Managing the Net Gen

Just who is the Net Generation? "If you are between 11 and 31 this year", (according to Don Tapscott who came up with the term Net Gen in Businessweek ) this is the label that describes you. The web2.0 developments describe what this group wants. They want to collaborate, exchange ideas, opinions (and music), wants to multi task all the time and thinks TV is for the older humans. This gen spends money on texting friends. The technology that grows up as a response to this generation reflects these themes - social networking tools, individual expression and sharing stuff about their lives digitally that would make their parents blush. The generation that started using MySpace and Facebook when the previous gen believed MySpace refered to the messy corner of the house where the teenagers chucked their socks and underwear that would someday be washed.Lesson for organizations: Learn to use the social networking sites to build your company's presence on the net. Whether you like it or not others are already saying things about you and your organization - some of it is available on the net for you to see. You might as well get there and shape the opinion actively. If you want to be an employer of choice for them think whether your employer brand is attractive enough to attract the top 1% of the eligible workforce. Do you know what your net profile looks like? Do you have a page on Facebook or fan club on Orkut? Do any of your top leaders blog? Do your employees make fun videos on their phones and post it on youtube for the world to see? If you are still thinking that we are a serious company and work with serious people and all this Facebook page stuff is all fluff then think again. You will never be able to talk to the brightest NetGen employees and even if you manage to hire them you won't be able to retain them or engage them long enough.  Does your company's Staffing team understand digital marketing at all? Here is a recruitment video made to attract teachers to New York city's inner schools which have traditionally had difficulty attracting the best teachers. I love the tag " I teach NYC because every day it teaches me"While you do not HAVE to be chronologically between 11 and 31 years old to be considered the Net Gen, let me put a small question to you. What do you use the phone for? To talk to my friends/ colleagues etc. you say. Ask the net gen this question and they will say the phone is used to tell the time, take pictures, listen to music, watch clips, text their friends and receive call from parents to tell them that they will be late. Let us try question two. If you have a deadline that you need to meet for your project submission will you lock yourself in a room where you are away from the sound of the television or music that someone is playing at home? Or will you put on the computer, switch on some music, keep the phone handy to text your friends, receive instant messenger alerts from your online friends, quickly check on your facebook friends, sneak a glance at the music video on TV and tweeter your current status in 140 words and yeah... all this while you keep working on the project. If the latter describes the Net Gen's definition of multitasking. Work and fun are all deeply intertwined. Nothing holds their attention span for long. A TV commercial of 30 seconds could be too long to hold their attention if the story is not told in an engaging manner. Books are read by flipping through for some nuggets and key ideas and not necessarily read page by page and certainly not line by line! There is a change in the way information is obtained and shared.Lesson for organizations: Does your organization not have enough opportunities for people to vent and share opinions about what they don't like about the organization. This gen of employees does not thrive unless two way communication and collaboration is part of the org culture? If you don't give them opportunities to share their unvarnished opinion then they will form communities and blogs anyway where they will share their point of view. It is commonplace today that as soon as the employers finish doing the college rounds and hand out internships and job offers, there are communities that will spring up on the social networking sites where to be employees trade info, gossip and research about their possible manager. It is all about two way communication, seeking opinions, collaborating and a non hierarchical work environment. If you think just because you let the newbie call you by first name you are non hierarchical, think again.Implications for Managers: Make the work interesting. You will get a lot more out of the NetGen if they are actively engaged. This is a generation that has grown up getting a lot of attention and appreciation from their parents. Doting parents have hugged them and applauded them for doing stuff all toddlers have done across generations without even being acknowledged. The 11-31 year old will automatically look up to the manager to receive frequent doses of appreciation for accomplishing anything in the workplace. The NetGen is used to the limelight being on themselves. This is the iPod generation which has the ability to tune out the world around them by simply plugging in to their earphones. Give clear guidelines and share clearly consequences of non compliance but don't look over the shoulders to see if they are still preening their status on Facebook.Check out this brilliant eight part series by Don Tapscott in Businessweek