Technology companies big and small are transforming their organisations as they vie to recruit and retain a special sort of person with highly developed technical, reasoning and interpersonal skills. This person can create a product, write a new algorithm, design a user interface that people love or develop a new business model, and often they are part of the so-called Generation Y.
Phil Delaney is a Gen Y that likes to fit within this mould, and he believes that although most people treat everyone the same no matter the age, he has encountered others who impose strict barriers between generations.
“I have worked with some in the past who see strict hierarchy based from age alone,” he said. “The Internet seems to be full of people complaining about the slack, entitled generation. It actually surprised me how many derisive articles there were from major news labels.”
Delaney will join a panel at next week’s GeoNext Conference at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which aims to bring together baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y in a discussion titled ‘Employing Gen-Y Or “Whatever”. Do You Know What Makes Your Staff Tick?’ Delaney will provide a unique perspective, having worked hard in the spatial industry for over 10 years, received an APSEA award for Young Professional of the Year and earned a senior role as a research program manager at the Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI).
Delaney disagrees with the image of the lazy and entitled Gen Y, and has formulated his own definition of his generation: “I think a defining feature of Gen Y is people who spent their formative years in a consumer focussed society experiencing large economic growth, but are now starting their careers during an economic downturn.
“Obviously any common traits would be vast generalisations, but as some general trends I think many Gen Y are very technology focussed, expect good jobs to pay off high university debt, and often want to focus on creating their own communities rather than fitting in to existing industry structures.”
Delaney believes that the impact and uptake of new technologies plays into this debate significantly: “We grew up with technology changing, went to uni through swifter changes, the rise of Google and online open collaborative communities, and started our careers with the rise of smart phones, app stores and 3D printers.”
“Due to being raised ‘Digital Natives’ we often have the expectation that we will be best placed to work on innovative projects, contribute ideas and shape the outputs of new technology. Different people will react to this in different ways, some will facilitate; some will tell us it’s not our place to push for change.”
Delaney will further discuss this generational divide in the panel discussion next week, Wednesday 19 August at GeoNext, where he aims to talk about circumstances that have led to perceptions about Gen Y and Millennials. “I think this has the potential to be quite an interesting panel discussion, I would like to hear other views of my generation to help gain some perspective.”
The full panel will consist of:
- Lyn Terrett, Baby Boomer. Lyn is a Director of spatial technologies at Iconyx and also the lead for Destination Spatial, a spatial careers website for Gen Z students (also known as Millennials), their parents and teachers.
- Tristan Sender, Gen X. Tristan is CEO GoGet Carshare, a young and vibrant company with a strong social and environmental commitment and a mostly young and equally committed workforce.
- Michael Dixon, Gen X. Michael is Group Manager, Products & Customer Services at PSMA where he leads a team of GIS and IT professionals ranging from Gen Y’s to Baby Boomers
- Nicola Scarf, Gen Y. In her early twenties, Nicola has just finished her degree in GIS and Geology from the University of New South Wales. She is looking for her first job.
- Phil Delaney, an older Gen Y who has been in the workforce for ten years. Program Manager at CRCSI and a keen spatial networker. Phil was Spatial Young Professional of the Year in 2014.
The GeoNext Conference will be held on the 19th August 2015, bringing with it fresh innovation and a conference program centred on “Location Information, Intelligent Transport and the Smart City”.
