The Foreign Service Journal, May 2006

middle of their second overseas assignment requested I write them letters of reference so they could get a job out- side of the department after they completed their over- seas tour. They also demanded additional computer train- ing, contending they could not do their jobs without it. At the time, I was perplexed by the behavior of my young staff. I wasn’t prepared to deal with this newest group of workers, commonly called Generation X, and did not know how to handle their needs and tempera- ment. Because State elected to put me into a year of senior training at the Army War College after I came back from overseas last year, and part of this training involved conducting research, I began to study the char- acteristics of Generation X workers, focusing on IRM specialists. In addition to evaluating the workplace characteristics of Gen Xers, I identified strategies for capitalizing on their skills. This article summarizes my findings. Introducing Generation X What distinguishes Generation X, the least populous generation in the U.S. work force today, from its prede- cessors? Born between 1965 and 1980 they were the first American children whose mothers typically worked out- side the home, creating new, unfamiliar roles for over- stressed parents. Many Gen Xers were latchkey children, with parents whose marriages more often than not ended in divorce. To cope, they often sought a sense of family by engaging in multiple friendships among their peers (as in the TV sitcom “Friends”). How do Xers fare in the workplace? The results to date are not encouraging. They tend to experience dif- ficulties with bureaucracies due to their mistrust of organizations and the authority figures leading them. While highly computer-literate, they frequently lack people skills. Generation Xers are typically unimpressed by author- ity and often treat the company president just as they would the front-desk receptionist. Due to their negative experiences with parents and other authority figures in their early years, Xers are inherently skeptical, and reluc- tant to place their trust in others. They hesitate to follow orders unless they understand what is in it for them, and believe that leaders must earn their respect. They often ask “Why?” when they are told to do something, and want to know “What’s in it for me?” Yet despite their lack of respect for others’ authority, Xers want to be respected immediately and unconditionally. Many Xers avoid working on weekends and do not vol- unteer for overtime. To them, the object is to meet the deadline for work, not to seek more responsibility. They want to do things “their way” and not be told how to get the job done by their supervisors. They also expect the workplace to be casual, contending that being able to work in jeans and T-shirts makes them more productive. Some Xers want to move into top positions without delay. Climbing the corporate ladder patiently and wait- ing for a management position to open up is not part of their career plan. Other members of this cohort don’t want to be managers at all, preferring to maintain their freedom and put their time and energy into other pur- suits. They cannot be enticed into management, even with financial and other incentives. Generation X managers can be effective in a team set- ting, but their pessimism toward senior management must be muted. Many of them will avoid personal con- tact with their peers whenever possible, relying on more informal means of communication such as e-mail, tele- phone or videoconferencing. The generational attributes I have identified suggest that Generation Xers are high-maintenance, making them very time-consuming employees to supervise. Preparing for Turnover Any organization must have capable professionals to keep its information technology assets operational. This is definitely true for the Department of State, whose pro- fessionals must maintain computer and communications networks throughout the world. In order to avert staffing gaps at the turn of the century and bring in personnel familiar with current IT practices and standards, the department has been replenishing its Foreign Service work force through the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative. F O C U S M A Y 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 45 Since joining the State Department in 1990 as an Informa- tion Technology Specialist, Alan Roecks has served in the Congo, India and Washington, D.C. He was Information Management Officer from 1998 to 2001 in Brasilia and from 2001 to 2005 in Ankara. He is currently completing senior training at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa.; this article is abstracted from original research he did there. Roecks has been a regular contributor to diplomat- ic publications on information technology, mission evacu- ations and international adoption.