The Challenge For Organizations At The 21st Century Marks The Beginning Of The Information Age

Today’s working environment has experienced a major transformation over the last decade, particularly in terms of population diversity in the workforce. There are currently four main generations dominating the workforce, they are made up of Silents, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. It is expected that in the coming decades there will be further changes with emergence of newer generations, and slower removal of older generations from organizations as pension age increases. Understanding differences between the generations, and learning to adapt their management practices is critical to building a successful multigenerational workplace. I would like farther explain each generation’s attributes and their effects on the workforce.

Being assigned to various roles from subordinate to assigned leadership positions, I have noticed that the work environment and project teams are not constructed in a manner to capitalize on the strengths of the current generation that are entering the workplace. This is not only true for USAREC, but also most mainstream organizations. I have witnessed symptoms and the results from not understanding how to benefit from creating the environment to capitalize on generational traits dealing with the millennial.

Replacing Millennials with baby boomers is a problem because they do not want to take on the traditional style of work and life balance. Because of this, Millennials are more than likely to resign from their high-paying positions. Graen & Grace (2014) used the word “traditional” to describe the work life Millennials try to avoid. “Traditional” means repetitiveness of tasks performed at home and work. Millennials leave their high-paying positions because their daily routines of going to work and coming home each day seems boring to them. In the work setting, Millennials become uninterested in their work routine since they have already acquired all of the skills and knowledge required for their positions. Millennials have the urge to work outside

Managing multiple generations can pose a challenge for employers. Managers have to find a balance. Taylor (2014) state “The modern workplace is no different than those of years past, with Generation Y, Generation X and baby boomers all coexisting in the same office. But as more boomers work past retirement age, and tech-savvy millennials continue to graduate and enter the workforce, the stark differences in the values, communication styles and work habits of each generation are becoming increasingly pronounced.” (Taylor, 2014). Taylor (2014) also states “"As new generations join the workforce, there is a period of adaptation that 's required on both ends," said Rich Milgram, CEO of career network Beyond.com. "New talent needs to respect and assimilate, while established talent needs to adjust and remain flexible. Companies should challenge their employees to rise above [generational differences], think outside their comfort zone and tackle problems together."” (Taylor, 2014).

In a work environment everybody wants to climb the totem pole. For Millennials, they want to rise to leadership without working too hard for it. They are trying to reach the leadership positions as fast as they can and at times they are unprepared for the position they enter because they have not experienced enough along the way. Where Millennials are too fast to rise to leadership, people considered to be Generation X, who are known for their hard work ethic and experience are often complacent in the workplace. Though they gained their experience (unlike Millennials) by working their way up the chain of command and gradually paying their dues and though they also do not expect to be handed a higher position, like Millennials who feel entitled to higher positions in the workplace, they are also not as motivated as Millennials. (Bresman)

Although many millennials are too absorbed in technology to work efficiently, the younger generation is a vital addition to any workplace. The modern society of advancement has raised millennials to believe that a higher education and a successful career are essential early in life. Society expects millennials to complete their education and pursue bigger aspirations, such as a successful career, without taking a pause for more philosophical actions. A fast-paced world has created a societal standard of hard work and long, conventional careers in most of the previous generations. However, the increasingly advancing world around the millennial generation pressures the job-seeking recent college graduates to live at a high societal standard and obtain success through a stable career. Due to the advanced society of high career-oriented standards and the effects it has had on millennials’ aspirations, the younger generation is determined to become successful soon after graduating from college, creating a strong work ethic that is beneficial to any company despite the generation’s saturation in technology and weaker endurance in the cutthroat world of modern business.

As indicated by Forbes, the normal work environment now accommodates four generational eras in one place, including Veterans (born in or before 1946), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1979), and Millennials (1980-2000). Today, the old dog and the young pup need to work congruously to reach their end goals. These diverse generational and work perspectives can be advantageous. However, as you can imagine, such perspectives can be slightly hard to explore.

