September 2011 Meeting Recap

"Managing a Multi-Generational Workplace" 

Presented by Joe Mariano, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Article by Doreen Smith 

 

During our September "Kick-off" Educational Session, Joe identified the four generations of employees, the differences among them and how they affect the workplace.  Joe held the audience captive with a very engaging conversation as he discussed the different generations -- Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation X and the Millennials.  There was one or more of each generation represented in the audience.

 

Joe's mantra for the evening:

 

I know more than you. . . .

. . . but you know more than me.

 

Joe illustrated that everybody has something to offer in an organization.  One may have experience with and another may have exposure to the most up-to-date communication devices or skills that enable others to step up in an organization.  One's exposure to technology defines how tech savvy you are, not your age.  He identified the primary requirements for training in a multi-generational company and discussed some of the best practices.  No matter our age, we all learn through various means, some like computer based training, some like paper, some like one-on-one with a personal trainer, some like a classroom environment.

 

If you are attending the ARMA International Conference in Washington, DC please be sure to stop in and see Joe along with his co-speaker Gina Sammarco who are co-presenting this same session.  The education session will be held October 18th at 10:00 am.  It will be a highlight of your stay! 

 

 

 

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Reprinted with permission from author, David Weir, 7X7SF

 

Submitted by Ray Jansak, Director Publications 

 

While demographers and marketing executives may argue over how to define generations, they agree about the impact that Generation Y -- no matter which set of age parameters you use -- is having on communications technology, ecommerce, and the media.

 

It's huge, as several recent reports document.

 

For example, a recent study from Barkley reports that Millennials aged 16-34:

 

Watch much less TV than other Americans (26 percent v. 47 percent).

But watch many more TV shows on laptops (42 percent v. 18 percent), and other devices.

Are much more likely to be influenced by their friends about where to shop, etc. (70 percent v. 45 percent).

Like to check out brands on social media sites more than older Americans (53 percent v. 36 percent).

Like brands more if on social media sites (33 percent v. 17 percent).

The same study found that Gen Yers are much more likely to use a mobile device to research products and services (over 50 percent v. 21 percent), or make impulse purchases (over 50 percent v. 36 percent).

 

Also by a wide margin, younger shoppers prefer to have their purchases charged to their phone bill rather than a credit card, which is the reverse of the preferences of older shoppers.

 

All of these data points suggest that the emerging generation consumes and shares media and communications socially in ways that earlier generations did not.

 

In my interviews with young entrepreneurs at companies like Getaround, TappMob, and Kiip, they all indicate that the products and services they are building speak to the needs of others much like themselves.

 

For example, Jessica Scorpio at Getaround told me, p2p sharing like that offered by her company makes sense to most Millennials: "Gen Y grew with sharing, we're used to it and we are environmentally conscious as well."

 

Justin Mardjuki at TappMob said "we've created an app to communicate with our parents easier." Also, he added, to make it easier to meet up with friends.

 

Meanwhile, Brian Wong at Kiip used his background as a gamer to create a promising new ad model. Whenever someone playing a game gains an achievement, Kiip proposes to offer the player a voucher good for a reward from the real world from any number of hand-picked brands, like Sephora, 1-800-Flowers, Carl's Jr., or Dr. Pepper.

 

From these and dozens of other startups, you can begin to envision a media and shopping landscape radically different from the brick-and-mortar world of the past.

 

Not that all print media or physical stores are going to disappear - I'm not suggesting that -- though many, like Borders or the print version of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, already have.

 

But the transformative impacts of social, local, and mobile platforms on both the media and ecommerce landscapes of the near future can no longer be considered as anything other than inevitable.

 

 

 

 

 

A new ARMA International standards work group has taken on the task of developing a technical report to complement the American National Standard ANSI/ARMA 18-2011 "Implications of Web-based, Collaborative Technologies in Records Management," which was published in January 2011.

As with other standards, that document contains many "shalls" and "shoulds."  It tells us "what" to do but not "how" to do it.  Now we're turning our attention to the practical matter of providing the "how" guidance in a new technical report, "Using Social Media in Organizations."  And we need your help.

Please share your ideas, thoughts, successes, challenges, lessons learned, and best practices through a new "Social Media" iConference group we've established at http://iconference.arma.org  You do not need to be an ARMA member to join.

The members of the "Using Social Media in Organizations" project team will be actively participating in this discussion forum.  We look forward to the opportunity to discuss this new project with you.

Feel free to give me a call at 203-325-5069 if you'd like to discuss this project in more detail.