I often read books and articles that are not technology related. Recently, my sister called me to recommend a book that she had started reading for her job in fundraising for non-profits. So, I took a look at "When Generations Collide" and found some interesting concepts on how the different generations view life and work and then began to think about how that would impact a SharePoint deployment. Not that everything I read is filtered through the SharePoint deployment experience, but after I had read several chapters, I knew that there were direct applications that we could use. What follows in this post are some raw thoughts that I'll likely refine over time.

What are Generational Differences?

General differences are cultural in nature and they reflect how different generations are raised, what their shared experiences are and what their shared values are. This book - and by extension our SharePoint deployments - will need to accommodate four different generations: Traditionalists, Boomers, GenX and Millennium (Gen Y?).

My main thesis is this: the differences in technology adoption between the generations directly impacts how SharePoint is adopted in the workplace and presents unique challenges for teams who work cross-generationally.

My main illustration: I was talking with a product team member about SharePoint adoption and brought up this idea of generational differences in a SharePoint adoption. Not surprisingly, she had not thought of this aspect of adoption. Then I asked her this: Are most of the people on the SharePoint product team (I'm referring both to server and services) under the age of 35? Her answer: "probably". Hmmm…. and are most of the people who are the decision makers about SharePoint above the age of 50? Again, her answer: "probably". Hmmmm….. It's no wonder that most decision makers for the purchase of SharePoint intuitively know that they need SharePoint (or something like it), but they have a hard time describing and verbalizing that need. Couple that with (usually) a lack of solid business requirements for a SharePoint implementation and we have the recipe for a less-than optimal implementation.

Let's first describe the three main generations in our workforce, then let's apply what we've learned.

The Traditionalists (1900-1945, workforce age 64-109)

• There are 75 million traditionalists
• Their Influencers were people like Joe Dimaggio, Joe Lewis, Rat Pack, Dr. Spock, FDR, Duke Ellington, Charles Lindberg, Edward R. Murrow, John Wayne, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Betty Crocker & others
• Places that became important to them included Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Hiroshima, Korea, Bay of Pigs, Midway, Iwo Jima
• Events that shaped this generation: WWI, Roaring 20's, Crash of 1929, Great Depression, WWII, New Deal, Korean War, GI Bill

Things were scarce for this generation. They endured the depression of the 1930's (which was much worse than our current economic woes) and they fought two world wars. As a generation, they sacrificed for their country. For example, did you know that between 1941 - 1945 only 124 new cars were manufactured in the entire United States? Why? Because the auto companies pitched into the war effort by having their manufacturing plants churn out airplanes and other vehicles that the fighting men needed.

Their base value: Waste Not, Want Not.

A good single-word description for this generation is Loyal. They learned that by pulling together and denying individual needs and wants, they could accomplish amazing things. As a generation, they partnered with large institutions to win two wars, build the A-Bomb and send a man to the moon. This generation has high levels of faith in institutions, such as church, corporations, the government, the military and the lists go on. Patriotism is a given with Traditionalists. Over 50% of Traditionalist men are veterans and they lived in a world without social safety nets. Their neighbors were their safety nets and they learned to look after each other. They also learned that a top-down approach was the best way to get things done, so they know how to take orders and "get the job done".

In terms of management and work ethic, this generation is built on the notion that managers manage and everyone else follows. The top-down approach works with this generation. For them, most management models are build on a military model: the guy in charge gives the orders and the troops follow.

When SharePoint is introduced to Traditionalists, they will often have a reaction of not understanding why they need to collaborate with others on the team. Their understanding is that if the manager would make appropriate assignments and if everyone would just do their job, then the project will succeed. If you tell a Traditionalist that they need to use SharePoint to collaborate, they'll likely try their best at doing it, but don't count on them to live and breathe SharePoint. They would rather hold face-to-face meetings and hash things out verbally than to work asynchronously with others whom, sometimes, they may never meet.

The Boomers (1945-1964, workforce age 45-64)

• There are 80 million Boomers
• Their influencers were people like JFK, Nixon, LBJ, MLK, Rosa Parks, Deep Throat, Jimmy Conners, Beaver Cleaver, Manson Family, Osmond Family, Barbara Streisand, Janis Joplin, Captain Kangaroo, Beetles, Laugh-in, Bob Newhart and the Rolling Stones
• Places that become important to them included Watergate Hotel, Hanoi Hilton, sit-ins, love-ins, Woodstock
• Then came the suburbs: the boardroom, the bedroom, the delivery room and in time, Divorce Court.

