1964), and Generation Xers (or Gen X, born 1965â1979) as the toughest generation ... Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial (see Table 1).
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Current Issues Corey Herd, Column Editor
Generational Spin: How Supervisors View the Millennials Marie R. Kerins Department of Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD Disclosure: Marie R. Kerins has no financial or nonfinancial relationships related to the content of this article.
DeDe Matrangola Department of Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD Disclosure: DeDe Matrangola has no financial or nonfinancial relationships related to the content of this article. The notion of understanding and working to develop supervisory skills that demonstrate understanding of generational differences is identified in the new Knowledge and Skills document for clinical supervision (ASHA, 2008). This article discusses the definition and delineation of the various generations and investigates the perceived differences between the generations. Specifically, the present study will explore how the clinical supervisor’s demographics, characteristics, and perceptions may impact how a student’s success is measured. Suggestions are offered by the authors on how to communicate supervision goals to students who belong to the Millennial Generation. Clinical supervision as a distinct area of practice within the field of speech-language pathology and audiology is gaining attention (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2008). Competencies have been identified and skills must be learned and honed by clinical supervisors, similar to competencies acquired for treatment and assessment areas of the profession. Supervision is a skill that is sensitive to self-reflection, continuing education, and a desire to improve. The goals of the supervisory process as identified by Anderson (1988) remain much the same, with the end goal being professional growth and development of both the supervisor and supervisee, resulting in optimum care of the client. The notion of understanding and working to develop supervisory skills that demonstrate understanding of generational differences is identified in the most recent Knowledge and Skills document for clinical supervision (ASHA, 2008). Part of the challenge of understanding generational differences is to begin with an understanding of what constitutes and defines a generation. Generations are best understood by examining the ideas, events, and circumstances that occurred in those individuals’ lifetimes, with particular acknowledgement of the influences as one becomes of age. Insight into the role of the influences of a generation help us gain perspective on the students we supervise and may also help us understand why we may react to some of the observed differences in their behavior, expectations, and
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communication style. Much has been written on generation gaps, and the literature base continues to increase as the Millennial Generation (born 1980–2001) matures and begins to enter the work force. This article explores some of the perceived generational differences found after surveying a group of 178 off-campus clinical supervisors working with graduate students. Selected responses from the survey that demonstrated significant differences in responses between generations will be presented. When possible, the current literature will be used to lend support or refute findings of the survey. Generational differences have always been noted, but seem to be magnified as the Millennial Generation (born 1980–2001) enters higher education and the workplace. Lancaster and Stillman (2010), who have done some extensive studying of this generation over the past five years, feel that of all the generations in the work force today, Millennials are most different; they have also been cited by Traditionalists (born 1925–1945), Baby Boomers (born 1946– 1964), and Generation Xers (or Gen X, born 1965–1979) as the toughest generation to work with. A generation is often viewed as approximately a 20-year span in history where a cohort of individuals share sociopolitical events, pop culture, and a general climate, forming a collective mindset. The theory is that individuals that have shared similar experiences during their formative years share a lasting effect on their values and decisions (Skiba, 2005; Smith & Clurman, 2007). Current literature has seized the opportunity to focus on generational differences that have separated us from our parents and our children. Some of the stereotypes for the generations will be shared.
