So, for the first time in America's modern history, we have five generations interacting at work.
Pertama kalinya dalam sejarah modern Amerika, ada 5 generasi saling berinteraksi saat bekerja.
The veterans, born between 1922 and 1943, are known as the Greatest Generation, the matures, the silents. They're known for their self-sacrifice, respect for authority and work as its own reward.
Para veteran, lahir antara tahun 1922-1943, dikenal sebagai Generasi Terhebat karena mereka dewasa dan pendiam. Mereka terkenal akan pengorbanan diri, hormat kepada atasan dan bekerja demi pekerjaan itu sendiri.
The boomers came shortly after, born between 1944 and 1960. This is a generation characterized by hard work. In fact, we can thank this generation for the term "workaholic." They appreciate competition, they love effective communication. And they're thinking towards retirement, if they haven't retired already.
Para boomer menyusul setelahnya, lahir antara tahun 1944-1960. Generasi ini terkenal dengan watak pekerja keras. Kita bisa berterima kasih pada mereka atas istilah "gila kerja." Mereka menghargai kompetisi dan menyukai komunikasi efektif. Dan mereka memikirkan rencana pensiun, untuk yang belum pensiun.
Generation X is known as the lost generation the latchkey generation, born between 1961 and 1980. This is the smallest generation, sandwiched between boomers and the big millennials. More parents were divorced in this generation than any generation prior. They also were the first generation to tell us about work-life balance, and the first to really ask for that in the workplace.
Generasi X dikenal sebagai generasi yang hilang generasi tanpa pengawasan orang dewasa, lahir antara tahun 1961-1980. Ini adalah generasi terkecil, digolongkan bersama generasi boomer dan milenial tua. Perceraian semakin banyak pada generasi ini dibandingkan dengan sebelumnya. Mereka juga yang pertama mengajari keseimbangan kehidupan dengan pekerjaan, dan mengajukannya di lingkungan kerja untuk pertama kalinya.
And then millennials -- you know, the everybody-gets-a-ribbon generation -- born between 1981 and 2000. Never knew a time where technology wasn't present in the home. They're incredibly pragmatic, they're hopeful and they're determined. They think they're going to change the world, in fact, I believe they're going to do it. They might be a little bit idealistic sometimes, but in just the last several years, we've seen millennials overtake Generation X to be the most represented generation in the workforce. In fact, more than one in three people in the United States labor force is a millennial. And soon to join us there, Generation Z, born since 2000, our high school interns or soon to be high school graduates.
Lalu ada milenial -- tahulah, generasi 'semua orang dapat penghargaan' -- lahir antara tahun 1981-2000. Mereka tidak pernah merasakan kealpaan teknologi dalam rumah mereka. Mereka sangat pragmatis, penuh harapan, dan berkemauan kuat. Mereka berpikir mereka akan mengubah dunia, dan saya percaya mereka akan melakukannya. Terkadang mereka mungkin sedikit terlalu idealis, tapi hanya dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, kita sudah melihat generasi milenial melengserkan generasi X dari posisi generasi yang paling banyak dalam lapangan kerja. Malah, lebih dari 1 banding 3 orang dalam lapangan pekerjaan AS adalah seorang milenial. Lalu yang menyusul kita, Generasi Z, lahir sejak tahun 2000, anak SMA magang atau calon lulusan SMA di sekitar kita.
Now, if you open any internet browser, look at Amazon, search any of your favorite search engines, you might assume there's a literal war in the workplace, right? We see blog topics like "Seventeen reasons why millennials are the worst generation." And "Why baby boomers have ruined it for everybody." Or "Bridging the great generational divide." It's like turning into this "West Side Story," like, boomers come in one door, millennials come in another door, the lobby, they just fight with each other all day, complain, go home, do the same, come back to work, right?
Nah, kalau kalian buka browser mana pun, cek website Amazon, dan mesin pencari kesukaan kalian yang mana saja, kalian mungkin berasumsi ada perang secara harfiah dalam karier, kan? Kita melihat topik besar seperti "17 alasan mengapa milenial adalah generasi terburuk." dan "Mengapa baby boomer sudah merusak segalanya." atau "Menjembatani perbedaan antargenerasi." Rasanya mirip drama "West Side Story," Boomer masuk dari satu pintu, milenial dari pintu lain di lobi, lalu mereka berkelahi sepanjang hari, protes, pulang, dan ulangi lagi, terus kembali bekerja?
