slides 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29 - Virtual U - Prasena

Millennial Generation, or Generation “e” (born >1990)
People born among new technologies
Successors of Generation Y, children of Generation X. Grow up in crisis environment, uncertainty in the face of change
Characterized by awareness of the world, environment-consciousness, high technology-literacy, urge to grow up fast, disrespect for elders and authority, lack of proper role models and references, self-confidence
It will be some time, before we see the Generation "e" join employees' ranks. Yet, we already watch them in awe, as if they were some kind of aliens. Gurus use them as references, quoting them in their serious economic books. Our six-year olds teach us how to use this or that web application, looking with perplexed eyes at those Mums and Dads who don't even know such simple things. Although many more technologies will probably be invented in the future, today's children are born at a stage when both the technologies that enabled the Cybernetic Revolution (digital technologies) and those that allow it to gain full speed (networked technologies) are fully operational. Two generations away from the pre-Cybernetic Revolution era, they will remember it no more than their parents remember the pre-typewriter age. Because of the pace of change, these children will have no role model to refer to, and they certainly won't look up to their elders, whose shortcomings they already see too well. Yet, we must remember that these children will soon inherit our organizations. For the sake of economic survival and to avoid traumatic upheavals, we must ensure that they consider these organizations and their structures usable. And this requires a lot of preparations, starting with the rethinking of our entire business model and ways of working, in the perspective of the Cybernetic Revolution and its characteristics.