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In 1991, American scientists Neil Howe and William Strauss created the theory of generations. According to it, every 20-25 years a new generation of people is born with character traits, habits and characteristics that set them apart from all the rest and then are repeated in future generations.

After studying in detail the work of scientists, website ready to talk about the last 4 generations that we often encounter today.

Howe and Strauss gave the name and compiled a description for each of the generations starting as far back as 1433. However, we are interested in representatives of the last four generations, whom we often meet today and who can easily fit into one conditional family: the youngest is Vanya ( Generation Z), his' elder sister ( Generation Y), Vanya's father ( Generation X) and grandmother ( baby boomer generation). Let's talk about each in more detail.

Generation "Baby Boomers"

Dates of birth: from 1943 to 1963

Grandma is 72 years old. Several times a week she goes to the pool, visits spas, bakes incredibly delicious pies, feels energetic and healthy.

Grandma's generation is called "Baby Boomers". It received this name because of the post-war surge in the birth rate. Representatives of this generation have a high level of patriotism. These people are optimists, they have a team spirit and collectivism. It is important for them to help each other, to work together and together.

They can do almost any manual work: excellent cook, sew, fish, educated and well-versed in many sciences. Many of the "boomers" are active, go to fitness centers, master gadgets and travel. And they, we repeat, are distinguished by enviable health and energy.

Generation X

Dates of birth: from 1963 to 1984

Papa is 47 years old. He has been working for a well-known construction company for over 20 years. Started from the lowest position, and now holds the post of Deputy Director. He is hardworking, responsible, and likes to do all the difficult work himself.

Papa Vanya is a bright representative of generation X. Generations of singles focused on hard work and personal success. These are people who from childhood were taught to be independent: they did their homework, got ready for school, cooked their own dinner and did most of the things without outside help.

Generation X people tend to are distinguished by global awareness, technical savvy and independence in almost everything. Most often, they prefer to work in the same organization for 30-40 years, gaining experience and rising from the lowest level to bosses and directors.

Generation Y (or Generation Millennium)

Dates of birth: from 1984 to 2004

Vanya's older sister is 23 years old. She studies abroad, has thousands of followers on Facebook, and often visits new cafes, parties and art exhibitions with her friends. She is a representative of generation Y, or millennial.

Millennials are people often referred to as the "social media generation". The external environment around them has changed incredibly quickly, so millennials are not like their parents. Prestigious work and career growth is not for them. They are not ready to work for one company for many years, they prefer flexible hours and immediate rewards for the work done.

As a rule, these are energetic people who easily adapt, are able to perform work in huge volumes, and constantly strive for new knowledge and development. They understand that time moves quickly, so they don’t want to be a narrow specialist, but develop in different areas at the same time.

Generation Z

Dates of birth: from 2004 to the present day

Welcome to the blog!

Generation Y or Millennials - who is this? The term "millennials" was coined by American authors Neil Howe and William Strauss in a series of their popular books, including The Rise of the Millennial Generation: The Next Great Generation (2000).

1. Millennials - who are they?

"Millenial" comes from the English word "millennium" (1000 years) and refers to the generation of people born from 1980 to 2000. and met the millennium (new millennium) in their youth. Millennials or Generation Y or Generation YJA or Generation MeMeMe is characterized by a huge influence of digital technologies.

2. Features of millennials

So, the main feature of millennials is exposure from childhood to the great influence of new digital technologies.

Their childhood and youth coincided with the period of mankind's transition from the industrial to the post-industrial, digital age, with the rapid development of new technologies and their availability. Having gained access to various techniques and digital technologies from childhood, they become their advanced users in their youth.

They use all known gadgets (tablets, laptops, smartphones and many others). All of them are constantly (24 hours a day) online. They cannot imagine themselves without selfies, social networks and online communication.

This influenced the appearance of such features in people of generation Y:

• restriction of live communication (real communication is replaced by virtual one);
• heavy dependence on the Internet and gadgets;
• serious dependence on likes (there is a desire to make the appearance of your life in profiles in social networks more interesting, more significant than others);
• phantom sensations (for example, it may seem that a new SMS has arrived);
• narcissism - expressed in a VERY frequent publication of selfies, news about yourself in the social. networks;
• reluctance to grow up (Peter Pan generation).

Do you recognize yourself? Many people are affected by these problems in one way or another. but they are nothing compared to the benefits that Gen Y and Millennials have!

3. Why are millennials the future?

The whole secret is in their wonderful qualities:

• Easy learning, easy change of activity, profession, place of work, place of life.
• Tolerant attitude towards people of different nationalities, races, religions.
• High self-esteem, which allows you to achieve your dreams, do what you love.
• Planning and setting global life goals.
• Organizational and entrepreneurial skills.
• Willingness to cooperate.
• Active life position.

A millennial is a citizen of the world!

Millennials don't follow old stereotypes. For example, the past generation believed that success can be measured by owning your own home and car.

4. Attitude towards work

Millennial people do not aspire to high positions.

For them it is more important:

• Financial reward and pleasure from work;
• Independent choice of working hours;
• Opportunity to work in a team of like-minded people and be heard by them;
• Communications and integration.

I often prefer to work in the service start your own business or work as a freelancer.

5. The role of millennials in the economy

Marketers single out people of the YYYA generation (Generation Y or Millennials) as a separate, very important target audience.

Statistics show that they have a high shopping activity and shop online especially often. Millennials do not choose for a long time and make purchases through online stores easily, because it is convenient! Therefore, all companies involved in the sale of goods and services are interested in listening to their opinion.

Summary

Now you know who the millennials are. They perfectly adapt to the conditions of modern life, can easily cope with a huge flow of information. True, they have one weak point, they often do not want to grow up, they want to remain Peter Pan, they do not want to take responsibility (millennials are also called the Peter Pan generation).

