Organizational Development: Redesign with Millennials in Mind!

2015 marks the year that millennials have taken over the U.S. workplace majority from the aging baby boomers¹. Times are a-changing, indeed!

While millennials have all but established their desire for work environments with “perks,” such as casual dress, flexible hours, and free food and beverages, people forget the resounding impact that this new demographic majority will have on how business operates. Not only do business processes and culture need to change, but so does the delivery of organizational development programs.

In a generation that’s grown up with content overload-- Buzzfeed articles on “How to Get Out of the Friendzone,” YouTube clips of Justin Bieber, and #hash-tagged (previously referred to as the pound sign) content for everything you can imagine-- the millennial generation is demanding access to the content they want, when they want it. No longer does missing the end of a television show mean not seeing how it ends-- it simply means rewinding the DVR to watch it; or hopping online for spoilers.

Taking into account this ‘millennial’ way of life, organizational development programs need to evolve. While a 6-hour live delivery on “Managing Others” may have captivated previous generations, millennials aren’t accustomed to tuning into one program for so long. In fact, a 2012 study found that “millennials switch media types 27 times every nonworking hour”². The second content seizes to be appealing, the millennial quickly navigates to something different.

So, how can organizational development programs cater to the new majority? By playing into the easily accessible, #hash-tagged environments that existing content already lives in. Consider these 3 tips when designing your company’s organizational development content:

1. Know What’s Needed (and Not Needed) for All.

Before creating your program, take an unbiased look at the organization. What’s already working well? What challenges are on the horizon? Consult with leadership and employees to determine what topics need addressing. Deliver this content in a way that’s impactful and relevant to everyone involved.

Use all of the business intel that’s available. Where is the organization at? Where does it need to be? Look into everything you can get your hands on-- performance reviews, engagement surveys, and business outcomes.

Avoid addressing department or role-specific items to the entire organization… or risk fleeting attention spans and sneak peeks at smart devices (including watches).

2. Curation is Key.

In our Google world, curated content is available at the click of a button. It takes seconds to wade through search results and find the content that’s relevant to your query.

To keep the millennial attention span engaged, structure your organization’s program into learning tracks that address organizational, professional, department, and role-specific development. Support each team member by allowing them to choose the content and learning modality as often as possible.

As you create your resources, take into account how departments and roles are best suited to digesting information. Is the technology department going to be more captivated by a development article or video? Is the busy account executive going to retain more information by squeezing in a group training or watching a video at his leisure? Keep these considerations in mind for maximum impact.

3. Connect Your Employees.

Online social networks have allowed people to connect across the world to share perspectives, tastes, and opinions. But why limit this to the virtual world?

Capitalize on your employees’ development by connecting them through “Peer Partnerships”. The power of a peer partner is like having a best friend at work. “Peer Partnerships” provide a safe, productive space to help each other navigate the professional landscape, face challenges, and even validate successes.

Connecting team members will not only provide them with an additional support system, but also facilitate relationship-building across the organization. Double win!

Ideally, your organization’s development programs should be a resource that team members reach for-- not something that’s pushed onto them. By taking into account the ‘millennial’ mindset, organizations can make their development programs a valuable asset that team members will want to tap into. #Awesome.

¹ Source: http://www.fastcoexist.com/3037823/millennials-will-become-the-majority-in-the-workforce-in-2015-is-your-company-ready

² Source: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/training-millennials-workplace-teach-them-same-way-you-reach-them-163716

#thursdaythoughts #blog #millennials