Got Gen Y?

By Ryan Heinl

I have to say, I’m tired of hearing about it. Every morning after I’ve overcome the hurdles of getting dressed in the dark (if you’re a dad, you know), the train, and grabbing my vice of choice from Starbucks, I pull up my trusty Google Reader and there are a string of articles and blog posts about Gen Y painted as this lazy, disrespectful, distracted and unrealistic generation.

Here’s something to consider, at 70 million plus, Gen Y is the first generation in a while to rival the baby boomers in size. They also bring tremendous opportunity in terms of new ideas, and ways of using information and technology that previous generations have never conceived. The companies who can engage and take advantage of these superhero-like technology skills and penchant for innovation will surely outpace their competitors. Here are just two opportunities think about:

Hive Mind: Imagine that you have a problem and within seconds you can toss it out like a chicken breast to a piranha-like swarm which chews it up and spits your problem back in the form of a variety of ideas. This generation is the first to really approach the full potential of what collaborative technology like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Wikis can offer. A recent study from Accenture reveals just how entwined with technology this cohort really is. The value of this ability to channel thoughts and opinions from a diverse group of people both inside and outside of the organization is something that should not be underestimated. Leaders who are charged with facilitating change and solving big problems should be tapping into this generation.

Innovationistas: These days the commoditization of products, services, and people (think engineers in India) is happening faster and faster. We need to design new things that are unique and simple in function, meet an untapped market need, and look cool for any sort of sustainable market advantage. Add to that the fact that Gen Y is fast becoming the largest consumer demographic, and you had better be asking them for their ideas! Building an environment that cultivates innovative thinking requires leaders who are able to provide their teams with autonomy but at the same time offer clear direction and guidelines for achieving success.

I'm just dipping a pinky toe into how organizations can take advantage of Gen Y Talent. The bottom line is this: If you aren’t developing leaders who can engage your workforce through teamwork, autonomy, and clear sense of purpose, then you’ll not only experience turnover in your future, but you’ll also miss the many opportunities to leverage your company's future talent.

Ryan Heinl is a senior consultant for Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Comments

[Aaron Ziff]

Great post, Ryan! One minor quibble:

"I'm just dipping a pinky toe into how organizations can take advantage of Gen Y Talent."

This sentence should substitute something like "leverage" or "RESPECT the contributions of" for "take advantage of" (something Gen Y resents). People have surely read that Gen Y is much less motivated by money than other generations; respect and the ability to contribute, on the other hand, are big motivators.

Keep up the good work!

Best,

-Aaron Ziff

[sara clement]

I love your take on this! I'm always so glad to see people taking the future seriously. Thanks for your great ideas and encouragement. Just for the record, there is another site I saw that was really impressive to me as well. They have a great white paper download you might be interested in looking at at http://healthcaresource.com/bestpractices?pmc=SM-01 . I hope you enjoy it. :o)