Are you ready for Generation Z?
The generation born after the year 1994 until 2004 is referred to as Generation Z. There is interest in this generation as in another few years the members will be joining the workforce and contributing to the economy of the country and the society. Knowing the characteristics of Generation Z will give people a better understanding of what these kids are all about and what motivates them.
This is the first generation to be born with complete technology. They were born with PCs, mobile phones, gaming devices, MP3 players and the internet.They do not know life without technology. They can email, text and use computers without any problems.
Generation Zs want to immediately contribute their creative prowess from day one to help to grow the company they're now affiliated. And they have gained the confidence during their college experiences to believe they can immediately contribute. Contributions from these 'young whippersnappers' are appreciated by some, but they often go unacknowledged or even diminished because baby-boomer managers aren't prepared to leverage the forward thinking introduced by their new, entrepreneurial Gen Z employee.
Consider Generation Z in terms of social collaboration. Many have grown up with MySpace or Facebook. It's likely they stayed up too late on too many occasions communicating with friends via social networks and sending or receiving text messages. Their professional and social worlds are likely to be converged because of the span of their social interactions, which overflow into all facets of their life.
While for previous generations, on line social interactions were able to be partitioned from the workplace, social for Generation Z automatically includes the companies they're launching or working for. And social collaboration is inherent in their thinking — professional practices cannot be separated from their day-to-day life.
How will companies need to adjust to Generation Z employees, with their overlap of professional life and social life? Will companies be required to change in order to leverage the creative and entrepreneurial talents of Generation Zs? It would be great to hear your thoughts and experiences.
