Gen Y v baby boomers: Why gen Ys are better team players

GENERATION Y cops a lot of criticism, but the youngsters among us aren’t without any redeeming qualities. This one might surprise you.

Group of Multiethnic Busy People Working in an Office

ARE you a lone wolf or a team player?

If you’re an older worker, chances are you’re not into all this touchy-feely, hot-desking, butchers paper brainstorming that’s so fashionable these days.

And that could be a problem.

A recent study by Deloitte found unlocking the power of collaboration added $46 billion to the Australian economy, with the potential to realise a further $10 billion if companies further embrace the trend.

That’s being driven largely by advances in technology making it easier than ever for employees to communicate and work together on projects, either in the office or remotely.

The trend has again been highlighted by global HR firm Randstad in its latest quarterly Workmonitor survey, which found two thirds (66 per cent) of Australian workers say they spend more time collaborating with colleagues than they did five years ago.

Collaboration and teamwork appear to be far more important to gen Y than baby boomers, however — almost two thirds (59 per cent) of gen Y say they perform better in teams, compared with just 33 per cent of baby boomers.

“We’ve seen workplaces really change quite significantly over last 20 years or so,” says Steve Shepherd, employment market analyst at Randstad.

“We now have technology that enables us to share information in real-time, and gen Y is much stronger in that area. It’s also a product of how they’ve grown up. The education system now focuses much more on collaboration — working on group assignments, for example. It’s really become second nature for them.”

“This way I can see into your soul through your cold, dead eyes.”

According to the survey, gen X falls squarely in the middle, with 50 per cent saying they perform better in teams. The vast majority (85 per cent) of respondents said they believe collaboration is increasingly important as a result of recent advancements in technology.

Mr Shepherd said when comparing the findings to other countries, Australia is lagging behind.

“If you look at China, India, Hong Kong and Singapore, 82 per cent of workers say collaboration is recognised and rewarded in the business, versus just 51 per cent in Australia,” he said. “We do have to catch up. We’re competing with these companies and we’re a long way from the rest of the world.”

So how do businesses change the way they operate to encourage collaboration? Setting up the right platforms and leading by example is the best way to kick off cultural change, according to Mr Shepherd.

“One of the things that came through in the study is if you measure performance on outcomes that are individually driven, then you’re not necessarily encouraging collaborative behaviour,” he said.

“It’s a bit like teamwork and sports teams. If your focus is only on kicking goals, then you’ll have a whole lot of players focused on kicking goals rather than a group focused on working together to win the match.

“You could have the best salesperson in the world who sells a lot but doesn’t work with others. He achieves his personal goals but the business doesn’t achieve its goals. But if you have a sales team that is collaborative, shares leads and supports each other, then they’re all working towards a better outcome.”

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Originally published as Gen Y v baby boomers: Why gen Ys are better team players