But, at some point, their determination, self-confidence, high self-esteem inevitably help them say goodbye to their fantasy land. After all, every millennial wants to prove, and first of all to himself, that he can achieve his goal and dream.

Bye bye! I wish everyone to enjoy life, love and dream!

Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z - these phrases often flash at HR conferences and in special articles. Who are these gentlemen? Why do they need to know in person? How can you attract them to your company? According to labor market experts, the theory of generations is not a fashionable hobby, but an expansion of opportunities for attracting and managing personnel.

Tell me when you were born...

In 1991, two American researchers decided to describe the features and differences of different generations: William Strauss and Neil Howe. The theory they created was based on the fact that the value orientations of different generations differ significantly. Strauss and Howe studied these differences, as well as the reasons that gave rise to them (political and social environment, the level of technological development, significant events of their time). This scientific achievement soon found a sphere of practical application: it turned out that the theory of generations is very useful to use in business structures, and now modern HRs are guided by it. “The deep values ​​of generations are an important reference point for specialists in the field of personnel management,” says Mikhail Semkin, Advisor to the General Director, Imperiya Kadrov Holding. Sophia Pavlova, business development manager at the Beagle recruiting company, continues this idea: “Indeed, professionals of different generations have their own characteristics. Working in a recruiting company reveals a lot of generational differences.” But what are these differences?

Baby Boomers. According to Mikhail Semkin, the main values ​​of the baby boomer generation (born in 1943-1963) are an interest in personal growth, collectivism, and team spirit. Such employees understand personal growth as a growing ability to achieve results together, as a team. Now almost all baby boomers have reached retirement age. Despite this, many of them are still working. A feature of most Russian baby boomers is enviable health and endurance.

X. “Generation X (from 1963 to 1983) is characterized by: willingness to change, opportunity to choose, global awareness, informality of views, self-reliance,” says Mikhail Semkin. This generation of employees can be called the “loner generation”, focused on hard work and individual success.

Sofya Pavlova also speaks about the same features of the Xs: “These are people who are accustomed to building their career gradually, throughout their lives and moving in one direction. There are many examples when "X" work for 30-40 years at the same plant, enterprise or state institution, where they accumulate experience for years, starting their professional path from the lowest levels. As a rule - immediately after the institute's bench, where they received a specialized education.

Y. Generation Y (from 1983 to 2003) has its own understanding of success and purposefulness. “Game players are often not ready to start their journey from the very bottom and slowly grow up, waiting for years for promotion and increased remuneration,” says Sofya Pavlova. It is the “orientation towards immediate reward” that Mikhail Semkin considers the main drawback of the employees of the “Greeks”.

However, young workers have an excuse. “Y” has an incredible flow of information and a very unstable external professional environment, “Y” cannot afford to be a specialist in a certain very narrow field and work in it all his life,” says Sofya Pavlova. According to Mikhail Semkin, generation Y is the main hope and support of modern companies.” Why? “This generation is characterized by an unprecedented level of technical literacy, an increase in the amount of work performed at home, the desire for new knowledge,” the expert continues.

According to Mikhail Semkin, these people will become the main labor force in the labor market in ten years. However, the attractiveness of "Greeks" for modern employers is explained not only by high technical literacy. According to the observations of Sofya Pavlova, it is not so often now that you can meet a person of this generation who works by profession - more often they prefer to work in those areas where high earnings are possible here and now, and it does not require years of painstaking work. At a time when companies need a lot of service workers and middle managers, Generation Y can feel quite confident in the labor market.

Z. Generation Z is still too young to be able to say anything about their professional characteristics. “It is still difficult to say what kind of values ​​generation Y will pass on to its followers, as time is accelerating and technologies are changing at a high speed,” agrees Mikhail Semkin. Nevertheless, in one of our previous articles, interesting considerations were expressed in this regard.

hunting season

Why all this to specialists in work with personnel? But if you ask the question a little differently: “Why does a human resource specialist need this?”, Everything will fall into place. “Initially, the term Human Resources says that the person is in the first place,” Sofya Pavlova emphasizes. The focus of attention in business is shifting towards human potential. It is he, and not tangible assets, that becomes the main wealth of the company.

In addition, the personnel market is entering a period of active struggle for each applicant. To win it, you need to offer the best conditions to talented employees from every generation. It is impossible to measure all generations by one measure - their ideas about the “dream job” are too different. “The theory of generations is very important for understanding the driving factors and motivation of workers,” says Mikhail Semkin.

What is good for “x” is good for “y” ...

What is the “best conditions” in the understanding of employees of different ages?

Baby Boomers. This generation, as Mikhail Semkin notes, is the most stable in terms of its needs and is strongly focused on sustainability. If you create stable conditions for baby boomers, you can “charge” them to achieve results with the help of non-material motivation.

X. "The main motivation for 'X' is to be an integral part of the corporate culture, confidence in the future and a clear organizational structure," says Sofia Pavlova. According to Mikhail Semkin, one of the working motivators for this generation is the opportunity to learn throughout life. As for material motivation, as Sofia Pavlova says, X prefer fixed salaries. Too much variable part of the salary makes them nervous.

Y. The YGs are sometimes also referred to as the "network generation". Not surprisingly, they are easiest to recruit through the World Wide Web, especially through social networks. “The main motivation for “Y” is financial reward, lack of bureaucracy, technology (for example, equipping offices with high-tech equipment),” says Sofya Pavlova. Mikhail Semkin fully agrees with this: “If a company does not introduce new technologies, there is no activity to optimize and automate business processes, this can scare away promising employees of Generation Y.”

In addition, "gamers" are attracted to companies that have few restrictions and prohibitions. Generation Y appreciates the relaxed atmosphere and free style of communication, does not like to stick to the dress code and follow the line. Another effective method of motivation for the generation that grew up on computer games is the "disguise" of the work routine with the aesthetics of the game.

