Apply today for a FREE subscription to CIO Magazine!
Wed, Nov 21, 2007 21:42 EST
Generation Gap or Innovation Gap?
|
Posted by: Elana Varon in Soapbox Topic: Personal ManagementBlog: Innovation and IT Strategy
Current Rating: |
Alexander Graham Bell was 29 when he received his patent for the telephone. Guglielmo Marconi was a teenager when be began tinkering with wireless technology. Those Google guys? In their twenties when they launched the Search Engine That Changed Everything. So why do we middle- (or almost middle-) aged managers take such a dim view of Gen Y?
On this website there is a debate raging over a story by our 21-year-old editorial assistant. She and her peers, she says, know what they want from work and life, are motivated to get it and don't care much what the "old folk" think. In the comments on this story, the knee-jerk reaction is to dismiss Gen Y as a bunch of brats who will get their comeuppance. But that's wrong. If you really think about it, Gen Y is downright entrepreneurial. They presume that old processes and legacy systems can change. And they expect to be taken seriously. In many companies today, new ideas have to fight an uphill battle against the status quo. Harness their energy and their attitude constructively, and the Gen Y workforce can be the fuel that drives innovation.
Every 21-year-old thinks he knows everything. Gen Y has much to learn about, well, everything. But that doesn't mean they know nothing. I am 42. I have been employed almost continuously since I was 15. I remember, in sometimes excruciating detail, the mistakes that I made on the way to where I am. But what shaped my career were the managers and mentors who were willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. Who did not dismiss my ideas just because I was young. Who didn't stamp on my ambition or my attitude, but helped me to channel it.
If we're smart, we'll stop deriding Gen Y and teach them the ropes. And if we're willing to listen, we can learn from them, too.
Gen Y, Innovation
Rating:
Bravo. I was waiting for someone to take a more balanced position. The important point is that we all can and should learn from each other. I personally have been energized and educated by colleagues both significantly younger and significantly older than me. As long as the person puts some considered thought into the situation, the comment will always have some merit. I would also urge both sides of the debate to stop making such broad, sweeping generalizations about each other. I hope most people agree that such statements are bound to be untrue and serve only to inflame rather than educate. I think objective evaluations of generationla intervvals shows that the "current" generation always have some unique characteristics that enable them to make very positive impacts during their "reign".
Your innovation toolkit: Insights and advice from idea to implementation
Open Source: Real Solutions or Populist Sentiments?
Posted by Eugene Nizker in Rants | 10 comments
Windows 7 Reviews: Radically Different Early Opinions Surface
Posted by Shane ONeill in News | 2 comments
Office Scapegoating: How to Avoid Being Thrown Under the Bus
Posted by Meridith Levinson in Best Practices | 7 comments
Office 14: The Horror Sequel Coming to a Browser Near You
Posted by C.G. Lynch in Rants | 2 comments
Overstock.com's Four-Year ERP Nightmare
Posted by Thomas Wailgum in News | 4 comments
Got something to say? We want to hear it! Click the Post button to get started. GO»
Office Scapegoating: How to Avoid Being Thrown Under the Bus
6 Stupid Mistakes Companies Make with Their Online Communities
Windows 7 Reviews: Radically Different Early Opinions Surface
RIM BlackBerry History: Origin of the Name "BlackBerry"
Microsoft's Windows Live Hotmail Redesign Met with Wrath from Users
Cloud Computing – The Next Great Innovation?
Work Life Balance: PWC Gets It Right
Can Oracle's Former Fusion Apps Guru Really Stop SAP's Slump?
BlackBerry Users, Admins Get Enterprise-Friendly Google Maps Mobile
LinkedIn Needs To Do More As Facebook Gets Down to Business
advertisement
CIO Viewpoints on Exchange 2007 Risks and Mitigation Strategies
Knowing where your peers have found limits and workarounds in areas including high availability, archiving, recovery, compliance, e-Discovery and storage growth can be essential in planning your successful Exchange 2007 migration. Read More »
Sponsored by Dell MessageOne
Find out what Forrester says about mobile endpoint security and its management.
Mobility raises productivity. But IT departments are hard-pressed to protect mobile data and to manage security software, wireless clients and regulatory compliance for mobile workers... Read More »
Sponsored by Fiberlink
Get Forrester's take on simplifying mobility with the universal wireless client.
Mobile workers want to use all types of wireless networks: WiFi, 3G cellular networks, corporate WLANs and home wireless networks. But how can IT support... Read More »
Sponsored by Fiberlink
Get instant email notification when white papers, webcasts, and case studies are added to our library. Don't just be up-to-date—be up to the minute with our new Resource Alerts.
Sign-up for the Blogs & Discussion Newsletter
- CIO|
- Computerworld|
- CSO|
- DEMO|
- Game Pro|
- Games.net|
- IDG|
- IDG UK|
- IDG Connect|
- IDG Tech Network |
- IDG World Expo|
- Industry Standard|
- InfoWorld|
- ITworld|
- JavaWorld|
- LinuxWorld|
- MacUser|
- Macworld|
- Network World|
- PC World|
- Playlist|
- CIO UK|
- CIO Germany|
- CIO China|
- CIO Sweden|
- CIO Australia|
- Other CIO Sites