Across the Generations The intergenerational workplace combines perspectives from four unique generations: Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial (see Table 1). Differences have been studied, categorized and stereotyped. With the call from ASHA to consider cultural differences in our communication with others, the study of generational communication has begun to be explored in our field. The data, while limited, on the impact of generational differences in our communication, at least recognizes the potential for conflict and understanding (O’Connor et al., 2010, Koch, Drazinski, & von den Enden, 2007, McCready, 2011). Table 1. Stereotypes from four unique generations Traditionalist
Baby Boomer
Generation X
Millennial
1925–1945
1946–1964
1965–1979
1980–2001
Strict collegial standards
Questioned the status quo
Seek bottom line
Tech-savvy
Rebellious
Balance home and work life
Respect must be earned
“We” generation Trust in government and authority
Driven and dedicated Self-worth in job
Demand clear expectations
Consumers Immediate feedback
The business industry, in particular hiring managers, human resources staff, and those interested in retaining employees, have recognized the differences between the youngest Millennial Generation in the workplace and their older counterparts, including Generation X and the Baby Boomer Generation (Arnold & Williams, 2008). More recently, the generation gap has been explored in other health-related fields, including medicine (Sanders & Morrison,
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2007), nursing (Sherman, 2006), and speech-language pathology/audiology (Koch, Drazinski, & van den Enden, 2007; McCready, 2011; O’Connor et al., 2007). Each of these areas has come to similar conclusions—that the Millennial group is different from other generations. As children, they were encouraged to voice their opinion. They have grown up with larger-than-life self-esteems, where parents have constantly promoted their efforts with more regard for effort and less regard for the results. They are well traveled and have built impressive résumés with varied service experiences and many leadership opportunities. Millennials have also been characterized by the Boomer and older Generation X parents as sharing close relationships with their parents. As a generation, many of their births have been planned, making them very much wanted by their parents. Their activities have been tightly monitored throughout their childhood. Certainly, a notable influence in this young group has been the significant effect of technology (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005; Tapscott, 1998) including the Internet, smartphones, texting, blogs, YouTube, social media, and 24/7 wireless technology. Some researchers (see Bauerlein, 2011; Chen, 2011) have noted that technology has shifted their ability to think in an orderly, linear fashion, to a more nonlinear type of thinking with cognitive stops and starts, often multitasking in an environment that requires large amounts of visual data. Prensky, in a recently published book chapter, “Do They Really Think Differently?” (2010), feels the indirect evidence for physical changes to the brain are extremely strong. Another often-cited study on multitasking completed at Stanford University by Nass in 2009 (as cited in Chen, 2011) concluded that heavy multitaskers were less able to concentrate on a single task and worse at switching between tasks than were light multitaskers. Though results are somewhat controversial, the impact on how a Millennial thinks and learns will continue to be studied as science has the capabilities to study effects on the brain activity. The increase in physical evidence will demonstrate how they may be wired differently. Thinking about generational differences from a personal perspective can be a fun and interactive activity. Both the first and second authors have presented many times on generational differences, and everyone participating seems to have fun recalling the Hollywood icons of their childhood, popular toys of the past, and major political and cultural events they have experienced. To illustrate this point, the first author recently received a humorous and nostalgic e-mail attachment sent out to a group of similar-aged peers recalling childhood events. The pictures and captions compared the simple times of being entertained with a hulahoop while waiting for the Good Humor man, to more cynical comments of recent times regarding the advent of tamper-proof foods and hermetically sealed bottles. One picture depicted a gas station attendant cheerfully filling the car with gas and cleaning the windows while recalling in a caption, “All this service AND trading stamps to boot.” While recalling these past events, I also remember when “oly-oly oxen free” made perfect sense, and “cut and paste” meant using scissors and glue to construct therapy materials. These events (in part) defined me and my Baby Boomer peers. Now fast-forward to my own Millennial children; they grew up in a dramatically different time. I did not send them outdoors after breakfast, allowing them to roam freely in the neighborhood until lunchtime. They went to school at an earlier age and spent many more hours in structured programs after school than I did. Although they were entertained in many of the same ways, as a parent I was more involved in taking them to events and arranging activities and play dates, essentially providing and directing sources of their stimulation. However, family circumstances for Boomer parents more commonly involved dual-income households and fewer children to “parent” than previous generations, where large families with stay-at-home moms were the norm. My Millennial children also played on computers from a very early age and had toys that provided them with feedback. By simply clicking Richard Scarry figures on the computer, the individuals came alive, vehicles honked, and sirens screeched. As they grew up, book reports could be completed by finding Spark Notes online, or better yet, streaming the video version of the book from an array of websites with no reading involved. Playing soccer, lacrosse, and competitive swimming was the norm at 6 years old, and so was piling on multiple other activities like scouts and music lessons, all in an effort to give them multiple opportunities to become well-rounded individuals. Remarkably,
