The Organizational Impact of Digital Natives: How Organizations are Responding to the Next Generation of Knowledge Workers

Abstract Knowledge work comprises—and likely will continue to comprise—most of the value creation in the developed world, and many of the next generation of knowledge workers (sometimes called “millennials”) have grown up in a world surrounded by connectivity and digital tools. They are “net natives” or “digital natives.” These are people who have never known a world without the Internet, instant messaging, online games, and the possibility of persistent digital presence with networks of people. They expect immediate access to information, and they interact naturally with communities that are not bound by geographic or organizational boundaries. This is the generation who are now beginning to enter the workplace; they will become the knowledge workers of the future. Because of their growing up in a digital world, they are prepared for their careers work with a different set of skill sets than previous generations. They have developed behavioral and ethical norms in sharing and using technology that differ significantly from the previous generations. Yet as they enter the workforce, filling the the projected employment gap as millions of “baby boomers” retire over the next decade, they find themselves in organizational structures and using systems designed by and for the baby boomers. This is likely to result in tensions between the newcomers to the organizations and the structures and systems of the organizations they enter.