You've probably heard it before; the digital native is pleasure-driven and self-absorbed, and when she finally engages in something, it's to take a selfie. But is this a fair characterization of the employee of the future? And if it is, how does it affect the way you need to act as a leader?
The digital natives - or Generation Z as they are also known - are people born from 1990 onwards. They have grown up in a time when 24-hour internet access has become a matter of course. Marianne Levinsen from the Center for Futures Research defines digital natives as those who have grown up in the digital universe and many of them have no concept of a world without digital platforms. In other words: What doesn't exist digitally, doesn't exist at all.
There are three elements that are particularly important if you as a manager are to succeed in leading the younger generation of employees:
1. Alignment between individual and organizational values
Digital natives have plenty of engagement and energy to give, but they demand more from you as a leader if you want to tap into their drive. You need to be able to connect their personal values and motivation with the vision and values of the organization or department.
Digital natives are driven by the desire to make a difference to society. This is in line with the leadership literature on Purpose Driven Leadership, where you can find many useful methods and tools, especially as a leader in the public sector.
Nicole Baandrup Nielsen Management Consultant and Project Manager, LEAD In short, Purpose Driven Leadership is about leaders creating a clear and distinct purpose for their daily work that can increase and maintain employee engagement, motivation and independent, quality-conscious task performance.
2. They want to have a say
It's crucial that digital natives have the opportunity to make their mark or influence the organization's overall strategies if they are to see themselves in it.
It's not enough that you're skilled at setting a clear direction and translating the big, strategic picture into everyday employee actions. You also need to be able to step back, invite employees in and let them help define the values, strategies and priorities that are important to them in their everyday lives. This balancing act between leadership approaches - or leadership styles, if you will - can be particularly challenging as a leader.
JOIN OUR COURSE
Build wellbeing and trust despite the distance
The "Managing Virtual and Hybrid Work Communities" course gives you the essential tools to increase productivity and well-being through remote management.
This is a course for those who work in management and want to know how to achieve strategic goals as an individual or organization through virtual collaboration.
3. Daily feedback
Digital natives have grown up with the internet and social media, where they are used to getting quick feedback on everything they do around the clock. They therefore enter the workforce with an expectation of continuous and rapid feedback on their work performance.
Social media is therefore an effective tool for engaging with digital natives and therefore an effective management tool for providing this feedback. It's not everywhere that this is an option. But that doesn't mean you can ignore the digital natives' hunger for feedback.
What's unique about managing digital natives is that there is a speed component to the requirement to provide feedback. The longer it takes from the time the digital native performs an action that should trigger feedback or recognition to the time you, as a manager, deliver that feedback or recognition, the more the value of your feedback will decrease.
The annual performance review or weekly 1:1 dialogues between manager and employee are therefore passé. You need to prioritize daily feedback to your employees - whether it's by text, phone call, face-to-face or via social media, such as Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook.
How to give your digital native employee feedback:
- Be present rather than in the moment: As a manager, you don't have to be physically present - as long as you are present for your employees. If you can, give feedback through text messages, Snapchat, Facebook chat, Instagram, etc.
- Digitally native employees prefer conversations where multiple people participate in the dialog, even when it comes to performance reviews, which are traditionally conducted in a one-on-one relationship with the immediate manager. Therefore, experiment with using closed Facebook groups, Yammer or Skype to conduct selected dialogues with groups of employees - whether it's knowledge sharing and collegial sparring as well as collective competence development.
- Recognize, recognize, recognize: Digital natives have grown up in a world where they're used to receiving recognition and feedback on EVERYTHING they do - from praise to constructive feedback on actions. That expectation doesn't disappear just because they join your organization.
- Give feedback quickly: It's not enough for you as a manager to remember to acknowledge and give feedback - you also need to do it quickly. The longer it takes for the employee to receive your feedback, the more it decreases in value.
4. The community is still alive
Digital natives cultivate community, but they do so in a different way than previous generations. Frequent contact with both close and distant relations in their often large networks that cut across both physical and digital relationships plays a crucial role. Through their constant presence on social media, they are never alone, but always in dialog with others, where they get validation for everything they do and think.
This makes digital natives one of the most social generations ever, and you should take this into account in your leadership. You play a key role in supporting and strengthening the sense of community in your employee group, as well as ensuring that the digital native employee has the opportunity to both develop as an individual and network with colleagues from their own and other areas in their daily work.
The savvy leader will already see the opportunities to use the networking skills of digital natives to strengthen cross-functional collaboration, which is often one of the top strategic agenda items in public organizations.
How to lead the digital natives:
- Create a clear and strong connection between the digital native's personal values and motivation and the organization's vision and values.
- Prioritize daily feedback to your employees - whether it's by text, phone call or via social media, such as Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook.
- Actively work to support and strengthen the community in your area - and the digital native's ability to network with colleagues from their own and other areas in their daily work.
References
- Conrad, T. (2017), "Skab motivation, mening og overskud på bundlinjen med for-målsdrevet ledelse", Ledelse i udvikling
- Kotter, J. & Herskett, J. (2011), "Corporate Culture and Performance", The free press
- Levinsen, M. (2015), "Generations X, Y, Z and the Workplace", Center for Futures Research
- Schultz Hansen, S. (2015), "De digitale indfødte på job", Gyldendal Business
- Forbes Coaches Council (2018), "Here Comes Gen Z: How To Attract And Retain The Workforce's Newest Generation"
- Nielsen, B.N. (2018), "Are you ready for the digital natives? - How to become a SoMe leader."
