“Young people are out of control these days. They eat rudely, are disrespectful to adults, oppose their parents, and annoy their teachers…”
This sentence is not something your neighbor aunt said; 2362 years ago B.C. It was said by Aristotle in 350. So nothing has changed since then...
The most important rule of communication is to accept the other person as he is. Unfortunately, we all see others as ourselves, both in business and family life, and expect the same mindset and performance from them. When we can't see, we start fighting. One of the most important reasons for this conflict stems from not understanding the generations and generation conflict. So what is a generation? The dictionary meaning of the concept of generation is 'the community of people who were born approximately in the same years, shared the conditions of the same age, therefore similar troubles and destinies, and were obliged to similar duties. When sociological definitions are examined, generations are born on certain dates and share common social, political, economic, etc. They can be explained as groups with common values, beliefs, expectations and behaviors because they have been affected by events and have assumed similar responsibilities due to circumstances.
It would not be correct to classify generations only based on the time periods in which they were born. At the same time, defining the thoughts, feelings and experiences of the community that makes up the generations is also used to classify them. Working styles shaped by important events, social trends and organizational cultures arise from generational differences. However, each generation develops its own unique perspective on what is right and wrong in that job and creates its rights and wrongs accordingly. This situation forms the basis of cultural differences and communication problems between generations working together in organizations. Each generation has its own characteristics that show ways of perceiving life and different communication styles, as well as behavior patterns other than current living and working habits. Each generation has characteristics, values and attitudes, strengths and weaknesses. is. If we define these generations according to the years they were born; those born between 1946-1964 are called "Boomer Generation", those born between 1965-1979 are called "Generation X", those born between 1980-1999 are called "Generation Y", and those born between 2000-2021 are called "Generation Z".
95 percent of the people belonging to the "Silent Generation" born between 1927-1945 have retired and in a very short time they will have no employees left in either industry or other fields. The cultural elements of this generation include extended families, local social groups and intense neighborly relations. The basic values of the society are respect for authority, loyalty, hard work and dedication to social values. Their philosophy of life is to work to live.
The generation with another philosophy of working to live is the "Boomer Generation" born between 1946 and 1964. It is also called the "Baby Boomers" generation because of the 1 billion babies born during the "population explosion" years after the Second World War. Individuals born during this period are called "Cold War" children. It can be defined as the generation formed by people born in the years when the world's human rights movements, the golden age of radio, and Turkey's revolution and the pain of the multi-party period were experienced. It is a generation in which growth, prosperity, and a sense of longing for goods and services predominate. This generation is described as “prescriptive”. They have a high sense of loyalty, are content, and can work in one place for a long time. It can be said that technology is close to some and far from others. This generation is hard-working, idealistic, and harmonious in its decisions. It is also stated that this generation has some negative characteristics such as a sense of entitlement, workaholism and selfishness. Believing in hard work and the importance of working long hours, members of this generation work with a long-term employment approach. It can be said that they have a structure that motivates themselves and does not like to be appreciated.
The reason why "Generation Reason; In those years, the world This is due to the fact that it has begun to experience significant changes and transformations. The positive developments in living conditions during the period in question also had an impact on the behavior of individuals, causing them to attach importance to elements related to social life other than financial issues. It is a generation that is as contented, socialistic, loyal and idealistic as possible, to which the dynamics of the changing world hit their faces mercilessly. They are sensitive to social problems, have high work motivation, and are respectful to authority. Generation X people are used to solving their own problems and therefore have higher self-confidence and work ability. Unlike the previous generation, which strictly adhered to hierarchy, believed in the importance of authority, and did not like change, X's are known for their independence. In this generation that is too focused on money, individualism and competitiveness have become more important. There is a purchasing style that emphasizes that you are not selling, I am buying. Their view of work is as a Generation that "Works to Live". X's, the children of women who struggled to gain a place in the business world, were the first generation to meet "gender equality". Unlike their fathers, the male representatives of this generation have undertaken more duties in family life and child care.
