Putting gen y in the leadership chair

CONTENTS

THE PRESENTER ................................................................... 2

INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 2

THE APPLICATIONS .............................................................. 3

EMPLOYEE INDUCTIONS ...................................................... 3

GENERAL COMMUNICATION ............................................... 3

KNOWLEDGE SHARING ........................................................ 3

MEETINGS ............................................................................ 4

OVERCOMING TIME AND SPACE .......................................... 4

PRESENTATIONS ................................................................... 5

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ........................................... 5

PROJECT WORK .................................................................... 6

CONCLUSION ....................................................................... 6

USEFUL WEBSITES ............................................................... 7

GLOSSARY ........................................................................... 7

Putting Gen Y in the Leadership Chair

Recommendations for technologies that will engage Gen Y and improve your business.

Kelly Dwyer, Australia, 2011

PUTTING GEN Y IN THE LEADERSHIP CHAIR

Kelly Dwyer, 2011 Page 2 of 7

THE PRESENTER

Kelly Dwyer is a Gen Y, Team Leader of Systems and Quality for Wodonga Institute of TAFE in Victoria, Australia. A major

focus of her role is looking at the processes involved in doing business and how this can be streamlined for efficiency.

Kelly has a penchant for new technology where it has a practical application to the workplace. Kelly holds a Bachelor of

Business Commerce (Marketing/Public Relations) from Monash University and is currently completing The Chair

Academy through Victoria University.

INTRODUCTION

Indulged. Spoilt. Whiners. Lazy. Disloyal. Job‐hoppers. Overly ambitious. Selfish. Demanding. Questioning. Permanently

connected to technology.

These are just some of the negative connotations connected to the newest generation of employees and the upcoming

leaders, Gen Y. However, from a different view point, some of these traits could modify our businesses in very positive

manners.

The “Why” factor of Gen Y has the potential to explore our current business practices while the technological knowhow

could offer streamlined solutions and add dramatically to our bottom line. A Gen Y mind can often turn technological

developments into real life business applications through a little lateral thinking.

So what is currently available that will stimulate the mind and creativity of Gen Y? What will allow our employees to

work smarter, not harder, while also retaining the elusive Gen Y’s who in reality “go where they are wanted and stay

where they are appreciated”? (Triple J, Hack, May 2010).

We will explore this further by grouping together some business practices and linking them to hardware, software and

applications which could drive improvement across your business.



THE APPLICATIONS

There are literally hundreds and thousands of technological applications available in the public domain. Some are user‐

pays, some are freeware or open source programs. Below is a sample of common programs and applications which can

be applied to business practices for increased efficiency.

EMPLOYEE INDUCTIONS

YouTube

Businesses can set up their own channels and post videos relating to their business. This may include

instructional videos to induct employees into the business.

GENERAL COMMUNICATION

Microblogs / Instant messaging services

Email systems are limited in capacity and as conversations go on, multiple copies of emails sit in users inboxes.

Instant messaging could be used to replace emails for general discussion and questions as well as replace

internal phone calls and voicemails.

In the same way, voicemail messages can bounce back and forth sometimes leading to one or the other party

forgetting what the original contact was for.

Freeware programs are available for businesses on a budget

Could include status updates such as “In a meeting til 2pm” (replaces telling the receptionist on your way out

the door!)

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

Moodle

A free, open‐source PHP web application for producing modular internet‐based courses that supports a modern

social constructionist pedagogy.

Helps educators create online courses with a focus on interaction and collaborative construction of content .

Moodle courses are almost always in constant development.

Has the ability to link to hosted videos on YouTube as well as other rich media content.

Wodonga Institute of TAFE is supporting staff with scholarships to spend time transferring courses to an online

platform. It has also been used to develop our Staff Induction Program.

Blogs

Could be used as a way to record and report back on attendance at workshops and professional development

seminars. Where multiple staff would benefit, but only minimal staff can attend, this is a useful way to ensure

that people can get access to the knowledge and skills learnt.



Wiki’s

A website that allows the creation and editing of pages.

Seeks to involve the visitor in an ongoing process of creation and collaboration.

Can be used to develop corporate work flows or instructions as systematic improvements are made.

Multimedia

Video/voice recordings distributed through podcasts when experts or support departments present to your

employees.

MEETINGS

iPad

iPads are portable computer hardware devices that support applications (apps). An iPad in a meeting can

replace a notepad, allowing notes to be linked electronically to existing documentation or project files. iPads

also enable access to calendars so meeting participants can immediately transfer deadline dates or know if it is

realistic to expect to meet such timelines as all information is at hand.

YouTube

A video‐sharing website for user‐generate content.

Can find inspirational, funny, supporting video content to enhance meetings or set the scene.

