model group behavior11 and help raise your awareness of a larger
scope of context.
10. From several sources, including Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace [ZRF99].
11. In other words, this is a construct theory as opposed to an event theory; see the sidebar on page 26.
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Kids Today
Want to see something really scary?
The Beliot Mindset List (on the Web at http://www.beloit.edu/
~pubaff/mindset/) tracks interesting facts and observations
about the cohort entering college in any given year.
For instance, as far as the freshman class of 2008 is con-
cerned, MTV has never featured music videos (in case
you haven’t been paying attention for the last decade, it
focuses on reality TV shows, celebrity gossip, and news).
Russia has always had multiple political parties. Stadiums
have always been named for corporations. They’ve never
“rolled down” a car window (let alone dialed a phone).
Johnny Carson has never been on live TV; Pete Rose has
never played baseball.
The Web has always been around; so has Dilbert.
GI generation, 1901–1924
All-American, get-it-done builders
Silent generation, 1925 –1942
Gray-flannel conformists
Boom generation, 1943 –1960
Moralistic arbiters
Generation X, 1961–1981
Free agents
Millennial generation, 1982 –2005
Loyal, nonentrepreneurial
Homeland generation, 2005 –???
Just being born now; half of this generation will have Millen-
nial parents
We’ll ignore the under-twenty set for the time being and take a
closer look at each of the grown-up generations in turn.
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The GI Generation, 1901–1924
This generation produced the first Miss America and
propagated the idea of the all-American athlete. They
built the suburbs and moon rockets, and they fought
valiantly in World War II.
The command-and-control, rigidly hierarchical mil-
itary metaphor for business—and then for software
development—has its roots here.
The Silent Generation, 1925–1942
Next up, the gray-flannel conformists. This gen-
eration vastly expanded the legal system and con-
tinues a distinct focus on due process but not nec-
essarily on decisive action.
As a possible example, consider a recent Iraq
Study Group report, staffed largely by folks in this
age group, which listed seventy-nine recommen-
dations but not a single action item.
This group generated—and enjoyed—unprecedented affluence.
The Baby Boom Generation, 1943–1960
Ah, the Baby Boomers. Perhaps the most recognizable—and largest
—generation, formed in the heyday of post–World War II optimism.
This group engendered a dramatic increase in
crime rates, substance abuse, and risk taking in
general. The tendency for this generation is to
see themselves of arbiters of national values; they
have always wanted to “teach the world to sing”
(remember the 1970s Coca Cola commercial?).
But this inherent desire to save the world doesn’t manifest itself in
particularly realistic or pragmatic ways. This group is less inter-
ested in outcome and more interested in approach. Their moraliz-
ing, which reflects their all-important values, may sound preachy
to other generations.
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Generation X, 1961–1981
One of the best descriptions I’ve read of
Gen X described them as being “raised Gen X is the greatest
by wolves.” These are free agents, with entrepreneurial
an inherent distrust of institutions. They generation.
form the greatest entrepreneurial genera-
tion in U.S. history.
Fiercely individualistic, and perhaps a bit on the
dark side, they’ll just quit and move on if there’s
a problem at work. They resist being labeled at
all costs. They might be viewed as undisciplined
by other generations, or they might be accused of
not playing by the rules.
This group is less interested in civics, believing that one-on-one
involvement is more effective. They are quite pragmatic, working
for a positive outcome regardless of any particular ideology or
approach.
Millennial Generation, 1982–2005
In this generation, the pendulum swings away
from individualism toward greater team-based
work; there’s a decrease in risky behaviors and a
noticeably less edgy approach than their Gen X or
Boomer predecessors. They are loyal to the orga-
nization and not nearly as entrepreneurial as the
Gen X’ers.
Although they don’t set out to save the world, they
do have a greater emphasis on civics, and they expect that those in
authority will fix the problem.
All Together Now
In today’s culture (circa 2008 or thereabouts), we have a unique
situation, one that has not happened before. We have all these
generations present in the workplace at the same time, interact-
ing with each other, getting along—and sometimes not.
While working at a large Fortune 10 company that shall remain
nameless, I had the good fortune to be mentored by a older profes-
sional who took an interest in me. Even though it was early in my
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career, I had significant skills in Unix that my peers did not, and
so this fellow saw—and adopted—a kindred spirit.
For several years we worked together; he showed me undocu-
mented, arcane tricks and tips, and I showed him advanced theory
from my then-recent degree. But the day came when I announced
I was leaving that company. He basically never spoke to me again.
He was of the Silent generation that valued company loyalty—
for life. My departure was an unpardonable sin to him. Although
that attitude seems quaint and old-fashioned now, it was widely
held at the time. I was seen by many in the organization to be
a troublemaker—a disloyal maverick who wasn’t playing by the
rules. In fact, I was just acting as a typical X-er ready to move
on, having learned what I wanted to learn and having tired of the
/>
commute.
Today, of course, the prevailing cultural
But attitudes wil
attitude has shifted. It’s not generally
change.
expected that you should stay with one
company for more than a few years. But
that will change. The Millennial generation may well come to
embrace loyalty, favoring hierarchical, strong organizations. They
will react to their collective perception that the Boomers are
preachy and impractical and the X-ers are lazy and undisciplined.
Each generation’s reaction to the perceived weakness of the imme-
diately preceding generations creates a repeating pattern over time.
In this case, the generations after the Millennials will react to their
values, and the cycle repeats.
That means your generation’s attitudes are somewhat predictable.
And so is the next generation’s. In fact, there may be only four
distinct generational types.
The Four Archetypes
According to researchers Neil Howe and William Strauss,12 if you
look back through American history in the United States and
Anglo-American history in Europe all the way back to the Renais-
sance, you’ll find only four prototypical, generational archetypes.