Well, so what if I told you these generations may not exist? I've been spending some time thinking about this and researching this, and fellow researchers and I aren't exactly sure that these generations are real. And in fact, if we can agree that these groups even exist, we certainly don't agree who belongs in them. And they span something like 20 years. So at whatever point in history, a one-year-old and a 20-year-old are said to share the same value system, to want the same things at work, to have the same stereotypes working for and against them. And in fact, different areas of the world define these generations differently. So we can't even compare generations across various areas of the world. And these stereotypes about each generation have, in a lot of ways, created this self-fulfilling prophecy, that people begin to act as if they're part of that generation because we've said out loud that generation is real. I'm not so sure that it is.
Nah, bagaimana kalau saya bilang generasi-generasi ini mungkin tidak ada? Sudah lama saya memikirkan dan meneliti tentang ini, saya dan peneliti lain tidak begitu yakin generasi-generasi ini sungguhan ada. Justru kalau kita bisa sama-sama setuju kelompok ini ada, kita tidak sepandangan soal siapa yang berada di setiap tipe. Dan mereka terus ada selama 20 tahun. Jadi, dalam titik sejarah mana pun, Anak 1 tahun dan orang berumur 20 tahun dikatakan memiliki sistem nilai yang sama, menginginkan hal yang sama dalam bekerja, memiliki stereotipe positif dan negatif yang sama tentang mereka. Justru bagian dunia yang berbeda memandang setiap generasi dengan berbeda. Jadi, kita tidak bisa membandingkan setiap generasi di berbagai belahan dunia. Stereotipe-stereotipe setiap generasi kurang lebih telah membentuk pemikiran yang memenuhi prasangka, sehingga orang mulai bertingkah seperti bagian dari generasi tertentu karena kita sudah bilang jelas-jelas bahwa generasi itu nyata. Saya tidak begitu yakin.
And in fact, this idea of generations has become deeply embedded in United States culture. When we talk generations, people know exactly what we're talking about. In fact, people have a lot of thoughts and feelings about each of these generations. And I'll tell you how I know this. I did the thing that every red-blooded American and pre-tenure academic does when they have a question. I Googled some stuff. And this is what I learned. Google is based on algorithms, and they provide you with commonly searched terms, or suggested hits, based on what other people are searching surrounding the same topic. And it gave me a really good sense of what people think about each of these generations. Take a look.
Konsep tentang generasi-generasi ini telah sangat tertanam dalam budaya AS. Saat membicarakan generasi, orang-orang tahu mereka sedang ngomong apa. Malah, orang-orang memiliki banyak opini dan perasaan tentang generasi-generasi ini. Saya tahu dari mana? Saya melakukan hal yang dilakukan oleh setiap orang Amerika dan calon akademisi kalau ada pertanyaan. Saya Google beberapa hal. Dan ini yang saya pelajari. Google berdasarkan algoritma, dan hasil itu memberi istilah yang sering dicari, atau kata kunci disarankan, berdasarkan pencarian orang lain tentang topik yang sama. Dan itu membuat saya memahami apa pikiran orang-orang tentang setiap generasi. Lihatlah.
I learned that baby boomers are conservative, that Americans think they're stupid. The worst generation, they're angry, apparently they're racist and they're so important. Looking at Generation X, I learned Generation X is a cynical group, they're angry, they're known as the lost generation -- we know this; they're the smallest generation. Apparently, they're stupid too.
Saya mendapati baby boomer itu konservatif, orang Amerika berpikir mereka bodoh. Generasi terburuk, sering marah, sepertinya juga rasis dan suka merasa penting. Lalu Generasi X, Saya mendapati Generasi X itu sinis, suka marah, dianggap generasi yang hilang -- kita sudah tahu; mereka generasi terkecil. Rupanya mereka juga bodoh.
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
And mostly, they're frustrated with baby boomers.
Yang terpenting, mereka pusing dengan baby boomer.
Alright, millennials, this is what I learned about us. So, we're obsessed with food.
Oke, milenial. Ini yang saya temukan tentang kita. Terobsesi dengan makanan.
