By Dr Tarcisius Chin                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
A QUIET revolution is underway, beginning in North America,                                                                                           
sweeping through Europe and increasingly manifesting itself in                                                                                        
Asia, including Malaysia.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
It is a revolution that is threatening to undermine                                                                                                   
traditional values and can widen the generation gap more                                                                                              
profoundly than ever before.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Young people in their 20s have been labelled Generation X                                                                                             
(symbolising negativity) for their attitude of alienation well                                                                                        
described by Rolling Stone magazine: "We are a generation                                                                                        
caught between the world we expected to inherit and the one we                                                                                        
got.                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
"Our art is television, our drug is information, our hope is                                                                                     
fame and our fear is intimacy, our past is Paul McCartney and                                                                                         
Wings our accomplishment is irony."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
Generation X have grown up in a different world from those who                                                                                        
manage the organisations where they end up working. It is a                                                                                           
world where family unity is less evident, where gender roles                                                                                          
are unclear, where AIDS,                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
fear for safety and environmental pollution are part of their                                                                                         
lives.                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
It is a world shaped by invasive media, worldwide consumer                                                                                            
products, accessible communication and computer tools, easy                                                                                           
access to travel, decline of trust and the belief that each                                                                                           
person has to look after his or her own interest.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
Generation X are the new employees, but with different                                                                                                
expectations, values and commitments compared to the older                                                                                            
generation.                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Corporate managers are interested to know if today's young                                                                                            
people can make commitments and do the necessary hard work,                                                                                           
and what they really want out of a deal.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
The old paradigm of commitment to the organisation is replaced                                                                                        
by a new paradigm of commitment to an interesting and                                                                                                 
satisfying job.                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
The high turnover of younger staff is a reflection of youth's                                                                                         
restlessness and frustration. At the extreme the young have                                                                                           
shown utter disrespect by not turning up for job interviews or                                                                                        
just "disappearing" from the job.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
How are young people different from their predecessors? Demos,                                                                                        
a UK think-tank, has studied this issue and has identified six                                                                                        
characteristics of Generation X.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Top on the list is the mortal fear of boredom and the love of                                                                                         
variety.  The nightmare is getting stuck in a boring job                                                                                              
surrounded by boring people.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Therefore, instead of career planning, they are more caught up                                                                                        
with having an interesting life which includes quite different                                                                                        
work habits.                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Next is the desire to learn "how to". Talk to a young person                                                                                
and be amazed at the information, facts, jargon and trivia                                                                                            
collected from music, Internet sports and entertainment.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
Just observe how young people respond to talk shows and quiz                                                                                          
programmes on local TV and wonder how much specialised                                                                                                
knowledge is resident in young minds.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Another characteristic is that young people want attention and                                                                                        
feedback on performance. Some even go to the extent of                                                                                                
applying for jobs and going for the interview just to see if                                                                                          
they can be offered the jobs without really wanting to take up                                                                                        
the offer.                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
On the education front, some take examinations such as GMAT                                                                                           
without the intention to pursue an MBA degree, just to see how                                                                                        
they rate.                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
A characteristic difficult for corporate managers to                                                                                                  
understand is that young people tend to be emotionally                                                                                                
suppressed and secretive.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Often a star performer can give the impression that all is                                                                                            
well and there is commitment for the job and the company, but                                                                                         
within a short time suddenly submits his or her resignation                                                                                           
letter and decides to do an MBA or leave to go on a trip to                                                                                           
the UK.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
Sometimes such instability can lead to acts of sabotage such                                                                                          
as computer hacking, theft, abuse of communication privileges                                                                                         
and insider trading.                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
While behaving in less than honest ways themselves, Generation                                                                                        
X, paradoxically, expect complete honesty from others,                                                                                                
especially from organisations.  Corporate managers will lose                                                                                          
credibility fast if they do not walk the talk.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Young people are highly aware and critical of appearances.                                                                                            
Nike has given way to Reebok; caps are worn backwards,                                                                                                
sometimes with the price tag still intact; brand names are the                                                                                        
attire and fashionable restaurants the place to hang out.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Managing the new generation demands a clear and insightful                                                                                            
understanding of what makes young people tick. Traditionally                                                                                          
tried and tested ways of managing simply do not work as                                                                                               
effectively any more.                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Generational conflict and manager/employee conflict need to be                                                                                        
addressed positively, not through mutual criticism. One route                                                                                         
is to invite young people to contribute ideas and be more                                                                                             
involved in projects that excite them.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Another is to socialise young employees in important business                                                                                         
contacts and company meetings to demonstrate sincerity and                                                                                            
interest in their development.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Where possible, flexitime is useful as the young are not                                                                                              
disciplined by time and can work best according to their                                                                                              
natural biorhythm.                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
In some cases, companies operate on a 24-hour schedule to                                                                                             
allow young employees to work into the nights.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Yet another useful but little used route is to introduce a                                                                                            
mentor-mentee system in which the mentor cultivates a special                                                                                         
relationship with the mentee and makes it possible for the                                                                                            
young employee to be involved in challenging and exciting                                                                                             
developmental opportunities, e.g. in community projects and                                                                                           
cultural activities.                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
Organisations which hope to get the best out of Generation X                                                                                          
will need a well-informed imagination and the capacity to be                                                                                          
learning organisations.                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
The greatest asset of an organisation is in the brains of its                                                                                         
employees analytical, creative numerate and literate.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
With the fantastic rate of change, it is these brains that                                                                                            
will engineer new products and services, delivered around the                                                                                         
clock to meet the market of "one".                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Organisations have fiddled with the hardware of management                                                                                            
such as re-engineering downsizing and decentralising. But                                                                                             
organisational re-structuring alone will be insufficient to                                                                                           
create the competitive spirit.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Far-sighted organisations need also to focus on the software                                                                                          
by restructuring work processes to give a premium for flexible                                                                                        
working, teambased work, technology usage, equality of                                                                                                
opportunity, human potential development, and to take into                                                                                            
account the world beyond business.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
Fulfilling the Malaysian vision will largely be in the hands                                                                                          
of Generation X. In our eagerness to modernise, we can draw                                                                                           
strengths from our traditions.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
We can help the young see these strengths, not through                                                                                                
preaching, but by more experiential means, through a walk into                                                                                        
history, community service and well-structured learning                                                                                               
experiences to broaden the mind, reinforce the spirit and                                                                                             
encourage team-building.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
An example of a well received learning experience is MIM's Tun                                                                                        
Razak Youth Leadership Awards (TRYLA) for Generation X, to                                                                                            
which reference has already been made in the last feature of                                                                                          
this fortnightly column.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
As we appeal to organisations and managers to recognise the                                                                                           
very different category of young people, we are also appealing                                                                                        
to young people to express themselves more articulately so                                                                                            
that more effective feedback to the older generation is also                                                                                          
forthcoming.                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
In this respect, the MIM is encouraging young people to team                                                                                          
together in groups of three to undertake research on the                                                                                              
theme, Tradition vs Modernity, write up their findings and                                                                                            
conclusions, and submit the Report to the Institute for a                                                                                             
Young Executives Competition. Members of Generation X, over to                                                                                        
you!