Managing Millennials For Dummies. Arbit Debra

college tuition, are specific to the United States. Taking this into account, it should be no surprise that the generations topic plays out differently across the globe. A Boomer in the States is going to have different traits than a Boomer in India. Primarily in the West, certain countries show generational similarities across borders in large part due to similar access to technological innovation and shared experiences of international events. However, in more emerging economies like China and India, there can be stark differences from country to country. Research has shown that when it comes specifically to Millennials and Generation Edge, because of globalization and the Internet, there are more similarities than differences across the globe.

Immigration and ethnicity

      How does a Millennial whose grandparents and even great-grandparents grew up in the United States differ from a Millennial who is a first-generation immigrant? The answer is slightly complicated. Most simply, generational theory has a cyclical component to it. Research has found that first-generation immigrants tend to behave much like the Traditionalist generation (loyal, hard-working, patriotic, grateful for the job). The second generation tends to behave more like Boomers (pushing for more education, finding ways to get ahead, working within established systems), with the third generation acting more like Generation Xers (questioning the status quo, not totally trusting institutions, finding individual paths). These are only general trends, but they should help give a framework for examining people you work with from an immigration perspective.

      

As we mention earlier, people are multilayered and complicated. It is not enough to just throw a generational label on them and move on. The key is to understand that several factors are at play, and immigration and ethnicity are important lenses.

      Overcoming the “Yea, Buts…”

      Generational differences is the one area of diversity where it’s considered okay to cast shade, throw people under the bus, and just plain make fun of perceived failings. For example: “Millennials are entitled babies, Gen Xers are so cynical and apathetic, and don’t even get me started on Boomers. What a workaholic bunch, not to mention they can barely figure out how to send an email from their phones!” Can you even imagine saying these types of things about another area of diversity like religion or gender? No way! It’s amazing to us too, but it does get that vicious, and sometimes even worse.

      The biggest hurdle when attempting to make generational theory part of your management strategy is pushback. One may even call it negativity. When fellow managers see you carrying around this book, they may wonder aloud, or to themselves, “Yea, but … aren’t all Millennials just entitled kids who got trophies for trying? Why bother?” The next generation of employees is getting hit full force with these stereotypes. New employees are painted with the broad brush not of the Millennial, but the worst Millennial. These stereotypes make it so that on day one, your new hire is already fighting an uphill battle.

      There will be many a detractor/naysayer to the generational conversation. These lingering questions and pushback may be coming straight from you! Here are some of the “yea, buts” that bubble up most often:

      ❯❯ The psychology “yea, but …”: This topic doesn’t even consider things like whether someone’s an introvert or an extrovert.

      ❯❯ The life stage “yea, but …”: These kids are going to grow up and end up acting just like us.

      ❯❯ The outlier “yea, but …”: I’m a Gen Xer, and I’m nothing like that.

      ❯❯ The stereotyping “yea, but …”: Aren’t you just putting people into a box?

      ❯❯ The tired-of-conflict “yea, but …”: Aren’t we all just more similar than we are different? We don’t need something that’s going to drive us farther apart from each other.

      In the following sections, we take these piece by piece, objection by objection. Once you can clear your mind of them and overcome any lingering “yea, buts …”, you’ll effectively wipe off the smudge on your Gen Lens and see your direct reports more clearly.

Comparing two key perspectives: Sociology versus psychology

       Recap: The psychology “yea, but …”: This topic doesn’t even consider things like whether someone’s an introvert or an extrovert.

      The first step to addressing this “yea, but …” is understanding that generational theory is a sociological science and not a psychological one. It’s goal, by definition, is to examine how people act and behave in large groups. The “group” in this scenario refers to a generational cohort. It’s the sociological study of how historical events and conditions can impact your generational identity/persona.

      Psychology, on the other hand, is focused on the individual. It strives to understand the singular person’s mind, his emotional and social reactions, and the unique things that make him tick. What are that person’s triggers? What makes him happy? What makes him sad? What motivates his behavior? What singular influences played a role in forming his mind and personality?

      So, really, the difference between sociology and psychology is as simple as the difference between the micro and the macro. It’s like the difference between what a blue M&M looks and tastes like versus the genre of candy that M&Ms fall into.

      

Generational theory is a fluid science; it’s completely normal to relate perfectly to a trait or behavioral pattern of your generation and maybe not so much to another. As with any sociological study, there are exceptions and outliers. Generational theory is simply one lens to help people understand one another and the world around us.

      WHEN PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY ARE A PERFECT MATCH

      Psychology looks at the individual. Sociology focuses on patterns and trends. Both sciences are valid. Both offer useful information, and, in fact, they often work best when paired with one another. In many ways they’re complementary, and we frequently recommend that clients pair the two when trying to understand the people they work with. Be it Kolbe, MBTI, DiSC, or any other psychological assessment you favor – far from contradicting the generations topic, it serves as a useful pairing, like a fine red wine with a nice juicy steak. They are meant to go together, and the one makes the other that much better.

Contrasting the concepts of life stage and generations

       Recap: The life stage “yea, but …”: They’re going to grow up and be just like us. Isn’t this just youth culture?

      This particular “yea, but …” is a biggie. We aren’t going to try and tell you that there isn’t even a sliver of truth to this assertion. Of course there are certain attitudes and behaviors that are more about life stage and not necessarily specific to generational personalities. Young people will be young. Teenagers will always have messy rooms. Whether that manifests as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed or impulsive and (sometimes) reckless, there is some element of that youth mentality in any set of young people.

      

Before going any further, find out how to differentiate generation versus life stage versus age. For example, compare a 22-year-old Millennial named Lucy to a 32-year-old Millennial named Mina. They work differently and have varied expectations. Mina is sharp, articulate, and respects unwritten rules – that’s experience. Lucy speaks about college days and what she hopes she can accomplish quickly in her first year. That’s life stage. As true as that may be, these different stages affect their work. If Mina has a mortgage and a child on the way, she may be more inclined to stick with the job longer because security has become more of a priority now that there’s more than one mouth to feed. Both of them are collaborative, energetic, and want to make a difference. That’s generational.

      Whenever you feel tempted to chalk a generational behavior up to life stage, try to silence the following micro “yea, but …” life-stage thoughts.

“We all experience these big moments together – we’re more similar than we are different!”

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