This post is a follow up to Managing the Facebook Generation, Part 1. This post is taking a bit of work, so I expect it to run a few more installments.
Openness- If we’re the Facebook generation, then we are also the Wikipedia generation. Though many of us did not grow up with computers, during our formative years we have grown accustomed to having ready access to information. Some would argue this is a result of our instant gratification complex, but I posit that it has more to do with technology. While older generations might default to using the library or bookstore to find answers to their questions, our generation has Google and Wikipedia. Using Google, or other internet resources, is not a sign of laziness, but rather the effective use of available technology. No one accused Gutenberg of being too lazy to copy books by hand; they honor him for bringing information to the masses. In the same manner, we should not criticize accurate internet research, but should reward the effective use of time and resources.
A direct result of this technology is that our generation is accustomed to having a great deal of information available in a short period of time. Instead of spending days and weeks collecting information, we prefer to acquire information as quickly as possible and move forward with decisions with the same speed. To many, this manifests as impatience. However, a deeper look would reveal, in many cases, an interest in accomplishing objectives accurately and quickly and then tackling the next task.
As a corollary, we don’t generally understand the long and deliberate decision making processes that most companies undertake. We don’t believe in hiding information in silos and depending on certain individuals to deliver this knowledge. Knowledge, that is facts that can be learned and taught, should never be a reason for a person’s existence within a company. An employee that hoards knowledge should be removed as quickly as possible. Don’t confuse knowledge with skills. Skills are acquired with time, patience, and education and do not transfer as quickly as knowledge. If an employee has a particular skill that brings value to the organization, they should be retained.
The availability of information has changed the decision-making process for younger employees. We expect our employers to make available a wealth of information. Certainly, we don’t expect to be privy to trade secrets or proprietary information beyond our professional level. We do, however, expect transparency and openness.
Wiki’s are over-hyped and overrated in most applications, but they do provide a excellent framework for information management. For example, the training material for my current position is contained in multiple Microsoft Word files in a shared folder on our company’s server. For ease of use, most people copy these files to their computer. However, if these files are updated you then have a local copy of incorrect information. Further, MS Word does a very bad job of tracking changes and allowing annotation. A very simple solution would be to convert the information into a Wiki format. This would eliminate the need to copy files to your personal computer since wiki pages load very quickly. Further, all employees could contribute to the training manual, both formally and informally, by contributing tips and tricks. Such a system dramatically improve the knowledge transfer between employees.
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I think it might be a stretch to include us in the facebook generation. I almost don’t want to be lumped in with that stereotype because of the vapid approach to technology and social networking tools that many of them take. At your fingertips is a method of connecting and reconnecting with people and following their lives more closely than was ever possible through personal 1-to-1 communication and the best you can come up with is X’s and O’s and emoticons? Use your profile to give me insight into your life, tell me how your day was, let me know what your likes and dislikes are and what you’re in to.
For my generation, Facebook bounces between a genealogy message board and Classmates.com.
anyway, I’m way off topic. Love the post, its exactly what I’ve explained to several boomers I know about my reluctance to believe that a company will ever “look out” for me. On the other hand, I think that we can be fiercely loyal to a company that does treat us right without giving into the delusion that they will support us forever. I work for a grocer in the southeast and understand where my “bread is buttered”. I will do my part to market my company among my circle of influence and speak out about the evils of large big box retailers because they are my competition.
I think we tend to focus on personal skills more so than trainable skills. The intangibles that cannot be taught are more important to our generation than specific crafts or skills because anything ttrainable can probably learned quickly with the right mentality. In the past few positions I’ve hired for, I’ve focused more on an applicants hobbies, interests, and soft skills than what they know already because that tells me about the person, not the employee.
thanks for opening comments.