Knowledge Doubling

As Generation Z, born after 1997 and now 21 years old, threw their hats in the air and into the ring in graduation ceremonies this May, managing a multi-generational workforce takes on a new twist. This is the first generation to graduate realizing they will never leave school. Forbes’ Joseph Coughlin explained, “Buckminster Fuller coined the idea of ‘Knowledge Doubling’. In 1900 human knowledge doubled about every 100 years and by 1950, every 25. Today knowledge doubles at different rates in different fields. By 2020, medical knowledge might double every 73 days.” How is the multi-generational workforce reacting? Z, the first generation where the Internet always existed, only knows constant change. Baby Boomers, still working, survived because they know what they don’t know and how to find the answers. Will Generation X and Millennials survive and thrive in the new ‘High Velocity Workplace’ and its accelerating rate of industry disruption and advancing technology? How much will we as managers value experience?