Business must learn from the new tribe FT
So-called ‘digital natives’ are bringing down the to different divisions or units in the business.
barriers to collaborative working, finds Jessica
Twentyman.
‘To read the criticisms about the Net
Generation,’ writes author Don Tapscott in his
latest book, Grown Up Digital, ‘you might conclude
that they are a bunch of dull, celebrity-obsessed,
net-addicted, shopaholic exhibitionists.’1
Such a bleak view, he goes on to say, belies the
fact that the children of the baby boomers – now
aged between 12 and 30 and reared in an era of
digital technologies – are poised to transform
society in profound and largely positive ways.
In the workplace, he adds, their aptitude with
technology and willingness to collaborate could
provide their employers with a real source of
competitive advantage.
But whether they are referred to as the Net
Generation, digital natives, Millennials or
Generation Y, this new tribe of employees can
only make its mark if the businesses they work
for are able to accommodate and capitalise on a
host of new attitudes, beliefs and ways of working.
‘Listen to young people,’ Mr Tapscott urges busi-
ness leaders. ‘Put them in the driver’s seat along-
side you when designing work spaces, processes,
management systems and collaborative working
models.’ In other words, be prepared to make big
changes in order to unleash the power of these
new employees.
Are businesses ready to heed that advice?
‘In truth, many are not,’ says James Callander,
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managing director of recruitment consultancy
FreshMinds. ‘This new generation is well known
for its unrestrained ambition, but its largely
unparalleled handle on technology presents a
significant management challenge,’ he says. ‘I
think one of the biggest problems is that older
members of the workforce feel scared of looking
foolish in the face of new technology and are
threatened by these younger peers who seem to
hold all the cards.’
He observes two common approaches to tack-
ling this challenge. ‘The first is almost a “divide
and conquer” approach, consigning technology
Jashapara, Ashok. Knowledge Management : An Integrated Approach, Pearson Education, Limited, 2010.
But the internet and mobile technology is now
so all-encompassing … that separation is all but
impossible. The second and better approach is to
encourage younger workers to train and enfran-
chise their older colleagues.’
‘In principle, that makes good sense, because
while they may be reluctant to admit it, older
business leaders have much to learn from their
younger co-workers,’ says Urs Gasser, executive
director at the Berkman Center for Internet and
Society at Harvard University and co-author of
Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of
Digital Natives.2
As principal investigator on the Digital Natives
project, an academic collaboration between the
Berkman Center and the Research Center for
Information Law at the University of St Gallen in
Switzerland, he has devoted the past few years to
studying how people who grew up immersed in
digital technologies interact with the world.
‘Three characteristics distinguish a digital
native in today’s workplace’, he says. The first is
their relaxed attitude to information disclosure;
the second, their aptitude at social network-
ing; and the third, the very different way they
process information, as compared with previous
generations. It is this first trait that causes busi-
ness leaders most concern, according to Prof
Gasser. ‘Digital natives are generally more open
about themselves and have fewer reservations
about sharing their thoughts and opinions with
the world. The fear is that this will lead them
to share information about their jobs and the
organisations they work for, without reflecting
on how appropriate it might be to divulge infor-
mation that might be considered confidential or
commercially sensitive.’
Tackling the issue is a matter of education, he
argues. Where corporate policies are thought-
fully applied (and observed), that propensity for
self-disclosure can be a positive force, building
trust between colleagues and opening the door to
deeper collaborations. It also offers organisations
a chance to get to know young employees better,
 to understand what motivates them and the best
ways to channel their energies to reap better busi-
ness results.
But it’s the second and third traits that offer
companies the greatest chance to get ahead. ‘For
years, organisations have been investing heav-
ily in knowledge management initiatives to tap
into the collective expertise of their workforce,
but the results have been mixed. Suddenly, the
cultural barriers to information sharing are crum-
bling with the emergence of social networking
and the rise of a new workforce that is more than
comfortable with working online with their peers
to solve a problem.’
‘This’, he says, ‘has huge implications in many
aspects of business, such as developing products,
identifying market opportunities and generating
sales leads.’
‘But the issue of working hours can be conten-
tious’, says Claire Schooley, an analyst with IT
market analyst firm Forrester Research. ‘Work–
life balance is paramount to Millennials. These
young people do not work by the clock – rather,
they work by the task. Let them know what they
Copyright © 2010. Pearson Education, Limited. All rights reserved.
Jashapara, Ashok. Knowledge Management : An Integrated Approach, Pearson Education, Limited, 2010.
need to do and when assignments need to be
done. With mobile technology, they’ll be online
at night completing projects.’
As the connected world evolves, it is therefore
vital that organisations adapt policies and tools
to suit the style of new workers. In economies
where the working population is ageing, this may
not just be desirable but essential to survival.
References
1 Tapscott, Don (2008) Grown Up Digital, McGraw-Hill.
2 Palfrey, J. and Gasser, U. (2008) Born Digital:
Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives,
Basic Books.
Source: from Business must learn from the new tribe, The
Financial Times, 29/05/2009 (Twentyman, J.), copyright ©
The Financial Times Ltd.
Questions
1 How can organisations effectively manage the
‘Net Generation’?
2 How can organisations harness the power of
technology through the ‘Net Generation’?
3 What are the best working hours for the ‘Net
Generation’?