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they achieved success at all of these, as noted by the array of ribbons and shiny trophies boxed-up by the carton and stored in their closets. Demonstrating and thinking about generational differences and the multiple events that shaped us gives some insight into how we may view the world. In a field of study like speech-language pathology, clinical teaching involves a high degree of interpersonal communication between an experienced clinical supervisor and the typically younger student. At the university setting, the issues of generational differences give rise to many questions about the impact that these qualities have on education for our mostly Millennial students. How do these students fare when in a supervisory process, and are they more or less successful in their interactions compared with previous generations? What is the demographic of the average clinical supervisor, and how might their characteristics and perceptions impact how a student’s success is measured? The students we typically supervise are born after 1980, putting them in the Millennial generation. It is recognized, however, that there are older students who have changed career paths and belong to a different generational cohort, creating yet a different supervisory dynamic. Each generation has its set of strengths, and we need to help identify those and then capitalize on them in a way that will move forward the care of the clients we treat. To explore some of these issues, we electronically disseminated an 18-question survey using SurveyMonkey© to 178 clinical supervisors working with graduate speech-language pathology students in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region.
Survey Results Respondent Demographics One hundred and seventy-eight surveys were e-mailed to supervisors in the BaltimoreWashington Metropolitan area; 84 respondents completed the survey, for a total return rate of 49%. The survey consisted of 18 questions, 4 of which dealt with demographics. The demographic data is as follows. When separated by generation, 26% self-identified as Baby Boomers, 55% as Generation Xers, and 19% as Millennials. The majority of the respondents worked in the school setting (42%), followed by hospitals (32%), outpatient clinics (16%), and skilled nursing facilities (6%), with the remaining 13% categorized as other (private practice, private school, non-profit, early intervention). Thirty-nine percent had supervised for more than 8 years, while over a third, 35%, had only supervised 1–3 years. Of the 14 remaining questions, 8 of them will be highlighted because of the noted differences in responses between the generations. Selected Survey Questions and Responses There are many differences in students today compared with my experience as a graduate student.
Gen X supervisors agreed or strongly agreed 34% of the time, while Baby Boomers agreed or strongly agreed 45% of the time. Qualitative remarks were reviewed. The work
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“entitled” came up most frequently with the Gen X group, with fewer noting more of a reliance on technology for all of their information. The Baby Boomer group reported that current students were more computer-savvy than previous students, and a few commented on lack of “professionalism.” One, however, noted that teaching students how to be a professional should not be part of their job responsibility. Lancaster and Stillman (2010) also noted the tendency for other generations to label the Millennials as “entitled.” They pointed out that they were raised to speak their mind and were generally valued for their opinion. Society has rewarded them for effort as opposed to mastery (2010). Parents have been heavily involved in their school science fairs, book reports, and college applications. Failure has not been a common childhood experience for this generation. There are many differences between my experience as a graduate student and the current experience students have as graduate students.
It is no surprise that as one moves further from a younger generation, the perceived differences between generations are greater. What was of interest and noteworthy with this question was that 25% of the Millennials saw differences in their graduate experience, despite the fact they were supervising students only a few years younger than themselves. Sixty percent of the Gen X generation and 82% of the Baby Boomer generation viewed their graduate school experience as different. Friedman (2007) and Lancaster and Stillman (2010) have remarked that with the influx and rapid changes in technology, generation changes are perhaps occurring more rapidly, making the years between generations shorter. The Millennial respondent commented how smartphone technology has changed, and observed that the younger Millennials use computers for just about everything from gaining information to taking notes. The Gen X respondents also viewed the Millennial as more tech-savvy, and a few noted a wider breadth of knowledge that they were responsible for, possibly reflecting the increases in scope of practice over the years. Finally, the Baby Boomers commented that today’s students are responsible for more content and have comparatively more life experiences. They felt standards were different back in their day, where one felt they could not miss a day of work, they made all their materials, and they could not leave until work was done. The student has much to learn from the expertise of the supervisor in the clinical setting.