Should not be neglected

You can, of course, dismiss the theory of generations as just another invention of theorists. But companies that shrug off most trends as fads stunt their growth (and so do those who embrace them thoughtlessly and without careful consideration). “A special approach to representatives of different generations is, of course, necessary,” says Sofya Pavlova. - As they say, “for every product there is a merchant”, and where “X” is needed, “Y” will not replace it. Ideally, when a symbiosis occurs: “X” takes patronage over “Y”, while listening to the younger generation and adopting new things from them.”

What can turn the neglect of differences between generations? “There can always be negative consequences, most often this is due to the fact that the company receives a “not its own” candidate, the expert continues. - In the race for a quick result, consultants can “adjust” a person to a position, which entails a quick disappointment for both the new employee and the company, and the consultant himself, who will need to select a replacement.”

“Taking into account the differences between generations, the psychological profile of the candidate and the deep knowledge of the customer company, the consultant will spend more time searching,” Sofya Pavlova continues. “But as a result, in addition to financial rewards, he will also receive a result in the form of people grateful to him.”

Also, the theory of generations helps not only to select personnel for the company, but also to advise the employees themselves and applicants. This is how Sofya Pavlova sees it: “The market dictates its own, and currently it is easier for ”Y” to find the job of their dreams, as they are much more adaptable, ”X” may need more time to do this. Here, the main task of the recruiter is to indicate to the candidate his importance and individuality, so that in case of refusal, the person understands that the matter may not be in him, but in a combination of factors and current market conditions. After all, thanks to the professionalism of the recruiter, the candidate can turn his attention to other areas, where, perhaps, he has not seen himself before.”

In addition, according to the expert, if the conditions are dictated by the candidate, then it is useful for the recruiter to understand the characteristics of the generations and the motivation factors of each in order to more easily “sell” the company and the vacancy to them.

In addition, the application of the theory of generations helps to build the corporate culture of the company. The latter is most effective when it is based on the values ​​of employees of that generation, representatives of which are in the majority in the company. At the same time, of course, you should not ignore the interests of other employees.

Andrey Pavlyuchenko

Recently, the global network and Runet have been vigorously discussing Generation MeMeMe, which in Russian is called "Generation YAYAYA". The quintessence of half of these articles: “The MeMeMe generation is not mimimi. It is difficult to communicate with them, live and work. The other half tries to protect these guys by "debunking the myths" but seems to only make things worse by creating confusion. Zillion decided to clarify some of the nuances and offer his position.

The essence of the problem

The problem with generations, which has been on everyone's lips lately, is in fact more complex and deeper than formulated in articles titled in the spirit of "how do we live and work with them." Because, firstly, this is a new phenomenon of “witch hunting”: a person, as the most cruel species of the entire fauna of the Earth, historically needs to find a common enemy. Second, ironically, as a result of negligence and the ensuing confusion of concepts, those at whom the social accusers were not “targeted”, that is, representatives of other generations, age groups and lifestyles, also get hit. So, Generation YaYa better be called classically - Generation MeMeMe (sounds like "MiMiMi") - so as not to interfere with the terms (there are so many of them). And certainly not "Generation Millennials" or "Generation Y". Because it turns out that millennials / Y have nothing to do with it for 10-15 years. Thirdly, the inflated negativity around the generation that is called “YAYYA” will not lead to anything good. Millennials, accustomed to being “forever young” and always being scolded, take articles about the MeMeMe generation personally and begin to write articles in their defense. Although the society by the generation of 30-year-olds, overgrown with families, mortgages, children and start-ups, had no particular questions anyway.

What is a generation anyway? With the definition itself, strictly speaking, not everything is clear. According to the dictionary, in demography, a generation, or as they say, a “cohort” is people born in the same year. Generations are also called steps in descent from a common ancestor, each of which spans 30 years. And everything seems to fall flat: according to this logic, the MeMeMe Generation belongs to the Millennial Generation. But in practice, a spread of three decades at our stage of civilizational development is a gigantic difference in worldviews, and besides, it is worth considering the transition across the border of millennia. It is sometimes said that one generation covers five years, and more or less it seems to be true: a year is not enough, ten is already quite a lot, and a 30-year gap is completely people with different paradigms of consciousness and a set of socio-technological skills. The confusion in concepts is due to the fact that the “acceleration of time”, the acceleration of progress, and the fact that measuring generations in thirty-year periods is not taken into account is formalism and an irrelevant approach. Disciplines do not manage these processes, but only reflect and explore. New generations and subcultural offshoots do not stand out immediately, but are formed within each generation - and it is possible to assess what has become a “dead end branch”, and what has taken shape and dissociated itself as a new generation, only after several decades.

It is time for us thirty-year-olds to recognize that we are eternally young for ourselves, and in terms of society and demographics, we have “aged” - we are no longer the very heart of what is called youth. Thirty-year-olds are adults. She got the historical opportunity to remain forever young adult youth, even to a ripe old age, and this can be consoled. After 30-year-olds, that is, millennials / Y, “young, long-legged and politically literate” have already grown up, who today, by inertia, are still referred to as millennials. But it is already becoming clear to many researchers and journalists that this is similar to a “generation within a generation”, a new generation that has many differences from 30-year-olds and a different social psychology. A comical situation arises: the old man's lamentations about how 30- and 40-year-olds live and work next to 20-year-olds (+/-).

