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Millennials Are Reshaping the Workplace

leading-older-generationBy Dr. Oliver Hedgepeth
Program Director, Government Contracts and Acquisition at American Public University

“We millennials are too self-centered and all about ‘me’ that we do not deserve to have a title like millennial,” stated Matt, a 19- year-old, second-year nursing student.

Matt had just finished a summer volunteer project as part of his Christian ministry, along with nearly 200 others of his age group. While Matt is not sure about his college-age generation or his tough road ahead to become a nurse, he says that his fellow volunteers thought he was “weird because he has a plan and is saving his money.” He is saving for his future.

Matt says that his high school experience did not involve a lot of homework and, when it was assigned, students did not work alone. They used social media and all sorts of technology to work out homework assignments. The point, after all, is to finish the assignment. And if a group solves the homework for each member, that is OK and how the world works in this age group.

He says his summer friends from dozens of colleges and universities tell the same story that “the teacher gives exams online and tells students to take as much time as they need, working together with your student friends.” He says, with conviction, that teamwork on exam questions “is not cheating.”

This millennial discussion with Matt was just prior to my attending the 2015 World Congress of the National Contract Management Association. As a teacher, I kept thinking about the work ethic of this generation that is about to take the reins of the country when the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers move aside. I spent a week listening to issues in today’s government contract and project management world of cost overruns, waste and fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance. Matt’s comments became a lens for all that I heard.

Many presenters observed that for companies to be successful, they need transformative ideas and that millennials need to bring that transformation. Many noted that their youngest workers challenge the rules.

[Related: Navigating the Leadership Labyrinth: A Transformational Year in Review]

There were discussions on to how to build better relationships between the generations. All this was connecting or building a bridge between how to deal with people like Matt and engage them in the contracting world.

Many of the speakers openly expressed the feeling that millennials are afraid to take a risk and fail. They are not being innovative or embracing any desire for innovation. The question lingering in this conference was: How do we prepare millennials for work today?

I think millennials may become the new knowledge management generation. People like Matt share knowledge to find answers. They like to have fun doing so. Today’s retirement generation ran on rules and regulations, placing fences around knowledge-sharing and competing with each other for a share of the work.

Maybe this new generation will do just fine in taking the reins of power as team-builders. Are there challenges ahead? Yes. But the workplace goals of executives and college kids may not be as far apart as either side fears.

The millennial generation will change the landscape of teaching, the business model in the boardroom, and where the boardroom and classroom are located.

[Related: Marrying Generation X and Y: Changing the DNA of Corporate Culture]

About the Author: Dr. Oliver Hedgepeth is the program director for Government Contracts and Acquisition at American Public University (APU). He is the former program director of Reverse Logistics Management and Transportation and Logistics Management. Prior to joining APU, Dr. Hedgepeth was a tenured associate professor of Logistics and chair of the Logistics Department at the University of Alaska Anchorage. His book, RFID Metrics, was published in 2007 by CRC Press and is in revision.

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