Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Intellectual ...

Bertrand Pauget and Ahmed Dammak
More numerous than <strong>the</strong> preceding generation (<strong>the</strong> so-called “silent generation”), <strong>the</strong> youth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
sixties and early seventies lived in a privileged period due to particularly strong economic growth
(approximately 6% growth per year during <strong>the</strong> 1960s in France).
The Baby Boomers are a readily hedonistic generation that discovered mass consumption related to
<strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> Fordism. Their generation is <strong>the</strong> last great heir to <strong>the</strong> ideals <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Enlightenment
developed in France during <strong>the</strong> French Revolution (1789), and <strong>the</strong>y believe in <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> human
progress. This is based on a contract (related to <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bureaucratic ideal, Weber
1963). The phrase “public service” has been invented to describe this choice (Rosanvallon, 1995).
However, this generation is also rebellious to authority (as evidenced by <strong>the</strong> major strikes <strong>of</strong> 1968
against <strong>the</strong> power structures <strong>the</strong>n in place) and more individualistic than its predecessors (Attias-
Donfut, 1988).
Generation “X” is a transitional generation that has <strong>of</strong>ten been poorly discussed in <strong>the</strong> literature. It has
been called “Generation B<strong>of</strong>” (“Generation whatever”) and <strong>the</strong> “cynical generation.” In <strong>the</strong> words <strong>of</strong>
Alexandre Dumas regarding Louis XIII, “it is difficult to be both <strong>the</strong> son <strong>of</strong> Henri IV and <strong>the</strong> fa<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong>
Louis XIV.” Generation “X” is inserted between two generations that are more numerous and
influential (Chauvel, 2010).
Individuals in Generation “X” understand that national and European ideals experience difficulties;
even its most educated members are familiar with economic crisis. At <strong>the</strong> same time, on <strong>the</strong> private
front, Generation “X” discovered its first turmoil related to sexual relations, with <strong>the</strong> AIDS virus.
With <strong>the</strong> collapse <strong>of</strong> political ideals, <strong>the</strong> distressing arrival <strong>of</strong> globalization, and <strong>the</strong> turbulence <strong>of</strong>
private life, Generation “X” finds itself fragmented.
A portion <strong>of</strong> Generation “X” invested <strong>the</strong>mselves in <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essional world, but <strong>the</strong> majority (more than
60% <strong>of</strong> this generation) distanced <strong>the</strong>mselves from organizations. This majority values <strong>the</strong>ir personal
development, investment in <strong>the</strong>ir families, creating new lifestyle habits, and consumption, <strong>the</strong>reby
creating new words that flourished in common parlance, such as “bobos.” More mobile and
individualistic, this generation paved <strong>the</strong> way for Generation “Y”.
Generation “Y” is <strong>the</strong> first generation to be fully interconnected (Prele, 2005). It is not a generation <strong>of</strong>
photographs; it is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> emerge <strong>of</strong> computers and electronics. This generation takes for granted
<strong>the</strong> fall <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Berlin Wall. For it, <strong>the</strong> world is relative and instable; it does not recognize any borders,
and its members have already traveled extensively (Olivier and Tanguy, 2008).
At <strong>the</strong> same time, individualism, which has been pushed to its climax, has introduced new
considerations regarding <strong>the</strong> place <strong>of</strong> humans in <strong>the</strong> world (i.e., interest in sustainable development,
respect for all cultures, and a return to religion affected by personal experiences (Amirou and Pauget,
2011)). This generation combines <strong>the</strong> traits <strong>of</strong> its predecessors: it voluntarily defies authority because
it is accustomed even more than those that were involved in <strong>the</strong> May 1968 strike to change laws and
customs. It is a very flexible, but also impatient, generation.
2.3 The impact <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y” on management as reported in <strong>the</strong> literature
Research articles regarding <strong>the</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y” on management are rare (Murphy et al.,
2010; Baldonado and Spangenburg, 2009). Zemke and coworkers (2001) noted that each generation
has different expectations and values.
Three concepts seem to emerge in <strong>the</strong> French context (IAE, 2009): <strong>the</strong> search for identity and
connection with o<strong>the</strong>rs, <strong>the</strong> questioning <strong>of</strong> authority, and <strong>the</strong> flexibility <strong>of</strong> organizations.
The Baby Boomer generation grew up in a world populated by 2.5 billion humans. In 2010, <strong>the</strong>re were
6.8 billion people. It may be anecdotal to say that this forces <strong>the</strong> younger generation to ask, “Who am
I among almost 7 billion o<strong>the</strong>rs?” The question <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rness and <strong>the</strong> recognition <strong>of</strong> individuals in a
system is <strong>of</strong> importance. Young people are readily abandoning television for <strong>the</strong> recreational use <strong>of</strong>
social networks where <strong>the</strong> network <strong>of</strong> relationships <strong>of</strong>fers <strong>the</strong> best support and complicity.
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