12. See Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069 [SH91] and a nice summary in The Next 20 Years: How Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve [HS07].
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Technology and Generations
A few years ago, a babysitter we had hired gazed in won-
der at our kitchen phone. “Mr. Hunt, what a wonderful
idea,” she said, ”to tie up your phone so people won’t walk
away with it! Just like the pens at the bank.”
She had no idea why else you’d have a cord on a phone.
It’s typical in her generation’s world experience that all
phones are cordless landlines, or cell. The idea of a corded
phone as a technological necessity was alien to her.
These four types repeat over and over again, in a continuing cycle.
For the last twenty or so generations in America since the Pilgrim-
laden Mayflower landed here in the 1620s, there was only one
exception. Following the Civil War, one generation was so badly
damaged that they never took their place in society, and the adjoin-
ing generations (especially the older generation) filled in the gap.
These generational generalizations13 help shed basic understand-
ing as why people value the things they do and remind us that not
everyone shares your core values or your view of the world.
Here are the four generational archetypes and their dominant char-
acteristics:
• Prophet: Vision, values
• Nomad: Liberty, survival, honor
• Hero: Community, affluence
• Artist: Pluralism, expertise, due process
Their
research
explores
how
each
archetypical
generation
can
create Archetypes create
the next: archetypes create opposing opposing archetypes.
archetypes in a typical example of the
“generation gap.” But that generation then creates one that
opposes it, and so on.
For the current generations in play, see the archetypes map shown
in Figure 5.3, on the next page.
13. If you can actually say that three times fast, try “unique New York.”
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Figure 5.3: Howe/Strauss generational archetypes
According to the Howe and Strauss model, I am among the eldest
of Generation X, on the cusp of the Boomers.14 I tend to identify
with the theoretical Gen X characteristics, especially survivalism,
pragmatism, and realism. And I think the most striking to me per-
sonally is to realize that not everyone sees the world that way.
Although I can see the Boomer’s point of view on many levels, that
group’s ascribed lack of pragmatism—often placing their own val-
ues ahead of practicality—frustrates me. Not everyone values prag-
matism; this group values ideals more so. My approach to prag-
matism can be seen as “cheating,” as in “You’re just doing that
because it works.”
Well, that is the general idea, as far as I’m concerned. But that’s
my viewpoint, probably typical of my generation and probably not
typical of others. Each generation faces these kinds of conflicting
approaches with adjacent generations. And members of each gen-
eration will tend to defend their inherent approach above others.
How This Affects You
Not everyone shares your deep-seated values, and that doesn’t
mean you’re right or they’re wrong.
So, which approach is right? It depends. Context remains king;
sometimes it may be more appropriate to stick to your principles
regardless of consequences, as a Boomer might. In other situations
14. Since different researchers place these dates plus or minus a few years either way, I could be either.
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it is clearly better to take a pragmatic approach, as an X-er. Com-
mand and control hierarchies have their place and can be quite
effective; that’s why they are popular (and not just with the GI gen-
eration). But in other circumstances, such as many commercial
software development projects, a rigid hierarchy is disastrous.
It’s likely that you will naturally prefer the
approach and values favored by your gen- Where does this
eration. But realize where this influence is influence come from?
coming from. Perhaps your fierce individ-
ualism isn’t a trait unique to yourself. Perhaps many of the charac-
teristics you admire in other people and aspire to attain in yourself
don’t come from any deep reasoning or logical basis but instead
from the times in which you were born.
Bear that in mind as you passionately argue for or against a topic.
Are you making a logical argument, an emotional one, or just a
familiar one? Is it the right argument in this particular context?
Have you really considered other points of view? Rationality is often
in the eye of the beholder, so you want to hedge your bets.
TIP 21
Hedge your bets with diversity.
The best way to keep from falling victim to your generation’s par-
ticular set of biases is to embrace diversity. If you and your team
all think alike, you might see your reinforced collective viewpoint
as the only viable one. It’s not. Just because you treasure your
approach, your individualism, or your teamwork doesn’t m
ean that
younger or older folks will share that view or that it’s the right
answer in this context.
Next Actions
! Determine which generation you were born into. Do those
characteristics resonate with you? Does a different generation
resonate better?
! Determine the generations to which your co-workers belong.
Do they coincide or conflict with your values?
! Think about the history of software development methodolo-
gies. Do you see a trend over time that coincides with each
new generation’s values?
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CODIFYING YOUR PERSONALITY TENDENCIES
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5.3 Codifying Your Personality Tendencies
Hell is other people (L’enfer, c’est les autres).
Jean Paul Sartre
Despite the influence of the fundamental attribution error we saw
earlier, your own personality does affect your values and your per-
ceptions, in addition to your generational affinities. This is the stuff
you were born with—your own personal attitudinal context, your
temperament.
You might want to think of this section in terms of buggy interfaces.
It’s fine if your personal interface happens to work a certain way,
but it’s dangerous to think that everyone conforms to that same
interface. They don’t. They have their own interfaces to the world
and may well think yours is just as odd. So, we’re going to look
at major features of these interfaces and see where they might be
some mismatches.
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a popular construct the-
ory that classifies basic personality types. It’s based on the work of
Carl Jung and categorizes your tendencies along four independent
axes.15 According to the MBTI, you fall somewhere on the line for
each dimension, and you get a letter depending on which way you
lean. Again, this isn’t a blueprint for behavior but an indication of
preferences. These are the axes:
• Extravert (E) vs. Introvert (I): Inward or outward orientation.
The extravert is energized by being with people and social-
izing. The introvert is not; introverts are territorial and need
private mental and environmental space. The introvert draws
strength from solitary activities and finds social situations
tiring. Seventy-five percent of the population lean to the
Pragmatic Thinking and Learning Page 17