This generation experienced an explosion of things: Bell bottoms, mood rings, TVs, microwaves, Brooks Brothers, Rolex, junk food, junk bonds, LSD, MJ, etc… Their reference points were vastly different and unknown to their parents: TV shows, movie characters, plots, advertisers and products. Because of Vietnam, Watergate, women's rights, OPEC, stagflation, inflation, recession and gas lines, their faith in large institutions waned and this led to significant inter-generational conflict, both at home and at work. Consider the lyrics to this song from Five Man Electrical Band that illustrates the Boomers lack of faith in institutions and traditions:

And the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said you look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do
So I took off my hat I said imagine that, huh, me working for you

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

And the sign said anybody caught trespassing would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and yelled at the house, Hey! what gives you the right
To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in
If God was here, he'd tell you to your face, man you're some kinda sinner

Now, hey you Mister! can't you read, you got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can't even watch, no you can't eat, you ain't suppose to be here
Sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside Uh!

And the sign said everybody welcome, come in, kneel down and pray
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all,
I didn't have a penny to pay, so I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign
I said thank you Lord for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

This attitude was not uncommon in the 60's for the Boomer generation. But they also found that because there were so many of them, that they had to compete and fight for everything they got. They earned their way through life, it was not handed to them. Even though they questioned the status quo and pushed for political and social change, they were usually an optimistic bunch: they had the promise of a better education, they have turned out to be much more affluent than their parents, and they remain intent on fixing America and forming it to their ideals.

In comparison to the Traditionalists, who can be described as "loyal", the Boomers can be described as "self-absorbed". No other generation has learned as much about themselves and yet has been as confused and restless as this generation. If the Traditionalists were described as the "chain of command" generation, the Boomers can be described as the "Change in Command" generation. They would rather change who is in charge with themselves than follow.

When it comes to SharePoint, this group will learn it and use it, but often to the extent that it helps them achieve and compete. They will see SharePoint as a tool, not as an addition to their lives. For this generation, who grew up learning their times tables, doing long math by hand, and having to compete and work hard for everything they earned, they will find technology to be a (sometimes) evil necessary to an end goal, but they could just as easily live without cell phones, computers, texting and the internet. Don't expect this generation to embrace SharePoint as quickly or as pervasively as the younger generations. Don't expect them to like it just because it's "cool". Nope. If SharePoint, like any technology, gets in their way, they'll just go around it and not think twice about jettising collaborative technology. However, assuming that SharePoint works for them and enhances their success on their job, they'll use it and might even become advocates for it.

Note that most of the decision-makers for the purchasing of technology are in the Boomer generation. I continue to remain surprised at home much costs corporate America is willing to put up with when it comes to technology. When selling to this crowd, emphasizing how cool the technology is or how easily it can be used 24x7 will likely turn them off. They'll see 24x7 use as an imposition into their lives - an appendage to be carved out of their lives so they can enjoy what they want to do. While the younger generations will "eat up" the latest and coolest technologies, the Boomers (most anyways) will not.

Gen X (1965 - 1980, workforce age 29-45)

• There are only 46 million X'ers.
• People who are important to this generation: Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Monica Lewinsky, Ted Bundy, Al Bundy, Beavis and Butt-Head, Clarence Thomas, O.J. Simpson, Newt Gingrich, Dilbert, Ronald Reagan
• The emergence of a 24-hour media meant that they could see and virtually visit places anywhere in the world. Through television, they traveled to the Soviet Union, Somalia, Cannes, Chernobyl, Lockerbie, Starbucks and the international space station

This generation experienced and explosion of technology. From cable TV, digital TV, satellite TV, VCR, video games, fax machines, pagers, cell phones, palm pilots, and the personal computer, they learned swiftly to live with change in the tools they used to communicate with and interact with their environment. But what they found is that while these inventions were meant to simplify their lives, the exact opposite happened. Their lives become much more complex. Increased violence, AIDS, crack, child molesters, drunk drivers - the world was no longer safe. The number of single-parent households skyrocketed as the divorce rates for their parents tripled in their growing-up years. As a result, they became independent and resourceful.

If there is one word to describe this generation, it would be skeptical. Nearly every American institution was called into question for them: the Presidency, military, organized religion and corporate America. If you name the institution, a GenX'er can name the crime. hence, they distrust the permanence of institutional and personal relationships and they trust themselves more than institutions. This often spills over into not trusting their boss a very much.

So, if the Traditionalists were "Chain of Command" and Boomers were "Change in Command" a GenX'er would be "Self-Command". Boomer managers resent having to overly-praise them in order to motivate them. Often, Boomer managers will complain that GenX'ers are more interested in a paycheck and in receiving praise than in earning praise. Because X'ers haven't had to compete for much of what they've received in life and because they were often overly praised for performing mundane tasks ("great job in taking out the garbage!"), GenX'ers often exhibit a sense of entitlement and self-centric view of the world. It really is all about them, at least in their minds.

