Significant Management Challenges Gen Y Poses on Gen X
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Managing Gen “Y” poses significant challenges for the Gen “X” manager
explain how the concepts of early management theorists may be used to effectively improve the performance of a modern organisation. Using the following topic and a management theorist, or a number of theorists, from the following list, students should construct a solution that might prevent or mitigate the management and workforce challenges described in the question:
“Managing Gen “Y” poses significant challenges for the Gen “X” manager”.
Describe the situation surrounding the aging Gen “X” workforce and its managerial interaction with Gen “Y”. Which management theories can a Gen “X” manager learn and exploit in order to effectively manage a Gen “Y” workforce.”
Also try to connect the effect of the technology on both Gen X and Y
“Managing Gen “Y” poses significant challenges for the Gen “X” manager”.
Describe the situation surrounding the aging Gen “X” workforce and its managerial interaction with Gen “Y”.
Which management theories can a Gen “X” manager learn and exploit in order to effectively manage a Gen “Y” workforce.
Commentary and feedback will not normally be placed on a student’s submission. A separate grading sheet will be provided and attached to the paper with the examiner’s comments and grade. Papers will be returned in lectures, or tutorials, typically within 10 working days of submission.
Papers will be assessed against the following criteria with the examiner awarding one of the selection items (a) through (d) to the paper in each criteria. For this item, as a general rule, a=(up to) 10 marks, b=(up to) 7.5 marks, c=(up to) 5 marks, d=(up to) 3 marks. The examiner’s final comment has a maximum weighting of (up to) 10 marks :
1. Hurdle requirement Pass/Not Pass:
a. The item has been presented in the medium of written English. Sentences are structured and conform to academic writing guidelines. The paper has an identifiable structure including an introduction, a main body, and conclusion. The paper follows the Harvard Referencing Style. The examiner can proceed with further assessment.
b. The item has not been presented in the medium of written English and the examiner cannot proceed with further assessment. Sentences are not structured and do not conform to academic writing guidelines. The paper does not have an identifiable structure including an introduction, a main body, and conclusion. The paper does not follow the Harvard Referencing Style.
2. Theorists and concepts. This section has a total potential value of 10 marks
a. The paper comprehensively references one or more key management theorists and comprehensively explains their theories.
b. The paper effectively references at least one or more key management theorists and effectively explains their theories.
c. The paper adequately references at least one or more key management theorists and adequately explains his or her theories.
d. The paper does not adequately reference one or more management theorists, nor does it explain his or her theories.
3. Current practices. This section has a total potential value of 10 marks
a. The paper comprehensively identifies current practices in an organisation that can be improved, and describes why they need improvement.
b. The paper effectively identifies current practices in an organisation that can be improved, and describes why they need improvement.
c. The paper adequately identifies current practices in an organisation that can be improved, and describes why they need improvement.
d. The paper does not identify current practices in an organisation that can be improved, nor does it describe why they need improvement.
4. Application of management theory and principles learned in MGT5MPT. This section has a total potential value of 10 marks
a. The paper comprehensively describes management concepts learned in MGT5MPT and comprehensively explains how these might improve work practices in the contemporary workplace.
b. The paper effectively describes management concepts learned in MGT5MPT and effectively explains how these might improve work practices in the contemporary workplace.
c. The paper adequately describes management concepts learned in MGT5MPT and adequately explains how these might improve work practices in the contemporary workplace.
d. The paper does not describe management concepts learned in MGT5MPT, nor does it explain how these might improve work practices in the contemporary workplace.
