This is what the so called Gen Y of one of the multi-billionaire organizations perceived about working relationship. It sounds arrogant though but indeed is essential for all of us to ponder:
The MD states that my generation is less committed to work and not obedient to their superiors. He implies that we are not eager to learn new skills or take up challenging opportunities. The MD then proposes that Gen-Y mindset needs to be transformed to be more positive. He says that this change can be achieved through iDOL courses, engagement sessions with E3, and E1&E2 leadership talks.
In my opinion, this is simply a miscommunication problem.
A Gen-Y person can still be committed to his or her work goals and project objectives even if he or she consistently questions the superior and asks him why why why. It is simply professional conduct, especially for a technical executive in engineering, to do so; to question the value behind a task.
Doing so does not mean showing disrespect to the superior or acting in a blatant, disobedient manner.
The reason Gen-Y do so is because my generation grew up with insatiable curiosity and passion and the strong desire for instant gratification. They grew up with high speed internet, smartphones, and free access to a wealth of options as the world globalizes and borders disappear. They are well informed, highly critical, and very impatient. They are creative, imaginative, and open to new ideas.
They demand transparency and more bang for buck. They like to explore and discover and they despise being told what’s good for them. They will always ask and pursue the value or meaning of something.
If there is no meaning in a task, or something of value to him or her personally, a Gen-Y will not derive the passion for it. He or she will not comply.
So when a Gen-X (such as our middle management) asks a Gen-Y to do something, there will always be friction. Middle management will never engage a Gen-Y with the approach to make him or her understand what is the potential value or meaning in that task. It’s always just doing this, do that, this is in our KPI, this is part of the Road Map - all of which has no personal, passionate value to a Gen-Y.
A Gen-X does not understand this, because they grew up as “pioneers” in the 80s when times were harsh. They suffer first and claim the reward later. They are the ones the company will send to make things happen. They bring you grand success out of meager resources and the worst of luck in the least amount of time - all borne out of loyalty or sacrifice like being away from family for years on end.
This is something that no Gen-Y will ever do for you no matter how many times you raise their pay grade. They will dictate their own priorities in life.
I am not speaking on behalf of my generation, but I am one of them. And every day I go to work, I could not find the personal meaning of my work.
When I joined this company, I find the Shared Value ‘loyalty’ to be odd and I could not connect to it.
Loyalty is doing things you are told without knowing why, or because you’re told that’s what’s good for you. As opposed to ‘Committed’ - which is doing something that you personally believe in; that there is value in it for you. Loyalty is blind and unquestioning. Committed is driven by personal values.
While I applaud the MD’s effort to engage Gen-Y through iDOL and other programs, I believe this ‘fix their mindset’ approach is outdated, patronizing, and that it is going to backfire. There is nothing wrong with the Gen-Y mindset. If harnessed correctly like what Google, Apple, Ikea, and AirAsia have done, the Gen-Y passion can lit an unstoppable fire of productivity that turns around companies.
I believe what PETRONAS in general and MLNG specifically need to do is to acknowledge that the times have changed and these times are now ours, and to start learning the language of the Gen-Y.
The MD states that my generation is less committed to work and not obedient to their superiors. He implies that we are not eager to learn new skills or take up challenging opportunities. The MD then proposes that Gen-Y mindset needs to be transformed to be more positive. He says that this change can be achieved through iDOL courses, engagement sessions with E3, and E1&E2 leadership talks.
In my opinion, this is simply a miscommunication problem.
A Gen-Y person can still be committed to his or her work goals and project objectives even if he or she consistently questions the superior and asks him why why why. It is simply professional conduct, especially for a technical executive in engineering, to do so; to question the value behind a task.
Doing so does not mean showing disrespect to the superior or acting in a blatant, disobedient manner.
The reason Gen-Y do so is because my generation grew up with insatiable curiosity and passion and the strong desire for instant gratification. They grew up with high speed internet, smartphones, and free access to a wealth of options as the world globalizes and borders disappear. They are well informed, highly critical, and very impatient. They are creative, imaginative, and open to new ideas.
They demand transparency and more bang for buck. They like to explore and discover and they despise being told what’s good for them. They will always ask and pursue the value or meaning of something.
If there is no meaning in a task, or something of value to him or her personally, a Gen-Y will not derive the passion for it. He or she will not comply.
So when a Gen-X (such as our middle management) asks a Gen-Y to do something, there will always be friction. Middle management will never engage a Gen-Y with the approach to make him or her understand what is the potential value or meaning in that task. It’s always just doing this, do that, this is in our KPI, this is part of the Road Map - all of which has no personal, passionate value to a Gen-Y.
A Gen-X does not understand this, because they grew up as “pioneers” in the 80s when times were harsh. They suffer first and claim the reward later. They are the ones the company will send to make things happen. They bring you grand success out of meager resources and the worst of luck in the least amount of time - all borne out of loyalty or sacrifice like being away from family for years on end.
This is something that no Gen-Y will ever do for you no matter how many times you raise their pay grade. They will dictate their own priorities in life.
I am not speaking on behalf of my generation, but I am one of them. And every day I go to work, I could not find the personal meaning of my work.
When I joined this company, I find the Shared Value ‘loyalty’ to be odd and I could not connect to it.
Loyalty is doing things you are told without knowing why, or because you’re told that’s what’s good for you. As opposed to ‘Committed’ - which is doing something that you personally believe in; that there is value in it for you. Loyalty is blind and unquestioning. Committed is driven by personal values.
While I applaud the MD’s effort to engage Gen-Y through iDOL and other programs, I believe this ‘fix their mindset’ approach is outdated, patronizing, and that it is going to backfire. There is nothing wrong with the Gen-Y mindset. If harnessed correctly like what Google, Apple, Ikea, and AirAsia have done, the Gen-Y passion can lit an unstoppable fire of productivity that turns around companies.
I believe what PETRONAS in general and MLNG specifically need to do is to acknowledge that the times have changed and these times are now ours, and to start learning the language of the Gen-Y.
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