I recently attended a government training course titled either “How to Swindle the Public and Keep It Out of the Newspapers” or “Generational Differences in the Workplace.” For the sake of this article, let’s say it was the latter.
The primary focus of the training was that employees from different generations (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers, and Millennials) have divergent perspectives in terms of expectations, communication styles, problem solving methodology, and have dissimilar perspectives on issues such as diversity and work/life balance. Understanding those differences will make a more harmonious workplace. Kumbaya.
Impacts on the generational perspective includes major events in society (from the Depression, Cold War, Korean War, Bay of Pigs, landing on the moon, Watergate, 9/11, etc., cue up “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”). We have different cultural heroes (does anybody under 30 know who Joe DiMaggio is?), watch different movies, and listen to different artists. The course included a quiz contest segment of music from different generations, a reflection that people generally identify most with the music of their youth. The Traditionalists, people in the workplace born before 1945, enjoyed the conservative sounds of Glenn Miller and Tony Bennett, before shaking up the world with Elvis Presley and Little Richard. Older Baby Boomers experienced the Civil Rights era at the same time that Bob Dylan was broadening the subject matter of popular music. The younger Baby Boomers moved away from “meaningful” lyrics to hit the dance floor with The Bee Gees. Gen X was the MTV generation. For that group, the “Thriller” video was their version of The Graduate or Ben-Hur. The poor Millennials were stuck with the Spice Girls. (Note the typically condescending Baby Boomer point of view).
Does any of this matter? Yes and no. Music and popular culture will always evolve. In some ways, the cultural reference points provide a comforting sense of community and familiarity. If you go to concerts frequently, like I do, you can determine based on factors such as fashion, age, cultural norms, etc., whether or not you are with “your people.” On a personal level, my goal is to always extend that comfort zone. It’s hard to learn much in life if you are only willing to dog paddle within the same peer group. It’s a big, messy world out there. Go out and explore it with open ears and an open mind. You might discover that both Glenn Miller and Kanye West are pretty hep cats.
By the way, Rock NYC is proud to announce that their representative won the music quiz contest. But, who needs a calculator in 2014?
