Considering Generation Z

Always somewhat suspicious of such simplistic classifications.   Simply defining them  (generation Z, born after 1995) can create a narrative with a bias.   Does the narrative march on?     At least this piece admits that. 

Make Way for Generation Z in the Workplace      in K@W

As a group, they are “sober, industrious and driven by money,” reports the Wall Street Journal, but also “socially awkward and timid about taking the reins.” They are risk-averse and more diverse, says Inc. magazine. Forbes says they “want to work on their own and be judged on their own merits rather than those of their team.”

Generation Z is arriving, and they are different than previous generations – or at least that’s how this young cohort is being portrayed as it begins to enter the workforce. After the traditionalists, baby boomers, Generation X and Generation Y/millennials, we have Generation Z – that group born after 1995 now starting to graduate college.

But is Generation Z really different, and if so, how? When it comes to ascribing characteristics and accepting advice about a particular generation, caveat emptor. Over-generalizing about any group is a slippery business.

“We have to be careful that we are seeing people for the complex beings that they are,” says Wharton assistant management professor Stephanie Creary. Generational categories, she notes, might help us to understand commonalities. “But people are also going to behave in ways that are consistent with their multiple other identities. We want to make sure we are not creating biases.”   .... "