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
We're also stupid, ah! We're lazy, we're sensitive, we're fired, we're also hated, and we think we're important. And perhaps the most terrifying search result on the internet -- Generation Z is screwed.
Kita juga bodoh, wah! Pemalas, sensitif, sering dipecat, kita juga dibenci dan suka merasa penting. Dan mungkin hasil pencarian yang paling menakutkan -- Generasi Z tidak ada harapan.
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
OK, so, for five years, I've been talking to leaders and followers across a wide variety of organizations. And this is what I've come to realize. Generations haven't become part of the conversation -- generations have become the conversation at work. What I've learned is that we're working under the assumption that those Google results are true. And so, what I think is that organizations are now desperate to figure out how to "manage" the multigenerational workplace. "Manage" it. We manage all sorts of things. We're preparing for this wave of millennials to come to work. So we prepare for hurricanes, right? We prepare to take the MCAT, we prepare for natural disasters. Why are we preparing for 23-year-olds to come to work?
Oke, selama 5 tahun, saya sudah berbicara kepada pemimpin dan pengikut dari berbagai macam organisasi. Saat itulah saya sadar. Generasi belum menjadi bagian dari pembicaraan -- generasi sudah menjadi topik perbincangan kerja. Saya sudah mempelajari bahwa kita berasumsi hasil-hasil di Google itu benar. Jadi, saya kira semua organisasi sangat ingin mencari tahu cara "mengelola" lapangan kerja multigenerasi. "Mengelola," kata kuncinya. Kita mengelola berbagai macam hal. Kita bersiap untuk gelombang milenial dalam lingkungan kerja kita. Jadi, kita bersiap untuk angin topan, kan? Kita bersiap untuk ujian MCAT, kita bersiap untuk bencana alam. Mengapa kita bersiap untuk orang 23 tahun masuk kantor?
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
I've talked to these organizations, and I've heard amazing things that they're doing to create a workspace for everybody to get along and to have autonomy and to feel like they're thriving. But I've also heard some really incredibly harebrained ideas about how to navigate the multigenerational workplace. Are you ready? This is what I saw. I visited an organization, and they adopted this idea that if you can see it, you can be it. A really important concept. But I think they blew it. The put pictures on the walls of the ideal multigenerational workplace, because if you can see it, you can be it.
Saya sudah berdiskusi dengan mereka dan mendengar hal-hal menakjubkan yang mereka lakukan untuk menciptakan lingkungan kerja agar semua orang rukun dan memiliki kebebasan, juga bisa merasa nyaman. Tapi saya juga mendengar ide-ide tolol tentang cara membuat lapak untuk berbagai generasi. Siap? Ini yang saya lihat. Saya ke suatu organisasi, dan mereka mengadopsi ide kalau Anda bisa lihat, Anda bisa jadi seperti itu. Konsep yang sungguh penting. Tapi penerapan mereka gagal. Mereka menaruh gambar tentang lapak yang ideal untuk berbagai generasi karena kalau Anda bisa lihat, Anda bisa begitu.
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
Or like this one.
Atau seperti yang ini.
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
Like, I don't even want to work here.
Saya saja tidak mau bekerja di sini.
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
You don't get to wear color here, apparently, and HR seriously has problems with people jumping in heels, I promise you that, OK? I talked to an organization who recently decided against putting a ball pit in the break room because that's how you retain millennials. We're 30, not three.
Kalian tidak boleh pakai baju berwarna lain di sini, sepertinya, dan bagian HR bermasalah dengan orang pakai sepatu jinjit, Itu sungguhan, oke? Saya berbicara dengan organisasi yang baru-baru ini menolak keputusan menaruh arena mandi bola di ruang santai karena itu cara membuat milenial betah. Umur kita sudah 30, bukan lagi 3 tahun.
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
And in fact, I know a young, at the time, millennial, who was told that if she wanted people to take her seriously, just because she was a millennial, she would have to do this -- wear shoulder pads. Yes. People younger than her and older than her wouldn't take her seriously unless she wore shoulder pads. Straight-out-of-the-80s, can't-even-buy-them-anywhere shoulder pads. This young woman had two graduate degrees. This young woman was me. And this is the best we came up with? How to navigate the multigenerational workplace ... is shoulder pads?
