The majority are more radical in their attitudes and behaviors than older generations. Not only are 71% willing to protest for the climate compared to 48% across all generations, but 52% are even willing to get arrested for it, compared to 36% total. 73% are also willing to make dramatic changes to their lifestyle if it protects the planet, and 57% say they would forego having children. Highly intentional in the way they spend, they will push brands out of their comfort zone: 64% say they will actively boycott brands if they are doing nothing to help reverse climate change.
J. Scott Marcus, an economist, political scientist and engineer who works as a telecommunications consultant, predicted, The impact of the pandemic is large, but the world will eventually recover (assuming that the virus does not mutate to a still-more-dangerous form). This was the case in 1919 and there is no reason to expect anything different here. Changes such as remote work, teleconferencing, telemedicine and remote learning are mostly positive. The changes that have emerged were technically feasible for years but held up by institutional rigidities.
Forget Millennials. Generation Z Will Bring More Radical Changes to Offices and Work
In the trade-off between liberty and security/health, security seems to have better cards. This becomes even more apparent when we consider that the shift of more governmental and business activities into the cyber realm will bring greater dangers of cyber criminality and cyber warfare, which in turn demand much greater investments in cybersecurity, or indeed, entirely new concepts of security and accompanying social and organizational changes.
In the trade-off between liberty and security/health, security seems to have better cards. This becomes even more apparent when we consider that the shift of more governmental and business activities into the cyber realm will bring greater dangers of cyber criminality and cyber warfare, which in turn demand much greater investments in cybersecurity, or indeed, entirely new concepts of security and accompanying social and organizational changes. Taken together, it appears that in the wake of the pandemic, we are moving faster towards the data-driven global network society than ever before.
As the years go by, older generations currently in charge will retire and their positions will be replaced by younger generations who will be more familiar with the newer software and devices. Failing to appeal to their needs and preferences could lead to difficulty retaining students and employees in higher education and work environments.
Sixty-five million Gen Xers are sandwiched between two much larger and louder cohorts: the 76.4 million baby boomers and the 83 million millennials. In many ways, the coming of age of Gen Xers has corresponded to a turning point in the American story. Consider just a few of the social and economic dynamics at work for Gen Xers. They are the first cohort to experience a labor market that practically demands postsecondary education for economic success (over a lifetime, the average college graduate earns $570,000 more than the average person with only a high school diploma), and they have responded with higher educational attainment. By age 33, 18 percent of Gen X men and 20 percent of Gen X women had earned a four-year degree, compared with 17 percent of men and 14 percent of women in the baby-boom generation.
The lessons from Gen X are sobering and have implications for everyone. They are also a call to action for policymakers, community leaders, employers, and philanthropists to work together and find the concrete changes needed to create more equality of opportunity. Not to act on these data and find ways to alter these trends will forever change the American Dream for those generations still to come.
As members of this generation mature and become future leaders, consumers, workers and voters, what effect will the pandemic have on their views and expectations of society, governments and businesses? What enduring changes do they foresee? And what would Gen Zers do differently if they were in charge? Business leaders need to heed these insights to thrive in the world beyond the pandemic.
Obviously, there are tried and tested methods of managing employees that have worked for decades on previous generations. But Generation Z is different. They are more creative and would therefore often prefer to work more autonomously on projects and "own" them rather than being on the bottom rung of the ladder. They are prepared to put in the hard work in a job they dislike for some rewards later on. Keep them interested in what they are doing. Many Generation Z-ers are not interested in climbing the corporate ladder, so this approach will not work with everyone. Be more dynamic in the way projects are led and tasks are distributed. Work on channeling the creativity of Gen Z to the benefit of your company. Gen Z loves to see the evolution of an idea from the start through to the finished product. Give them the opportunity to be a part of this.
Gen Z is generally considered to be our most diverse generation. The U.S. Census Bureau forecasts that more than half of American children will belong to a minority group by 2020. So, for Gen Zers, diversity is the norm, not a workforce goal or trend. They are used to interacting with individuals of different races, genders and sexual orientation. And they themselves may be a mix of several different ethnicities. Gen Zers also see the world from a much more global perspective and consider themselves to be members of a global community. They expect businesses to reflect their experience and worldview. 2ff7e9595c
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