5. Final Comment. This section has a total potential value of (up to) 10 marks.
Discuss with reference to one or more of the theorists below:
- Babbage
- Taylor
- Fayol
- Gant
- Gilbreth
- Follet
- Max Weber
- Barnard
- Maslow
Please present a draft essay considering the matters above within 12 hours
SAMPLE ANSWER
Significant Management Challenges Gen Y Poses on Gen X
Generalization about generations and their universal features has become part of the modern world. The generalization relates to social, economic, educational, and cultural disparities between age groups and how they have been affected by the economy, culture, and technology. Due to the delayed retirement of the baby boomers and faster entry of young people into the marketplace, senior management is likely to deal with more than three generations. The workplace has developed to a community of diverse generations. Boomers are around 65 years old of age; generation X is about 30-45 years old, and the millennial group known as the generation Y are 20-30 years old. The work styles of these individuals are quite different; they have completely different opinions and views. Therefore, managing one generation by a manager from a different generation has become a big predicament that faces the organizations. Currently, most workplaces are occupied by generation X and Y whose age differences are not quite big but their ideas, lifestyles, and opinions are totally different (Remesar 2012, n.p.). To deal with this kind of disparity, the managers need to know the situation around these generations, and also the skills that manager X should learn to deal with the most ambitious and digital Gen Y for the betterment of the organization.
Comparison between Gen X and Gen Y
Generation X was born between 1965 and 1976. Thus, the group is currently between 35- 46 years old. Events that define every generation typically impact their lives by the time the individuals turn around twenty years old. Therefore, defining occasions for this generation were events such as Watergate, the AIDS epidemic, the popularity of MTV, the appearance of non-traditional families, and the development and fame of computers and the internet. This was the first generation to see their parents more work focused than family focused. Additionally, this generation saw a change in work, ethics, entertainment, business and government. Individuals of this Generation are skeptical, independent, and less loyal than the previous generation. They are more loyal than the next generation, and less enthusiastic to sacrifice their lives to work. According Erickson (2010, p.14), “They moved their focus from the ‘nose to the grindstone’ archetype of their grandparents, to the quality of life paradigm that supports free time and looks for a balance between play and work” .
Generation Y, or the millennials, were born between 1977- 1994; this generation is now aged between eighteen and thirty-four years of age. The marking life events for this generation were the great fall of the Berlin Wall, the Columbine learning institution shootings that occurred on September 11th, 2001 (Blazev 2014, p.9). Some events also included the deadly War in Iraq, Thailand and Indonesia, Tsunamis in Japan, and the popularity of iPods, cell phones, and iPads. This generation falls into three major personalities: the rebel the rationalist, and the sensualist; however, people may be a weighted combination of the three personalities.
Rationalists are ruled by motives where their goals are materialistic in nature with a monetary focus. These knowledge workers can excel in analysis work, accounting, development, and finance. Rebels are ruled by their desire to rule and of course rebel from the environment. Unlike the rationalist, this generation is not driven by monetary gains and is choosy yet ever motivated. It should be noted that the rebels are not often successful in a teamwork environment; however, promotion, sales, and product development suits this group. Sensualists are guided by sensual pleasure and look for pleasure, as an escapist, rather than power or monetary driven gains. Moreover, this generation craves for relationships and seeks ideas from other people (Remesar 2012, n.p.)
Millennials in overall have a worldwide perspective, are patriotic, optimistic, fast-paced multitaskers, assertive persons, self-learners, self-aware, spiritual, and have a “different or confused” value system. They are independent, determined, selectively commit to goals and stoic, and see endless information and new technology always. According to Saichev and Sornette (2011, p.345) of the Chicago University Business Review, most Americans are now working longer hours than before; she argues that this is creating antipathy in the generation Ys that are going into the workforce. Same way Remesar (2012, n.p.) says that the millennials are self-confident and self-aware of their own desire and goals, this group do not need “a lot of work and little life dynamic” as the previous generation and baby boomers” (Srinivasan 2012, p.52). Generation Ys want a very flexible life and work equality where they are always challenged. A study carried by Lowe (2010) reveals that regardless of where they come from, expect them to work in new, and a diverse ways based on their expected rhythms. They are not confined in the offices for more than 8 hours since they want to do other things. In order to attract Generation Y employees, managers should value time as currency; compressed schedules, telecommuting, flextime, and job sharing all appeal to generation Y.
This theory is very relevant to the conversation for managing the generational split. Some of the experts have suggested that as Gen Y enters the job market, there has been a constant shift in the dynamic of the workforce’s requirements (Srinivasan 2012, p.55). It has been proposed by organizational psychologists that the preceding generations have been motivated and driven by their need for Self-Esteem” in the workplace. Employees before Generation Y have to put a higher value on factors such as title, salary, and respect from their bosses or colleagues. Conversely, millenials seem to put a higher premium on mentorship, work-life balance, and challenging the norms. Some psychologists posit that this procedure began with Gen X’s climb the proverbial organizational ladder (Srinivasan 2012, p.50). It is currently manifesting itself in the preservation practices being implemented in organizations in order to attract, and importantly keep the Generation Ys on staff.
