8/15/2011
Millennials Are Here, Whether IT Likes It or Not | Interviews
Carl Weinschenk spoke to Elizabeth Herrell, vice president and principal analyst for Constellation Research.
The emergence of powerful devices and networks is throwing multiple challenges at IT departments. For one thing, millennial workers are crashing the gates and using these tools — whether the IT department signs off on it or not. The question isn’t whether these devices should be allowed. They are being brought into the workplace, whether or not they are authorized. The real question is how proactively IT adapts to both secure them and optimize their value.
“You can’t bring them [younger workers] into a work force and expect them to be satisfied with more traditional communications tools that don’t relate to how they communicate socially and how they want to communicate in a business environment.”
- Elizabeth Herrell
- VP and Principal Analyst
Constellation ResearchWeinschenk: What are the ramifications of millennials and Generation Y coming into the workplace?
Herrell: The ramification is that the IT department must become aware of the total work force needs and no longer consider one-size-fits-all when developing a strategy to upgrade communications systems.
It used to be when workers got on board they got a telephone and a PC loaded with software. Because we have younger workers who are much more engaged in different devices, that is no longer the case. Younger workers are adept with the Internet, smartphones, iPhones, tablets and other devices. You can’t bring them into a work force and expect them to be satisfied with more traditional communications tools that don’t relate to how they communicate socially and how they want to communicate in a business environment.
Weinschenk: What does an IT department need to do?
Herrell: I think the first thing is to understand how workers communicate today. Today, younger workers prefer texting to email. They believe in speaking back and forth to find real-time information. They believe using email is slow and cumbersome. Younger workers today usually will send a voice message to tell the person that email is important and they need to read it. They do this because they are not expecting colleagues to read their email. If they really want to talk to them, it will be in a text message. This is what changed. This is their normal way of communications.
Weinschenk: This suggests a huge change in the way IT operates.
Herrell: I think it is already [has changed]. What we have is the consumerization of IT, which means the IT department no longer dictates what is going to be used. The proliferation of other devices brought in by younger workers now is part of the work force. IT is struggling. They are asking, “Do we support them?” Well, they must. IT has to go from behind the curve to ahead of the curve. They must start realistically looking at the needs of workers and not let them be pulled along because they are too slow. Younger workers will bring their devices to work [regardless of what IT does].
Previous Page Next Page
Update about the "Hawk Mindset" - Soul Hang Out
One on One You and I entering the fascinating world of your thoughts to harness them to work for you...not against you.
Walter E. Jacobson, M.D.: How to Succeed in Business by Spiritually Trying
If we continually procrastinate and sabotage ourselves to the point of not getting the lives we want, we need to re-program our subconscious minds, because it is not our being a victim of bad luck or some more concrete scapegoat that is getting in our way. It's us.
When one self-improvement effort after another has failed to deliver us our aspirations, it behooves us to keep our Shakespeare in mind. Particularly, that "the fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars but in ourselves that we are underlings."
Point being: We can be masters of our fate or victims of our fears, fantasies and foolishness. We can continue to know what we need to do and not do it, and not get where we want to go. Or, we can recognize that everything we've tried hasn't worked, so we best do something different.
Self-Sabotage
In order to do something different, best we know the root cause of the problem and then design a unique and effective solution.
The root cause is self-sabotage. Consciously, we want to make money, make friends, lose weight, get healthy and fit, find our soul mates and partners, and by golly we're gonna start tomorrow morning for sure, you betcha. This time I really mean it.
New Year's resolutions come and go. Again and again. Year after year. Unconsciously, our resistance to change is great, and our resolve to put into practice the principles and techniques we've learned is weak. The resistance wins out, any attempt at establishing a habit of behaviors, a pattern of focused thoughts and exercises all devoted to the achievement of expressed goals, fails sooner or later.
We're back at step one, with another healthy dose, so to speak, of guilt, shame and self-loathing that we've failed another attempt to attain our goals, whatever they might be.
Why is the unconscious resistance to change so great? It's because of what I just made reference to: guilt, shame and self-loathing. Buried deep in the unconscious mind is the belief that we are not good enough and don't deserve abundance and success.
That core thought compels the subconscious to act in ways that creates that reality. We experience a world that reflects that self-concept that we are not worthy. Rather than attracting success, happiness and prosperity into our lives, we attract accidents and potholes.
If this premise is correct, then we must change our core thoughts about ourselves that compel our subconscious mind to do our bidding if we are to attract the life we want without resistance, negativity, obstacles and unpleasantness.
We must rid ourselves of the unconscious guilt, shame and self-loathing. Not a simple task. Nonetheless, a worthy one. And the way to do it is to be of service to others, to engage in estimable acts towards others as best we can without conditions, exceptions or expectations.
As we esteem others through our respect and service to help as best we can, we are esteeming ourselves and sending our subconscious the message that we are good enough. But that's not enough. We must forgive ourselves as well if we are to eliminate the deeply submerged guilt and shame.
As we forgive others, which involves letting go of our harsh judgments of them, we are actually forgiving ourselves, letting go of our harsh judgments of ourselves. It's Confucius's law of reciprocity. It's a "golden rule" sort of thing. It's the way this world of ours works. It's all projection. People are mirrors of our thoughts. Trust me, there's a lot of that going around.
As we forgive others, we forgive ourselves. It's as simple and as difficult as that. Esteem others, let go of judgments, resentments and anger, forgive others (for they know not what they do), among other things, and be of service to others.
We get out of ourselves. We get out of the crazy thinking in our head that makes us feel alienated and frightened. We help others. We count our blessings. And guess what? Things get better. Life gets better. Life has greater meaning in addition to greater clarity, direction, transformation, happiness, contentment and good fortune.
-->
This Blogger's Books from
Follow Walter E. Jacobson, M.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/walterdoc
