Millennial generation likes consensus, collaboration at work

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What would companies be like if 20-year-olds ran the show?

A new survey of 800 young people in the United States and United Kingdom provides a glimpse of how the so-called millennial generation (a.k.a. Generation Y) works and thinks.

The survey, titled Millennial Inc., was conducted by the marketing firm Mr. Youth and the market research firm Intrepid. Among its findings:

-- Say goodbye to the long boardroom table and hello to the round table. Collaboration, shared responsibility and consensus rule.

-- Sometimes dubbed the "Attention Deficit Disorder Generation," millennials are always searching for work that keeps their attention. In fact, the No. 1 reason in both the United Kingdom (34 percent) and United States (37 percent) for switching jobs was, "Just needed a change." That need far exceeded the desire for a better salary, benefits or a more senior position.

-- The average 26-year-old has craved stimulation so much, he has changed jobs an astounding seven times from age 18.

-- In a world where anyone can be an author, director, photographer, journalist, comedian, actor or ad man, millennials are used to a democratized playing field where good ideas and work rise to the top.

-- Seniority and tenure are dirty words to millennials. Authority is earned and proved through direct interactions, not given blindly based on titles and experience.

The survey is an example of how ethnography -- the study of human cultures -- has moved into marketing and business, as leaders of all sorts try to adapt to a heterogeneous culture. By the way, Ethnography.com points to jobs and resources in this growing field.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)

Must credit the San Francisco Chronicle