SOCIAL MEDIA: A LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE
Over the last decade, communication tools have facilitated social learning, making employees better informed and encouraging broader perspectives and better decisions. Research indicates that generational differences may cause significant challenges among employees where Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers tend to avoid new technologies while Millennials and Gen Z tend to expect them.
Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership can help leaders leverage new social learning technologies for both personal and corporate benefit.
GENERATIONAL COMPARISONS IN THE WORKPLACE
It has been estimated that by 2014, half the workforce will consist of Millennials. Unlike Generation X and the Baby Boomers that preceded them, Millennials are more comfortable with the current explosion of technology over the last decade and are more adept at using it. As Generation Z enters the workforce in the near future, they will have an even better grasp of technology and will most likely scoff at the technology we are using today. Baby Boomers are most likely to rely on television news and newspapers while both Generation X and Y tend to use the internet just as much for news. Richardson and Lenarcic found that mobile texting was the most effective way to communicate with college students.
Short messaging service (SMS) was found to be an effective interactive tool that combines the impact of telemarketing, email, and mobile commerce, especially for Generation Y.
Another demographic shift in the workforce that has the potential to increase the use of social media is that of females in the workforce. It’s predicted that, within the next decade, 60% of the total work force will be female, a group with more potential to use social media networking for communicating than males.
Generational Work Values
In a study of over 19,000 members of Generation Y, found that 68.5% of respondents expect to be promoted within the first 18 months in their first job. They rated opportunities for advancement as the most important of 16 job attributes.
Gen-Xers in comparison to Baby Boomers wanted to be promoted more quickly than their older counterparts, were less likely to feel that work should be an important part of one’s life, and were generally found to be less loyal to the company and more “me” oriented.