Managing the millennials

In this issue of EMR are included a selection of papers devoted to describing the generation of young people we call "Millennials". This generation, born in the interval from 1980 to 2000, have rapidly influenced companies, colleges, and society. Often referred to as Generation Y, the ??digital generation??, or the Gen F(acebook), it is apparent that this group is large, highly educated, creative, work in teams, and are comfortable with technology. They also seek immediate recognition and rewards for their efforts and expect a work-life balance unlike what we have seen before. Their teamwork and creative energy is typically not organized well. This generation has the potential to refresh the thinking and core passions that drive just about everything society does in a similar way that large demographic groups like the Baby Boomers continue to do as they now retire and leave the workplace. Sandwiched in between these two large groups of people are the Gen-Xers who, though much smaller in number, also represent a shift in attitudes and thinking quite unlike their millennial children.