By Aart Bontekoning and Marieke Grondstra
“Millennials Won’t Change Work; Work Will Change Millennials” is the title of a recent article of Andrew McAfee in Harvard Business Review. This started a lively discussion and I want to share our command to this issue.
Last 10 years our PhD and complementary research was focused on the impact of new generations on the organizational culture in Dutch companies. Desk research – studies of generation literature of the last two centuries – taught us that we create generations for one survival reason only: to stimulate the evolution of social systems, such as companies.
Research in approximately one hundred Dutch companies found that the Pragmatic Generation (1970-1985) lost working energy and enthusiasm when they were ‘forced’, by the older generations, to cope with ways of working which they instinctively considered to be old-fashioned. The focus of this specific generation is on speeding up learning processes while working, and restyling other conducts such as decision-making.
However, during the last decennium the Pragmatics adapted almost entirely to old-fashioned and ‘slow’ processes. Against their will. But …. also against the will of the older generations. The reason for this phenomenon is still indeterminate. We are on our way to unravel this mystery.
Will the Dutch Generation Y (1985-2000), also called Generation Einstein or Screenagers, adapt to ongoing organizational habits, which they consider to be out-of-date, swift and smarmy as well? This is still a big uncertainty. Anyhow, we don’t think they will. There are three reasons for this belief. First: not one new generation in history has ever received so much attention as this one. Therefore the older generations know relatively much about them. Second: we experienced, while working with some groups belonging to this generation, that they are open towards other generations even though they have a strong tendency to stay authentic in everything that they do. Third: in many companies there is a growing awareness and need to innovate, especially through social innovation. They are curious for ‘generation stuff’ and are willing to explore its possibilities.
But … innovating organizational processes and culture can only happen when the older generations open up for this movement and actively support these youngsters.
If Andrew McFee meets companies where the impact of Generation Y is minimal, we advise him to ring the alarm. We advise him to ring it very loudly, since these companies are getting exceptionally outdated. Doesn’t this seem to be obtuse and even suicidal in these times of crisis?!
*Aart Bontekoning is an organizational psychologist: he supports the process during strategic, policy and organizational (cultural) development. He is the supervisor of workshops on management methodology and is also an investigator of organizational culture. At about 2000 he started promotion research on generation influences and development of organizations. Marieke Grondstra is a Junior Advisor at Berckeley Square, also studying about generations with Bontekoning.
