Managing Across Generations in the 21st Century

The baby boomers, who now dominate the provision of higher education, have watched Generation Y or the echo boomers begin to mature and develop within the university system. Experiences with this cohort have given university faculty and managers insights about important generational differences and similarities that may help them operate more effectively in the 21st century. Five of the most essential insights are summarized in this article: only your parents love you unconditionally, being tough depends on who is in the room at the time, understanding the ability-performance nexus, finding passion in your work, and managing multiple roles/multiple selves.