Humanist Theory developed by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow concerns human beings and their ability to select choices throughout the life “within the constraints imposed by heredity, personal history, and the environment” (Remesar 2012, n.p.). The theory shows an existential drive for universal purpose and meaning. By self-assessment tools, cooperates are in a position to analyze knowledge employee behavior; it includes assessing important thinking, personal improvement and firm value added, and connections with colleagues through a self-reflection (Leask & Barron 2013, p.22). This self-assessment helps companies in accounting for employees’ existing development and generates a benchmark from which to consider the coming development and growth. Questionnaires are used in order to assess team or individual performance. In these questionnaires and through the workplace behaviors, expectancy, self-esteem, desire, and self-confidence are measured. It is very important to note, nonetheless that expectancy, self-esteem self-confidence, and desire are measured by the people based on what they expect the outcome to be, how brawny their desire for success are and the confidence with which they trail it. As such, results merely account for how each person or team feels as though they accomplished certain goals rather than weighing the superiority and success of the goal itself as compared to another teams or individual performance (Ramesar 2012, n.p.).
Technology has many effects on both of the generations that may be negative or positive. Leask & Barron (2013, p.31) say that the introduction of technology has molded individuals in Gen Y, who are lazy and hate hard work. He argues that there are cases when the physical interaction is needed not just sending emails to the offices. However, Erickson (2010, p.21) says that the introduction of technology has created people in generating Y who are smart and need very little exercise to perform firm’s activities. Additionally, the technological effects have eroded the origin culture of interaction. The Gen Y has online friends, and physical interaction is very limited to a few individuals. Many individuals in a workplace that belong to Gen X feel out of place, for those who do not understand these technological advances either boycott such duties or tell the digital group to assist them. As such, they feel they are not good enough for certain organization, hence, are not motivated and feel disappointed. The old employees also feel that the technological advances will rob them their position hence at times feel frustrated.
Following the delayed retirement and early entry of young people in the job market, managements have been faced to handle more than three different generations whose ideas and values differ. Gen Y and Gen X occupy most of the functions of the organizations. These groups are different in the way they do and perform their roles and air out their ideologies. They see the world in two different viewpoints. The Gen Y is known to be smart and digital while Gen X is described as manual and know little about the technologies as compared to Gen Y (Leask & Barron 2013, p.34). Following the aggressive nature of Gen Y, managers of Gen X have found it quite challenging managing this digital generation. Gen Y is fearless, respect the leaders according to their legacy and not age. For Gen X managers to successfully handle these individuals, they have to archive the command and control form of leadership and embark on motivational theories that ensure everyone has a role in the organization.
References
Erickson, TJ 2010, What’s Next, Gen X? : Keeping Up, Moving Ahead, And Getting The Career You Want, Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Press.
Leask, A, Fyall, A, & Barron, P 2013, ‘Generation Y: opportunity or challenge – strategies to engage Generation Y in the UK attractions’ sector’, Current Issues In Tourism, 16, 1, pp. 17-46, Hospitality & Tourism Complete.
Lowe, S 2010, Managing In Changing Times : A Guide For The Perplexed Manager, Los Angeles: Response Books.
Remesar, A 2012, Urban Regeneration. A Challenge For Public Art [1999]. Edition 2005, n.p.: Publicacions de la Universitat de Barcelona, RECERCAT
Saichev, A, & Sornette, D 2010, ‘Generation-by-generation dissection of the response function in long memory epidemic processes’, European Physical Journal B — Condensed Matter, 75, 3, pp. 343-355.
Srinivasan, V 2012, ‘Round Table: Multi generations in the workforce: Building collaboration’, IIMB Management Review, 24, pp. 48-66.
Blazev, AS 2014, Power Generation And The Environment, Lilburn, GA: The Fairmont Press, Discovery eBooks
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