“The number of employees over the age of 55 has increased by 30 percent; however, the number of 25- to 54-year-olds has only increased by 1 percent” (Claire, 2009). In 2008 the eldest of the 77 million baby-boomers turned 62. Estimates are that by the end of the decade about 40 percent of the work force will be eligible to retire. As people begin to reach the age of retirement there may be not be enough new employees to fill the gap (Clare, 2009). Companies need to find ways to attract Boomers and Millennials. Companies that want to attract Boomers and Millennials need to be creative in their culture, HR policies and work environments.

Understanding the motivation of millennial employees is important as it helps in setting mutual expectations for success within the workforce. Millennials are keener on completing assigned tasks as this opens up new opportunities for an employer to motivate and reward. Younger employees are very likely to respond to offers of paid time off. In organizations it is important to tailor the workplace to meet the needs of the organization and employee needs. In meeting these needs, the company will succeed. Moreover, there should be no myth about whether the Millennal generation exists because this generation has unique set of skills that sets them apart from other previous

As the American economy continues to incorporate the younger generation into the working class, steps must be taken to maximize employee potential. The impact of workers between the ages of 18 and 32, Generation Y or Millennials, is unquestionably an organizational concern for many employers. According to a 2013 Ernst & Young survey, 87% of Millennials have moved into management positions in the last five years. With that level of upward mobility, issues and conflicts are certain to arise due to the vastly different workplace ethics, management styles, etc. held by the new and older generations. For a company to be an innovative competitor in the marketplace, it is important for its employees to be able to work productively while accommodating generational differences. The 2013 Ernst & Young survey also found that more than 69% of respondents said their company had made an effort to alleviate the challenges that arise with a generational blend. Employee cooperation is an important goal for these companies because it is vital for them to thrive in the rapidly evolving workplace.

To get sustainable competitive advantage, the significant role of knowledge management has been explored. Knowledge management causes companies’ core competencies to become stronger. Therefore, competitive advantage has been more sustainable. Knowledge management is perceived as the development of organizing the intangible asset of a firm. The economic and production level of a company relies more on its brainpower, human capital and invisible competences than its physical assets. The function of each business relies upon the knowledge of its human capital.

Measuring employee engagement by generation like other areas is another way to heighten employee engagement strategies to best fit an organization. Traditionalist are the highest engaged individuals than all generations within the workforce at 41% engagement levels. However, the workforce includes a total of five generations (Gallup Inc., 2013). Yet, the three biggest age cohorts are baby boomers, generation X, and Millennials: out of 59 million Americans in the workforce, the highest age concentration of management, professional, and related occupations range from age 25-64 years, totaling 51 million baby boomers, generation X, and millennials (Bureau of Labor Statistics,

There are four generations in today’s workplace: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers (Gen-X), and Millennials For the first time, these generations are all working hand in hand. Each generation has their own life experiences, different attitudes, desires, goals and motivations. Molding all of these distinctive characteristics into one company goal is an immediate challenge facing managers and business owners, particularly as they must transfer the knowledge from their older employees to the new hires. (Huggins 2008)

The desire by some to stay and work longer has led to the current workforce capturing many generations. With countries such as the US capturing as many as 5 distinct generations, others have been able to capture 4 and 3. The various generations segment the different age ranges into generations generally governed by different attitudes to work, preferences and value systems. The attitude, preference, and values held by any generation affect the way they approach their works. 21st-century organizations tend to prefer managers who can deal with the different generations as they have different characteristics and present diverse challenges. The attitude of the various generations greatly differs in the workplace. The generations in the workforce have been segmented into the following demographics: the Traditionalists (also known as the silent generation or the greatest generation); the baby boomers; generation X; generation Y (also known as Millennial), and finally generation Z. An understanding of these

Arpon (2008) argues that the exit of baby boomers and entry of millennials into the workforce has altered the general work scape, since millennials do not see their lives revolving around work. Rather, personal life takes center stage and work has to revolve around it. A good example to highlight how this works is the work environment designed by American technology giant and one company known for its innovative talent management, Google