Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – Leading and Connecting with the Next Generation by Understanding Generational Differences
June 2008
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As people, we are shaped and formed by a wide variety of forces and influences, including our culture, language, religion, parents, and life circumstances. We are also, to an extraordinary extent, shaped by the era in which we were born. In the past century global forces have been at work like never before; therefore, many people throughout the world have had similar experiences or have had to face similar situations at the same time. And since we live in a globalised world, with similar influences at play in different countries at the same time, people of the same age are likely to have similar value systems, regardless of their country or community of birth.
Shaping Moments
For example, we can look at two major tipping points in recent history. In almost every country in the world, the late 1960s and early 1970s saw significant defining events; 1968 was such a year in Western Europe and the USA, followed by the moon landing in the summer of 1969.
In other countries, we see similar defining moments—Gough Whitlam coming to power in Australia (1972), the Watergate scandal and Richard Nixon’s resignation (1972-1974), the global oil crisis (1973), the terror attacks in Munich (1972), Chile’s economic collapse and bloody coup (1973), Pol Pot’s Cambodian Revolution (1975), and South Africa’s youth uprising (1976). The list goes on and on. These events signalled a changing tide in world events, and triggered two decades of social, political, economic, and technological upheaval.
The second set of critical defining moments was the culmination of the chaos that had been fomenting for two decades. In the first few months of 1989, students led a Chinese revolution, culminating in May and June’s iconic Tiananmen Square protests. On 9 November of that same year, the Berlin Wall came down. On 20 December, America invaded Panama in one of her early “pre-emptive strikes.” On 25 December the Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceauşescu, was hanged outside his palace and Eastern Europe began to open up. The following day, Mikhail Gorbachev announced perestroika in Russia and banned the communist party.
On 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after twenty-seven years in jail and his African National Congress and the Communist Party were unbanned in South Africa. In eight short months the world was changed forever!
Because our worldview and value systems are largely shaped and formed in the first ten years of our lives, the Baby Boomers (whose values were moulded in the 1950s and 1960s) found their idealism and “live your best life now” purpose-filled worldview largely unchanged by these tumultuous decades. Not so the young people whose value systems were shaped and formed after 1968.
Today’s Young People
The generation of children whose worldviews were shaped during the 1970s and 1980s developed an air of scepticism about those in control of the world, and are characterised by a sense of impermanence and a pragmatic view of the future. These are the so-called “Generation Xers,” who are currently entering mid-life, and having an impact as decision-makers in all areas of life. They want flexibility, and prioritise family and friends above work commitments. They are addicted to change and approach life as pragmatic realists.
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Dr. Graeme Codrington is an author, speaker, and consultant on the issue of people strategy. He works with businesses, non-profits, and faith-based organizations, helping them to understand and connect better with their staff and customers. He can be contacted at [email protected]. |