I am a huge fan of Eric Chester, an American author, speaker and consultant who focuses on understanding what he calls “Generation Why” (what a cool title!! I wish I had thought of that first). You can see his excellent work at http://www.generationwhy.com.
He has a nice summary of the three generations now in the workplace. The dates on his summary reflect the consensus among American researchers. My own dates (Boomers 1946-1965; Xers 1966 - 1985 and Millennials 1986 - present) reflect more of an international bias, recognising that different countries arte slightly ahead or slightly trailing these median date ranges.
Read Eric’s summary at his website (and spend some time looking around while you are there), or see below.
Generational Comparison Chart :: Attitudes and Influences of Adolescence |
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TOPIC |
BABY BOOMERS 1946-1964 |
GENERATION X 1964-1979 |
GENERATION Y (WHY) 1980-1994 |
| The Future | Is ours! | Sucks! | Might not happen! |
| Television | Bonanza | Family Ties | Jerry Springer |
| Wealth | I’ll earn it! | I don’t care that much about it. | Gimme, or I’ll take it! |
| Heroes/Role Models | Men of Character | Men and Women of Character | What’s Character? |
| Kids Killing Kids | Unthinkable | It’s possible | It’s everywhere |
| For Kicks | Drive-Ins | Drive Thrus | Drive Bys |
| Employment for Teens | Hard to find | I’ll work if I have to. | Jobs are a dime a dozen! |
| Loyalty to Employer | I could work my way to the top! | This could lead to the top! | If I can’t take Saturday off, I’ll quit! |
| Parents | Try to please them. | Try to put up with them. | Aren’t around much. |
| Justice | Always prevails | Usually prevails | Can be bought |
| School/Training | Tell me WHAT to do. | Show me HOW to do it. | WHY do I need to learn this? |
| Respecting Elders | Is automatic | Is polite | Just because they’re older? No way! |
| Credit/Borrowing | Only if I have to. | If I really want something. | How much can I get? |
| Environment | Don’t litter. | Save the whales. | It’s too late now. |
| Government | Is there dishonesty? | There is dishonesty! | Is there honesty? |
| Communication | Via parents’ phone | Via personal phone | Pager/cell phone/E-mail/chat rooms |
| Shock Rock Icons | Little Richard | Boy George | Marilyn Manson |
| Elvis Presley | Ozzy Ozborne | Nirvana | |
| Alice Cooper | Madonna | Eminem | |
| Change | Dislike | Accept | Demand |
| Streetwise | Naïve | Aware | Experienced |
| Technology | Ignorant | Comfortable | Masters |
| Video Game | Pong | PacMan | Mortal Kombat |
| Pornography | In Movie Theaters | In Video Stores | On TV, or a click away online. |
| Promiscuity leads to | Mono | Herpes | AIDS |
Source: http://www.generationwhy.com/articles-and-information/generational-comparison-chart.html
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