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2020 | Buch | 1. Auflage

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Harnessing the Potential of Digital Post-Millennials in the Future Workplace

verfasst von: Alan Okros

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buchreihe : Management for Professionals

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

This book offers strategic leaders with essential information for their most important role: the change management function of positioning the organization for success into the future. To do so, leaders need to sort through a myriad of forecasts, predictions and weak indicators of change to make timely decisions. This volume addresses the most critical factor for future success: people and, specifically, harnessing the potential the current youth cohort will bring when they join the full-time workforce.

Drawing on multi-disciplinary analyses by 37 researchers, the book presents an integrative assessment of the characteristics that those in the current youth cohort are likely to bring to the workplace. The focus is on those born after 2005 with an examination of the implications of this cohort being raised from birth immersed in an increasingly omnipresent digital environment which extends far beyond social media. The authors see the coming ‘digital tsunami’ as creating disruptive effects across major elements of our economy and even society however optimistically conclude that the digital environment and the development of 21st Century skills in schools will equip the next generation with essential competencies, attitudes, social skills and work goals. The key to harnessing the potential of this generation will be to modify current human resources and workplace practices which will mean sweeping away much of the ‘boomer’ legacy that this cohort has imprinted on organizations. To assist leaders, the book goes beyond presenting a rich portrait of who these youth may become by providing practical recommendations for the changes that need to start now in order to position the organization to benefit from what they will bring. As the astute strategic leader knows: objects in the future can be closer than they appear.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Surfing the Digital Tsunami

Frontmatter

1. The Digital Environment

Abstract

This chapter provides the key highlights from our broad and integrative futures analysis which leads to our conclusion that the emerging digital environment will serve as a fundamental change in the conditions of change. We outlined five major domains experiencing new change conditions: Demographic, Biotechnology, Manufacturing, Energy and Knowledge. In each domain, the trajectory is toward a new ‘attractor of efficiency’ and shifts in transaction costs which, together, are likely to result in major shifts on what businesses exist and how work is conducted. We then situate today’s youth in this digital environment with initial comparisons of similarities and differences between the Millennials who are currently in the workforce and the Post-Millennials who will follow them. Caution is exercised throughout this volume to avoid sweeping generalizations however we offer initial indicators or ‘weak signals’ of ways in which these two age groups may diverge. Subsequent chapters draw on this environmental scan to extend our conclusions in the context of their current education; the characteristics they may bring when joining the full-time workforce and recommendations for how employers can start to implement changes now to harness the potential the Post-Millennials will offer.

Alan Okros

2. Generational Theory and Cohort Analysis

Abstract

This chapter introduces the broad frameworks of generational theory and cohort analyses which are presented in the literature as a means to examine groups and/or describe those of similar ages and, potentially, predict key characteristics of groups into the future. Our analyses indicate that the predictive aspects of generational theories are not supported and we recognize significant intra-generational variations will persist owing to age, socioeconomic status, parenting styles, and technological diffusion. Despite these shortcomings, we explore the ways in which broad social factors and shared experiences can influence how a group of people close in age and sharing important experiences can interact with society and develop values. Of greater importance, we conclude that each age group is likely to acquire labels, ascribed characteristics and broad stereotypes which, whether accurate or not, will influence how others see them and, in return, how members of the defined group will see themselves and others. Accordingly, we believe it is a useful exercise to present these brief portraits in order to identify perceived commonalities and shared experiences.

Alan Okros

3. Education and Learning

Abstract

This chapter considers the changes being implemented across levels of formal education with an emphasis on evolutions in K-12 pedagogy. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) framework is used to describe the new learning objectives with an emphasis on 4Cs: Critical thinking & problem solving; Communication; Collaboration; and Creativity & innovation. These aptitudes are seen to be important to enable the next generation of students to become life-long learners hence able to acquire new knowledge in the rapidly-changing 21st Century digital environment. P21 also identifies the life and career skills needed to prepare students for the workforce which include: flexibility and adaptability; initiative and self-direction; social and cross-cultural skills; productivity and accountability; and leadership and responsibility. We see the changes in pedagogy and digital learning support systems suggesting that those entering the workforce will have the potential to be better equipped to deal with the dynamic, and potentially turbulent, demands of the new economy. As ‘potential to’ does not automatically translate into ‘will have’, an obvious implication is that employers will need to careful assess those who have actually acquired these skills. Our primary conclusion is that the major development is not what they learn but how they will learn to learn. Implications of this evolution are offered in subsequent chapters.

Alan Okros

Here Come the Transformers

Frontmatter

4. Cognitive Capacities and Competencies

Abstract

The focus of this chapter is on identifying those competencies that will be of importance in the future workforce. As employers will need to assess required competencies, our emphasis is on those that can be accurately measured and differentiated from strong to weak. We identified ten critical competencies that fit these criteria. They represent the key skills that the next generation of employers will require to succeed in the digital economy hence those the next generation of employees need to bring to the workplace. Most are linked to the P21 21st Century skills presented in Chap. 3, however, our research identified an additional area of skill development that is occurring outside of the classroom: digitally connected young peoples’ propensity for multi-tasking. We concluded that digital and media literacies are likely to be the most critical for employers into the future but also highlight that those with these competencies will also put pressure on organizations as individuals will also be using their capacity to find and create new ideas to push their employers to update or amend their policies, procedures and processes.

