Listen to Your Child: Don Tapscott’s New Age Proposal

A few years ago we discovered with amazement that, perhaps for the first time in history, children knew and handled better than their parents a technology that was central to the development of society. These children had grown up surrounded by digital media (computers, video consoles, etc.) and they handled them much better than we do. Time has passed. The Internet has spread. The speed of connection is getting higher and higher. Great social networks and powerful communication tools have emerged. New mobile devices allow us to connect from anywhere on the planet. And what is more important: these children are now young people between 16 and 29 years old who are bursting into the market, in the workplace, in universities, and in every corner of society. They constitute what Don Tapscott calls the “Net Generation”, a genuinely transformative social force. They are the representatives of a new culture – that of collaboration through digital media – that will eventually prevail, and that is already changing the world as we know it.

The values that will mark the leadership of the future

Young people see the world differently. They create, learn, produce and consume differently. They approach new technologies naturally, without fear of things breaking, with the same naturalness with which we approach the toaster of bread. They have a very different vision of work, justice and social order. Therefore, it would be absolutely naïve to think that the “landing” of this new generation in the market, and in the political and economic organizations that we have created, will not affect us. Quite the contrary. Their new values, as has happened with previous generations, are the values of the future, the ones that will end up being imposed. That is why it is necessary to know them in depth. That is why it is necessary for us to maintain a relationship with them that is different from the traditional “command and control” of our parents. We must be aware that young people feel more comfortable and secure than their parents in the face of a technological innovation that leads us towards a new global networked world, in which they are the natives and we are the immigrants. There are many questions that we must ask ourselves: What are our young people really like? What is it that differentiates us from them? Why is it sometimes so difficult for us to communicate? What can we do to understand each other, and to attract and retain their talent? How will their new “way of being” affect our organizations? And the leadership of the future? To find an answer, in today’s conversation I will try to analyze Tapscott’s proposal for the new era. I can tell you something fundamental: the best way to understand what is happening is to listen carefully to what your child has to tell you. The message is clear: If you understand the new generation of Digital Natives, you will understand the future better. As Tapscott points out in his book Grown Up Digital, there are 8 key characteristics that differentiate Digital Natives – young people who have been born and raised with digital devices by their side – from their parents and other generations. To reach these conclusions, Tapscott conducted nearly 9,500 interviews with young people with the “Red gene” – representatives of the digital generation – and those who could already be their “parents”, representatives of the American Baby-boom generation. Below we are going to see the 8 differences in attitude, behavior and learning that characterize the new generation. Their importance is extraordinary, as they will have a decisive influence on leadership and the organizations of the future:

1. Freedom

Freedom to express themselves and freedom to choose. Web 2.0 has given them the opportunity to express themselves freely in personal blogs, wikis, forums, emails and social networks. In addition, the Internet provides them with the opportunity to access the products and services they are looking for. They no longer have to choose, like their elders, among the limited offer of a certain business. Now, through the Internet, they can find exactly what they are looking for, wherever they are, anywhere in the world. While we, digital immigrants, are often overwhelmed by the proliferation of communication channels, product offerings, new brands, and new functionalities and services on Google, they, as natives of the new world, naturally take advantage of technologies to move forward in the midst of the chaos of information until they find the message that fits their needs. From the point of view of our organizations, it is important that we realize that they also want to be free when choosing the place where they work, and that they expect to use their new ways of interacting indiscriminately at home and in the office. Their social boundaries are liquid and they use technologies to integrate their work and personal lives.

2. Customization

Young people with the “Red gene” feel the need to give a personal touch to everything around them to make it more like themselves: the ringtones on their mobile phone, the desktop settings on their computer, etc. For this reason, young people value that a product or service can be personalized, even if they ultimately prefer not to introduce any changes. When we were children, we did not have the opportunity to personalize our communications, our toys, or our mobiles. Nor could we choose the sources of information, since “the remote” of the television did not belong to us. Today’s young people can not only do it, but they expect to be able to personalize everything they touch, whether digital or not.