This column isn't really about whether the MeMeMe generation is bad or good at all - it's very heterogeneous. The very idea of ​​raising such issues in society is absurd and dubious, only to be the first to express a provocative and obviously imperfect idea in a well-known magazine, and then watch how it spreads virally around the world, acquiring fictions. There are girls and boys in Generation MeMeMe who are selfie-obsessed and techno-fetish-obsessed, bringing sleepover mats under the door of Apple Stores, striving to get on vulgar reality shows, selfish narcissists who overestimate their personal worth and value in the job market. Among the 50-year-old celebs and non-celebs from different countries, there are also plenty of those who take comical selfies in toilets and elevators, and then post them on Instagram and Facebook: strictly speaking, love for such things is a fuzzy criterion. And in the MeMeMe Generation (the one that is self-made called YAYYA) there are bright minds, young scientists and just normal guys, of whom by the age of 30 very decent people and good specialists will grow up. The same can be said about any generation: technological realities and habits change, social trends rise and fall, only one thing remains unchanged - society is always heterogeneous. In any generation there are people who rush into ridiculous or even dangerous extremes of behavior and worldview at any stage of progress.

At first, it is not clear why all this hype is happening with a comprehensive discussion of the features of Generation MeMeMe and Generation Y, that is, millennials. And it looks like this. Millennials (i.e. 30 year olds with families, relationships, kids, mortgages, MBAs and 1-3 college degrees, with their own business or a bunch of work tasks) suddenly found out that they are "problem people": selfish narcissists, careerists, overestimating their talents, and in general they do not like to think, work and wait, but they want to sell themselves at a higher price, etc.

First, very "on time". And secondly, all these lists of qualities and myths around which the lines of defense and attack are built are absurd: any normal person seeks to avoid waiting, to find more effective work algorithms in order to shorten the path to the goal and make a career leap.

About overestimating their talents, inflated demands and narcissism with selfishness: the new youth of the MeMeMe Generation has got a difficult set of social trends, problems and contradictions to which they adapt. Life in the era of universal media and mutual responsibility of social networks requires new protective mechanisms, and going to extremes, they show "holes in reality." This allows us to “cure” or weaken another social neurosis, which has become our dependence on social media, networks and services.

The recent Internet sensation - the festival short film "Noah" (Noah) - is just about MeMeMe. In the film, a young man, Noah, constantly switches from his (ex) girlfriend's hacked Facebook account to a porn channel, Chatroulette, and back again. Two students at the Canadian Film University, Walter Woodman and Patrick Cederberg, shot a 17-minute film as their thesis and, better than any article, told what a difficult lifestyle situation the MeMeMe Generation found itself in.

The fact is that the new generation, in which it is still possible to loosely include both 20-year-olds and schoolchildren, has grown / is growing in the era of the Internet and the heyday of social media. Most 30-year-olds first "felt" the Internet at the institute in the early 2000s. And those who are younger do not remember the time when the web and social networks were not directly accessible. The Internet has set a global trend for the speed and availability of information and contacts, and social networks have absorbed and exaggerated all the most painful features of their most grateful and natural audience - schoolchildren, students, and young people in general. From them, the new laws of Internet sociality spread to the older generation, to 25-35-year-olds, who have their own typical problems, mainly related to the issue of self-worth and social achievements: “what have I achieved compared to ...?” (substitute the name of a classmate / Zuckerberg, etc.). Thus began and continues the continuous cycle of fake and real cool in social media, which sometimes degenerates into comic forms. When a 20-year-old person or a middle school student, exhausted by typical complexes and age-related problems, opens his page on a social network and sees there a celebration of the “protective” vanity of another schoolchild / student, imitation, copying, imitation begin, and so in the end patterns are formed. The distance between these patterns and real young people can turn out to be incredibly large: the online image is one, but the real person is completely different, sometimes more adequate.

There is also a great distance between those who belong to the same generation. Here is a young talented scientist, Ionut Alexandru Budisteanu, with whom we recently interviewed (read also: ) After all, he, too, can be attributed to a lesser extent to the Millennial Generation and to a greater extent - to Generation Z (this is another name for the MeMeMe Generation): he was born in 1993. Frikessa (today) Miley Cyrus was born in 1992. Generation - about one, but while Miley demonstrates his abilities and achievements in the field of twerking, Ionut Alexandru - in the field of developing self-driving machines based on artificial intelligence. And, by the way, not only dreams of helping the people of the Earth, but has already developed a device that helps blind people see with their tongue, while Miley demonstrates to the people of the Earth the length and flexibility of her tongue. Moreover, Ionut is also quite a MeMeMe in the sense of the concept - “YAYAYA” in his words is also a lot. But, firstly, it does not differ from the case: the main prize of Intel ISEF - Gordon E. Moore Award is given for a reason. Secondly, there are three key meanings in the construction of this “YAYAYA”: “ I I want to see if I can do this project as well”, “ I I want to be proud of me, and the neighboring children took an example from me "and" I I want my inventions to be useful to all the people of the planet ”(literally). If this is selfishness and narcissism, then perhaps more selfishness and narcissism. Naturally, we can say that there are only a few such 20-year-old guys. Not as much as I would like, yes. And in order for there to be more of these in the transitional MeMeMe Generation, and in the next one after it, the main thing is continuous education.

If we talk about the negative qualities attributed to generations, then there is an exhaustive thesis on this score: “each generation has its own YAYA”. And here is the recursion: depending on the meaning of "YAYAYA". Do not worry about the fact that the new generation of 20-year-olds seems arrogant and overestimating themselves. Half of it is superficial, a mask. The other half of the time, 20-year-olds try boundaries and luck, seeing many examples of quick success. And who wouldn't want to try some quick legal success if given the chance? The depreciation of generations smooths out these sharp corners and in 15-20 years those who are scolded/protected today as Generation YYYYA will also be outraged by the vices and “vices” of those who were born in 2013. The same was done in ancient Greece. This is just the fatigue of the spirit of growing up and adults - and envy of someone else's youth.