Alan Okros

5. Identity and Social Skills

Abstract

This chapter presents aspects of the identity and social skills that many members of the Post-Millennial cohort are likely to possess as they enter the full-time workforce. While our assessments are speculative and we recognize individual differences, we have identified certain areas of continuity and, more critically, key differences between many of the Millennials currently in the workforce and the digital Post-Millennials who will follow them. The chapter draws on the concept of social construction to argue that the digital environment will serve as a powerful mediator of how today’s youth will come to understand their world and how they will develop generally shared views, definitions, ideas and meanings. In this context, analyses consider the potential impacts of: parenting; social media; diversity and attitudes towards migration and multiculturalism; collaboration and teamwork; global citizenship and civic engagement as well as the dark side of social media: trolls, cyberbullying and sextortion. We foresee the Post-Millennials having the potential to enter the workforce better equipped to make sense of, and succeed in, their careers than their Millennial elders. This extends to how they will fit into organizations with the conclusion that employers will need to consider the consequences of the current approach of ensuring new hires adapt to the organizational culture.

Alan Okros

6. Work and Life Goals

Abstract

This chapter provides our analyses of the important events and decisions that many Post-Millennials will be encountering prior to entering the full-time work forces. We consider the implications of increasing numbers pursuing post-secondary education. Our assessments extend to how decisions taken at this stage will influence their financial status and, for many, other major life decisions including marriage, children, homeownership and geographical location. We explore how they may choose to engage in critical social construction to develop alternate understanding of concepts related to marriage and parenting; and to extend this to redefining work and career. Many of these changes are gendered in nature: women—now in the majority in post-secondary institutions; more accepting of evolving identities; and, facing fewer barriers to fulfilling careers—may be strong drivers of the new “adulthood”, “career” or “work day”. As a result of their extended life experiences, many Post-Millennials are likely to arrive with a better sense of who they are, what is of importance to them and what they are expecting from employment—and employers. We posit how these expectations will influence a desire for blending work and leisure; views on social justice and fairness in the workplace; and their capacity to challenge authority.

Alan Okros

Mirrors and Chameleons

Frontmatter

7. Post-Millennials in The Workplace

Abstract

Based on our analyses of who members of the digital Post-Millennial cohort might become, this chapter present factors that employers should consider once the Post-Millennials are on the job. We foresee several areas of potential cultural conflict particularly around: the structures used to control work; the preferred career employment model and organizational culture. Observations are provided on how the Post-Millennials are likely to view a range of employment practices including: technology and social media; teams and collaboration; responsible autonomy, control over information and challenges to authority; organizational loyalty and career advancement; and, supervision and mentoring. We conclude that their GenX and Millennial bosses and supervisors will have to oversee a significant shift in employment philosophy and workplace practices. The key conflicts are summarized in four statements we attribute to the future digital Post-Millennial employee: ‘It’s not that I disagree boss; I know you’re wrong’; ‘Actually, we’ve decided to do it this way’; ‘My moral compass is pointing in a different direction’; and ‘I’m not who you think I am’.

Alan Okros

8. Harnessing the Potential of Digital Post-Millennials

Abstract

This chapter provides a series of concrete recommendations that employers can consider in discharging the most important responsibility of senior executives: positioning the organization for future success. The presentation starts by integrating two strategic leadership frameworks: Robert Quinn’s Competing Values Framework and the Canadian Armed Forces descriptions of Leading People and Leading the Organization. These are used to describe five key leadership responsibilities which pertain to: productivity, human capital, adaptability, control and culture. Drawing on the key points in the previous chapter, these are prioritized and for each, specific observations and recommendations are offered for the domains of Leading People and Leading the Organization.

Alan Okros

9. Surf’s Up

Abstract

This short concluding chapter provides a summary of the volume and the key insights drawn from our analyses to assist executives in learning more about the Post-Millennials, anticipating who they will be and starting to adapt to harness their potential. Our conclusion is that the key to the success of any enterprise will be to shift from a workforce comprised of knowledge workers to one with expert thinkers: individuals able to apply the independence of thought and creativity required to not only identify a novel way to solve an emerging problem but to do so by critically analyzing the context and by challenging assumptions to first understand what the problem is. Thus, employers will not only have to identify the skills needed for future work requirements but to also create the types of work environment, organizational policies, managerial and leadership styles and reward systems needed to first, attract the best and the brightest, then, focus their efforts on the organization’s goals and, finally, to retain the right mix of talent over time. Given the time needed to implement effective culture change initiatives, it is important that employers start to examine how they will do so very soon.

Alan Okros

Titel: Harnessing the Potential of Digital Post-Millennials in the Future Workplace
verfasst von: Alan Okros
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-25726-2
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-25725-5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25726-2