Awareness, first approaches and solutions
When Friedrich, Peterson and Koster published in March 2011 that "Generation C will have an impact comparable to that of the Industrial Revolution, except that things will happen faster", they had no idea how true their projection was.
Certainly, they were not yet aware of the emergence of Generations Z and Alpha, but for the time being, the latter two classifications have yet to have a clear impact, and it's worth pointing out that this article will refer to Generation C as a psychographic group defined as "connectedness, communication, collaboration, creativity, content" and not as a definition of those born and raised during the pandemic. Human beings and their intra- and interpersonal interactions are only just beginning to be (somewhat) better defined, and have not yet really emerged from the academic realm. The old "good" practices of human management in the organizational field persist and prevail, even in their normative aspects. So it's easy to understand why, in a global structure that categorizes people by generation according to their year of birth, Generation C is a UFO.
Unlike baby-boomers, Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers, Gen-Cers don't fit into sociological boxes defined by their birth.
First and foremost, it's a psychographic group, i.e. a group of people who share the same behavior, the same state of mind, the same values, personality traits, attitudes, lifestyles... Which means that any member of the baby-boomer, X or Y generations can be a Generation C member.
It's this new classification, outside the usual canons of organizational sociology, that managerial habits will come up against. How do we deal with something we don't understand? How do we accept a way of thinking defined outside the sacrosanct principles of logical intelligence, and above all, how do we apprehend it ourselves when we've built ourselves on the previous mold? How can we interpret a relationship with ourselves and with others whose very foundations are at odds with the foundations of the system that enables us to understand them, and yet should help them to evolve?
These are the questions that have tossed and turned brilliant minds for years, and whose conclusions will be inherited by generations Z and Alpha.
Clearly, while the solutions are still open, in my opinion there are still two essential avenues to explore for any manager, human resources manager or executive.
In my experience of providing support during the transformation phase, which is particularly sensitive in terms of its negative impact on people, only one strategy has worked in the long term, and that strategy can be defined according to two criteria, two observations.
First and foremost, the one and only element that defines us all, whoever we are, wherever we come from, whatever we aspire to is emotion.
Secondly, it's worth looking at the convergence of the various academic or consultancy studies since 2015 on the main reasons for turnover. Strangely enough, salary is far from being the primary reason for departure or arrival. Instead, we need to look at recognition (or the lack of it), the work environment and career prospects. In other words, we're witnessing a profound rethinking of the self within the organization.
HR marketing is obviously a first solution, but is it really adapted to your structure? The forced implementation of an aberration such as Lean Management demonstrated the crucial importance of the previous question. It's important not to make the same mistake again.
The solution I chose to bring to the table, and which to date has been a success, is not to consider that we need to adapt Generation C to our structure, or our structure to Generation C, but rather to move the whole forward as a new entity. Redefining a new group through a new shared commitment to a new common goal, which must be the quest for meaning.
It's easy to see the damage caused by confinement and our inability to rethink our managerial model. The arrival of Generation Z, a direct heir to the family tree but infinitely more individualistic than Generation C, is not going to reshuffle the deck. It will simply highlight our structural weaknesses and reinforce our lack of understanding of a world that is changing faster, too fast, and the devastating generational disparities that follow.
Without going so far as to point to the disappearance of an old world of ideological confrontation and its void sadly filled by "influencers" and the triumph of immediacy, easy thinking and populism, we are nonetheless beginning to see the emergence of new concepts that are already overtaking decision-makers, such as quiet quitting and quiet firing, but above all, much worse, ageism.
These notions are the passion of researchers in psychosociology, organizational sociology and other fields. And believe me, as a psychosociologist myself, this isn't exactly good news for you.