Adjusting to Generation Y

Barbara Rose reported in an article in Hartford Courant (CT) (03/19/07) recently that:

Employers adopt high-tech training strategies to engage the growing number of Generation Y employees, according to experts. Generation Y is the most rapidly-growing workforce segment, currently making up 20 percent of the private sector. To entertain, teach, and impress those who grew up in the era of gaming and instant messaging, employers are now using computer games and simulations, animated training modules, and video blogs instead of traditional recruitment and training methods. These approaches help new employees memorize job details; the online games and quizzes also weed out those who are adverse to putting in time and effort. The new techniques--used by companies such as Nike, Cisco Systems, and Cold Stone Creamery--accommodate Generation Y's preference for short spurts of information rather than long explanations. Employers are also aware that Generation Y workers typically expect involved managers, rewards, and validation, which forces firms to reform their training strategies to accommodate those expectations. Nike credits its interactive "Sports Knowledge Underground" program with a 5 percent to 6 percent increase in sales. Cisco program manager Jerry Bush points out that after five minutes playing Cisco's binary math computer game, the employee solves 50 problems and is "highly engaged and having a good time."

Questions:

It seems possible that some content may be necessary but unavailable in the higher production values this audience seems to demand. How do you manage the expectations of these learners?

How do you ensure the "short spurts of information" do not lead the learner down an unproductive path or leave out critical information?

Training Volunteers Needed

Some of you may have seen this ad during the Super Bowl.

Is this your training experience?

Implementation Challenge

In Neil Rackham's work Major Account Sales Strategy (New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1989), he talks about the three stages of implementation:

1. “New Toy” Stage - a few simple successes with little effort.
2. Learning Stage - hard work but not much to show for it.
3. Effectiveness Stage - full results achieved with much less effort.

Below is an illustrated view of this idea.



We're all familiar with the "change curve" which is basically an inverted bell curve any time we experience something new or unfamiliar. Rackham characterizes this as levels of motivation over time (see graph below). At some point during the “Learning Stage” depicted above, motivation begins to decline. This is critical to implementation success because lack of intervention may risk program derailment.



When you overlay these two charts together you clearly see what many of us experience on a daily basis when it comes to our learning programs and the deployment challenges faced at a micro/macro level--whether it is the culture, GUI, standards, or other technical challenges.



Understanding this dynamic may help the organization understands the critical areas to focus an insure long-term success.

How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Learning

In an intriguing work by John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade (Harvard Business School Press, 2004), the authors describe the "basic principles" guiding a new generation of workers:

If you get there first, you win.

There's a limited set of tools, and it is certain that some combination will work. If you choose the right combination, the game will reward you.

Trial and error is the best strategy and the fastest way to learn.

Elders and their received wisdom can't help; they don't understand even the basics of this new world.

You will confront surprises and difficulties that you are not prepared for. But the sum of those risks and dangers, by definition, cannot make the quest foolish.

Once you collect the right "objects" (business plan, prototype, customers, maybe even profits), you'll get an infusion of gold to tide you over.

While there may be momentary setbacks, overall the trend will be up.

And the most basic rule: If you bump into a "game over," no problem. You can always either hit reset and play again just one more time, or turn off the machine and pick up normal life where you left off.

Is this what you see in the workplace? If yes, how is it impacting training programs?

Social Networking and Productivity/Satisfaction

In a recent article from Workforce Performance Solutions, I agree with the author's assertion and title that Strong Social Relationships Increase Productivity, Job Satisfaction.

As we wrestle with this topic as it relates to technology, what is your reaction to the following quote:

...online social networking platforms go a long way toward introducing people and getting them to work together, but strategically planned events and meetings are the best way to encourage true cooperation.

It's the classic chicken/egg question:

Do we need to meet and interact face-to-face before technology can be leveraged? Or, can we leverage technology first?

How do we accommodate the growing number of telecommuting workers?

Friends at Work

I recently read an interesting book that reminded me of a colleague-Wayne-who opened my eyes to the importance of meaningful connections in the workplace and how this can positively impact workplace climate and culture.

The book Vital Friends by Tom Rath challenges long-held assumptions people have about their relationships. And the team's landmark discovery — that people who have a "best friend at work" are seven times as likely to be engaged in their job — is sure to rattle the structure of organizations. This research and subsequent assessment from the Gallup Organization reveals eight vital friendship roles in your work and life.

Builder

Companion

Connector

Collaborator

Energizer

Mind Opener

Navigator

Champion

Based on this reading and the recent blog Social Networking: How do we become Friends? GK raised several questions, which may merit some further dialog:

When considering how technology is used in the context of Social Networking, how would you answer the following questions:

How does one build this sense of sincerity using technology? What are some examples?

How does one connect with another using technology? What are some examples?

How do we create a safe environment for people to give and take opinions within a SN technology? What are some examples?

For me the bottom-line question is do we believe a culture of friendship at work makes a difference, and if yes:

What role should the organization take in fostering these relationships? and

What role does technology play?

Prairie Doggin'

Anyone who has worked in a "modern" office environment can appreciate the phenomenon that occurs with workers and their cubicles, especially when they are trying to solve a problem new to them: prairie doggin'

This is when an employee pops up to see if their neighbor has a tactic or solution that would help them solve their problem.

In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, The Cost of Knowledge (November 2006), Al Jacobson and Laurence Prusak make the following statement:

"'Knowledge management' in organizations has become synonymous with 'knowledge searching.' Web crawlers and other data-mining programs swarm over terabytes of documents and e-mails looking for clues that can help connect information seekers with sources. Clever icons adorning desktops promise to instantly deliver users to the right expert."

They go on to state that by the year 2010 the sale of enterprise information-search systems will grow, tripling its current value to $2.6 billion.

The breakdown by how "knowledge workers" spend their time include:

6.2% scheduling meetings with experts

10.2% searching for knowledge

37.7% eliciting knowledge from experts (aka prairie doggin')

45.9% adapting knowledge gained

How do some of the new tools introduced by social networking technologies (e.g., instant messaging, blogging, podcasts) factor in to the "daily workflow" of information searching, analysis and application? In other words, do these help "speed" up the search for information and solutions?

Social Networking: When?

When are they connecting?

Social Networking: Where?

One used to think of the playground, lunch room, gym, or coffee house as the places to network. With the introduction of blogs, podcasts, and the ever-present cell phone, the next question is where are people networking today?