Another point: society loves to tickle its nerves. It is quite possible that the medieval witch hunt was essentially something similar, but turned into such a nightmare due to general intellectual poverty and underdevelopment of ideas about humanity. Man is by nature hostile. Throughout history, he seeks, finds and appoints enemies for himself: it doesn’t matter if we are talking about another nation, representatives of another faith, party or social group with an unusual image / behavior.

Generation Z /MeMeMe /ЯЯЯ got a controversial time with its own characteristics (however, as well as 30-, 40-year-olds, etc.). How they can do it. Why further complicate their task with articles in the spirit of “how to live and work with them”? Yes, it’s normal to live and work, in a regular mode: choosing the most pleasant and adequate for oneself in relationships, family, friends and work, which is a universal rule for everyone. Well, a new generation has emerged, so what? What is the urgent need to decide what to do with them: "how to live and work with them." A couple of years ago, “children were scared” by hipsters. Now they began to promote the theme "YAYAYA". And they promote it unintentionally: it's just that humanity has such fun - to find a common "enemy" and "be friends against" him. Then they get bored, and they take on someone new, who is still fresh in the form of a “social threat”.

What unites millennials and the MeMeMe generation are serious social problems: with work, education and personal life. The world has become more open and at the same time sociopathic: people have a lot of quick contacts, but strong comfortable connections are problematic for many. In addition, millennials are also a “generation of disappointed hopes”: more was expected from life than most millennials received by the age of thirty. Both generations faced the financial inaccessibility of classical higher education and higher unemployment rates than previous generations. And the hype around millennials and the MeMeMe generation is not harmless: it programs the society, the employer for negative stereotypes that manifest themselves in attitude and behavior. If, for example, a representative of MeMeMe in one situation or another behaved at work differently than his 40-, 50-year-old leader was used to, such behavior will immediately be interpreted in the context of horror lists describing the strangely generalized qualities of the MeMeMe Generation. And what can be really? Millennials and the MeMeMe Generation are indeed people with a different paradigm of thought. Although, again, not all: you can be a progressive 60-year-old and a dense 20-year-old. The names of generations mean not so much the years of birth and life as the paradigms of thinking. So millennials and MeMeMe are distinguished by a “horizontal” vision of social contacts, while “parental” generations adhere to a “vertical”, hierarchical paradigm of social interactions.

Greg Kress, an American engineer, designer, physicist, futurist, team building researcher, founder and CEO of the innovative startup Radicand Lab, spoke interestingly on this topic in a recent interview with Zillion. (read also Gregory Kress: "If you can predict the outcome, you are not doing anything new"") :

- I believe that most effective teams don't need a leader at all. The best teams are not hierarchical and the responsibility for making decisions is distributed evenly. I have found that the best managers are the ones that are left alone. I often encountered cases of mismanagement or assignment to a task that was clearly below my potential. This did not happen when I managed my work myself in the context of a team. So in a sense, the best leader is the best teammate, teammate.

This is exactly why the lack of sacred hierarchical fear in millennials - and even more so in MeMeMe - is called arrogance: it is incomprehensible and outrageous for those who are not used to it. But in essence, the concept of "horizontal" social interaction - that is, without hierarchical overtures - is a healthier, essentially democratic paradigm. Behind its development is a future in which everyone can become truly equal, and not in such a way that "everyone is equal, but some are more equal." If we talk about impudence in a different context, then this is always a matter of personal ethics.

To date, several generations have been identified unscientifically or near-scientifically, which appeared in the 20th century and exist in the 21st. Almost for each of them there are duplicate names, which at the same time carry a slightly different meaning. There are many options for splitting generations into decades, especially when it comes to generations Y and Z. Here, a variant is proposed that seems convincing, although so far the temporal boundaries of these generations can be designated only conditionally - time will clarify and correct.

Lost Generation (Lost Generation)

These are born in 1880-1900. The authorship of the term belongs to the American writer Gertrude Stein: this is how she called the emigrated American writers who gathered in her house. In the future, the meaning of the term embraced a whole group of writers of the post-war period, in whose works pessimism, loss of ideals and disappointment in modern civilization were expressed. The same extended to readers who shared these sentiments. Historical events that influenced the formation of the Lost Generation: the First World War, the Great Depression and the events that led to the emergence of the USSR and the development of the policy of the Union according to the Stalinist scenario.

The Greatest Generation (Greatest Generation)

Other names: Generation GI, Generation of Winners. It includes those born in 1901-1924. The term was coined by NBC journalist and broadcaster Tom Brokaw (sometimes referred to as Tom Brokaw). Representatives of this generation witnessed such historical events as the Second World War and the creation of the UN.

Silent Generation (Silent Generation)

So Time magazine called those born in 1925-1945. Significant historical events for him are the Korean War and the Cold War. This generation is called silent because of its conformism and the lack of a significant cultural contribution (with the exception of the beatnik movement).

Baby Boomers (Baby Boom Generation)

Other names: Me Generation,generation Me , Baby boom generation. Offshoots: Golden Boomers, Generation Jones, Alpha Boomers, Yuppies, Zoomers, Cuspers. These are born in the decades of the population explosion, in 1946-1964. The sharp increase in the population was associated with the sexual revolution, the popularity of rock music and the hippie movement, the evolution of the socio-political views of a democratic society. The term was coined by the New York Times. Events that have become most significant for this generation: the rise and rise of rock music, the sexual revolution, the Vietnam War, the invasion of Czechoslovakia and May 1968 in France (social crisis resulting in demonstrations, riots and huge changes in French society) . The main feature of the baby boomers who grew up in comfort was a rebellion against authoritarianism and "classical" moral principles. Interestingly, the baby boomers as a generation were segmented into Golden Boomers, Generation Jones, Alpha boomers, Yuppies, Zoomers and Cuspers, but it was not possible to give clear boundaries to different branches.

