How the next generation – and all of us – will save the world
I was recently interviewed for an article Why the world will be better in gen Y’s hands. Below are some excerpts from the article (by the way I’m not a Dr., but I won’t object :-) )
The impact of these powerful attitudinal shifts are playing out in the workforce and how organizations attract talent.
Millennials, on the whole, don’t question the concept of rights for women, gay and transgender people, that climate change is a reality or that every race is equal.
Their focus as leaders will be less on arguing a point than doing something about it.“One shift is wanting to create a better world,” prominent futurist Ross Dawson told news.com.au. “It’s exceptionally difficult to hire talented young people if they don’t feel their work is making a positive difference. Social enterprise and innovation is very apparent in Silicon Valley but also in Australia.”
We are shifting as individuals and societies as younger people mature through an unprecedented environment. But what we are in the process of discovering is what is fundamental and unchanging about us, and what can change.
Whether it’s Uber-style car sharing, distributing restaurant leftovers to the homeless or creating forums for marginalised groups, there is a sense that far more is possible.
With a global perspective, they may even be warier of going to war, The Economist suggests, although Dr Dawson warned that there are “some fundamental aspects of humanity” and we are “in the process of discovering what will change”.
Older people have always prescribed patience. Today perhaps that is not the right approach.
Younger generations are always accused of impatience and short attention spans, and that’s only amplified by our frenetic world, says Dr Dawson. But impatience doesn’t have to be a bad thing. “It can make things faster and better.”
Most importantly, I believe that broader societal shifts are not just generational, we are in the midst of a secular transformation of attitudes across all generations, young and old.
And if Generation X and Baby Boomers are feeling devalued by the prediction that Gen Y will run things better, Dr Dawson explains we are all shifting to become like millennials.
“It’s important to recognise that people of all ages are changing their attitudes to work, organisations and their role in society and the environment,” he said.
“Social attitudes are shifting across all generations.”
