Reviewing the Twitter Club: 3 Generations & Social Technology

Yesterday, we looked at how 3 different generations interact with and process the internet, social technology, and social media.

Here’s our matrix:

Social Technology and The Generation Gap
The Glibbers	The Roamers	The Clingers
Real Time	Short Term	Long Term
Bits of Information	Chunks of Information	Complete Information
Coded words	Quick Sentences	Full Pages
Delete	Search/Bookmark	Save

So, in most cases, the younger generation of office workers is compromised mostly of Glibbers while the older generation is, by and large, comprised of Clingers. That leaves the Roamers–the in-between group who are captivated by technology, use it, but are generally a step behind.

Why is this important?

For several reasons:

1. Glibbers Aren’t Geniuses: The young guy with the ironic t-shirt and i-Pod isn’t as valuable as you may think. Just because a Glibber can turn on a computer, surf the internet, and go on about the importance of Facebook and Twitter doesn’t make him or her an influential talent. The experience just isn’t there. A Glibber might know how to upload a video to Youtube and know how to relate to other ‘hip’ Glibbers but chances are they don’t know enough about the business they just got into. This can lead to major mistakes.

2. Roamers Are a Great Bridge: Roamers witnessed the birth and growth of the internet and they know how important it is. Any office Roamer will tell you that the internet has made things more efficient and has created fewer paper files, less confusion, etc. Yet, Roamers still have holdover habits from the paper-and-pen era. We all know the Roamer who can’t get rid of their hard copy address book or their leather calendar because they insist it’s quicker. Still, the Roamer has experience and has witnessed the evolution of the internet, putting them in a valuable spot where they can serve as a useful bridge between Glibbers and Clingers.

3. Don’t Discount Clingers: Yes, the internet has changed everything. Most businesses maintain a majority of their files online and, without email, today’s businesses would be lost. So, how can the Clinger, the generation who gets cold sweats when they turn on a computer, be helpful? Clingers lacking in technological prowess, are still politically competent, well connected, and analytical problem solvers. A Clinger will approach a problem by brainstorming ideas and solutions–and won’t look it up on Google. It might take more time but it’s original, thoughtful, insightful. And, yes, of course a Clinger has the most experience under their belt and is invaluable to the firm. A marketing campaign, relaying on viral videos, might be a Glibber’s great new idea, but an experienced Clinger will  know what kills and what helps innovative ideas.

Leadership Link Round-Up: June 29-July 3

Happy 4th of July everyone. Have a good weekend and enjoy the fine weather we’re sure to have.

• Information wants to be free…sorry newspapers!
• Rational optimism in leaders is inspirational. Look at Winston Churchill.
• Steve Jobs’ career is much like Nandan Nilekani’s career: innovative, captivating, and emulated.
• Joe Queenan on the ‘office jerk’ and his fall.
• Can Facebook create the next Pay-pal? Here are 4 arguments why Facebook just might.
• How to get organized with web-based task managers.
• Is China the next ‘economic success story’?
• Do CEOs avoid Twitter? Facebook? Even Linkedin?
• Do businesses really need to use social media? Ask yourself.
• The new glass deck in the Sears Tower. Not for the faint hearted.
• Microblogging and social technology is big…but who cares?
• How do you make the best decisions? Perhaps, the WSJ argues, stop relaying on those intuitions.
• Are Facebook personalized URLs worth it? Maybe!
• When university’s try to help their students get work…they do it all wrong.
• Do you enjoy finding inscriptions in your old books? Here’s a collection.
• It’s hard to track the dos and dont’s of body-language. Make sure to look over these body-language myth busters.

Before & After Twitter: How 3 Generations Use Social Technology

There have always been generation gaps–but in the age of social technology the generation gaps are getting bigger and growing faster.

The Glibbers: If you were born after 1980 the chances are you grew up near a computer and now, 29 years later, you digest online information quickly and in small bits. Glibber’s won’t just read news stories but they’ll follow their friends on twitter, scan a blog based in Hong Kong, read LA food reviews, and download a movie all in the span of 5 minutes. Glibbers get a world of fractured information in real time.