Try clips such as “The Lost Generation”, “Next is Now” or channels such as TED Talk.

OVERCOMING TIME AND SPACE

Google Docs

A free online application which allows you to upload documents from your desktop and store them in “the

cloud”.

Allows you to access, edit and view your docs from any computer or smartphone.

Real‐time collaboration means work can get done more quickly and versions can be controlled.

Twitter

A social networking and microblogging service, enabling its users to send and read messages called tweets.

Tweets can be restricted to just their followers to enable privacy.

Discussions can be facilitated through the use of a specific hash tag which is used be all participants.

The benefits include ability to link to other web‐based resources (articles, images, documents) and the recording

of conversation and said links for business purposes.

If you have a Twitter account, try searching for the hash tag #genychat.



Discussion boards

Facilitated through software applications such as SharePoint.

Discussion boards enable group participants to review content and post comments and opinions, resulting in

collaboration and a mutually derived outcome.

PRESENTATIONS

iPad, iPhone

Apps such as Keynote allow PowerPoint style presentations to be developed.

Presentations can be made one‐on‐one at a moment’s notice (e.g. in the elevator – never miss a sales pitch!)

New connections which dock both devices to instantly turn them into presentation devices to allow staff to

always be prepared. An example of this technology is the MiLi Power Pico Projector which has built in audio

features as well as projection capabilities.

Slide Rocket

Web‐based hosting site for creating and sharing presentations. Enables users to upload presentations and be

able to access them anywhere without the hassle of USB keys or computer hard drives.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Twitter and Tweetdeck

Twitter is often used by professional microbloggers who find and/or generate web‐based content and ‘tweet’

links coupled with applicable hash tags (e.g. #leadership, #geny) to enable those with a shared interest to find

the content.

When following someone on Twitter you can add them to a list which you build to group together similar

Tweeters (e.g. Educational Leaders, Generations, celebrities, News).

Tweetdeck is freeware program to manage the Twitter services you follow or hash tags of interest.

Tweetdeck allows you to view your lists and/or hash tags in columns to separate tweets for easier access as

opposed to one continuous stream of information. It also has the added benefit of columns for other social

network platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

LinkdIn

A professional networking site.

Links to former colleagues on a business and educational platform as well as colleagues of colleagues.

Provides opportunities for business development, job posting, candidate sourcing, and business profiling

(candidates can search for your business and decide if you’re worth working for).

LinkedIn Answers is a feature which allows users to post questions, usually of a business nature, and linked

professionals can view and answer questions. A social educational experience.



YouTube

Channels such as TED talk provide access to hundreds of professional, educational videos.

PROJECT WORK

Shared spaces

Through the platform SharePoint, groups of people from across different areas of an organisation can share

documents and resources while working on a collaborative project.

Google Docs

The ability to not only share documents but also simultaneously collaborate on them reduces waiting time and

means all group members can work on a document whenever it best suits them.

Particularly good for commercial partnerships which require tracking documents to be completed by both

parties to ensure processes are completed on time.

Note that there are some limitations for file sizes and how documents are converted from Microsoft formats to

Google doc formats.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully this is just the launching pad for technological ideas which could help transform your business.

Technology has the capacity to not only bring real benefits to the way we do our business, but also has the capability to

bridge the generational gap by truly engaging Gen Y in the business. However to make the most of your Gen Y

employees and the technology available, you need to be very clear about what your business goals are.

If you are looking at harnessing technology in your business, think about which Gen Y employee might be the right

person to ask “Why” and then get them to follow up with “What?” and “How?”. Perhaps make this a regular part of your

business reviews, open the doors to new ideas and see what solutions come your way.

Who wants to work harder if there’s a smarter option available? You are only limited by your imagination.



USEFUL WEBSITES

www.twitterguide.com.au Learn how to use Twitter – for beginners and Businesses. An e‐guide to get started and use Twitter to benefit your business and personal life. Sells for $27.95AUD.

www.intramessenger.net Allows companies/communities and dispersed workgroups to create and control their own network of instant collaborative messages

www.moodle.org Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.

www.ted.com Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world. Videos available on a wide variety of topics to inspire and educate. Available in a variety of languages.

www.iphonemili.com

Developed MiLi Power Pico Projector (HI‐P60) for iPods/iPhones/iPads.

GLOSSARY

“The Cloud” As a metaphor for the Internet in cloud computing, based on how it is depicted in computer network diagrams and a an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals. Describes computation, software, data access and storage services that do not require end‐user knowledge of the physical location and configuration of the system that delivers the service. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing)

Tweets Text‐based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on a user’s profile (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter)

Microblogging A broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregate file size. Microblogs allow users to exchange small elements of content such as short sentences, individual images or video links (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microblogging)

Moodle Modular Object‐Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (see description above) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle)