Page 180 - Company Excellence

Part III: Chapter 6 ‐ Extraordinary Leadership

• Generation Z: This cohort includes people born between
1996 and 2012.

The attempt to include millions of people in a single generational
concept is, to put it mildly, difficult. In addition, the results of the
numerous studies and investigations on the subject diverge in part
and lead to different descriptions of the generations. With all
caution against a
"Pigeonholing", however, it may be said that each generation is
characterized by certain generation-specific features and
characteristics. Managers should be aware of this generation-
specific characterization, but still focus on the individual person with
whom they are currently dealing in a management situation.
My recommendation: It is useful to look at the characteristics
attributed to the individual generations and to take these findings
into account in management work and recruiting. Generations Y
and Z deserve special attention because these generations will
significantly shape the world of work in the coming years. In this
context, the Young Germans 2019 study (Schnetzer 2019) is
interesting, as it identifies considerable commonalities between these
generations. For example, the summary of the study on the topic of
"dream job" states: "Feeling good and having enough free time: The
most important thing for Generation Z and Generation Y when it
comes to a good job is the working atmosphere and a good
balance between work and free time. With these expectations of
employers, the young generation is very self-confident." And: "By
far the most important value for Generation Z and Generation Y is
health. Health stands for a life without restrictions, where body and
mind feel good."
I conclude from this that, in addition to generation-specific
differences, there are also cross-generational differences.

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