Bridging the IT Generation Gap - ' New Energy '
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But the youth movement can be positive, too, bringing
new energy and better ways of doing business to
the enterprise, giving companies that manage the generational
transition well a leg up on their rivals. "The
ability of companies to understand these changes and
not just look askance at them will help attract bright,
creative people," says Chuck Cornelio, CIO at Lincoln
Financial, the $9 billion Philadelphia insurer. "The
more you can channel the positive aspects into the
corporate world, the more you create a competitive
advantage."
And managing across generations is an area
in which technology organizations, rarely seen as
hotbeds of social aptitude, have some built-in advantages
in terms of adjusting to new ways and helping
companies in transition. Tech culture, often informal
and built around constant change, overlaps in significant
ways with the worldview of younger workers.
"There is a style of technology management that
matches the expectations of younger workers," says
Mike Sutten, CIO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, the $5.2
billion Miami cruise line. "Trends like casual dress
and adapting the latest technologies are the way it's
always been here."
The nature of technology work, which is often
project-oriented, allows people more flexibility than
other jobs. "Solutions may be easier to find in the technology
world," says Erickson.
A word of caution: Making sweeping statements
about tens of millions of individuals, however close in
age they are, is a dangerous game. "It's degrading to
that generation, as it would be to any group, to just pull
out stereotypes, add some stats and flash to them, and
think you've said something meaningful," says Corey
Jamison, president of the Kaleel Jamison Consulting
Group, which specializes in diversity issues. "If someone
made generalizations about, say, African-American
women or Asian men, you'd be like, 'What?'"
Point taken. The anecdotes and observations in this
article do not define a generation. They do, however,
reveal something of the real-life experiences of IT
managers, academics and consultants as they cope
with actual issues in a changing workplace.
Page 3: Learning on the Job
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