3. Scrutiny

As consumers, Digital Natives are willing to analyze and compare every service and every product, every promotional campaign and every corporate practice. No more uncritical assumption that the information we process is true, and that the product we buy is simply the best possible, and it can’t be any other way. Digital Natives are skeptical about the information they find on the Internet, and they know well how to search for it and how to find it. Therefore, what they expect is truthful and useful information for the consumer, rather than a strictly promotional message. A warning for parents. In contrast to this critical capacity, many young people are not aware that the private information they leave on social networks, for example on Facebook, can be used against them when it comes time to apply for a job. That is why it is important that you familiarize yourself with social networks, so that you can not only warn them of these dangers, but help them in the new digital world in the same way we do at home, in the town square or at school.

4. Integrity

Digital Natives know that technology helps to eliminate physical and mental barriers and, aware of this power, they expect both organizations (schools, companies, parties, associations) and other users to make ethical use of technology. They seek integrity and transparency in organizations as citizens, as consumers and as professionals. For them, honesty, authenticity and integrity are key, since their networks are based on trust. It is true that more than 50% of Digital Natives have downloaded illegal materials (songs, movies, etc.) at some point, but they either do not perceive it as illegal or justify it in some other way.

5. Natural collaboration

Digital Natives are “collaborators” by nature. They have created new forms of collaboration that allow them to cooperate and work as a team on an international scale to achieve shared goals. They are aware that, thanks to the community’s networked contribution, they have built the largest source of knowledge in history. Young people have created powerful networks of influence in which they provide information about brands, companies, products and services. This shared information, which takes into account the personal experiences of each one, can be decisive when making a decision in the market. They are “prosumers”, that is, producers and consumers of the products and services they use. They create networks of influence and collectively decide on the best brands or products.

6. Entertainment

The young people of the new generation have brought the mentality and interactivity of play to work. They learn by playing and interacting with the new reality. Therefore, they only release their creativity and talent if they really have fun with what they do. They do not accept the previous paradigm: there are some hours when you work and others when you have fun. That division, the one that says that personal life is for fun and that work is essentially “no life”, does not “like” them very much. They are looking to work in something that allows them to be the same person in their personal and professional lives. They need to work in an environment that satisfies them emotionally. Otherwise, they have no problem changing companies.

7. Speed

Digital Natives expect an almost immediate response, because speed is a fundamental characteristic of the new world in which we live. Information flows at full speed, the pace of change is increasingly accelerated. That is why young people are looking for technology to allow them to access other users, students, teachers and organizations more quickly. Digital communication is natural for them and, once they have started a relationship, they do not need personal contact to maintain it.

8. Innovation

The new generation is always looking for new ways of collaborating, entertaining, working, and learning. They therefore attach great importance to innovation and invention, and expect organizations to be able to incorporate these values to improve their functioning. In the workplace, innovation usually involves questioning the old ways of working, which we have created to solve problems that are no longer relevant to the organization. They do not readily accept “command and command,” bureaucracy, and hierarchies. They are creative and naturally collaborative.

By way of summary

Despite the negative view that people and organizations that resist change often project on young people, the new generation is fast and intelligent, and more open to diversity. They are able to manage large amounts of information more effectively. With their commitment to freedom and speed, they are transforming all the institutions of modern life: the market, work organizations, the family, politics, education, and culture. Eight characteristics define them, and differentiate them from the baby boomer generation: they appreciate freedom; they want to personalize everything, make it tailored to them; for them, collaborating with others is the most natural thing to do, and that is why they enjoy a conversation – in which they can participate – more than a conference in which they can only listen; they will examine both you and your organization; they value the integrity of people and causes; they want to have fun both at school and at work; for them, speed is the most natural thing; and innovation is part of their lives. These are key values, the ones that will mark the future of leadership and organizations. It is the new culture that is transforming society. It is truly fortunate that you have a representative of this new generation very close to you, in your family or even in your home. Listen actively to them and you will be able to know what the future looks like.