Generation NeXt

Here's a column I wrote that The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald published today (Sept. 19, 2009):

The challenges of working with NeXters

By Larry Timbs - Special to The Herald

If you have a Generation NeXter on your work force, managing that person can be quite challenging, even at times vexing.

Why do I say that?

It's because Generation NeXters — people born no earlier than 1983 — sometimes can seem like they're from another planet.

Take my word for it. I come into contact with Generation NeXters every day in the university classes I teach in print and Web journalism. My challenges: Engage NeXters in learning; keep them focused and in the knowledge acquisition loop; get the windmills in their minds churning so that they can grasp new or meaningful ideas; run with those ideas and concepts, and make our community or world a better place.

What I try to do in all my classes at Winthrop University is to connect with Generation NeXters, or at least meet them (figuratively speaking) in their minds and hearts, and prepare them for professional work in the real world.

Not an easy task.

Generation NeXters, according to Dr. Mark Taylor, a nationally recognized educator and expert on this group of young people, definitely bring to the table a set of personal characteristics that would tax even the most skilled professor, let alone one from the baby boomer generation who can seem galaxies apart from his students' world.

Taylor, who has worked as a college professor, medical administrator and clinical psychotherapist, writes in “Generation NeXt Goes to Work: Issues in Workplace Readiness and Performance,” (www.taylorprograms.org/drtaylorarticles.html) that NeXters:

• Have minimal respect for authority and or for social rules of conduct, instead asserting their own personal privileges;

• React defensively to constructive criticism;

• Don't know the difference between civil exchange and reasoned ideas and shouting personal beliefs;

• Have a naïve sense of the future;

• Feel a sense of entitlement;

• Expect immediate gratification;

• Have high self-importance. (They've been told by their parents that they're precious, and they believe this!);

• Are often devastated by expectations of the workplace;

• Ask not what they can do for the organization but what the organization can do for them; and

• Expect high salaries, quick promotions, and moderate hours in a friendly, supportive work environment that makes the most of their talents.

That's the downside or bleak side of Generation NeXters.

Dr. Taylor also notes (in “Generation NeXt Goes to Work…”) the upside or strengths of this generation — again composed of persons 26 years old or younger.

He observes that NeXters:

• Tend to be positive and feel good about themselves;

• Exhibit resourcefulness in problem solving and needs meeting;

• Are accustomed to multitasking in high-stimulation environments; and

• Are technology oriented and tech talented, making them rapid digital learners.

So what might this mean if you're an employer or manager determined to get the most out of your new-hire NeXters? Well, for one thing, recognize that NeXters are definitely a different breed. Know that there's likely going to be a gap between what you believe in and how you act, as a manager, business owner or employer, and what the NeXters value, believe in and how they behave.

Recognize and accept that gap, but don't let it become a total disconnect.

And let's be fair, folks. Not all NeXters expect immediate gratification, and not all of them are slackers or feel a sense of entitlement or expect high salaries. (Dr. Taylor himself acknowledges as much in his excellent paper, pointing out that the characteristics of NeXters he writes about, while useful descriptors, don't necessarily apply to all members of Generation NeXt.)

Work with the NeXters. Be patient, and try to at least meet them halfway in their world. You don't have to stay there indefinitely, but meet them there, and see what they have to offer.

And yes, you can even learn from them.

In my classes at Winthrop, for example, NeXters have taught me a ton about technology. Each semester, I get a bit more Web and computer software savvy, thanks to them.

They've also inspired me to become more community service oriented. NeXters at our university donate a good chunk of their time and energy to nonprofit causes (Red Cross, United Way, Salvation Army, Homeless Shelter…). Yes, the university sometimes rewards their community service with course credit, but many NeXters stay on the job at the nonprofit long after a course has ended.

What I'm saying is this: NeXters have their talents, and many of them have a streak of humanity. (And did I mention that some are exceptionally bright? The top journalism graduate from our program in May 2009, employed as a reporter at the newspaper you are now reading, is a NeXter; I would put her up against any journalism graduate from any program in the U.S. She brought excellence to our newspaper at Winthrop when she was editor-in-chief last year. She can do the same for The Herald.)

Got a NeXter on your work force? Don't give up. See the gap (between you and the NeXter) for what it is, keep your mind open, try to get into their world — at least for a while — and keep the faith.

NeXters might just surprise you at what they have to offer — in a good way.

Larry Timbs is an associate professor in the Department of Mass Communication at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, where Generation NeXters fill his journalism classes.