The Millennials: How They Are Different and How To Motivate Them Carolyn Wiethoff Kelley School of Business Indiana University-Bloomington

What are the generations?  Traditionalists ( )  Baby Boomers ( )  Generation X ( )  Millennials ( ) ??

Traditionalists: People, Places, Things  People: Joe DiMaggio, Joe McCarthy, Bob Hope, Betty Crocker  Places: Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Korea, Bay of Pigs  Things: Scarce (2 world wars and the depression)  General personality: Loyal, common goal oriented, faith in institutions, military experience (top-down management)

Baby Boomers: People, Places, Things  People: Martin Luther King, Jr., Richard Nixon, JFK, the Manson family, the Osmond family, Captain Kirk, the Beatles  Places: Watergate Hotel, Hanoi Hilton, Woodstock  Things: TV, jobs, loans  General Personality: Optimistic, reliant on consumer goods and education, competitive, idealistic, communicative

Generation Xers: People, Places, Things  People: Bill Clinton, Quentin Tarantino, O.J. Simpson, Madonna, Michael Jordan  Places: Global (thanks to media)  Things: Media, PCs, video games, violence  General Personality: Skepticism, resourcefulness, independent, skill- valuing, self-commanding

Millennials: People, Places, Things  People: Prince William, Tinky Winky, Mark McGwire, Venus and Serena Williams, Brittney Spears  Places: Oklahoma City, Columbine, Dawson’s Creek  Things: Cell phones, Internet, IM  General Personality: Realistic, empowered, respectful, cautious, pragmatic, “diversity expectation”, participative, entitled

More about Millennials  Most “wanted” generation in history “Special”, but sheltered  4 out of 5 high school students report feeling “some” or “a lot” of parental pressure to get high grades  Less “free” time than any generation in history; more time in school, household chores, personal care, organized sports, visiting/traveling

What do they value?  Traditionalists: loyalty, experience, consistency  Boomers: recognition, enthusiasm  Xers: technology, skill development  Millennials: energy, social consciousness

Communication Patterns  Question everything  Immediate information access  Participative leadership  Respect (not awe) for authority

Feedback  Traditionalists: No news is good news  Boomers: Feedback once a year, lots of documentation  Xers: “How am I doing?”, frank feedback preferred  Millennials: Whenever I want it, and at the press of a button

What do they want?  Provide challenging work that really matters (WHY are we doing this?)  Balance clear assignments with freedom and flexibility  Offer increased responsibility as a reward for accomplishments  Spend time getting to know them and their capabilities

What do they want?  Provide ongoing training and learning opportunities  Create a comfortable, low-stress environment  Focus on task, but be personable and have a sense of humor  Consistently provide constructive feedback with clear performance standards set up front