Getting Help from the Nintendo Generation

As 2010 begins and managers face another year of slow economic recovery, it may seem that excellence is out of reach with the bar set on survival. But excellence is less about an organization’s resources as it is about how the organizational culture manages the resources it has. In fact, an organization’s Millennial employees may be the catalyst for engendering excellence even in difficult financial times.

“The achievement of excellence can only occur if the organization promotes a culture of creative dissatisfaction,” said Lawrence Miller, organization design and leadership expert and author of Lean Team Management.

Who better to build a culture of creative dissatisfaction with than Generation “Why”? They already question the status quo and suggest more streamlined ways of achieving results. They weren’t around when obsolute processes were created, so they have no loyalty to them, no commitment to doing things the way they’ve always been done.

They’re also the Nintendo generation, so they’re accustomed to problem-solving while being bombarded with information. They’re used to processing information quickly and finding patterns that will get them to the next level. Getting to the next level is practically a generational imperative for them.

As managers of Millennials, let’s resolve in 2010 to think about ways to draw on the unique gifts of this generation of employees to get our organizations to the next level.

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