I am not Gen X or Y. I am a digital Visitor!! Listen to me' (special issue 'Building Diverse Organizations)

Abstract

I am connected to Wi-fi all the time, my smart phone, ipad and laptop are synchronised. All data is stored on cloud. I can access anything you send me any time. I am active on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but only when I choose too. My HR department thinks I need a physical copy of all the documents.” – Anwar, 56 year old bank employee The respondent I have quoted above inspired me to write this article. Diversity conversations across the globe have been hijacked by the gender agenda. In countries like India where diversity is ubiquitous, such conversations can derail the larger discourse on inclusion. Other forms of diversity such as linguistic, religious, caste and class based diversity require an equally strong voice since these occur in combination accentuating the disparity in society. Amidst all this, technology usage has become pervasive and digital generations and “digital generation gaps” need further examination. In India, penetration of internet and access to smart phones has increased exponentially over the last decade, yet, literacy levels are quite low and there is pervasive under employment across sectors. Given the GDP growth rates of the country and the large number of young people joining the workforce, a linear understanding of generations modelled on the AngloSaxon discourse may be suboptimal. The objective of this article is to examine digital generations in the Indian context. The article is divided in to three sections – in the first section, we present the current state of generational literature and argue for why a context specific understanding of generations is necessary in India. We then present the idea of a digital generation as a way to think about diversity in organisations and finally examine the implications of digital generations on work related behaviours.