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A Sneak Peek At The Generation After Millennials
"Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it."
Haim Ginott
The human brain has a tendency to want to find patterns in life and then shut down. In other words, it wants to work so it doesn't have to work. This is evident in the way we label the generations that have come before us so that we better understand them. The way I define a generation is a group of people born during a similar time frame who share common ideas, beliefs, values and experiences that shape their behavior.
Today we have the Traditionalists born between 1900-1945 with traditional values of loyalty and frugality. Next came the Baby Boomers born between 1946-1964 with a baby born once every 17 minutes for 20 years. After this came the generation that did not want to be labeled so they are called Generation X born between 1965-1981. Generation X is best known for being latchkey kids who were home alone after school until Mom and Dad arrived home from work. Finally we have the Millennials or Generation Y born between 1982-2001 that were influenced by the turn of the millennium.
So, what is the next generation and why should we care? According to a May 2012 article by Bruce Horitz of USA Today there are a lot of marketing companies that are eager to name the next generation but nothing has been decided yet. Why should we care about this next generation? Marketing to this next generation is big business but we also want to know how we will need to recruit, manage and retain this next generation. This new generation we are curious about was born after 2001 and is currently 12-13 years old with some working part time while going to school. So, I thought I would list the potential names of this next generation from the USA Today article along with other author's suggestions:
iGen- for the ipod, ipad and any other iproduct that Apple will produce
Gen Z- to follow the alphabet with Gen X, Gen Y and potentially Gen Z
Generation 911- to describe Sept 11, 2001, as a major event that will shape this new generation
Generation Wii- to describe the Wii game that many of this new generation play
Gen Tech- to describe their technical savvy and lack of fear with all things technical
Digital Natives- as we move from analog to digital, this new generation embraces digital
Next Gen - what comes after Gen Y or Millennials
Multi Gen- refers to this new generation's love of multimedia and multitasking
Post Gen- refers to post 911, post-recession and the fact they like to post everything to their favorite social media sites
Linksters- this term was coined in the book Generations, Inc. by Meagan and Larry Johnson because this next generation is so linked to each other and the world.
As you may have noticed, generations exist for about 20-30 years and marketers then look back on the events, beliefs, ideas and behaviors that shape the people born of this time frame to create a label for this generation. Some believe the pace of change and technology will shorten the timeframe of generational labeling to every 10-15 years.
Regardless of the name we choose, or that marketers choose for us, the characteristics of this new generation, working part time in the workforce will be shaped by:
- Their racial diversity.... with this generation being the last with a Caucasian majority
- Growing up playing games like Wii and Minecraft that allows the conceptual brain to grow and expand. These games are intellectually stimulating and fun.
- According to the book Generation Inc, this generation desires intellectually stimulating work and disdains mundane tasks. The authors advise putting rewards in sooner rather than waiting for the end of a task and allowing a pair of workers from this new generation to do a repetitive task and pay on what they produce together. This creates the fun work environment they crave.
- Their closeness to their parents. This generation has a tendency to feel that their parents are their best friends. So, if the parents drive their children to your workplace, make certain you thank the parents!
- Their competency with technology
- Their concern for their environment
"The older generation thought nothing of getting up at five every morning - and the younger generation doesn't think much of it either."
John J. Welsh
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