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October 31, 2013

Organizations Learn Strategies for Managing Multi-Generational Workplaces at 2013 InteRDom Conference

Organizations Learn Strategies for Managing Multi-Generational Workplaces at 2013 InteRDom Conference Santo Domingo, October 31, 2013
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On October 30th, after a great learning experience for participants, the 8th edition of the InteRDom Conference, “Millenials in the Workplace.” came to a close. The two-day conference included a keynote address and two workshops on the topic of Millennials– or Generation Y– given by Rachel Reiser, international researcher and founder of the company Generationally Speaking.

Ms. Reiser, who gave the opening plenary remarks on October 29th, gave a background on the characteristics of Millennials and also provided details on preceding generations, the Baby Boomers and Generation X, and how to facilitate useful communication between these generations in the workplace.

The Millennial generation corresponds to the demographic of young adults born between 1982 and 2002. This generation has different characteristics from Generation X because of the historic moment in which its members were born and grew up. This group is marked by having come to age in the digital era and having easy access to technology.

Reiser pointed out that there are 1.17 billion Millennials in the world today and that they are racially and ethnically more diverse than any other group. She said it is a generation in which success is increasingly valued, and which has very high expectations of those around them and lose confidence in those who do not live up to these expectations.

“They have been defined by technology; for them, mobility is critical. The revolution of text messaging has pulled us all in. The average teenager between 13 and 17 sends and receives 3,339 text messages a month, more than 100 a day. 86% of Generation Y around the world said they would prefer to lose their car for one year than lose their cell phone for one day,” said Reiser.

She explained that Generation Y tends to be narcissistic, have more educational opportunities than previous generations and have more experience with teamwork than ever before.

She noted that Millennials consider achievement to be the main indicator for career success and that they want more leadership roles, although they recognize that they themselves are not ready to step into that role. “They want development, global assignments, to move fast, to work in innovative and dynamic organizations and to have immediate opportunities for collaboration within the organization.”

To complement the keynote address, two workshops on practical tools for communication and integration of Millennials into the workplace were given on October 30th.

Renowned coaching expert Martha Beato joined the team of professionals at the conference with her “Communicating to Transform” workshop, wherein she defined different styles of communication, identifying the style of each of the participants as a way learning how to improve communication with other people– especially in a multigenerational situation. Participants formulated clear ideas and defined personal and professional objectives where they’d like to improve communication and generate positive changes in their environments.

Rachel Reiser also gave a workshop on “Strategies for Incorporating Millenials into your Organization,” in which she offered tools for developing a comprehensive organizational approach to professional development and management in a multigenerational workplace. Participants also received concrete tools for incorporating Millennials into the workplace and for harnessing and making good use of their skills, such as: creating succession and career plans within the organization and offering cross-training opportunities so that Millennials can be transversely familiar with all aspects of the organization, which ultimately guarantees that they will stay with the organization.

The workshops were highly interactive, getting all participants involved through group dynamics and practical application exercises.

InteRDom is an initiative of the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and its sister organization in the United States, Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD). The program promotes academic exchange between Dominican businesses and international universities and contributes to strengthening the placement of professionals in the labor sector of the country.

InteRDom Conferences and other workshops offered during the course of the year seek to contribute to the professional development of all organizations in the hope of providing useful tools and ideas that promote best practices in all areas of impact.

 

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