The "Generation Y", which differs from other generations due to the positive conditions of the period in which they grew up, also has technological opportunities. They grew up in a developing world. Generation Y, defined as the period after 1980 in Turkey, is the children of the technology-friendly, individual, comfortable and globalizing world where PC and GSM technologies were born. Changes and transformations in living conditions have caused Generation Y to have different expectations, hopes and preferences than other generations. While this generation, which exhibits behavior patterns other than current working habits, adds different values to organizations, it also stands out as a generation that is criticized and viewed with suspicion.
In 2025, it is expected that nearly 60 percent of the workforce in developing countries such as Turkey will be from Generation Y. Nowadays, generation Y is interested in entertainment, traveling, living, trying new things, It is noteworthy that they attach importance to the elements of success, money, shopping, knowing what they want, working hard, pursuing their dreams, questioning and making time for their loved ones. They are narcissistic, individualists and entrepreneurs. Technology is the symbol of many things in their lives and they are a generation that acts aggressively towards authority. They love to be free; They change jobs frequently, so their sense of belonging is weak, and they like their talents to be managed, not themselves. The things that people like themselves work for or buy are more important to them.
Working by balancing work and life is important to them. They want to gain authority and responsibility and be promoted in a short time. They want to get feedback from their manager or family, not indignity, and they want to get the feedback, whether positive or negative, one-on-one, not in front of everyone. They show less respect for position and more respect for talent and success. For Generation Y, it is not very important what your experience and position are. Things such as position, title, and age do not affect young people much. They may prefer working in an institution where they feel valued over a job that will pay more. They care more about the investment in personal development and development opportunities in the company they work for than the salary they will receive. Generation Y's biggest concern about work is; not being appreciated. Generation Y expects managers to improve themselves. Another equally important feature is being open to creative and innovative ideas. The ideal manager profile of Generation Y emerges as a person who "appreciates effort and provides guidance". Young people do not really care if the manager is entertaining.
The most distinctive feature of Generation Y is that they live online 24×7 and use social media very effectively in every sense. Representatives of this generation also expect this from their employers. A generation that follows technology closely, shops online, can do more than one job at the same time, can easily grasp simultaneous information from different sources and tools, is fond of freedom, is willing to learn, values its family, is relationship-oriented, socially conscious, cooperative and impatient. . Working in a job with a good employer brand is an important indicator for him/her. ir.
The last generation I will talk about is Generation Z, defined for the years 2000-2021. Many features of Generation Z indicate that it will be a GSM-based generation. Generation Z draws attention with its behavioral characteristics that are fond of worldly pleasures, grasp technology quickly, and carry out their work in a short time and meticulously. Generation Z, who uses technology to an advanced level, is growing up with small portable devices that are always with them: computers, tablets, MP4 players, i-Pods and mobile phones. We can also call Generation Z, the children of the technology age, "digital natives". Hand, eye, ear, etc. in human history. The highest generation of motor skills synchronization. They enjoy activities that allow for creativity. They are results oriented. They will be multi-degree holders, experts and inventors. They are dissatisfied, indecisive and born consumers. They prefer to live alone. They care about justice and a climate of peace. They want to be similar, not different. They will live without question, everything will be done by systems during their work period, decisions will be made by artificial intelligence. The spiritual spirit of this generation must be managed. Changes and transformations in living standards have caused the individuals of Generation Z to grow up in a completely different world compared to other generations, and especially the advances in technology have caused the individual characteristics of the generation in question to differ from other generations. It is estimated that this generation will be the most educated generation in history. It is already predicted that this generation, which will have old, rich parents and few siblings, will be materialistic.
In summary, the cultural structure of societies changes over time due to economic, political, social and technological factors. The fact that adult generations are not as willing as new generations to accept the elements of the cultural structure that has changed over time results in the generations not being able to understand each other and the formation of some differences in their views, thoughts and opinions. Moreover, the fact that each generation has different opportunities according to the conditions of the period they are in has brought about the fact that individuals grow up with different opportunities over time.
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