March 14, 2008
Generation Y Attorneys - Is It Lack Of Motivation, Or A Difference In Focus?
While sitting on a plane on the way to the ABA Techshow, I was reading the February 2008 issue of the Harvard Business Review. An article titled, Task, Not Time: Profile of a Gen Y Job, caught my eye. I often hear managing attorneys lament the lack of motivation of associates. The article in the HBR may provide a reason for the disconnect - it isn't that young associates are not motivated, but that they may respond differently than their elders to the conventions of work. Where many look to the hours you spend at the office as a measure of productivity, the HBR article suggests that the younger generation looks more to results, or task-based productivity.
Many younger employees find they can complete tasks faster than older workers,perhaps partly because of technological proficiency but even more . . . because they work differently. They spend less time scheduling and are comfortable coordinating electronically. They resent being asked to log hours and stay in the office after their tasks are done, and the idea of face time really annoys them. [Generation] Ys love to work asynchronously - anytime, anywhere. One said during out research, "What is it with you people and 8:30am?"
Does this explanation fit with your experience?
The article suggests ways to devise a better model of how to define work:
- Articulate the results you expect - and tie accountability to getting the job done;
- Make physical attendance in the office, including at meetings, optional;
- Gauge performance on the quality of work performed;
- Help managers and employees learn to measure dedication in ways other than face time;
- Use today's networking capabilities to allow employees to work from anywhere;
- Support the changes by creating drop-in centers
The above also appears to support what Chuck Newton has termed the 3rd wave law firm.
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Filed under Firm Culture by Brian J. Ritchey
