Stop calling me Gen Y!
New research from the University of Sydney has found that some Generation Yers are reluctant to see themselves in terms of generational differences.
PT2M13S 620 349As a 26-year-old working in the advertising industry, Rob Webb does not identify with the stereotypes associated with Generation Y and millennials.
"It's an arbitrary title that separates you from Gen X and baby boomers," he said.
"But once you get into the workforce, you have a lot more in common with those people than with people who are younger or who are not in the workforce."
Overconfident? Narcissistic? Gen Yers and millennials don't like to be put in that box.
New research from the University of Sydney has found that some Generation Ys are reluctant to see themselves in terms of generational differences and the stereotypes attached to their generation such as overconfidence, laziness and narcissism.
Research author Steven Hitchcock from the university's school of business found young professionals in the advertising industry don't see themselves as being in competition with baby boomer colleagues.
Dr Hitchcock interviewed 30 young professionals in advertising for his doctorate, completed at the University of Arizona.
Dr Stephen Hitchcock (left) with Rob Webb (right). Photo: Steven Siewert
He found they did not view themselves as a distinct group or identify with a specific generation.
The average age of the study participants was 27. Many were actively distancing themselves from Generation Y and Z because of the stereotypes associated with them.
"My research showed young professionals didn't hold antagonism about other generations. This contrasts with the narrative of 'generational warfare' that we see in many media reports," Dr Hitchcock said.
"Young people actually saw older workers as an invaluable part of the business as they know how the business works. They saw themselves as being in partnership with older people rather than being in direct competition with them."
Dr Hitchcock said policy makers and managers were well advised to stop trying to work out how to manage millennials and to talk to them as individuals.
"Why would we want to 'manage generations' if young workers don't see themselves that way?," he said.
While it may be true that some in his generation fit the stereotypes in that they are overly confident despite a lack of experience, it was unlikely they would go far, said Mr Webb, who was not part of Dr Hitchcock's study.
"The people who are seen as the ones who are going to be moving places are not people who are arrogant and headstrong. They are often the people who know their own limitations and are looking to collaborate with people with different experiences and a different knowledge base," Mr Webb said.
"The overconfident, arrogant Gen Y stereotype is more of a personality type than it is related to someone's age. You would have found baby boomers that were the same arrogant overconfident people when they were 27. I don't think it's a generational thing, rather than a style of person that sometimes develops when they are headstrong because they have just started in the industry."
Mr Webb, who works for a Sydney advertising agency, said he felt he had a lot to learn from baby boomers because they had been in the industry for more than 30 years.
"I don't think there is any truth to the stereotype that baby boomers are old farts and out of touch," he said.
"They have a much broader understanding of the industry."
Mr Webb, who found his first job during the global financial crisis, disagrees his generation has been "coddled" in a time of solid economic times in Australia.
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