Generation Blend

ROB SALKOWITZ is a writer and consultant specializing in the social implications of new technology. He has worked with leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, to help formulate market strategy and articulate business goals. Rob is coauthor (with Dan Rasmus) of Listening to the Future: Insights from the New World of Work (published by Wiley). He lives and works in Seattle, Washington.www.generationblend.com

• Preface xiiiChapter 1: Introduction 1Technology as the Locus of Conflict 4Technology as the Enabler of Potential 8Why Should We Care about Generational Attitudes Toward Technology? 10Generation Blend 13Chapter 2: Changing Workforce, Changing Work 17The Looming Skills Shortage 18How Technology Changes Work 27Disruptive Impacts of Technology 35Outlook 42Chapter 3: Understanding the Generations 45Life Stages and Generations 45Generational Analysis as a Forecasting Methodology 48Generation vs. Generalization: A Few Caveats 50What is a Generational Attitude? 53Generational Attitudes and Workstyles 56Outlook 61Chapter 4: Older Workers: Blending Experience with Technology 63The Silent Generation 65Older Boomers 68Growing Up Pre-Digital 71Technology Issues Facing Older Workers 75Why It Matters: Capturing Knowledge 85Outlook 88Chapter 5: Younger Workers: With Great Potential Comes Great Expectations 91Who are the Millennials? 92Millennials and Technology 96Millennials in the Workforce 102Why It Matters: Managed Innovation 120Outlook 125Chapter 6: Generation X-ecutive: Leadership from the Outside In 131Late-Wave Boomers 132Generation X 135GenX in the Workforce 140Midcareer Workers: Technology Created in Their Image 145Why It Matters: Becoming Leaders 150Outlook 152Chapter 7: Reintegrating Older Workers into the Connected Information Workplace 155The Digital Age Gap 157Serving the Technology Needs of Older Adults 159Learning Style of Older Adults 162First Steps 163Moving Beyond the Basics 169Bringing Skills and Experience to the Connected Workplace 172Becoming Comfortable in the Digital Culture 174Navigating Unmanaged Information Space 176Connecting the Generations 182Keeping Pace with Rapid Change 183What Other Organizations Can Learn from OATS 185Outcomes 187Chapter 8: Ambassadors of the Future: Turning to Younger Workers for Strategic Insights 189Microsoft and the Future of Work 191Scenario Planning 193Following Up: Board of the Future 2005 197Technology and Society: The Perception Study 200Refining the Scenarios: Characters and Narratives 203Forecasts 205Outcomes 208Chapter 9: Across the Digital Age Gap 211Are You Clearly Explaining the Benefits of Technology? 212Are You Providing a Business Context for Your Technology Policies? 217Are You Making the Technology Accessible to Different Workstyles? 220Does Your Organizational Culture Support Your Technology Strategy? 225Are You Building Bridges, Not Walls? 231Final Thoughts 237Acknowledgments 241Index 245