I gave a speech on Millennials to an audience of advertising professionals and students in McAllen, TX in the Rio Grande Valley. The topic that sparked the most conversation by far was intergenerational conflict in the workplace. Younger and older audience members both nodded in enthusiastic agreement when I described Millennials as less time-bound, needing more feedback, more flexibility and more frequent rewards. But they disagreed on whether or not this was something the workplace was really ready — or willing — to provide.
As a parent and a college professor, I can offer some perspective on why young people come to the workplace with such different expectations. High school learning, and grades, are based on highly structured learning approaches. Educators call this ‘duality’ — a student’s job is to learn what teachers know. It’s about getting the ‘right’ answer in the right format. Think of students as teacups with teachers pouring the tea and you will understand duality. One of the earliest transitions college students need to make is to a more ‘relativistic’ learning approach, where students collaborate more in the learning experience and there is less clarity about one right answer or format. I have often watched students struggle when I am unable to tell them there is a right answer, and right number of pages for their essay, a correct format. The final phase is ‘commitment’ – they understand that some answers are more right than others but it is important to remain open to other possibilities. Being sure is a sure sign you are probably not on sure ground. By the time they get to the workplace, Millennials are masters of all three modes of learning. They are good at figuring out the rules so they can get it right (dualistic) but also sense that they may have a righter answer than their boss.
So what does that mean for bridging the generation gap at work? There is a lot written on this very topic and I won’t reiterate it here. But the heart of it all is structure and feedback. Millennials want to know what it takes to be successful, and where they stand at all times. Detailed guidance on job performance standards with frequent helpings of feedback along the way — not just in a 6 month review — are the surest way to keep Gen Y workers happy. The Wall Street Journal, “Employers Rethink How They Give Feedback” reports:
“In a recent survey, 65% of “Generation Y” workers at Ernst & Young said “providing detailed guidance in daily work” was moderately or extremely important, compared with 39% of Baby Boomers. An overwhelming 85% of Gen Y employees said their age-group peers want “frequent and candid performance feedback,” while only half of Boomers agreed.There’s a difference between the generations in how to provide feedback,” says Ben Rosen, a professor of organizational behavior/strategy at the University of North Carolina who worked on E&Y’s survey. “Gen Y wanted a lot of feedback — from their immediate bosses and anyone else.” These younger workers “grew up where everyone gets a trophy,” Mr. Rosen says. Managers say younger workers don’t mind criticism, as long as they hear something. “I’ve never had any trouble giving feedback to Gen Y folks,” says Billie Williamson, a partner who oversees diversity and inclusiveness efforts for E&Y.”
The article describes how E&Y is adapting to this need for feedback:
Ernst & Young LLP a few years ago launched an online “Feedback Zone,” where employees can request or submit feedback at any time. The system prompts employees twice a year to request feedback. The accounting and consulting firm assigns every employee a mentor and offers training for supervisors who routinely give feedback. Lisa Nussbaum, 23, frequently requests feedback and advice from managers and colleagues. Ms. Nussbaum, an associate project manager in E&Y’s New York office, confers weekly with her career counselor about her schedule and to request feedback.She says the frequent discussions prompt others to make suggestions. One colleague suggested Ms. Nussbaum try to improve her writing skills. Ms. Nussbaum enrolled in a business-writing course. Six months later, she says, the colleague remarked that her writing had improved.”
According to the article, International Business Machines Corp. and Accenture also now offer training to hone managers’ critiquing skills. Feedback has always been an important managerial tool. With Millennials, it may be critical.
