Comments about Past Articles—and Suggestions for Future Topics
Q:
Dear Mrs. Erickson,
Good day,
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful & insightful information you post on the generational phenomenon. i AM a regular “customer” at your column (Harvard Business Publishing) and I have read all your articles since the 1st one on March 2008, i find it so very interesting and necessary to tab into the differences between generations, it is a vital key toward succeeding in today`s world of business and in life as a whole.
i`m at the end tail of Gen. X (Oct. 1979) and i DO feel i possess a lot of the characteristics of both Gen X & Y too!
I find what you write very true, born in a country with different cultural settings my self; i can see the importance of understanding “the other” .
I can very much relate to a whole bunch of the “parameters” for which Xers are known for (having alternatives ready at-hand / skeptical / not trusting the “system” ... + Yers (work place not necessarily being a “place” / learning as i go / urgency / ...)
I am in the HR function (TR + hiring manager) and i find what you write helpful indeed.
I was very pleased you wrote a piece on the differences between cultures (US & India) and that you intend to write more about the subject. (you mentioned you plan to write about at least 1 country from the middle east, my guess it will be Jordan “from where i was born) because it is the leading country in educational sector or KSA because it is the largest in variations and population. looking forward to that 
.
* thanks for your “ask tammy”
** thanks for your case study at the HBR Feb. edition, i enjoyed it a lot!
Keep up the fantastic work, tamara (my fav. cousin`s name is tamara )
Thank you kindly,
Haitham
A:
Dear Haitham,
Thank YOU for such a lovely and enthusiastic note. I’m so pleased that you find the work on generational differences helpful. I do think that we can significantly reduce any tensions among the generations if we understand the logic behind people’s actions.
And I appreciate the suggestion of Jordan. I’ve been researching Saudi Arabia, but agree that Jordan is a wonderful example. I’ll try to write both—and would love any insights you might share from your childhood experiences.
Thank you again.
Warmly,
Tammy
The Growing Number of Older Internet Users—and Susceptibility to Scams
Q:
Tammy,
I have run into more of a personal generational difference for the first time that has completely thrown me for a loop (even with all the tools I have in my belt to understand the differences in the generations!)
As a member of Gen X, we are really experiencing the full-on “Sandwich Generation” squeeze right now. In dealing with my Boomer mother, we recently had an issue come up that she could not comprehend… Internet safety/ Internet scams. My children would think this is just crazy, others my age would appreciate that they are out there and we have to be cautious, but my mother just cannot comprehend that scams are out there. (This was the one that comes from a “lawyer” on “Lloyds of London” letterhead telling her that she has just come into $6 million.)
We all know that anyone who is slightly Internet-savvy can create Lloyds of London letterhead, even create an email address that looks like it is coming from them, claim to be a lawyer (or even better yet, just a real person) and convince people that it is all real. HOWEVER, as someone who only knows how to use the Internet to get email and order from Amazon, she cannot comprehend that scams like this could even happen. She truly believes that “if it is on the Internet, then it must be true” (probably as she believed that if it was on CBS Evening News or the NY Times, it must be true).
Do you have any research about Internet safety and the older generations? I would have to imagine she is not alone! How do we as those more familiar with the Internet let them know that there is a lot of garbage out there that can even hurt them?
Erinn
A:
Hi Erinn,
I haven’t seen anything specific on Internet scams, but I suspect this is just the latest incarnation of older people’s susceptibility to scams of all kinds – phone, Internet, someone dressed as a repairman at the front door, and so on. I’m afraid just as we have to help our children understand the implications of their online activity, we also need to help our older relatives – or ourselves – become increasingly savvy.
It’s clear that your mother is part of a growing trend in terms of Internet usage. Today, women over 55 are the fastest-growing demographic group of social network users; 41% of all Boomers (men and women) have visited online social networks. According to a 2009 Pew internet study, more than half of all Boomers are online on an average day, and more than a third go online several times a day. Forty-one percent of Boomers say they go online just to have fun. The NPD Group found that 61% of Boomer Internet users in the U.S. have visited sites that offer streaming or downloadable video.