Saya kenal milenial yang pada saat itu masih muda, dia diberitahu kalau dia mau dianggap serius oleh orang lain, hanya karena dia gen milenial, dia harus melakukan ini -- pakai pelindung bahu. Iya. Yang lebih muda atau tua daripada dia tidak akan menyeriusi dia kecuali kalau dia pakai pelindung bahu. Pelindung bahu era 80an dan sudah tidak bisa dibeli di mana pun. Dia punya dua gelar pascasarjana. Wanita itu adalah saya. Ini hal terbaik yang bisa kita pikirkan? Cara menjembatani perbedaan generasi dalam pekerjaan ... pakai pelindung bahu?
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
So, this is also what I've learned talking to organizations that employ a wide range of people of various ages. We are so much more similar than we are different. And we're hearing this consistently. People want work that matters, they want flexibility, they want support, they want appreciation, they want better coffee. But none of these things are tied to a generation. Now, sure, we see small differences in what people want. We know 20-year-olds and 60-year-olds go home and do different things. They have different values. At least when it comes to things happening outside of work.
Jadi, ini juga yang sudah saya pelajari dari banyak organisasi yang memperkerjakan orang-orang dari berbagai usia. Kita punya lebih banyak persamaan daripada perbedaan. Dan kita sering dengar ini. Orang ingin pekerjaan yang penting, fleksibilitas, dukungan, apresiasi, dan kopi lebih enak. Tapi semua ini tidak dikaitkan dengan generasi tertentu. Oke, kita melihat perbedaan kecil dalam keinginan orang. Kita tahu orang 20 tahun dan 60 tahun melakukan hal berbeda di rumah. Nilai panutan mereka berbeda. Setidaknya begitulah untuk hal di luar pekerjaan.
But I think what's happened is that this focus on generational cohorts, these groups of people, has created a space where we just forgot that people are people. And to know who they really are, who we really work with, we have to figure out how to better navigate this multigenerational workplace than ball pits. Call me one of those idealist millennials, but I think we can get there. And I don't think the idea is too terribly difficult.
Tapi menurut saya, yang terjadi adalah fokus terhadap perbedaan generasi, kelompok orang-orang ini, telah menciptakan tempat di mana kita lupa orang tetaplah orang. Untuk mengenal mereka sebenarnya siapa, dengan siapa kita bekerja, kita harus mencari cara mengakomodir berbagai generasi ini lebih dari sekadar bak mandi bola. Sebut saja saya milenial idealis, tapi kita bisa mencapainya. Dan saya pikir konsepnya tidak terlalu sulit.
What if we radically, simply, not easily, meet people where they are? Individualize our approach. I've never met a generation. I've had a lot of conversations with people who happened to identify with a specific generational cohort. I know that 80-year-olds text message and 23-year-olds crochet blankets. None of these things are stereotypical of that generation, right?
Bagaimana kalau kita secara sederhana menemui orang di mana mereka berada? Buatlah pendekatan personal. Saya jarang menemui generasi. Saya sudah banyak berbincang dengan orang-orang yang mengakui mereka kelompok generasi tertentu. Saya kenal orang 80 tahun yang SMS-an dan orang 23 tahun yang merajut selimut. Hal seperti itu tidak melulu milik generasi tertentu, kan?
Nilofer Merchant -- she's a thought leader in innovation -- she tells us we have to meet people in their onlyness, that is, that spot in the world where only we stand, as a function of our unique history, our experiences and our hopes. But this requires flexibility and curiosity.
Nilofer Merchant -- dia adalah pionir inovasi -- Dia bilang kita harus menemui orang dalam keunikan mereka, yaitu titik dalam dunia yang hanya ada kita, sebagai fungsi dari sejarah, pengalaman, dan harapan unik kita. Tapi ini memerlukan rasa ingin tahu dan pikiran terbuka.
And what happens when we meet people in their onlyness, only the spot in the world that they stand, we learn that that boomer who is just acting "angry" at work all the time is scared. Because he's worked every day since he was 16 years old, and on a Monday, sooner than he can imagine, he'll never go to work again. He's got plans. It's going to take like a week and a half to do all the things on that retirement list. But then what? What if we give a little bit of grace to the person that might be a little scared?
