Generation Blend Managing Across the Technology Age Gap

by Salkowitz, Rob

• ISBN13: 9780470193969
• ISBN10: 0470193964
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-03
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Praise for Generation Blend: Managing Across the Technology Age Gap "There is no more important issue facing today's enterprise than the digital age gap. To avoid a generational clash and exploit the power of intergenerational collaboration and knowledge sharing, every organization needs to think differently. Generation Blend spells out clearly what your company needs to do to get it right." -Don Tapscott, coauthor, Wikinomics and author, Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation "Salkowitz usefully explains how generational attitudes shape workers' responses to technologies in the workplace and offers practical recommendations for how organizations can respond to increase the success of technological innovation. He opens a discussion that will only rise in importance as the rising generation of Millennials enters the workplace in full force in the decade ahead." -William Strauss and Neil Howe, authors of Generations: A History of America's Future and Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation "The dirty little secret of essentially every company is that their most critical asset is their people. Generation Blend is a uniquely powerful tool for grasping the forces that are driving the tumultuous changes afoot in today's workforce, and for managing with and through them most effectively. Rooted in the concrete lessons of case study, it draws important lessons for managers and decision-makers who must understand the future of the workplace-and that, I believe, means all of us. Generation Blend is must-reading for managers who mean to succeed over the next decade." -Lawrence Wilkinson, Chairman, Heminge and Condell, and cofounder of Global Business Network "Generation Blend presents timely data and analysis about the generations from a wide range of sources and is sure to become essential reading for people who want to understand and bridge the generational divide at work. If you want to engage, motivate, and retain young workers without driving the veteran workers away, then this book can help you." -Penelope Trunk, business columnist, The Boston Globe and author, Brazen Careerist "Rob Salkowitz turns traditional thinking upside down for a witty and enlightening look at the unique technological challenges facing today's workforce." -Paul Andrews, technology columnist and author, How the Web Was Won

Author Biography

Rob Salkowitz is a writer and consultant specializing in the social implications of new technology. He has worked with leaders in the ITindustry, including Microsoft, to help formulate market strategy and articulate business goals. Rob is coauthor (with Dan Rasmus) of Listening to the Future: Insights from the New World of Work (published by Wiley). He lives and works in Seattle, Washington.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Technology as the Locus of Conflict	p. 4
Technology as the Enabler of Potential	p. 8
Why Should We Care about Generational Attitudes Toward Technology?	p. 10
Generation Blend	p. 13
Changing Workforce, Changing Work	p. 17
The Looming Skills Shortage	p. 18
How Technology Changes Work	p. 27
Disruptive Impacts of Technology	p. 35
Outlook	p. 42
Understanding the Generations	p. 45
Life Stages and Generations	p. 45
Generational Analysis as a Forecasting Methodology	p. 48
Generation vs. Generalization: A Few Caveats	p. 50
What Is a Generational Attitude?	p. 53
Generational Attitudes and Workstyles	p. 56
Outlook	p. 61
Older Workers: Blending Experience with Technology	p. 63
The Silent Generation	p. 65
Older Boomers	p. 68
Growing Up Pre-Digital	p. 71
Technology Issues Facing Older Workers	p. 75
Why It Matters: Capturing Knowledge	p. 85
Outlook	p. 88
Younger Workers: With Great Potential Comes Great Expectations	p. 91
Who Are the Millennials?	p. 92
Millennials and Technology	p. 96
Millennials in the Workforce	p. 102
Why It Matters: Managed Innovation	p. 120
Outlook	p. 125
Generation X-ecutive: Leadership from the Outside In	p. 131
Late-Wave Boomers	p. 132
Generation X	p. 135
GenX in the Workforce	p. 140
Midcareer Workers: Technology Created in Their Image	p. 145
Why It Matters: Becoming Leaders	p. 150
Outlook	p. 152
Reintegrating Older Workers into the Connected Information Workplace	p. 155
The Digital Age Gap	p. 157
Serving the Technology Needs of Older Adults	p. 159
Learning Style of Older Adults	p. 162
First Steps	p. 163
Moving Beyond the Basics	p. 169
Bringing Skills and Experience to the Connected Workplace	p. 172
Becoming Comfortable in the Digital Culture	p. 174
Navigating Unmanaged Information Space	p. 176
Connecting the Generations	p. 182
Keeping Pace with Rapid Change	p. 183
What Other Organizations Can Learn from OATS	p. 185
Outcomes	p. 187
Ambassadors of the Future: Turning to Younger Workers for Strategic Insights	p. 189
Microsoft and the Future of Work	p. 191
Scenario Planning	p. 193
Following Up: Board of the Future 2005	p. 197
Technology and Society: The Perception Study	p. 200
Refining the Scenarios: Characters and Narratives	p. 203
Forecasts	p. 205
Outcomes	p. 208
Across the Digital Age Gap	p. 211
Are You Clearly Explaining the Benefits of Technology?	p. 212
Are You Providing a Business Context for Your Technology Policies?	p. 217
Are You Making the Technology Accessible to Different Workstyles?	p. 220
Does Your Organizational Culture Support Your Technology Strategy?	p. 225
Are You Building Bridges, Not Walls?	p. 231
Final Thoughts	p. 237
Acknowledgments	p. 241
Index	p. 245
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