Will work for flexibility, time off, and a pinball machine
I agree with Jillian that Tapscott is VERY pro Net Generation. It’s neat to read; I think his unabashed love of the Net Generation is something that likely needs to be said. And he’s not the only one saying it. What I find so fascinating about Tapscott’s argument is how he seems to believe that companies need to adapt to their employees. This is a theme that came up time and time again at my workplace; I sat through multiple training sessions on the recruitment and retention of the Y Generation. There were a few key factors found in all of them. 1) Gen Y is me-centred and needs to feel that everything they do has a reason. 2) Gen Y has never really experienced failure (I don’t know how true this is outside of Ontario, but in the ON school system, no child can fail a grade). On top of not failing, they should not fail. 3) Gen Y is all about teamwork and working collaboratively. 4) Gen Y needs to be able to modify their tasks and job as they see fit, or they will leave and go somewhere else. All of this was tied into the digital world that they lived in- another thing that “a Gen Y must have in their job”. All this to say that the focus of these workshops was to get companies to adapt their jobs to the people. This must be a fundamental shift in thinking; up until now it seems that the idea of the workforce is that you enter it and adapt to it, not it to you. In some ways, this is great, but it also has some major downfalls. For example, what if your company/position can’t shift? What if the idea of flexibility or teamwork isn’t built in? And aren’t we painting an entire generation with one brush? I like also what Jillian pointed out, procrastination and lollygagging are central to the workday Tapscott demonstrates. I wouldn’t want to see a doctor or a lawyer who has their Facebook open in their office, or who is texting my diagnosis to the lab. I also think that Gen X will fight back a little; we Gen Xers are an indignant bunch- if we couldn’t have a pingpong table in the staff lounge, why should these kids?
As one who is on the cusp of generations- it all depends on what source it comes from where I land, I did find my identity as a digital user stood firmly in Rheingold’s article moreso than Tapscott. I don’t know if that means anything since I could be Gen X, but it sure did make me feel better than I don’t really know what the youtube video of the day is. What I do think is that it’s best to be familiar with the trends, even a little bit. Each new variation has built upon the last variation, and if I don’t jump on board now, how will I ever even be able to check on what my kids’ are doing in the future?
What is my point here? I don’t know, actually. I kind of lost track when my skype video rang.
Love it! Yay Skype! (though I’ve only ever used it once, it was quite a magical thing!)
I think the idea of jobs changing to suit their employees is a good thing in many cases, but as you say, there are certain positions that are not open to as much flexibility without becoming pointless or useless. A Barista, for instance, is there to make coffee. If the Barista does not wish to make coffee, the position cannot be changed to suit this desire or the position itself will be entirely without purpose and the workplace will fail miserably.
Perhaps my analogy isn’t flawless, but I think it demonstrates your point somewhat, and helps clarify it in my own mind. I like your points and I think they are something we must discuss in class on Monday!!
Rob
23 Jan 11 at 12:11 pm
Good thoughts on this post; I also like Rob’s clarifying analogy of the barista as someone who can’t dictate the conditions of her employment without compromising the entire notion of what a barista is/does. We’ll have to test if this scales-up to more sophisticated “knowledge work” like software design or aerospace engineering. My guess is Tapscott isn’t thinking that Digital Natives are headed toward the service industry.
Eric Meyers
23 Jan 11 at 5:26 pm