Kalau kita menemui orang dalam keunikan mereka, di titik dunia yang hanya ada mereka, kita tahu boomer yang biasanya suka "marah" terus saat bekerja sebenarnya ketakutan. Karena dia sudah bekerja setiap hari sejak usianya 16 tahun, dan suatu Senin, lebih cepat daripada yang dia bayangkan, dia tidak bisa bekerja lagi. Dia punya rencana. Menyelesaikan semua tugas rencana pensiun akan makan waktu 1,5 minggu untuknya. Lalu apa? Bagaimana kalau kita sedikit lebih berempati pada orang yang mungkin takut?
Or that Generation X-er who has four drop-offs, three kids, two hands, and is just trying to keep the wheels on the bus. Sure, maybe she's a little aloof at work. Maybe she's a little independent, maybe she's exhausted. Or that millennial who asks for a raise after two months because they're "entitled?" Well, maybe it's because that generation has more debt than any generation before them, coming out of college, and they just need the money to keep going, to pay rent.
Atau generasi X itu yang punya 4 tempat tujuan, 3 anak, dan 2 tangan, dan hanya berusaha untuk tetap bisa menyetir. Mungkin dia agak penyendiri di kantor. Mungkin dia mandiri atau kecapekan. Atau milenial itu yang minta kenaikan gaji setelah 2 bulan karena mereka "manja?" Mungkin itu karena hutang pinjaman milenial setelah lulus kuliah, lebih banyak daripada generasi sebelumnya. dan mereka hanya butuh uang untuk tetap hidup dan punya rumah.
And suddenly, when you meet people in their onlyness, that spot in the world only they stand, we're not talking about a generation anymore. We're talking about Jim or Jen or Candice. And so here's my challenge to us. Pick a person, just one, and explore their onlyness. And then learn. And then in the moments where it's appropriate, teach. And figure out what they bring to work that no one else can bring to work, because that's what makes work richer. And then do it again. And do it again. And then some day, we're not working with generations anymore. We're working with people.
Tiba-tiba, kalau Anda menemui orang dalam keunikan mereka, titik yang hanya ada mereka, kita tidak lagi bicara soal generasi. Kita bicara tentang Jim, Jen, atau Candice. Ini tantangan saya untuk kalian. Pilih satu orang saja, dan jelajahi keunikan mereka. Lalu pelajari itu. Dan saat yang tepat tiba, ajari diri kalian sendiri. Cari tahu apa yang hanya mereka bisa bawa ke tempat kerja, yang membuat kerja lebih bermakna. Lalu lakukan lagi. Dan lagi. Lalu, suatu hari, kita tidak bekerja dengan generasi lagi. Kita bekerja dengan orang.
And so to really understand the beauty of the multigenerational workplace, I think we just have to meet people where they are. And that doesn't require that we unpack and live there with them. But we might find, at least on occasion, it's a beautiful place to visit. And so I think there's just no need to argue about which generation is the most angry or the most entitled or the most so obsessed with food. We all come to the classroom, to work, back to our homes, a little bit tired and a little bit tattered sometimes. Maybe let's just do our best to humbly meet people where they are, how they show up that day, generation and all. And in those moments where it can feel a little bit like intergenerational warfare, I think we can at least all agree that shoulder pads aren't the solution.
Jadi, untuk memahami keindahan lingkungan kerja multigenerasi, Saya pikir kita harus melihat orang lain apa adanya. Kita tidak perlu pindah dan tinggal bersama mereka. Terkadang, kita akan menemukan, keindahan dalam keunikan mereka. Karena itu, saya pikir tidak perlulah berdebat tentang generasi mana yang paling suka marah, paling manja, atau paling terobsesi dengan makanan. Kita masuk ke kelas, kantor, lalu pulang terkadang dalam keadaan sedikit lelah dan kacau. Mari kita berusaha mengenal keunikan orang dengan rendah hati, dan kondisi mereka pada hari itu, terlepas dari generasi. Dan pada saat itulah rasanya mungkin sedikit seperti perang antargenerasi, saya pikir kita semua setidaknya bisa sepakat bahwa pelindung bahu bukanlah solusinya.
(Laughter)
(tertawa)
Thank you.
Terima kasih.
(Applause)
(tepuk tangan)