Across the board, all generations seemed to agree that the younger generation had much to learn from them. The Baby Boomers felt the strongest, where 77% strongly agreed.
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This is not surprising in light of the fact that the Boomer generation has worked the longest and has the most real-life experiences. More surprising is that the Millennial supervisors expressed a higher degree of agreement (63% strongly agreed) with this statement than did the Gen X supervisors (57% strongly agreed), who noted that supervisors also have much to learn from their students. It was recognized that students of this generation come to the table with ample academic knowledge, but need—as all students do—to foster skills best acquired through experience, such as business aspects, customer service, empathy, counseling, and teamwork. Although there is wide agreement on the feeling that students have much to learn from the expertise of their supervisors, Lancaster and Stillman’s (2010) large national survey would support the notion that Millennials also recognize the mentoring, skills, and expertise provided by their more experienced colleagues. The supervisor/student relationship should be strictly professional with communication being primarily work related.
Generational differences differed markedly with this question. The Baby Boomers led the field with 68% strongly agreed/agreed, followed by 38% of Gen Xers, and 56% of the Millennials. Certainly, the Baby Boomer generation values the professional relationship, and this finding may be more or less expected. What is interesting to note is the fact that over half of the Millennials felt the same way. In fact, there was a greater percentage of Millennials than Gen Xers who felt the relationship should be strictly professional. When we reflected on this, we hypothesized that it may be easier for the Millennial supervisors who are closest in age and shared life experiences to their students to maintain boundaries with their advisees if more of a professional distance was maintained. We did not have any qualitative feedback for this question to gain further insight into the findings, nor could we draw any support from research findings. Students of previous generations present as more professional than the Millennial student.
Twenty-three percent of the Baby Boomers strongly agreed/agreed, whereas 31% of Gen Xers strongly agreed/agreed. It is potentially surprising that a greater percentage of Gen Xers feel past generations of students present as more professional than either their Millennial (only 13% strongly agreed/agreed) or Boomer counterparts perceived. Lancaster and Stillman (2010) noted in their findings that Gen X was the generation most threatened by the Millennial. While
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that may be one explanation, certainly the fact that the “previous” generation was the Gen X cohort themselves, there also seems to be a comfort level in viewing their own generation as professional. Another dynamic to consider is that Baby Boomers are the generation that gave birth to and raised many of the individuals in the Millennial generation. There may be a greater degree of understanding of this younger generation among Baby Boomers. The student’s first step of clinical problem-solving should be to try and investigate the problem on his or her own.
Discrepant findings showed 72% strongly agree/agree from Generation X and 45% strongly agree/agree from the Baby Boomer. While it is clear that Gen Xers feel the Millennials should solve clinical problems on their own, this may be a reflection of their own generational ideals. Gen X has been characterized as independent. They grew up in a time when women went back to the work force in droves, children were often left to their own devices, and they were often labeled “latch-key kids.” These children also grew up in a time when divorce rates were on the rise, and blended families were not uncommon. This high value on independence is therefore understandably imprinted in Gen Xers and naturally would be expected by them to be similarly regarded by the younger generation. Students should communicate with their supervisors in person or by phone rather than by e-mail or text as a primary means.
While the Baby Boomer generation shows more of a preference (26% strongly agreed/agreed) than the Gen Xers (41% strongly agreed/agreed) in preferring face-to-face communication, it appears both groups have a fairly good comfort level with technology and are accepting of e-mail communication.