Perhaps in the case of millennials and the MeMeMe Generation it will be the same - this can only be assessed in a historical context, from a distance, which once again confirms the futility of trying to evaluate millennials and YYYA here and now.

The baby boomer generation is also called the term proposed by the writer Tom Wolfe - Me Generation, Generation Y. Wolfe, like later Christopher Lash, marked the heyday of narcissism among the younger generation. Narcissism was understood as the priority of self-realization to the detriment of social responsibility. But here is an important point: socio-political and economic hypocrisy are the best demotivators that encourage people of any generation to protest or go into internal emigration and focus on self-realization and enjoyment of life. That is, compared to the middle of the last century, now there is no terrible new generational misfortune: everything has already happened and will be repeated. If a few decades later, the features of Generation Me (Generation I) were multiplied by three to get Generation MeMeMe (Generation YAYA), this only says one thing - demotivation by socio-political and economic hypocrisy has tripled in half a century.

Generation X (Generation X)

Other names: Xers, Xers, Generation 13, Unknown generation. These are born in 1965-1982. The term was proposed by the British researcher Jane Deverson and the Hollywood reporter Charles Hamblett, and was fixed by the writer Douglas Copeland. Events that influenced this generation: the Afghan war, Operation Desert Storm, the beginning of the era of personal computers, the first Chechen war. Sometimes people born in these years are classified as generation Y and even Z (although the latter were not included in the project), and sometimes they try to combine millennials (Y) and MeMeMe (Z) with the letter X. In the United States, Generation X is commonly referred to as people born during the post-baby boom period. A study of British youth by Jane Deverson in 1964 for Womans Own magazine found that young people "sleep with each other before marriage, are not religious, do not love the queen and do not respect their parents, do not change their last name when they get married." The journal refused to publish the results. Deverson traveled to Hollywood to publish a book with reporter Charles Hamblett. He came up with the big name "Generation X". Canadian writer Douglas Copeland liked the catchy title and cemented it in Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, which dealt with the fears and anxieties of people born between 1960-1965: they talked about the loss of cultural connection with the Baby Generation. boomers. Interestingly, those born between 1965 and 1982 were given other high-profile names. For example, "Generation 13" - in the book by William Strauss and Neil Howe in 1991. Strauss and Howe believed that Generation 13 formed:

• Dissatisfaction with the authorities, lack of trust in the leadership.
• political indifference.
• An increase in the number of divorces.
• Growth in the number of mothers in the workplace.
• Zero population growth.
• Availability of oral contraceptives.
• Growth of disagreements in the educational system.
• Reducing funding for the educational system and the inaccessibility of student loans.
• Increased academic requirements and intellectual abilities.
• Ecological problems.
• The advent of the Internet.
• End of the Cold War.

Millennials (Millenials), or Generation Y (Generation Y)

Other names: Generation Y, Millennium Generation, Peter Pan Generation, Next Generation, Network Generation, Echo Boomers, Boomerang Generation, Trophy Generation. Different sources refer different people to this generation. Some say that this is all born since the early 80s. Others specify: from 1983 to the end of the 1990s. And still others capture the early 2000s. The second option - from 1983 to the end of the 1990s - is perhaps the most convincing.

You might think that two people born with a difference of 1-3 years can belong to different generations only for this reason. Two people born on the same day can belong to different generations depending on opportunities, cultural context, growing up environment, social, educational and technological opportunities, as well as trends - this is more like the truth.

Back to Generation Y: the term was coined by Advertising Age magazine. It is believed that the formation of his worldview was influenced by: perestroika, the collapse of the USSR, the "dashing 90s", terrorism, wars (in Iraq, Chechnya, etc.); international financial crisis, rising housing costs and unemployment; television, pop culture, torrent trackers and video hosting, the development of mobile and Internet communications, computer technology, social networks, digital media and video games, flash mob and meme culture, online communication, the evolution of devices, etc.

The main thing that characterizes this generation is involvement in digital technologies, the philosophical paradigm of the new millennium (millennium), a new round of division into liberal and conservative views. But the main thing, as they say in the framework of the classical interpretation, is the desire to delay the transition to adulthood, but in fact, the concept of eternal youth (albeit with depressive interludes).

In sociology, the question arose sharply - what is considered adulthood? Researcher Larry Nelson has suggested that millennials are slow to make the commitments of adulthood because of the negative example of their predecessors. On the one hand, this is logical and true. On the other hand, the fact that this is the Millennium Generation, that is, already people with “other brains”, is not taken into account. Evgenia Shamis, coordinator of the Theory of Generations in Russia - Rugenerations project, suggested that Generation Y does not and will not have heroes, but there are idols, and in the future, representatives of the millennial generation themselves will become heroes for other generations. This is what we, in general, are seeing in the era of startups. Generation Y has developed a special attitude towards corporate culture: representatives of this generation expect results and benefits from work, strive to adjust working conditions to suit their lives, prefer flexible hours, outsourcing, etc. Naturally, for those layers of managers who are accustomed to "corporate slavery”, such a situation is uncomfortable. But the logic of the generation in it is transparent: people have realized that life is beautiful and diverse, they need to work on what is a real passion, and the hierarchy is a convention, a construct of society, and in fact "all people are brothers."

Generation Z (Generation Z), or Generation MeMeMe (Generation MeMeMe)

Other names: Generation YAYA, Generation Z, Net Generation, Internet Generation, Generation I, Generation M (from the word« multitasking'), Homeland Generation, New Silent Generation, Generation 9/11(a reference to the 9/11 Attack as a turning point in the life of a generation). Until recently, “canonically” the millennial generation also included people born before the early 2000s. And only now, after dozens of articles, many university professors and journalists, realizing the discordance of the resulting "tree of generations", are inclined to believe that it is incorrect to combine today's thirty and twenty-year-olds into one generation, because significant differences are visible, hinting at a new round of social evolution. .

