Members of the Generation Z are used to the pace, they are the first native digital users, that inform themselves though social networks and don’t understand the question of how many time do they spend online, as their first activity after wakening up is to check Instagram updates. Education, health, family and spare time are much more prioritized concepts for them in comparison with money or social ascension. They don’t want to be the bosses, which means that enterprises need to restructure their vertical organizational charts in order to recruit and retain talent. The change is, in fact, natural for them, they do care about what is happening and they mobilize themselves rapidly.
The Z youth is digital, entrepreneur, compromised, brand-attached and nonconformist. On the social aspect, their most worrying topic is education. Generation Z: the dilema is been conducted by ATREVIA and Deusto Business School and its conclusions were presented by Núria Vilanova, founder and president of ATREVIA, and Iñaki Ortega, head director of Deusto Business School Madrid. A quantitative and qualitative study that X-rayed the youth from three different points of view: as citizens, as consumers and employees.
“The internet is part of their way to keep in touch with each other and learn. They live permanently attached to it”, marked Núria Vilanova while Iñaki Ortega stood out that these young people “races so fast that the real world has become a breaking knock for them”.
They live in a constant dilemma. “Internet has been a reality since they were borned, but the world is not yet 100% digital. They have to choose between sacrificing their own identity to adapt themselves into a reality set by and for their parents and grandparents, or all on the contrary, putting themselves into the risk of being marginalized by the system” underlined Núria Vilanova.
The Z youth as contributors and consumers
The Generation Z: the dilemma study also shed out key facts to define what is the Z youth looking for in order to choose an ideal job position. In fact, when they plan to choose a company to work for, company’s own fame is indeed the less valued aspect, although they do give importance to the corporate ethics and the capacity of innovation. But above all, the good working environment, the family-work conciliation and the possibilities of career development are more appreciated above other factors such as the stability and a well paid salary.
The Z youth prefers self-employment and to work with more freedom. 36 per cent of respondents would prefer starting their own firm or working for themselves while only 20,8 per cent expect to become public employees.
The conclusions of the study displayed by themselves that members of the Generation Z are brand-attached. 32 per cent of the Z youth often consumes brand for pleasure or trust, and 32 per cent of the Z youth is strictly loyal to determined brands in terms of the product. However, this brand loyalty passes by different consumption guidelines.
In order to elaborate the Generation Z: the Dilemma study, more than 600 surveys were carried out to the targeted generation members, as well as 7 focus groups and interviews to more than 50 HR and Marketing executives and young people between 14 and 23 years old . The study mainly displays nationalwide results in Spain although in the future, it will be also extended to Portugal and other Latin American countries.
