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What does your research for the book show?
Rosen: Most research tends to focus on the downsides of the Internet--the sexual predators,...cyberbullying and Internet pornography--and rarely deals with the positive impacts. But I firmly believe that there are a number of positives that people are ignoring such as the development of identity and personality. Kids online develop strong friendships with people that they know in the real world, as well as people that they have never met. Kids use the Internet and their cyberspace world to help work through what I would call teen angst, that quest for "Who am I?" and "How do I fit into this world?"

Will they take those experiences to the "real world" and use them?
Rosen: What's interesting is as these kids become more immersed-- moving from elementary to junior high to senior high to college to being in the work world--it does appear that they are taking their style into the world. What that does, interestingly enough, is it creates somewhat of a friction between the Net Gen kids and their, in general, baby boomer bosses and that has a lot to do with their style of communication and the way they see the world.

Kids use the Internet and their cyberspace world to help work through what I would call teen angst, that quest for "Who am I?" and "How do I fit into this world?"

One of the things that we found in our research is that these kids are not comfortable at all unitasking, whereas people in the baby boomer generation are quite comfortable unitasking. In fact, that's what business meetings are all about, they are unitasks. You get together, you talk, you discuss a business issue. And if you bring a Net Gen kid into a business meeting like that, they will typically drag out their laptop or their BlackBerry or their cell phone and multitask. If the baby boomer boss complains that they are not paying attention, well, in fact they look at them incredulously because, of course, they are paying attention. They know full well how to multitask and get the best out of both worlds.

Baby boomers seem to have problems managing the Net generation, but they were in fact the ones who brought them up. How does that connect?
Rosen: Yes, they raised those kids, but they worked at the cost of spending time parenting. Because work was everything, trying to provide for the family, those kids were left to their own devices in a lot of cases. One of the things they did right as parents was that they gave a lot of positive reinforcement to their kids. What they did wrong is they reinforced everything, any behaviors whatsoever, in the hopes that it would improve the kid's self-esteem, so that the kids would be better off than their parents were. But kids really want limits and structure, something these parents in many cases weren't giving them. They were pretty much letting the kids select their own structure. If the kids were on the computer, well that was just fine with the parents because the kids were in their room quiet and not bothering them when they needed to work in the other room or get dinner ready, if they ate dinner together.

How do you keep the Net generation youngsters in a company?
Rosen: Give them the job, stand back, and let them work. They will do a good job, that's part of what this generation has been raised on. When they have finished it, give them a ton of positive reinforcement. They like being reinforced both verbally, physically and tangibly. Reward them with money, with time off, with positive strokes, "employees of the month," and "employees of the week." Give them special parking places for their BMWs, all sorts of things that are important to them. But don't focus on the process, focus on the product.

Are companies aware of the needs of the Net generation?
Rosen: I think that they recognize simply by attrition that their model of business is not necessarily the same model of the generations that are coming after them. I don't know that they've done that very successfully. I think they need a lot more awareness that both models work, their model of process, and the new model of product. And that, if they want to retain their employees as well as keep a good product, they have to respect the differences and they have to try to work out a way that their philosophy of work is not foisted upon kids who don't like that way of working. Until they do, they're going to have employees who stay only for couple of years. They train them, they stay for a couple of years, and they'll get bored, unchallenged and move on.

How can employers benefit from different generations?
Rosen: By taking advantage of both Gen X and Net Gen kids' experiences with technology and facility with technology. Both of their drives to be very product-oriented, and to do the best job possible. The way that baby boomer bosses can make this all happen is two things: One, to let them do it their own way. Give them a job and give them a date. They'll get the job done and it'll be done well because these kids are really bright and very self-confident. No. 2, don't call them for a lot of meetings and don't get heavily involved in process.

More Newsmakers

[chuchucuhi]

yeah I agree

I'm 26, right on the edge of this generation but I've been an avid net user since I was 10. I used to chat on IRC all the time with people I knew in "IRL" and met online. I've worked in a corporate setting since I was 19 and have gone head to head with bosses who have tried to micromanage me thinking I needed that or see me doing three or four different things and call me into their office asking me if I'm really working. There was some friction where I am currently when my boss and their boss left at the same time and the company brought in seasoned management, that first year was rough and a number of people my age and younger left. I finally had a meeting with these new bosses and explained "my generation" to them. After some adjustments they accepted change and our turnover has greatly reduced. I hope others can learn this and not just get frustrated by their younger employees.

[JohnT32]

What about just doing the job for the job's sake?

While I appreciate that the next gen is great with the multitasking and has a different communications style than us Boomers, I think that the job should be the reward.

Throwing praise and spiffs at the completion of every job diminishes real, deserved praise when the worker goes above and beyond.

These are adults and should be treated as such without the need for constant positive re-enforcement.

[biznatch11]

I agree

I'm part of the older part of this "Net" generation and I agree with you. For example, I know lots of kids who all through school got money from their parents for every A they got on their report card. On the other hand, I was raised to want to succeed for my own sake, not just for praise/payment from someone else.

[mhick]

Great idea

You're absolutely right. After all, why should we have to be bribed to do our job with salaries, year-end bonuses, 401k accounts, health insurance, vacation pay, sick days, and other filthy lucre? The job IS the reward!