Through to the year 2025, Generation Z will be best able to anticipate digital capabilities that will be valued by global digital society, Gartner Inc has predicted. Generation Z are often perceived and managed wrongly by chief information officers (CIOs) and led as if they were millennials. However, the behavioural traits and beliefs of Gen Zers are closer to those of “Baby Boomers” and Generation X (Gen Xers) than millennials, according to Gartner.
If heard and understood properly, Gen Zers will help accelerate digital business transformation, even more than millennials, the market research firm added.
“In their quest for digital talent, CIOs need to master leadership of Gen Z’s culture and people. CIOs need to get to know them and understand their values and relationship patterns in the workplace. They also need to recognise that they need to lead them differently than previous generations to foster a cohesive workplace,” Daniel Sanchez Reina, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, said, in a statement.
According to Gartner, some C-level executives have already noticed a difference when working with Gen Zers. For example, a CIO of a European bank said that they ask questions openly — they may inquire, for example, what they will learn from their superiors — and are more direct than previous generations.
Gen Zers prefer having their own workspace than sharing it with someone else. The intimate relationship they have with their devices makes them less social than millennials. Notably, unlike millennials and despite having high ambitions for personal growth, Gen Zers are not job hoppers — they are role hoppers and natural entrepreneurs.
“They favour the idea of developing skills, welcome additional training and are more inclined to build a career at one company, rather than hop from one employer to another,” noted Reina.
