Workforce Transformation: - Hitachi Consulting

Defining the Generations
Generation Birth Years Notable Members
There is often confusion in the definition and use of the term “generation.” The
origin of the word generation is from the Greek word genesis, and traditionally
stood for a parent-child relationship. A second definition of generation is an agerelated
group or cohort with a collective identity. The first definition implies the
transmission of stable cultural norms and values from one generation to the next;
while the second definition emphasizes the profound differences between
generations caused by a rapidly changing modern society. It is this second
definition that we are interested in here.
There is also a great deal of confusion about which and how many years define
a generation. Marketers and researchers have employed a wide range—from
seven years to 30 years—as delineating a generation. For example, the Boomer
Generation is popularly defined by 19 years (1946-1964), whereas Generation X
is sometimes defined by a much shorter 13-year period (1965-1977). Defining
the year a generation starts is also problematic. For example, in some definitions
the Boomer Generation begins as early as 1940 and in other definitions, as late
as 1947. This is important because the length and start date of a generation can
have a dramatic effect on the size and composition of that generation.
The most useful standard is the one proposed by William Strauss and Neil Howe
in their 1991 book, Generations, which is based on the historical analysis of the
common characteristics of each generation. Some of the notable members of the
various generations and their birth years, using the Strauss and Howe standard,
are included in Table 1.
G.I. 1901-1924 John Kennedy, Glenn Miller, Ernest Hemingway, Joe Louis
Silent 1925-1942 Dr. Martin Luther King, Colin Powell, Jack Kerouac, Gloria Steinem
Boomer 1943-1960 Bill Clinton, Elvis Presley, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates
Gen-X 1961-1981 Michael Dell, Barack Obama, Jodie Foster, Kurt Cobain, Tiger Woods
Millennial 1982-2003 Sasha Cohen, Scarlett Johanssen, Frankie Muniz, Shawn White, Lebron James
Table 1. Strauss and Howe’s Generational Labels and Intervals: United States 1901-2006
Generations are becoming an increasingly important social concept. One
important factor is the decline of race, gender, and class as cultural battle lines.
Progress on creating a multi-cultural society has reduced racial differences, and
women’s economic empowerment has placed them on a more equal footing with
men. Additionally, the triumph of capitalism over communism on the world stage
has reduced the emphasis on class divisions.
Another factor is that the pace of change in our society has quickened,
enhancing and emphasizing the differences between age groups. Consumer
culture, with its rapidly changing styles and trends, gives each generation the
clothes, music, books, and heroes to express their values and way of life. In
addition, as advances in health and medicine make it possible for the majority of
Americans to live longer and remain vital into their 70s and 80s, more
generations are active at any one time. This also engenders the potential for
intergenerational conflict, particularly in the area of government entitlement
programs. Finally, the impact of the large activist, post-war Boomer cohort in
raising the consciousness of generational issues cannot be understated.
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