Rarely do I read an article where I just keep going “yes, yes, yes!” (well, not in a mainstream publication anyhow! 😉) But that was my reaction after reading “The Facebook Generation vs. The Fortune 500”, a Wall Street Journal article which outlines the 12 differences between the Facebook generation (aka Generation Y aka Millennials aka Digital Natives aka “Anyone Born Between (Roughly) 1980 and 2000) and conventional workplace behaviour and expectations.
Before I copy the list, an anecdote…my boss at my last job and I were talking about something, possibly the idea of creating an electronic branch for our region, and he goes “You know what? You're a Gen X'er but you act and think like a Millennial.”
“Is that a compliment or a criticism?” I asked.
“Neither. Just an observation.”
I don't know – I like my entitled apathy as a Gen X'er but I guess there's probably a fair bit of truth to that statement – especially based on my reaction to this list.
Here's the list of expectations for the next generation (er, my generation?) when they enter the workplace, having grown up in a digital world:
1. All Ideas Compete On Equal Footing
2. Contribution Counts More Than Credentials
3. Hierarchies Are Natural, Not Prescribed
4. Leaders Serve Rather Than Preside
5. Tasks Are Chosen, Not Assigned
6. Groups Are Self-Defining and Self-Organizing
7. Resources Get Attracted, Not Allocated
8. Power Comes From Sharing Information, Not Hoarding It
9. Opinions Compound and Decisions Are Peer-Reviewed
10. Users Can Veto Most Policy Decisions
11. Intrinsic Rewards Matter Most
12. Hackers Are Heroes
YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!