The latest issue of Fast Company served an interesting article by Danielle Sacks titled "Scenes from the culture clash" (access code from page 10 of print edition needed - could give it away but that would probably get me into trouble... sigh).
In essence it tells about generation-Y (birthday post 1977) clashing with the classic hierarchy of corporations.
Little respect for positions, no waiting for hierarchical acceptance, little patience for the whole structure nor its mechanism.
Danielle tells a tale about a psychiatrist who handles some of the "victims" of this particular culture clash. And lo and behold, it's not the young ones who comes to her office, it's the old hands who needs therapy - the "traumatised bosses"!
Heh. I like that. No feeling sorry for, sorry. Deserved.
Thanks to the web, IM, online games, blogs, etc. - we have a new generation who's wired in networking, who "lives" in a transparent world, used to stick their heads out, used to personal image risk, used to learning by doing and who takes real conversations with no limits for granted.
How can they ever fit into the classic control and command structures with little transparency?
Never I say.
How can current management adjust to the new workforce the article asks.
Not. Forget adjusting the managers, adjust the notion of managers being a necessity I say.
(Managers is the hierarchy after all...)
Awast ye scurvy hierarchies!
No change of heart there :)
[PS: Happy new year to all!]
I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. The corporate environment can indeed create a kind of culture clash, especially when values, mores, and norms do not coincide.
Posted by: panasianbiz | July 13, 2006 at 21:14