So, Generation Ζ (or Generation MeMeMe) are people born in the early 1990s and 2000s (Business Insider writes that Gen Z is born from 1996 to 2010). Their philosophical and social outlook was influenced by the global financial and economic crisis, Web 2.0 and the development of mobile technologies. Representatives of Generation Z are considered as children of Generation X, and sometimes also as children of Generation Y, that is, millennials.

The fundamental property of Generation Z is that technology is in their blood, they treat them on a completely different level than even millennials. The key term in this whole story is Digital Natives. In the digital world, they themselves are local. And their parents and older siblings, belonging to generations X and Y, - Digital Immigrants, digital immigrants. Moreover, the entire Generation Z (YAZA) was born in the era of globalization and postmodernism. Z accumulated in themselves the features of predecessors close in time and those features that we already feel, but cannot yet formulate precisely. In ten or twenty years it will turn out easier: then it will be possible to compare what is intermediately obtained and how it started. And since the “building material” for this is more pronounced arrogance, denial of hierarchy, selfishness and narcissism, the “dark side of power” of Generation Z is intuitively called MeMeMe, that is, YAYA.

While it is difficult to look beyond the horizon and understand why human evolution "needs" these qualities of Generation Z (Generation YAYA). It is quite possible that they will serve something that is not fully understood even by thirty-year-olds. Timid positive assumptions can be made now: having recovered from pubertal diseases, generation Z, accused of selfishness and narcissism, will take the first steps towards a balanced lifestyle of the future, in which they work for creative pleasure and social benefit, create a family out of feelings, and not because society considers It’s indecent to be alone, having children not for a glass of water in old age, but to pass on their matured digital and libertarian values ​​to Generation Alpha, as demographer Mark McCrindle predicts. Negative scenarios for Generation Z are also possible: time will clarify a lot. Here is Mao Zedong's brilliant answer to everything: "It's too early to draw conclusions."

Generation Alpha

Alpha people are already among us. They were born around 2010. This is the true generation of the 21st century. Millennials, that is, today's thirty-year-olds, are actively involved in the creation of Generation Alpha - and will pass on their values ​​to it in order to build a brighter future. Therefore, the best thing we can do for Generation Alpha today is to continuously learn and help others learn: to support the “bright side” of Generation Z.

Let us stipulate that all these divisions are not strict and are not fixed by science - different interpretations and positions are possible: since we are witnessing transitional processes, we can only assume that such a continuity of generations is now looming. In general, it will be visible.

P. S.

University of Georgia psychology professor William Keith Campbell shared some interesting thoughts with Zillion about generations, individualism, and narcissism.

William Keith Campbell

(W. Keith Campbell)

Professor, Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia, Ph .D . Specializes in the study of narcissism. Author of numerous articles, including in USA Today, Time and The New York Times. Guest expert on popular radio and TV shows. His books include When You Love a Man Who Loves Himself: How to Deal with a One-way Relationship, The Narcissistic Epidemic (The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement") and many others ("The Hand book of Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Theoretical Approaches", "Empirical Findings, and Treatments"). Official site: WKeithCampbell. Com

For every generation there are several names, and none is scientifically correct. We found in our research that change happens smoothly. Someone who was born in 1980 will be psychologically closer to someone who was born in 1979 than to someone who was born in 1990.

culture of the United States like many other countries, is changing towards individualism. This has many positive aspects, in particular, an increase in the level of tolerance. Our work is focused on the growth of narcissism as one of the negative manifestations. To study this cultural phenomenon, we observe various social activities, from how people behave on Facebook to how they name their children.

In general, watching generations, we see how individualism, narcissism and self-esteem increase - but also tolerance.

narcissism- this is a grandiose or inflated assessment of oneself. Attached to narcissism are personality traits such as self-centeredness, drawing attention to oneself, and feeling chosen. Narcissism is associated with individualism, but it is an individualism with less responsibility and a sense of superiority over others. In extreme cases, narcissism can become a mental disorder, but this is quite rare.

Professor William Keith Campbell: "I think what's really interesting is the question: why aren't the psychological traits of young people changing in line with the economic downturn that we've been seeing for the last five years?"

Changes in culture that we are seeing began at least in the early 1970s. So this is something more than the influence of social networks or television reality shows. I think there is an important difference between staying young and full of life - like being energetic and open to new ideas - and not growing up, giving up important adult responsibilities and responsibilities.

There is a theory that millennials must be a very involved generation with civic consciousness: its traces are drawn from the ideas of the Russian economist Kondratiev. However, the large amount of data we have collected does not support this idea. I think what's really interesting is the question: why aren't the psychological traits of young people changing in line with the economic downturn that we've been seeing over the past five years?

When you do research group differences - whether it be cultures, genders or generations - there is always a risk of viewing differences and stereotyping individuals in a negative (and sometimes positive) way. Each generation presents a wide variety of personalities.

In the younger generations much more tolerance. At the same time, there may be a tendency to identify less with nations and more with fickle groups. I don’t know whether we will have a global nation or whether the importance of belonging to a nation will simply decrease, which will become key to the organization of society.

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People who have something to do with the selection of personnel, more and more often today can hear about certain generations X, Y and Z. But what does this mean? Who are these people and why should they be involved in cooperation? According to HR specialists, the young theory of generations opens up wide boundaries for attracting and managing staff.

date of birth question

For the first time, two people spoke about the features of age differences in 1991 - US researchers Neil Howe and William Strauss. They created a theory that was based on differences in the values ​​of people of different generations. These differences have been studied, as well as the reasons for them, for example, the situation in the economy and politics, the technological development of society, etc. Some time later, the theory began to be applied in practice, because. she proved to be very effective in business. Today, this theory is being used more and more.

