Generational and Demographic Shift Article Analysis
Vasanthi Srinivasan (2012), in her article “Multi-generations in the workforce: Building collaboration”, has researched a series of aspects of multi-generations’ phenomenon that is crucial for the organizations’ success in the rapid growth context.
Generational diversity and shifts in the global demographics have been thoroughly considered by the author in relation to challenges that should be met by Indian organizations. The firms with the increased number of employees working in such industries as IT services, retail, financial services, and healthcare segments led to several problems. One of it refers to a high speed at which decision-making process has to be made. Another one relates to a pressure exerted on the company’s organizational design and corporate culture. Specifically, the informal work relations are destroyed under the event of “new-comers”, who are recognized by “old-timers” as ”outsiders” possessing higher qualifications and talents that the company had not faced before. The third problem is the expanding job requirements, which can hardly be addressed by key managers with lack of flexibility to change their behaviors and attitudes toward the new demands of the organization. The expanding job requirements would demand managers to involve in different types of delegation and development.In the articles, four groups of generations have been considered in depth.
They are: Veterans, also known as Adaptive Generation, Traditionalists, Silent generation, and Industrialists, were born in the period between 1920/22/25 and 1943/45 and were affected by the Great Depression and World War II. Their values are stability, integrity, security, and status.Baby boomers, also known as Sandwich and Vietnam generation, were born from 1940/42 to 1960-64, and have been involved in such events as the Civil Rights movement, the sexual revolution, and the Vietnam War. Their values are money and self-realization.
Gen X also referred to as Baby Busters, Generation 2000, and MTV generation were born in a period from 1961/64 to 1975/83. They experienced periods of economic recovery and 1980s downturn. Their values are self-reliance, entrepreneurship, and techno-literacy.Gen Y, also recognized as Millennials, Echo Boomers, Digital and Dotcom generation (1984/94 - 2000). They became a part of the period of terrorists’ attacks, 9/11 attack in the U.S., earthquakes and tsunami. They are goal-oriented, technologically-skilled and globally-educated.The author has examined diversified socio-cultural and economic environments of India and explored how Indians generations are embedded into it. Being one of the most diverse countries on the globe, out of 1,2 billion people living in India, 29,7% of the population is ranged between 0-14 years of age, 64,9% is 15-64 years of age, and 5,5% above 65 years. It is forecasted that by 2020, over 50% of Indians will be below age 25 and the panel of talented and skilled young people under age 30 will have increased by 5,6%.
In the paper, an analysis of a variety of categorization of Indian generations has showed that five values distinguished as different to the Western categorizations, including relation to one’s in-group, harmony and respect, duty in contrast to irresponsibility, favoritism of personalized relations, and preference …
