How Do We Bridge the Generation Gap
Introduction
I was twenty-three years old when I bought my first smart device. When my thirteen-year-old daughter asked me to buy her a smart device, I couldn’t very well tell her to wait ten years. My generation, which only dealt with technology relatively late, is entirely different from her generation, which was born with everything around it connected to technology in one way or another.
Our generation, which did everything with difficulty (by today’s standards), is different from the generation that used a remote control to flip through TV channels. Our generation, which memorised phone numbers or noted them down in a personal address book, is different from today’s generation, which only remembers its own number (and some don’t even remember that).
This is a clip published on YouTube around 3 years ago that shows how hard it is for children of this generation to understand how to deal with things we used to deal with daily when we were their age.
And here’s another clip published on YouTube 11 years ago titled:
A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work
The clip shows how a little girl interacted with the magazine as if it were an iPad she’s used to playing with from time to time, and her clear frustration with the magazine’s lack of response, the way the iPad would respond to her, is obvious.
The people in these clips are the users of many of the products and services in our world today.
What’s the Solution, and How Can We Close This Gap?
The older generation hesitates before trying any new technology, and as soon as they try one and even if they struggle to adapt, they then wonder how they used to handle the problem the old, traditional way. By contrast, the new generation enjoys a high level of flexibility and adopts everything new in technology much faster.
The designer doesn’t see things from the same perspective as the person the services are being designed for. The generation occupying the leadership and decision-making seats carries an old administrative legacy that no longer fits this era. Even when the team responsible for designing the initial prototypes or experiences is young, the decision ultimately rests with a senior figure who doesn’t see the world from the same lens as they do. The same dilemma shows up in designing policies and procedures, and in the digitisation of services.
Veterans handle complex cases and emergencies far better, and the new generation has to respect the wisdom accumulated over the years. Every generation has its strengths and weaknesses, and success lies in harnessing the strengths of both generations to arrive at the best solutions, which will ultimately serve a specific segment of customers. The new generation, with its love of technology, won’t be able to design solutions and services for older adults on its own, and the same applies to the veterans, who won’t be able to design solutions and services for teenagers on their own.
Why do you think some leading companies have started bringing on board employees who haven’t even started university yet? They have no real practical experience to speak of, but they bring a perspective that none of the veterans in the company can see through. They renew the lens through which the company looks at everything around it.
The same dilemma applies in human resources. The old guard, with their attachment to their traditional school, cause many friction points with new graduates, and that’s why we see very high resignation rates. Setting aside the lack of patience of this generation, the core problem is that their needs haven’t been taken seriously. What yesterday’s leaders saw as job perks, today’s employees consider basic rights. We shouldn’t judge today’s employees by the standards of yesterday’s generation. Leaders of the past, you are the ones who need to change the way you think, because you won’t be able to change the way an entire generation thinks, not through intimidation and not through inducement. Times have changed.
In Closing
This isn’t a call for the new generation to rebel against the old. There’s no substitute for the wisdom of the experienced in steering the ship. But the old guard has to make some concessions when it comes to designing experiences and solutions, and leave it to those who are younger, those who grew up with digital products from their earliest years. And if they’re hesitant to take that path, user testing of the initial prototypes or solutions will be the strongest proof of the soundness of their decision to step back.
This is a call to practise empathy between the two generations, so that there’s greater harmony between superiors and subordinates. Empathy will help each generation get past the flaws their generation carries (at least in the eyes of the other generation).
Dear readers, have you noticed this gap in your workplaces, and how have you dealt with it? Share your experiences in the comments.
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