Disclaimer: For the purposes of this and the following two texts, I have made the following assumptions regarding the range of birth dates for the individual generations (which will of course be generalised and presented in terms of statistical trends in these texts):
- Boomers (born 1946–1964)
- Generation X (1965–1980)
- Millennials (Generation Y) (1981–1996) (in Poland, this is also the generation of the country’s political transformation)
- Gen Z (Generation Z) (1997–2012)
- Generation Alpha (2013-2024)
I have a hypothesis about large organisations and the generational structure of the people employed in them in relation to the progressive (and accelerating) changes in the world around us.
I have a hypothesis that there is a noticeable ‘rift’ and ‘divide’ between Generation Y (Millennials) and previous generations. And it is mainly on this area of conflict that I will focus in three texts on generational change.
I am referring to differences in mindset that make effective cooperation difficult (and in some situations even impossible) (one of the indicators of which is mutual understanding and adaptation to differences and changes), and on an organisational scale, at least on a country level: they can hinder the implementation of digital transformation or add risks in the area of competence and quality.
I have a hypothesis in which a drastic change in the organisation, structure and way of working in a corporation can be divided into one created by people born before 1981 and one created or to be created by subsequent generations.
And today, let’s talk about Millennials.
The spark of conflict: control vs. trust and co-decision
I think that in the area of communication, one of the main causes of friction between millennials and older generations is the leadership style (in the case of managerial positions) and the way of working, including the way of carrying out transformations.
Generation X perspective
Generations born before 1981 expect (also because they have experienced this for a large or noticeable part of their lives) a structured, rigid (in the sense of: organised in procedures and therefore predictable) work environment. If they have not developed these skills, they introduce the exact opposite: chaos and ad hoc management, often full of mutually exclusive messages.
They value hierarchy and authority based on the corporate ladder structure, not on skills or their undermining. They have problems with building trust (understood as trust in the work environment) or delegating tasks in a healthy way because they live in a position of high tension and a strong need for control, to the point of interfering in operational activities instead of supporting employees in their autonomy.
The management model of Generation X based on control is pragmatic and administrative and often transactional. The less competent they are in implementing and exercising this model (despite their positions), the more these people put themselves at risk and react to change with rejection or aggression.
Naturally, they have difficulty relaxing or expressing their emotions, which in the most toxic cases is an environment of abuse (including compensation for high tension and dissatisfaction with the whole or some aspect of work) and mobbing.
Generation Y perspective
In the perception of Millennials, the organisational structure is only a way of organising reality, not an imposition of authority or even less a right to control.
They are a generation that is naturally focused on cooperation, in which sharing tasks is one of the pillars. Smooth changes in the process from collective to individual work (especially deep work) are perceived as natural phenomena like the tidal ebbs and flows.
This way of working prevents the emergence of a completely controlled environment (which, moreover, is contradictory), which creates the conditions for… trust, which in turn allows teams and projects to be scaled up - and ultimately the entire organisation.
This makes leadership models more “soft”, e.g. Goleman (empathy), Blanchard (situational leadership) or servant leadership. In corporations where the majority of executives and managers are from older generations, this often means turning the tables on the reality of the past.
This generation is naturally agile and has experienced digital transformation in their own lives. They are people who choose (when they have the opportunity and comfort) to work not based on a sense of brand loyalty, but on the basis of their values.
Support groups in the neighbourhood or… the lack of them
Boomers and Generation Y have not only been given job security (hence the tendency, for example, to work for decades or even their entire lives in one company), but have also created or been given twin, structured models in their non-working environment.
This could be a sense of belonging to a community (e.g. a religious community), a family (especially a multi-generational one) or a local community (again: preferably connected to a structure, e.g. a housing association, a voluntary fire brigade, etc.).
The further back in years people are born, the more intimate and less formal the groups are. Generation Y usually perceives its immediate environment through the family (this is also connected with the falling fertility rate and thus fewer siblings) or a group formed around a hobby.