Technology is baked into their world. They have no concept of a world without portable communications, the internet, instant knowledge, instant gratification and ever-increasing capabilities of their technology. Because they like the latest and coolest toys, employers who offer higher-than-normal technology components are often viewed as "cool". This generation communicates and lives in a world that Boomers and Traditionalists don't understand. And the GenX'ers know that they are not understood. X'ers relate through technology. They are just as comfortable with texting as with talking. In fact, for many, they live their lives through technology. To the older generations, this seems absurd. But this is the way it is.

This generation is most loyal to their peers and not very loyal to institutions. They are more concerned about career security than job security, though perhaps the last 12 months has taught them differently. They will put up with hypocrisy more readily than Boomers or Traditionalists and are more accepting of a wide range of values than their predecessors.

When it comes to SharePoint, they might actually find it to be lacking and a tool that needs improvement. While they will readily adopt and use collaborative technologies, they will want SharePoint to be mobile and sometimes, baked into their world. But they'll also want control over it. The asynchronous nature of SharePoint will sometimes frustrate their need for instant gratification to know what the outcome is. This generation grew on watching 30 minute and 60 minute shows, so they have difficulty with real-world situations that don't resolve themselves quickly. SharePoint will be adopted and used swiftly by this generation - they'll be one's pushing the envelope on how to use the technology to meet their own needs.

Millennialists (1980 - ??, workforce age 18-29)

• There are nearly 80 million Millennalists
• This generation is still entering the workforce
• They voted heavily for Jesse Ventura (pro-wrestler turned Governor of Minnesota), Obama and other progressive candidates.

We're still learning about this generation, but due to the large number of them, it's clear that they will be a competitive generation. In fact, it's possible that they will over-take the GenX'ers in Corporate America as they mature, simple because the X'ers won't be able to fill the large number of positions that will be vacated by the Boomers.

Technology for this generation is a given. Most of their toys had computer chips in them. Video games and social networking are highly important to this group. They don't watch network TV or go to moves. They download everything. Viral is a way of life for them. Because they have had immense control over their environment for most of their lives, they want the world to revolve on their terms. And being a younger generation, they tend to have the most disposable income available to them, so they spend and spend.

SharePoint will be readily and easily adopted by this group, but they will likely question Governance policies since they like to use technology on their terms.

Discussion

So, what to make of all this? Well, here are some ideas and tips on deploying SharePoint to all four generations in your company.

The Traditionalists will have two main reactions:

• Resist: "I've learned it the hard way, you can too!"
• Willingness: "I'd like to learn, but am scared"

Instructor-led training is best for this generation. Give them the opportunity to ask questions. Give them the base/efficient ways to do things – "no frills" - click here, do this, done. Don't show them everything that SharePoint can do, just show them what they need to know to improve their work performance. You'll need to bridge the technology with improved job performance and show them why it will help them in the long run.

The Boomers will likely take the notion that if you "train 'em too much, they'll leave". This is based on their own experience of viewing life through the lens of competition. Instructor-led and some CBT training will fit this generation. Use their competitiveness to help with adoption:

• Certification programs
• Tie status to learning achievements
• Prestige in earning an accomplishment

But, don't ask them work 24x7 in SharePoint. Extranets sometimes will not be welcome by them. Support their views of a strong work/life balance and help them balance SharePoint adoption with their life goals.

GenX'ers will the opposite view of the Boomers: "the more I learn, the more I stay". Focus on career security for the Xer, not job security. Use CBTs and other viral learning methods to help them learn and adopt SharePoint. Help them bake in SharePoint into their current technologies, such as publishing your farm via ISA server for mobile consumption. And help them understand the older generations may not find technology to be an over-riding assumption about life. Also count on them getting board swiftly with SharePoint and bypassing it's use if they find it too cumbersome. You'll need to spot check their work to ensure that they are following the rules.

Governance and the Generations

For two years now, we've heard the Governance drum-beat from nearly every corner of the SharePoint community. It was all the rage. It has calmed down some. Governance is deciding how SharePoint will be used in your environment and, more importantly, deciding who gets to decide what the rules are. The dark side of Governance is enforcement. Without enforcement, you won't have Governance. You can count on the Boomers and the Traditionalists to pretty much stick to the rules for using SharePoint. You can also count on the GenX folks working with the rules if they agree with them. If they don't, then you'll find that they'll either comply in a half-hearted way: enough to meet the minimum standard, but not enough to fully comply or they'll just stop using SharePoint or find a way around the rules. The GenX generation, because they are accustomed to being on their own and being resourceful, will work around the rules when it suits their fancy. Be prepared to enforce and help them understand that SharePoint works best when everyone works cooperatively with it.

Conclusion

While not everyone's resistance to adoption of SharePoint will fall neatly into these categories, I trust that this post will help us all consider the generational aspects of a SharePoint adoption.

Bill English
EBA Companies