I think it’s very important, when talking about different generational cohorts, to include definitions and objectively researched traits. These give a good descriptive picture of the generation as a whole, and can be useful for generalizing and making comparisons. As an example, the average Baby Boomer would be more willing to stay late after work than the average Millennial, and the average Millennial would be more willing to telecommute to a meeting than the average Boomer.
But just as interesting, I think, is what happens when the generations are asked to self-identify. The Pew Center did a study, in which participants were segmented by generation and asked the open-ended question “What makes your generation unique?” Here are the top 5 responses based on age group:
- Millennials
- Technology Use (21%)
- Music/Pop Culture (11%)
- Liberal/tolerant (7%)
- Smarter (6%)
- Clothes/Fashion (5%)
- Gen X
- Technology Use (12%)
- Work ethic (11%)
- Conservative/Traditional (7%)
- Smarter (6%)
- Respectful (5%)
- Boomers
- Work ethic (17%)
- Respectful (14%)
- Values/Morals (8%)
- “Baby Boomers” (6%)
- Smarter (5%)
- Silent Generation
- WWII, Depression (14%)
- Smarter (13%)
- Honest (12%)
- Work ethic (10%)
- Values/Morals (10%)
It’s interesting to note that every generation believes that they are smarter than all the others. This sort of self-valuation may be at the root of many inter-generational conflicts in the workplace (going into a situation with the ind set of being the smarter generation). Research-wise, that’s a very difficult claim to test. The Millenials are are par to be the most educated generation ever, but education level and core intelligence do not necessarily correlate. The other option is to look at IQ tests, which doesn’t necessarily hold up due to the Flynn Effect. The Flynn Effect is a noted perpetual uptick in average IQ over time, in the US to the effect of about 3 IQ points per decade.
Regardless of the actual data behind whether some of the themes are accurate or not, it is important to recognize that this is how the groups see themselves, and serves as the initial paradigm for interaction.
Pew Research Center. (2010, February). Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next – Confident. Connected. Open to Change. 2; 4; 10. Retrieved July 2012, from The Pew Research Center: Millennials: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/10/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdf