Episode #73: Generational Gaps Are Widening

Sakaiya Taichi, a well known author and futurist, made some interesting observations about trends in Japanese youth society. He referred to young Japan’s current lack of yoku (desire), yume (dreams) and yaruki (guts). What does this mean for business and for our companies if we are staffed by young people without these three Ys?

The triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear core meltdown in 2011 underlined Japan’s fragility. The social contract was broken and companies preferred to hire part-timers, to enjoy the greatest flexibility to respond to future downturns. Many company’s profits have been soaring but employee wages have not been moving. Covid-19 has seen companies rescind employment offers to new graduates, unemployment is rocketing and the economy is in bad shape.

Demographics has been exerting more pressure on companies to focus harder on recruiting and retaining their workers, as the supply of young workers steadily reduces. It is not such an easy transition though. The expectation that this current generation will fit in like every preceding generations is Japan Inc’s geriatric illusion. What is the reality?

1. The young will need a lot more conversations about their future prospects inside the company, than their current aging bosses ever received from their superiors. They want praise and feedback to give them the confidence to step up and take responsibility.
2. Not delegating and thereby not enabling them to gain experience, so they can position themselves to step up into higher levels of authority, won’t cut it either.
3. Coaching and mentoring skills are going to be going at a premium as leaders are sought out who can develop future leaders, retaining the best talent and leveraging the ideas, insights and innovations of those at the bottom – those closest to the action.
4. Apart from the obvious relationship with the immediate supervisor as a key driver of engagement in staff, the other two drivers are belief in the direction senior management are taking the company and pride in the organization. These last two are communication necessities.

Take a good hard look at your middle managers and senior leaders – do they get it? Are they able to encourage the young to see a future with the firm and to not think they have to leave in order to advance in their career? Are they able to get across the key messages required?