5.
Training Gen-Xers in the
Workplace
How has growing up during the information revolution affected Xers’ style of learning
Xers are shrewd and avid information consumers. They want to choose from a continuous flow of messages from multiple information resources that they control (imagine the model of 50 cable-television channels and a remote control).
It is critical to balance the company’s need to have employees achieve concrete learning outcomes and attain core competencies with Xers’ style of learning and information consumption.
BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE:
TRAINING GEN-XERS
Work through the training needs of a particular employee or a particular set of tasks and responsibilities.
1. Clarify the core competencies required to perform the tasks and responsibilities:
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2. Define the key learning objectives necessary to attain those core competencies and set concrete deadlines for reaching each key learning objective.
| KEY OBJECTIVE | DEADLINE |
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3. What are the key intermediate steps that must be achieved along the way to reaching each key learning objective?
| KEY OBJECTIVE | INTERMEDIATE STEPS |
| ______________ | ______________ |
| ______________ | |
| ______________ | |
| ______________ | |
| ______________ | ______________ |
| ______________ | |
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| ______________ | ______________ |
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| ______________ |
4. Inventory every learning resource you can make available to help Xers achieve those key objectives (books, articles, old files, sample documents, data; research tools, databases, libraries; knowledgeable individuals; real life experiences).
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Give Xers the Remote Control
Now that you have (a) clarified the core competencies you require your employees to attain, (b) defined the key learning objectives and set concrete deadlines for reaching each objective, (c) outlined the intermediate steps along the way to each objective, and (d) identified all the learning resources you can make available—you are ready to GIVE XERS THE REMOTE CONTROL. Give Xers access to every learning resource you can pull together and let them process those resources in their own way and at their own pace in order to reach each objective by the deadline you have set. Help Xers make a step-by-step learning plan to reach each objective by giving them a copy of the outline you have prepared setting out the intermediate steps along the way to reaching each objective.
By providing maximum learning resources and giving Xers the remote control, you will empower Xers and give them ownership of the training process. You will also create the conditions necessary for Xers to continue learning this way on an ongoing basis as long as they are working for you.
SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE: COMMUNICATION AND TRAINING
Assess the communication/training situation in your company by responding to the questions below.
1. In your company, what resources are available to Xers when they are faced with a problem or question?
A. They can seek out managers at all levels.
B. They can seek out their peers for support.
C. They have many people and information resources available to them.
2. In your company, what is the best way to describe the information resources available?
A. Readily accessible multimedia resources.
B. Multimedia resources, but not readily accessible.
C. Readily accessible resources, but not multimedia.
3. Which statement best describes the approach to training in your company?
A. Employees are trained in knowledge and skills they need to do their job.
B. Employees are encouraged to seek opportunities to learn and develop new skills, whether or not those skills relate directly to the employee’s current responsibilities in his or her current job.
C. Employees learn on the job, without any formal training programs.
4. When it comes to work assignments in your company, what is the typical range of Xers’ work assignments?
A. They are assigned work in only one skill area at a time.
B. They are assigned work across multiple skill areas.
C. They are assigned work in only one skill area at a time, but are exposed to multiple skill areas.
5. In your company, what is the typical format of training programs?
A. Standardized training courses/modules with standardized materials.
B. Self-study courses in which employees have information from multiple sources, have set concrete learning goals, and achieve those objectives at their own pace.
C. Apprenticeship-style learning primarily by experience.
Review your answers and take a moment to evaluate the current state of communication and training in your organization.