Why Gen-Z is Forcing a Management Style Reboot
Image from Revenue-hub.com
With this generation of workers respect cannot be 'demanded' nor taken for granted, but earned!
While in the last post we looked at what Gen-Z consumers expected from their brands. In this post we will shift the lens to the managers at these corporations. So, let's explore together how this set of professionals might just make managers adjust to them, instead of the other way around!
Same yet different
So we know this generation is more like a software upgrade from the Millennials. These Gen-Z 18-25 year olds have similar social and cultural values as their predecessors, but take things a notch further. Gen-Z has graduated from the Millennial social media outrage to actively trying to change what they don’t like.
The deviation tends to become more apparent when they exchange protest arm-bands for suits. Gen-Z has come of age through an economic recession and a planet past the ‘save-by’ date. Being made to clean up after the previous generations’ hedonism and denial of it's impact, has made Gen-Z practical and pragmatic in some ways.
Gen-Z pragmatism
A recent study by Deloitte tried to verify general impressions about Gen-Z formed over time by blogs and other studies. Below are some hypothesis they confirmed –
- Pragmatic professionals – they want financial security and not particularly looking to do what they ‘love’ like the Millennials
- Shop-in-shop work model – they prefer being entrepreneurial within the safety-net of a stable environment unlike the start-up Millennials
- Individual workers – this generation prefer being individual contributors but not isolated unlike team player Millennials
- Work for brands they like – they prefer working for brands and organisations they interact with in their personal lives
- Value sharing – quality product and service is a given. It’s the company’s core values and ethics that this generation want to connect with
Of these, the last two stood out for me. While brand familiarity might bring these workers through the doors, a shared value system would be needed to retain them.
Currency of authenticity
Now, one look at the management legacy of the retiring Boomer managers (50-60 year olds) and the people they have trained, and you can almost see Trouble! This generation seems short on patience and are not afraid of ‘calling people out’ on their double standards, platitudes and inaction.
By example, Unilever was forced to drop its ‘colourist’ products, albeit in name only, and closer home young people are downgrading Tik-Tok with nationalistic fervour.
Gen-Z is ‘demanding’ authenticity and they don’t seem to be in a mood to stop until they force a management reboot.
Seeking authenticity in leadership
So this naturally leads us to investigate 'authenticity' in the leadership context. Here I have tried to explore three parts of authenticity –
1. Transparency – this generation wants to know why they are doing what they are doing, what impact it will have on the world, if it’s the right thing to do. They want to know where they fit into the scheme of things.
Implications – managers need to be upfront and clear about what they are asking these professionals to do, given them the entire big picture instead of just telling them to follow
2. Responsibility and accountability – this generation has a different concept of hierarchical distances within an organisation. They are not afraid of speaking up, asking tough questions and holding people accountable irrespective of seniority.
Implications – managers stand to lose the 'immunity of seniority' that they enjoyed with previous generations. Gen-Z will no longer let their managers get away unquestioned. Possibly even bordering on how children hold their parents accountable when asked to 'do as they are told' and not 'as they are shown'.
3. Vulnerability – this is a big winner with Gen-Z. This generation acknowledges that it is only human to make errors. Their problem lies in denial, shifting blame, and not fixing whats broken! Admitting mistakes is not something associated with older styles of leadership where getting any kind of apology is akin to pulling teeth. The younger people acknowledge that people make mistakes.
Implication – managers who put aside their ego and admit their mistakes find their teams more than ready to help them fix things. The old-school managers who stand stiff break with the wind as their own teams allow them to take the fall they deserve.
To conclude, I think it’s safe to say that the era of the 'tough boss' who was above reproach is coming to an end in the board rooms.
Gen-Z want managers to be honest and transparent with them about, not just their role in the larger scheme of things, but also their larger impact. They seek accountability and someone who is not afraid of admitting their mistakes and fixing things when they go wrong.
As the corporate world readies to welcome a new generation of professionals, it is perhaps for the first time that new entrants are re-writing the management rule-book for their managers.
