When people discuss enterprise 2.0 things often shift to Generation Y for whom new tools and practices are a part of their DNA. But I don’t think we have to consider enterprise 2.0 is about those young people and that older ones are barrier to change.
My experience tends to prove it : leaders we can see emerging within companies share a lot of common points…but not their age.
We can see people aged 40 or 50 really embracing the phenomenon and Gen Yers staying in the starting blocks. The contrary is sometimes true too. But as this computerworld study says, generational barrier is a myth. It seems confirmed by the fact the most active member on the CIA’s Intellipedia platform is more than 60.
There are many differences between generations, but not always those we think.
A common place is to think it’s a matter of technophily which is a big mistake. This was true ten years ago about people of my age who where building their own sites and exploring the web, but it’s not anymore with those who now have the age we had at this time. Tools and social practices are a part of their DNA, of their day to day life. They don’t learned, they don’t adopt them because they liked technology, they were born with and have been using them. Period. They don’t care about knowing how it works and face the same difficulties as their elders as soons as they face a non user-friendly tool. Perhaps the presumed technophobia of Gen Xers or Baby Boomers is more due to the fact we were provided with rustic tools. Put any Gen Yer in front of a “good old” ERP : I’m not sure he will enjoy it. And, as a nice picture is always better than a long talk, this one is ver eloquent.
Saying that, the difference would be rather in the practices they developped. Those who had the chance to be born with easy to use softwares and have always known internet developped practices and a way to behave which are different from older people, but not because they liked it, just because it was possible. It also explain why seniors who want to get involved in “2.0-things” can make it without any difficulty. The proof is the amount of blogging Grandads and Grannies for whom keeping in touch with the outside is really essential.
The “Y” who join a company which has its codes and its way to do things may be forced to forget its own specificities because he don’t want to feel alone, to fight against organizational culture, is afraid to loose his job etc. In the other hand, in a more favorable environment, with open minded seniors who are open to change, he can be himself. But nothing says that tomorrow, because they will be more and more numerous, because companies won’t have the choice, Gen Yers will be able to force organizations to cope with them. But the facts remain : for any organization willing to work as networks, acculturating Gen Yers is a possible option which is dangerous for the future as they loose the occasion to use a wonderful change lever.
And what about seniors ? Before, in a few years, swelling the ranks of retired blogging grannies and grandads, they have a whole experience to teach, to transmit. And most of time they really want to share it all. Perhaps their will of transmitting before leaving could a be a real driver for enterprise 2.0 adoption. And transmitting knowledge is one of E2.0 holy Graal, isn’t it ?
If young people are of of the E2.0 main drivers, leaders will be older because they have more exerience to share and may help new joiners to use their skills in a business context.
If tomorrow’s enterprise will belong to Generation Y, today mixing all generation is key. The elder are often those who make things possible. It’s up to the Y to show what’s possible, and to the others to give it value in a business context.
Perhaps it’s the occasion to reivent mentorship in order to connect those who have things to tell to those who master the tools that makes learning easy : this kind of synergies will make gold.
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