There’s no turning back – it’s time for us all to learn the Internet ropes.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Warmly,
Tammy
Tammy’s Presentation Cited in Forbes: The Challenge of the Changing Workforce
Q:
Tammy:
Thanks for your work.
Kenneth G. Brill at Forbes recently wrote the following in an article:
I have found Tamara Erickson’s Challenge of the Changing Workforce very interesting, especially as it relates to projected skill shortages in the workforce and generational differences between traditionalists, boomers, Gen-X and Gen-Y. According to Erickson, “Ys desire big important tasks ... but they don’t necessarily want your job!” They are “happy to do the task, but not the time,” and “they are not the slightest bit deterred by what older workers might perceive as a lack of experience or even limited qualifications for the task at hand.”
I tried to find the cited work and have not. Where can I find the article or book? Amazon did not have the title.
Thanks,
Bill Doran
A:
Hi Bill,
The research that I’ve done on the generations threads through a number of the books and articles I’ve written. I’d suggest you start with Plugged In, which I wrote for members of Generation Y, but have had many older readers tell me they find very helpful in understanding Y’s’ perspectives and strengths. I also write about these topics often in my blog “Across the Ages,” which appears weekly on Harvard Business Press’ website: http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/erickson/.
“The Challenge of the Changing Workforce” is the title I frequently use for the speeches and workshops I do with senior executives. I’ve added the slides from a session I did last fall for the Harvard Business School Reunion classes to the downloadable documents on this site, and invite you to explore that, as well.
I hope that helps. Thank you for asking.
Best,
Tammy
Recommending Books on Career Development
Q:
Hi Tammy:
I love your book on Generation Y - and have used it since reading it. I teach at BU and also work at Natixis Global doing training. If you have any additional references or books around career development - especially in light of the market - that would be great. Would love to have you speak.
Thanks –
Gail
A:
Thanks, Gail!
I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying Plugged In and using it in your teaching and training. There’s a Manager’s Guide available on my website that you may find helpful, as well – it includes a discussion guide to use in conversations with Gen Y’s.
I think one of the best books available on adult careers is Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career by Herminia Ibarra (Harvard Business School Press, 2003). Ibarra is a respected academic; most of her research-based papers appear in academic journals. This book, written for a lay audience but based on her wonderful research, documents how adults reinvent themselves.
I quote several of Ibarra’s key findings in the book I wrote for Boomers, Retire Retirement: Career Strategies for the Boomer Generation. Like Plugged In, this book contains frameworks for thinking about the work that you’ll find most satisfying and engaging – in this case, if you’re a Boomer, looking to shape a second career path.
Another book I recommend is Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion After 50 by David D. Corbett and Richard Higgins (Jossey-Bass, November 2006). As the title indicates, the book discusses how to blend a variety of activities into a satisfying life.
And, I’d love to speak to your group. My speaking engagements are handled by Jacqueline Lewis of Monitor Talent; her information is included on the “contact” page of this site.
Thank you again,
Warmly,
Tammy
Practical Ways to Increase Innovation in the Workplace
Q:
Now-a-days we talk a lot about innovation and creativity. But these things are practically difficult to implement. Can you suggest some ways to start innovation in the workplace?
Thanks and regards,
Tushar Yadav
A:
Dear Tushar,
Thanks for this question – innovation is one of my favorite topics.
I have three practical suggestions for increasing innovation in the workplace.
1. Build trust-base relationships with colleagues. I call this strengthening your organization’s “collaborative capacity” because my research shows that people do not share ideas – that is, collaborate – unless they trust each other. And, unless you’re willing to share ideas with others, the likelihood of innovation is limited to only what resides in one individual’s head – usually not enough for sustained success!
2. Introduce diverse perspectives and new information. Make sure you and your colleagues are continually exposed to fresh thinking – even if it is not immediately apparent that it relates to the work at hand. It’s impossible to predict where that “ah ha” spark will come from. Observing and learning from a variety of sources is important stimuli.
3. Ask great questions. People don’t innovate because you ask them to innovate. They innovate because they are intrigued by a question or problem that they’d like to solve. Innovation is fundamentally a discretionary activity – people must be drawn to doing it. Provocative, compelling, important questions are the magnet.
I hope this helps – best wishes for much success.
Warmly,
Tammy
