When 'normal' changes

The only constant is change. That old saying is obvious when looking at the differences between generations.

Painting in broad strokes, one can say people are dealing with three different generations in the world today, each with distinctive work approaches and lifestyles.

These are defined as: the Baby Boomers (Boomers are typically those born between World War II and the early 1960s); Generation X (Gen Xers typically born between the early 1960s and mid-1980s); and then Generation Y (born from the mid-1980s to around the year 2000). Generation Y people are also called the Millennial Generation because of their approximate birth dates, or sometimes Echo Boomers since many of their parents are Boomers.

Post the Industrial Revolution, it is acknowledged that it has become impossible to separate society and the technology it uses. The two are closely entwined and have a reciprocal relationship.

Look at the differences that improved communications made: telephones, radio and TV being obvious examples. Consider the effects of improved transportation technology: steam engines, the internal combustion engine and air transport.

Society is changed by the technology available to it and this process has dramatically accelerated since the 1950s, with new IT technologies and services.

That largely defines the differences between Boomers, Gen Xers and Generation Y. All three generations live in the same world and perform similar activities at work or at home. But the exact way they live their lives is very much a function of the technology they are comfortable and familiar with using.

This raises important questions regarding where these trends are going, as people and as a society, and how businesses and their IT management can adopt and adapt new technologies like mobile computing and cloud services.

There are many analysts and commentators watching these trends, but the European thought leader Peter Hinssen puts a special focus on the impacts of technology on society. He looks at consumer adoption of technology, the impact of the networked digital society and what this means for the alignment of business and IT. The 'new normal' is his description of the clear differences between Generation Y and their predecessors.

Society is changed by the technology available to it.

Andrea Lodolo is chief technical officer of CA Southern Africa.

Boomers were a media generation: radio, film and TV were part of their lives from birth and then they embraced the early IT technologies of mainframe and distributed (PC) computing.

Generation Xers were comfortable with computing in the workplace and the first to use mobile technologies such as portable media players and cellphones.

Generation Y were born into a world that had all the above and they are adept and devoted users of the myriad services available from the Internet, whether at home or at work and on any device from a media player to a desktop on a corporate network.

This is the new normal. Generation Y cannot be separated from their mobile connections and the devices they use. This is more than just a style of working or living. Generation Y expects connections and device usage as a personal right. The Internet has become a utility and restricting its use almost becomes a human rights issue.

This is in marked contrast to the preceding Boomers and Gen Xers.

A Boomer would be considered an individualistic “boffin” (known now as geeks) if they carried a slide rule or calculator with them. Someone from Generation X would often have a music player or, later, mobile phone with them, but it would not be a major issue if they were not allowed to use them at work.

Generation Y, however, were born with Internet access and expect to have their connections, devices and services available at all times, regardless of where they are.

While other media and communications technologies form a backdrop to these social and lifestyle changes, the main driver is obviously IT itself.

There are generational changes in the technology also: from mainframes, to PCs, to distributed networks, to the Internet and, now, cloud services.

As I said above, society and technology cannot be separated. This is a reciprocal, almost symbiotic, relationship.

How IT and related technologies are adopted by consumers and workers is a critical trend that companies and their IT managers have to keep up with.

Without that focus, business misses out on opportunities, new marketing channels and the competitive edge that means success.

Then there is the matter of risk. If new devices and services are not understood or managed, they create new risks in terms of information leakage and governance. If devices and services are banned from the workplace, this will be resisted and resented by the new generation who expect to have this access, just as previous generations expected electricity or cars.

What is important right now is to understand that the new normal has already happened. The new generation of workers has arrived.

In terms of the impact on society, this is only the beginning. With half a billion Facebook users, millions of people on Twitter (and other services) and billions around the world using mobile data services, intelligent guesses and decisions must be made to be ready for the new normal.

In future articles in this series, I will examine and expand on the new normal in greater detail, along with its implications for business and possible future development.