The age theory includes three main components (generations X, Y and Z) and one additional (baby boomers). Let's consider them in more detail.

baby boomers

Baby Boomers are people born between 1943 and 1963. As a rule, they are collective work and team play. Self-development is understood by them as an increasing ability to achieve collective goals.

Currently, most baby boomers are retired, although there are those who are still working. A distinctive feature of this category of people in Russia is enviable endurance.

Generation X

Generation X are people born between 1963 and 1983. Their distinctive features are such features as the ability to rely only on themselves, alternative thinking, awareness of what is happening in the world, willingness to choose and change. By and large, people in this age group are loners who are focused on hard work and achieving individual success. They move through their careers for many years, sticking to the same direction.

Generation Y

Generation Y people are people who were born between 1983 and 2003. Their understanding of purposefulness and success is different: in most cases, they do not like to start professional growth from the lower levels, counting on the fact that they will be promoted in a few years. Their main focus is immediate growth. This is also considered their disadvantage.

However, this disadvantage can be partly justified by the desire for maximum awareness and professionalism in several areas at once, because. it is not permissible for these people to be experts in one thing. Generation Y is the hope of today's business. he is characterized by the highest technical literacy, a desire to work after hours and a craving for knowledge.

It can also be added here that, according to some experts, for example, Mikhail Semkin, executive director of the Labor Market Experts non-profit partnership, and Olga Pavlova, HR specialist at MDM Bank, in the next decade, generation Y will become the main workforce.

Generation Z

Those who were born after 2003 belong to generation Z. It is too early to evaluate these people in terms of professionalism, given their age. And it is not possible at this time to say what values ​​will prevail in their minds.

But what is all this information for?

"Personnel hunting"

If you approach the question of “hunting” for employees correctly, then it suggests an answer to why HR specialists need to know about generations XYZ, because HR literally sounds like “Human Resources”, which means “Human Resources”, which means that the individual plays a dominant role.

The attention of modern HR specialists is increasingly focused on human capabilities. And it is the potential of employees, and not the material base of companies and corporations, that becomes their main wealth.

In addition, there is an increasingly fierce competition for applicants in the personnel market, and in order to emerge victorious from it, it is necessary to provide talented representatives of each generation with only the best conditions. Plus, it is extremely unacceptable to evaluate these people on the same scale, because they may have diametrically opposed ideas about the “work of their life”. And employees can only be best understood from the standpoint of theories about generations XYZ.

What conditions are acceptable for each of the generations?

When working with staff, you need to understand that people of different generations will have different needs.

Baby boomers, as a generation with stable demands, are mainly focused on sustainability. It is stable conditions that are of decisive importance here, and it is possible to motivate these people without even resorting to the use of material benefits.

The main motivation for generation X is the desire to be confident in the future and a clear knowledge of all the details of their work. In addition to this, as a motivation, it is recommended to use the opportunity to constantly be in the process of learning and personal growth. If we talk about the financial side of the issue, then for people who belong to generation X, the fixed salary is most interesting, and the commercial incentive system does not cause them very positive emotions.

Considering that generation Y is often referred to as the “network generation”, it is also possible to attract them very successfully through the Internet, in particular, through social networks. For generation Y, the basic motivation is monetary reward, the absence of bureaucratic "troubles" and the technological component, for example, the presence of high-tech equipment at the workplace. In the same case, if the organization does not introduce new technologies and the work process is not optimized, then this may adversely affect the interest of applicants in this company and activities in it.

Among other things, generation Y prefers those organizations that have the least number of prohibitions and restrictions. A relaxed atmosphere is important here, a free style in communicating with colleagues, the opportunity to dress in a familiar manner, etc. And it will be even better if the working routine is somewhat reminiscent of a game, because this generation was brought up on computer games.

What else is important to consider?

Everyone is free to hold their own opinion, and many may consider the theory of generations XYZ to be an ordinary "fairy tale" that is not worthy of attention. However, any company that does not focus on modern trends (as well as any company that blindly takes everything on faith) slows down its development. According to the opinion of Olga Pavlova mentioned above, HR specialists must certainly take into account the interests and characteristics of the baby boomer generations, X, Y and Z. If a company needs a person from generation Y, then X or a baby boomer will never replace him. The situation is considered ideal in which person-X leads person-Y, while paying attention to his point of view and.

If the theory of generational differences is not given due attention, there will be a high probability of negative consequences for the company, since Practice shows that very often a completely unsuitable person is hired for a vacant position. Striving for a quick result, HR officers can “customize” the applicant to the template, which subsequently causes disappointment for the company, the employee, and the person who approved his candidacy, and you will have to look for a new person.

Undoubtedly, guided by the principles of the XYZ generation theory, a company can spend much more time evaluating it, compiling and analyzing personal and professional characteristics, etc., but the result is worth it, because the company gets not only the opportunity to implement strategic plans, but also satisfied and grateful employee.

The theory of age differences can also be used to advise existing staff, as well as applicants. If the recruiter can correctly convey information to the applicant, in case of refusal, the applicant will understand that the reason for this may not be his personal indicators, but the totality of the labor market and the specifics of the company. In addition, knowledge about the theory of generations will help the person who is looking for a job to correct his actions and start moving in a new direction, if the previous one did not work out.

As for the corporate culture, the theory of the XYZ generation helps to build it properly, because focusing on the differences between generations, you can make a bias towards those values ​​that are important for representatives of the generation that prevails in the company. But the interests of others, of course, must always be taken into account.

In their work, personnel officers should focus on both traditional recruitment methods and new trends and trends in this area, because the company's success depends on the application of the most effective strategies, and those can be found in any period of time - both in the past and in the present.