Young Identity

Thinking Out of the Box Young Identity

We Are Young

When Millennials began entering the workforce in the 2000s, employers noticed that this generation believes it is special. Raised in an era of structured activities and “helicopter” parents, Millennials’ identities were bolstered by assurances that they can do anything. Workers hold identities tied to their life roles. The salience of these roles varies by personality, SES, life stage, and cohort membership. Individuals of a generational cohort are affected by the same historical events, societal perspectives, technological advances, and the economy. Cohort members share values that cause them to similarly prioritize particular roles. In addition to believing that they are special, Millennials expect immediate recognition and authority. They challenge senior members if they have something valuable to contribute. Initially, coworkers resented this unwillingness to pay their dues. However, expectations are met in organizations shifting to team-based structures. Teams allow Millennials to work side-by-side with senior workers. Their identities lead them to express their opinions and share in success. But, given inexperience and overprotective parents, Millennials may be unwilling to accept responsibility for failures. Millennials’ desire for success doesn’t mean they prioritize their work over other roles. Career success is less important for Millennials than for previous generations. Many tout a working to live, rather than a living to work attitude of their parents, which affects workers outside their cohort. Many employees now understand that leadership positions and high compensation do not ensure happiness. Combined with the economic downturn, Millennials know that power and wealth are fleeting; better to find happiness by balancing work, family and other roles. •

A Blurred Identity

One expectation of Generation Y is the level of flexibility and balance, particular in comparison to the Baby Boomers. With technologies such as Facebook, we see a blurring of the traditional workplace boundaries. Where the physical office once set the line between work and home for baby boomers, Generation Y now has a home office and a home in the office. From work dominating life to work-life balance, the younger generation now sees the relationship as a work-life integration. Technology has played a major enabler in this transition and reformation of the workplace. From mobile phones to other computing devices, technology has freed many from the physical boundaries of the workplace. Technology has also changed in the way people communicate with one another. Growing up with technology from a very young age, Generation Y has learned to navigate the socio-technical. This includes everything from knowing how to manage a digital identity to managing relationships, and even to creating a new language (e.g. lol). A person’s identity and how such is managed is also strongly influenced by these different mediums. Customizing your workspace or customizing your online profile leaves new ways of identity management. In the next 5-10 years, we’ll begin to see how these new boundaries are established, the new identities of the younger generation, and a lot of companies will have to see and question some of their assumptions. However, it will be those companies who cannot recognize their own generational frames and who cannot integrate multiple frames who will unfortunately face the greatest struggles and conflicts.•

KAREN MYERS

primary areas of research involve organizational communication. She was the 2006 winner of the W. Charles Redding Award for the Outstanding Dissertation in Organizational Communication. PHILLIP AYOUB

recently completed a PhD in Information Sciences & Technology at the Pennsylvania State University, focusing on the intersection of innovation, design, and strategy.