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According to the Self-Assessment in Supervision Rubric (Wright, 2011), I would describe my proficiency as a supervisor by one of the following definitions:
Key Master: Applies knowledge and skills with highest degree of consistency Skilled: Applies supervisory skills with a high degree of consistency Competent: Applies knowledge and skills with consistency Development: Applies knowledge and skills with limited consistency Understanding: Can explain supervisory process and is familiar with process and functions of supervision
When self-rating supervisory skills, both Baby Boomers and Generation Xers saw themselves at the skilled level, whereas the Millennials rated themselves at a slightly lower or competent level of skill. The Baby Boomer has the most self-rated as Masters. Please rank how you as a supervisor benefit from the supervisor/student relationship. 1: Highest preference, 5: Lowest preference. (Indicate 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5, one different number for each answer choice.) Ranked Items
Millennial
Gen X
Baby Boomer
Materials shared from coursework
4
3
3
“Pay-it-forward”
1
1
1
Tech-savvy skills
5
4
4
New perspective of caseload
2
2
2
Assist with caseload
3
5
5
Based on the rank ordered items of this question, all supervisors valued the ideal of preparing students for the profession and giving back to the profession in terms of supervision. Both Baby Boomer and Gen Xers responded identically, with paying-it-forward ranking as number one and assistance with caseload ranking as number five. The Millennials ranked items somewhat differently, with assistance from caseload ranking as number three, materials from coursework as number four, and tech-savvy skills as number five. It is likely that these same clinical supervisors share experience with some of the current coursework and are almost as tech-savvy as their younger counterparts.
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It’s All a Matter of Perspective Much of the focus in the literature highlights what may be interpreted as shortcomings or weaknesses of the Millennial generation. Commonly used stereotypes of this generation are overprotected, spoiled, unable to delay gratification and impatient, and desiring information or results at lightning speed. As stated previously, the research available points toward the events of the age of technology, helicopter-parenting, and overscheduled childhoods, and the events that surrounded them during their coming of age that have influenced and shaped this generation of individuals. They are still skeptical due to the post-9/11 threats of terrorism, and parents maintain even closer connections due to their worries and concerns. Lancaster and Stillman (2010) dubbed the relationship “connected via the cordless umbilical.” Despite the close relationships they share with their parents, it is important to attempt to understand the influences of this generation and reconcile how to supervise them effectively. In an effort to elevate our cultural sensitivity as mentors and instructors for this generation, we can begin with trying to understand our own generational biases and to consider that differences are not necessarily disadvantages or negative qualities. Reframing the characteristics of spoiled and entitled to self-confident and able to self-advocate does enable us to view this younger generation more positively. As speech-language pathologists who make our living as experts in communication behaviors and disorders, we need to consider the lens through which we judge cultural and generational characteristics, accept differences that may influence us, and finally work to bridge the cultural divide that affects communication. Durkin (2008) cleverly identifies that often the meaning is in the person and not necessarily the words they use; Durkin notes that “what you said” is not “what I heard,” which demonstrates how we easily comprehend the message through our individual filters. We are in a position to work to understand each other while considering the cultural differences that we each hold, and this includes the cultural difference of generation. Once we can begin to see each other through the generational lens, it is easier to appreciate, work with, and communicate with one another in a supervisory context. Below are some suggestions that we may borrow from Durkin (2008) on working with Millennials in the business world, which can have practical application when working with student supervision.
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Table 2. Applications of Durkin’s suggestions to clinical supervision Suggestions for the business world (Durkin 2008)
Applications for clinical supervision
Put information in writing: Millennials are used to seeing their conversations in writing and are used to tracking and saving information that way.
Using a supervisory log can be beneficial to supplement verbal feedback with written feedback
Create outlines and agendas: Millennials want to be able to anticipate what will happen.
In early clinical learning, written lesson plans are beneficial for preparation and to create structure.
Use tools like “Track Changes” or other document editors to make edits and suggestions for written work and documentation.
As students move to work settings, they can be involved in scheduling issues and in learning how to prioritize. Be direct and straight forward: Millennials thrive under deadlines and clear instructions.