The Roamers: You’re in the neighborhood of 50 but can still send Youtube videos to your nieces and nephews. Roamers will get their information from trusted news sources or they will search out specific information they want. When it comes to processing online information Roamers will try hard to read the entirety of an article but will most likely stop once they get the chunks of information they need. The Internet doesn’t scare off Roamers but it doesn’t absorb their attention for 8 hours a day.

The Clingers: A Clinger is anyone who looks at a computer with apprehension, unease, and reluctance. The clingers will get access to online information through the help of Roamers and Glibbers or they will relay on a few trusted websites to gather interesting st0ries. The Clingers will read entire articles, watch whole Youtube videos, and take notes of what they are seeing and reading. A true Clinger will print out articles they like, read them, and then save them.

Social Technology and The Generation Gap
The Glibbers	The Roamers	The Clingers
Real Time	Short Term	Long Term
Bits of Information	Chunks of Information	Complete Information
Coded words	Quick Sentences	Full Pages
Delete	Search/Bookmark	Save

Where do you fall on this chart?

Tomorrow we’ll look at the importance and leadership role that each generation possess.

3 Tested Strategies to Empower Employees

Managerially competent leaders who sustain momentum are experts at empowering individuals and groups to perform specific tasks or processes in the pursuit of their agenda. The most effective leaders understand that their ability to deliver results and to engage others with the responsibility and authority of getting things done.

Douglas Conant, CEO of Campbell Soup Co., knows this lesson well. In his recent interview with Forbes he stresses the importance of engaging employees in order to secure better results. Mr. Conant says the following techniques helped him dramatically engage employees and increase productivity:

• Find Leaders From Within: Mr. Conant replaced 300 managers with leaders from within the company. It was a clear illustration of caring for the team and people at Cambell Soup Co..
• Learn to Celebrate Success: It’s easy to find success stories within organizations and they should be celebrated. You can skip the balloons and the cake–but you should make an effort to share a lunch with a few colleagues who have done something positive.
• Write Thank-You Notes: It’s easy to send a quick email but it’s not worth much–no matter how many exclamation points you use. Instead, try writing a small, personalized, thank-you note to team members who’ve done a great job. It shows you care and it shows that you have time for people, not just profits.

Mr. Conant motivates his team and enhances his organization’s cultural momentum by largely guiding individual self-motivation. He wants everyone to feel like an integral part of the team. Thank-you notes, small lunches, and hiring leaders from within help Mr. Conant show his team that he cares about everyone and, as Campbell’s success is showing, his team cares about doing a better job.

Leadership Link Round-Up: June 22-26

• It’s hard working with your hands–but it’s harder working in a job with no craftsmanship.
• Myspace is cutting back. Just because your the first–doesn’t mean your the best.
• What are the world’s most counterfeited products? See Businessweek’s slide show and check out their redesigned site!
• Innovation takes a big team and a lot of ideas. Wharton wants us to think (and collaborate) outside of the box.
• Forbes on the market’s best managers. It takes a different kind of leader in tough times.
• Social media’s influence on Iran has been unique and revolutionary.
• Can’t stop thinking about that chocolate-chip cookie? Food companies know what we want before the doctors do!
• Iran’s protests might do less damage than the regimes upper-level squabbling and infighting.
• It’s graduation season. Here are some important steps to tell the fresh graduates in your family.
• Need help understanding the election in Iran? This cartoon will sum it up.
• I’ll meet you at Pepsi station. New York’s perpetually cash-strapped MTA wants to sell subway station naming rights to companies. Oh, and they are raising fares this Sunday.
• The unusual science of electing a board of directors. Incompetency, it seems, is rewarded.
• How did McDonald’s become tres chic in France?
• How does social media mourn?
• Need an example of a team defying all odds and winning? You can’t get a better one than this: USA beats Spain 2-0 in the Confederation’s Cup.