Again, the visible layer of these groups is structure and respecting it.
Generations born after 1980 have lost or never experienced the multitude of groups and structures in their immediate environment. In Poland, this is also linked to migration from many smaller to a few larger cities during their studies, which creates a further distance from the family and, in the new environment, a feeling of anonymity and… invisibility.
The area of support outside of work often becomes impersonal. Personal development, pursuing passions or travelling (this is the first generation in which digital nomads are a statistically noticeable group) become important, and the communities centred around the most important values are a small group of closest friends or… digital communities, dispersed.
In a generation that is motivated by a sense of purpose, people are also looking for a sense of purpose at work, either by identifying directly with their work (as part of the merging or blending identity) or in isolation (by creating “me at work”).
Frustrations at work and how to deal with them
Millennials are natural agents of change, they are a ‘transfer’ generation and they explain the digital transformation - to both older and younger generations, albeit in different ways.
These are people who are willing to use and be guided by empathy - they will find themselves in the positions of Product Owners/Managers, UX Designers, Researchers (the closer the research format is to the customer/end user, the greater the use of empathy) or Tribe Leads.
After all, this is a generation that can cushion transformational change at the level of organisational restructuring. They are some of the best HR Business Partners or internal communication experts to manage and take care of ‘corporate fears’ in the change process.
What if it doesn’t happen?
Frustrated millennials who lose their sense of purpose at work (which increases the risk of burnout and, consequently, longer absences or leaving the company - which can happen without warning and without preparing the organisation for these events, as it is no longer a ‘trusted entity’).
The more Generation X is forced into positions that do not allow for real development or promotion (understood primarily as satisfying the need for self-fulfilment in the workplace), the higher the risk of the negative consequences I mentioned above.
Where can such employees be found?
They can be found in waterfall-like areas (also: cascading areas such as rigid governance) with strong structures and rigid processes (often enforced by external regulations), e.g. traditional finance, audit or compliance departments.
The more an organisation is dominated by older generations in senior positions, the greater the chance that frustrated or burnt-out millennials will be found in typical middle management positions.
A real digital transformation also means a real corporate transformation
We have natural ambassadors and translators of change - for both older and younger generations. The higher the level of competence, the greater the chance of a holistic and non-siloed structure (which Millennials naturally ignore) - and thus a higher quality of transformation itself.
What’s more, this is the generation that can introduce Gen Z and Generation Alpha into the world of structures and new stability (which the latter generation in particular will be looking for in companies) without “hierarchy trauma”.
Criticism of corporate facades creates the need for real, profound change - and thus to give the company a new meaning, prepared for the future, at least in the perspective of the next decade. It is a lack of acceptance of appearances; including the appearance of work.
Millennials are, after all, a generation of natural cooperation and expect dialogue with leaders and teams, right down to the level of the individual employee, and to be included in the change process. It is a deeply individualistic generation, and the lower down the hierarchy the organisation allows this approach, the greater the target employee loyalty.
This generation also understands each other on a digital level because, although younger generations are online-first, Millennials are online-native.
The sense of purpose also allows for the consideration of ethical changes (which sometimes means changing the company’s portfolio or significantly changing the manufacturing processes of its products, e.g. abandoning animal testing, transparency of manufacturing costs, communication of the water or carbon footprint in relation to the energy mix in the country of production) and social values (understood primarily as acceptance of diversity, inclusiveness and - when the organisation allows it - involvement in CSR activities that have a real impact on the indicated environment - ideally in line with the company’s mission).
This generation is the first to build authentic companies in holistic transformation processes, giving customers space to identify with the products - another factor in loyalty.
With models based on empathy, cooperation and a natural attraction to change, this is also the first generation that knows when to leave and is willing to hand over their positions to younger employees. What’s more, this is the first generation that will adapt these positions to these employees - or simply create them for them.