Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ANGELIA HERRIN
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TAMARA J. ERICKSON
E... E...
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WHO WE ARE
MBA Program
Executive Education
Harvard Business
Publishing
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.
A group of
“underemployed,
overeducated,
intensely private and
unpredictable” twenty-
somethings who have
“nowhere to direct
their anger, no one to
assuage their fears
and no culture to
replace their anomie.”
4.5
Shifting Attitudes
and Experiences
4.0
The Years of Low Births:
1965‐1979
Birth in Millions
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
Source: U.S. Census Bureau International Data Base
A DEFINITION BASED ON
ATTITUDES AND EXPERIENCES
• Born:
– 1961 to 1979
• Teens Years:
– Late 70’s through early ‘90’s
• Today (2010):
– 31 to 49 years old
President Obama:
born in 1961
• Troubled economy
• Widespread lay‐offs from re‐engineering
• Watergate
• Olympic Boycott and the Berlin Wall
• Challenger disaster
• Electronic games and the Internet
• MTV, CNN
• Diversity, the ERA, Title IX, Geraldine Ferraro
• Rising divorce rates
• Women entering the workforce
• Friends
Source: The New Employee/Employer Equation, The Concours Institute and Age Wave, 2004
• Self-Reliant
• Mistrustful of Institutions
• Rule-Morphing
• Tribal
• Information-Savvy
• Determined, Dedicated
Parents
80%
60% Men
Women
40%
20%
0
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
Source: “The Labor Force Experience of Women from ‘Generation X’,” Marisa DiNatale
and Stephanie Boraas, Monthly Labor Review, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2002
26 | © 2010 Tamara Erickson. All Rights Reserved. PAGE 26
Source: Generation X: Americans Born 1965 to 1976, 5th Edition, The American Generations Series, by the
New Strategist Editors, New Strategist Publications, Inc., Ithaca, New York, 2006, page 114
Householders Aged 35 to 44
Net Worth Between 2001 and 2004
Source: Generation X: Americans Born 1965 to 1976, 5th Edition, The American Generations Series, by the
New Strategist Editors, New Strategist Publications, Inc., Ithaca, New York, 2006, page 298
28 | © 2010 Tamara Erickson. All Rights Reserved. PAGE 28
28
Median Age at First Marriage, 1950‐2006 27.1
26.8
27
26.1
26
25.5
24.7 25.1
25
23.9
24
22.8 23.2
22.8
23
22
22
20.8
21
20.3 20.3
20
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2006
Men Women
Source: Current Population Survey, Table MS-2
33 | © 2010 Tamara Erickson. All Rights Reserved. PAGE 33
AMBIGUOUS SENSE OF “ADULT”
100%
Do you feel that you have reached adulthood?
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
GEN X: VALUABLE
CONTEMPORARY TRAITS AND PERSPECTIVES
•Accelerated contact with the real world . . . inclined to meet commitments and take employability
seriously
•Distrust of institutions and self‐reliance . . . strong survival skills and the ability to handle change
with resilience: a well‐nurtured portfolio of options and networks.
•A sense of alienation and preference of “alternative” . . . inclination to innovate, to look for a
different way forward; outward‐facing
•Awareness of global issues and multiculturalism . . . a more unconscious acceptance of diversity
than any preceding generation and the ability to welcome the contributions of diverse individuals
•Skepticism and ability to isolate practical truths . . . rich humor and incisive perspective
•Childhood experiences . . . fiercely dedicated to being good parents, raising important questions
about balance beyond the corporation
•Pragmatism . . . a practical and value‐oriented sensibilities, and the ability to serve as effective
stewards of both today’s organizations and tomorrow’s world.
The most difficult elements of X’ers’ past may well be those that
provide the strongest capabilities for today
PAGE 41
Message to Generation X:
Use your influence to create organizations that are humane and worthy
Work in places that you respect and feel good about, doing work that you care about
Acknowledge the complexity and legitimate diversity of views
and yet find constructive paths forward.
Take heart and find both hope and satisfaction in the challenges ahead
E... E...
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THANK YOU
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