Scott Mills, Ph.D.
For each generation of employees, Dr. Rodgers and I have identified some key leverage points in efforts to create change and foster innovation in organizations. These are rooted in the generational worldview or story that I have written about earlier as well as the characteristics that we have seen across the generations. I chose to start this series by stating what might seem obvious but doesn't quite play out that way. The most important strategy for enlisting Gen X in change efforts is to recognize their value.
As I noted in an earlier article, Gen X has been largely invisible as a generation even as our societal contributions have continued to grow. Where would we be without Google and Amazon? Thank the Xers. Gen X has grown up in a period where children were largely ignored by American culture. We came home to empty houses as latch key kids, learned to fend for ourselves and spent "quality time" with our parents. As a result, one of the most significant elements of our worldview tends to be a sense of being unseen or invisible. This is especially true for institutions.
This has had direct implications for the business world. The most obvious example is that almost all business journal articles on the generations are currently focusing on Boomers or Millennials. While we are small in numbers, we are incredibly innovative. Our capacity to see outside of the box often leads to creative solutions that would otherwise go unseen.
However, our basic skepticism of authority figures means that we may not share our ideas unless we are in a place of trust. Our ideas and innovations have become our capital with which we can move from company to company. This can lead to a huge loss of knowledge and innovation for companies that are busy paying attention to retiring Boomers and entering Millenials. You may have noticed that many Xers simply strike out on their own and then hire themselves out to companies that truly value them as consultants.
So the starting point for enrolling Gen X in change management efforts (as well as keeping them on the job) is to actively value the work that we do, speak with integrity making only commitments that you truly can keep and making an effort to see us. While this may take a bit of effort at first the payoff is increased sharing of high leverage ideas and commitment to organizations that value us.