June 27, 2005
Generation X
Stephen Collins, President of Juris, Inc., and I were discussing the events of The 2005 Southeastern Managing Partner Forum held June 7 in Atlanta, Georgia. Stephen was part of the faculty of the Remsen Group event.
An issue raised by many firms is the question “how to deal with Generation X associates?". Apparently most felt that the work ethic had changed, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Being on the leading edge of Generation X, Stephen was surprised at the concern. He reports that “the more we discussed the topic, the more apparent it became that this was a perception issue more than reality. You know the routine — when I was your age we walked 20 miles to school, in the snow, uphill, both ways, barefooted."
What did come out of the conversation was the realization by attendees that you don’t have to guess if associates are doing what is required. Use the technology you have to measure performance and to alert you when an associate is not pulling his or her weight, is currently unassigned and available, and/or isn’t turning in his/her hours on time.
Actually, most law firms are not behind in terms of technology. They are behind in using what they have; they are behind in “applied management”. I try to stay away from commercials, but managing the firm's resources (associates and paralegals) will become much easier later this summer when Juris® releases its new Practice Management tool for managing attorneys, supervising attorneys and the firm’s legal professionals. This business intelligence tool gives the attorney a drill-down, graphical field of view over their area of responsibility. You can tell at a glance what is happening and isn’t happening related to target. I think it is the first time that managing and supervising attorneys are getting a tool that gives them information in time to change the outcome, rather than just analyze “why” after the fact.
Generation Xers are not slackers. In fact, they are uniquely independent to the point that some would say they lack traditional employer loyalty. They include a high percentage of entrepreneurs. Among the non-entrepreneurs, they easily transition from one employer to another. Comfortable with computers and the Internet, they tend to work smarter and more confidently rather than harder and pressure driven. If you think Generation X has been a challenge, get ready for Generation Y. They are just entering the professional labor pool and have their own unique traits. Later postings will discuss more about Generation Y.
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Filed under HR by Tom Collins