From Typewriters to BlackBerries: Managing Different Generations
August 11, 2009
Technology and Generational Diversity in the Workplace or does Tweeting Make You Twitter? By Damaris R. Johnson, Principal PLANit Event Solutions
The August luncheon of Meeting Professionals International, Southern California Chapter (MPISCC) was held in stylish sophistication at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles.
MPISCC President, Michael Dominguez, welcomed everyone and was enthusiastic in his opening remarks, encouraging members to provide their feedback regarding MPISCC processes to the board. He also welcomed a special guest, Therese Jacobson, President of the Los Angeles Business Travel Association, as MPISCC will be collaborating with this and similar organizations to provide more in-depth service to its members. "Members are the foundation of our organization," stated Christine Hartman who, as the Director of Member Care, went on to show evidence of this by announcing that new members will now be able to pay their annual dues in installments.
Director of Special Education, Laura Bergersen, CMP reminded us to make plans for the upcoming Weekend Educational Summit. This year, the event will be held at the beautiful The Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. Plans are underway to ensure attendees become familiar with Riverside and all it has to offer as a destination for meetings and conferences.
Mariles Krok, Director of Awards & Scholarships, presented the August Rising Star and Shining Star awards to Elizabeth McDonald and Winnie Tayzon, respectively.
Our venue for the luncheon, the recently renovated Sheraton Gateway, features an upgraded presidential suite and club lounge with expanded workout facilities and the new Sheraton Link Internet Café is being completed at the end of August. Many thanks to our gracious hosts at the Sheraton Gateway, including General Manager Michael Washington, the Sales Team and Service Staff.
Generational diversity in the workplace is a very hot and timely topic! Bill Fournet, CEO of The Persimmon Group, was engaging and informative in his discussion of this essential topic. Managing across generations and relating employees who Tweet at 140 characters per post to those who are accustomed to composing letters, wherein a complete thought is developed and brought to fruition can present a significant challenge with the changes technology has made in the business world. Also, to be considered are the expectations of each generation as they enter the workforce, progress towards middle/upper management and then into retirement. Fournet explained how the values of each generation, starting with the Traditionalists (born between 1922-1945), the Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1982) and Generation Y/Millennials (1982-2002), can create challenges from the perspective of the individual due to the values that define each of these generations. Employers need to be aware of how the values intrinsic to the employee play a role in their job performance and what the employee expects from management.
Internet and cellular phone technologies have made a huge impact on everything in the workplace, from interpersonal communications to the way we conduct and process research. In today's global economy, the speed of and access to communications has blurred the lines of the traditional business day. The dramatic speed of these changes and each successive generation's ability to absorb and put the most recent technology to work for them can create a strained environment and work against productivity. A great example of the two sides of technology can be found in Napster and Apple iTunes, one of which destroyed the record industry and the other which transformed it. Every organization would be wise to consider security breaches, decreasing employee productivity where there is ready access to the Internet, as well as poor company image or branding on the web.
As intellectual capital gives way to knowledge sharing, we must adapt and change the way we do business. Today, the definition of what an asset consists of is changing. We now see the following:
Human capital - employees are more than just assets, and we need to invest in them
Organizational capital - promoting higher productivity through technology
Relational capital - consisting of 3 primary elements, social networking through sites like Facebook, live search sites such as Google and link sharing via sites like Twitter.
All of the above have become an important part of relationship development.
What can you do to enhance your value proposition? Fournet says that today's organizations must leverage networks and relationships to accomplish everyday tasks thereby strengthening ties with clients and employees. Tie collaboration to the bottom line and keep in mind that technology does not replace face-to-face time. THE WORLD IS CHANGING, HOW WILL YOU EMBRACE IT?
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