More feedback is always better.
Make them accountable: Provide Millennials with lists of tasks to accomplish.
Set expectations from the start and discuss these with your student.
Both verbal and written feedback are important to clarify your message.
A student binder with everything from facility guidelines, parking, and dress code, to paperwork examples and schedules, is also very helpful in the initial orientation. From the start of the semester, ask the student to set 3–5 personal goals for what they hope to accomplish during the semester. Revisit progress at midterm and final. Keep conversation casual: Make Millennials feel welcome and comfortable, taking advantage of informal interactions.
Discuss professional language appropriate to setting between colleagues, customers, and population served. Address issues of potential confidentiality. Discuss preferences and appropriate use of titles, rather than assuming they will know.
Tell them why: Millennials are not accustomed to bow to authority and expect to understand why decisions are made.
Encourage them to use evidence-based practices.
Ask for feedback: Tell Millennials what went wrong and discuss how can we improve.
Regular feedback should include open-ended questions rather than just suggestions.
Ask them to share related journal articles from class or to look up research related to specific client cases.
Encourage students to do a weekly formal written self-reflection either at the end of session, end of day, or week’s end.
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References American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2008). Knowledge and skills needed by speechlanguage pathologists providing clinical supervision [Knowledge and Skills]. Available from www.asha.org/policy Anderson, J. L. (1988). The supervisory process in in speech-language pathology and audiology. Boston, MA: College Hill. Arnold, K., & Williams, K. (2008). Playbook: Dealing with generational crosstalk. Parks and Recreation, 43(11), 18–19. Bauerlein, M. (Ed.). (2011). The digital divide: Arguments for and against Facebook, Google, texting, and the age of social networking. New York, NY: Penguin. Chen, B. X. (2011). Always on: How the iPhone unlocked the anything-anytime-anywhere future—and locked us in. Cambridge, MA: De Capo. Durkin, D. (2008, March–April). Youth movement. Communication World, 1–4. Friedman, T. L. (2007). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Koch, C., Drazinski, L., & van den Enden, K. (2007, November). Mentoring the millennial generation: Implications for clinical supervision. Presentation at the Annual Convention of the American SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association, Boston, MA. Available online at www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2007/0548_Koch_Carol/ Lancaster, L. C., & Stillman, D. (2010). The M-factor: How the millennial generation is rocking the workplace. New York, NY: HarperCollins. McCready, V. (2011, April 26). Generational issues in supervision and administration. The ASHA Leader. Oblinger, D. G., & Oblinger, D. C. (2005). Educating the Net Generation. Washington, DC: EDUCAUSE. O’Connor, L., Baron, C., Coleman, T., Conrad, B., Panther, K., Newman, W., & Brown, J. (2007, November). A look at supervision in the 21st century. Invited session: Special Interest Group 11, Administration and Supervision, ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on Clinical Supervision in Speech-Language Pathology. Presented at the Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Boston, MA. Available online at www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2007/0411_Brown_Janet/ Prensky, M. (2010). Do they really think differently? In M. Bauerlein (Ed.), The digital divide: Arguments for and against Facebook, Google, texting, and the age of social networking (pp. 12–25). New York, NY: Penguin. Sanders, J., & Morrison, C. (2007). What is the Net Generation? The challenge for future medical education. Medical Teacher, 29(2–3), 85–88. Sherman, R. O. (2006). Leading a multigenerational nursing force: Issues, challenges and strategies. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 11(2). Skiba, D. J. (2005). The Millennials: Have they arrived at your school of nursing? Nursing Education Perspective, 25(6), 370–371. Smith, J. W., & Clurman, A. (2007). Generation ageless: How baby boomers are changing the way we live today . . . and they’re just getting started. New York, NY: Collins. Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital: The rise of the Net Generation. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Wright, J. (2011). Self-assessment in supervision: The use of the rubric as a means of self-assessment. Perspectives on Administration and Supervision, 21(2), 68–75.
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