“One of our magazine’s special guests this month is Evrim Kuran—a researcher, author, generational expert, consultant, and speaker. We spoke with Kuran, who has been conducting generational research for the past 20 years and has shared her analyses in two published books, about the differences between these generations, their perspectives, their place in the business world, and their future. Noting that generational studies make it easier to understand the spirit of the times, Kuran says, “As the spirit of the times changes, generations also change and evolve; if we respect and understand these differences, we can avoid conflict and create value together.” Kuran, noting that understanding a generation involves understanding an era, adds, “To see is to understand, and to understand is to love.”
Evrim, could you briefly explain how you became a belt researcher?
I have been studying generations for 20 years. In 2000, while I was spending a lot of time with Generation Y—who were still students at the time—I wanted to examine and understand the reasons behind this behavioral shift, which was so different from our own era, in all its aspects. That’s when I was introduced to generational theory. Since 2006, I have been researching this topic through studies in Turkey and around the world at my own firm.
Could you briefly describe the generations and their differences—as you’ve defined them in many of your events and interviews—for our readers?
Currently, five generations are living side by side in Turkey. Starting with the Silent Generation—assumed to have been born between 1927 and 1945—the Baby Boom (BB) generation, born between 1946 and 1964, follows. Next comes Generation X, spanning the years 1965–79. Next is Generation Y, which we assume was born between 1980 and 1999 and makes up the majority of our population, followed by Generation Z, who began being born after 2000 and are still arriving in our world. The generational system is a segmentation tool. Just as we cannot say that all A+ customers drive X-brand cars, we cannot say that all young people eat this or hang out there. However, a general behavioral model or pattern can emerge that is associated with a particular era. Ideas may differ, but behavioral models or patterns may be similar. Generational studies focus on this second aspect. The 15- to 20-year periods that define generations serve as a tool for analyzing the transformations individuals and society undergo over time. With each new generation, it facilitates understanding the different experiences of what has changed and transformed in life within the context of technological, economic, or social changes. These experiences may be lived by your students, your customers, your employees, your family members, or even yourself. A generational perspective is a powerful tool for understanding how differently we view the same experience and for refraining from judging those who are different from us. In fact, generational studies make it easier for us to interpret the spirit of the times. As the spirit of the times changes, generations also change and evolve; if we respect and understand these differences, we can avoid conflict and create value together.
There are companies in the stationery industry that have been in business for over 90 years. And these companies’ customers are now Generation Z! What challenges do you most often observe in intergenerational communication?
I think we don’t understand one another and can’t communicate. Yet, understanding a generation means understanding an era. And when you understand an era, you free yourself from being trapped by the paradigm. Then it becomes possible to see those who are different from you not through your own judgments, but through their own realities. Communication between generations will be established by seeing everyone as they are, in their own state and context. I know this is very difficult for Turkey. Because to see is to understand, and to understand is to love. Unfortunately, we are not a very loving society. We are a society that has forgotten these things terribly, especially over the last two or three generations, despite them stemming from the ancient wisdom of Anatolia. If we remember these things again, our task will be quite easy. No one will try to change anyone else. “Let’s treat Generation Z this way because of this, and let’s treat the Baby Boom generation that way.” No, it’s not like that. Everyone will accept their own circumstances, the era they were born into, and the eras others were born into, just as they are. My key phrase has always been: “I see you not through my own judgments, but through your own realities.” We need to truly understand each other’s context. I believe reading the spirit of the times is very important.
Companies where two or three generations work together will soon begin working with Generation Z as well. What are Generation Z’s expectations regarding their professional lives?
They’ve started in certain sectors. For example, they’re working in the retail sector and on some blue-collar production lines. They’re doing a great job—we could say they’re a generation that loves to work. But more importantly, whether companies are ready to work with Generation Z is an issue I care deeply about. To address this, I’m helping companies prepare through reverse mentoring projects.
Could you tell me about reverse mentoring?
I am the person who designed the first reverse mentoring programs in Turkey. I currently design reverse mentoring programs for many organizations. In fact, last year we designed a reverse mentoring program for a civil society organization for the first time. I am personally involved in the program, and I have young mentors of my own. I think it’s an amazing system—both because I designed it and because I measure its results. I believe it is a sustainable, highly cost-effective, and incredibly enriching experience that we can manage entirely with our internal resources and that makes learning from one another incredibly easy. Mentorship—that is, experienced masters training inexperienced apprentices—is not a foreign concept to the professional world. In fact, in our region, its roots go back to the Ahilik tradition, all the way to the 13th century. We realized just how crucial the mentoring approach is as a tool in the development of Generation Y, which we assume emerged between 1980 and 1999. We’ve discussed this over the years and witnessed many successful implementations. As a result, the new generation of employees gained the opportunity to quickly understand and internalize organizational culture while developing their problem-solving skills. Mentors—or, in other words, masters—served as role models for the new generation of apprentices during this development process. Now, it is time for the apprentices to mentor the masters… Over the past seven years, we have designed reverse mentoring programs for hundreds of young people and leaders across a wide range of organizations in the country. In the organizations where I provide reverse mentoring consulting, there is one exercise whose results I eagerly anticipate every time. Before our sessions—which typically last six months—begin, we gather the thoughts of the younger-generation mentors and the older-generation mentees (clients) regarding the other generation they will be working with, before they undergo program training and start their sessions. Even if the program’s structure, framework, concept, or institution changes, the judgments different generations hold about one another rarely change. Participants from Generation X or Baby Boomers label Generation Y or Z as impatient, hasty, indecisive, spoiled, lazy, disloyal, and tech-obsessed; meanwhile, Generation Y or Z youths apply labels like rigid, authoritarian, resistant to change, overly results-oriented, and boring to the older-generation mentors they’ll be working with over the next six months. At the end of the six months they’ve worked together, we reassess their perceptions using the same questions. Even though our priorities differ, we frequently encounter both young people and experienced leaders who say, “Actually, there’s no difference between us!”
Every moment of life holds opportunities for reverse mentoring. The guidance I receive from my 13-year-old son has been incredibly helpful in helping me understand the direction life is taking. As long as we, as the older generation, set aside our role as teachers—even if only occasionally—when we come together with young people and truly listen to them.
What are the most important characteristics that set them apart from other generations?
What are their most important characteristics? Today’s Generation Z is different from the youth of yesterday. These differences can be explained by their refusal to be defined by a single identity, their openness to dialogue, and their realistic outlook. Most importantly, Generation Z does not define itself in a single way; they are distinctly inclusive, less confrontational, and live life pragmatically. While I might generalize that, as a generation born during a time when the world’s natural resources were being consumed most recklessly, they have a high sensitivity to environmental issues, the idea that “all members of Generation Z share the same characteristics” is misleading. As part of a group conducting youth generation research in 61 countries (Universum), when we receive data on over 1.5 million young people each year, we observe not only similarities but also significant differences from country to country. When evaluating generations, we cannot overlook the socio-economic structure, culture, and values of the regions where they live. In fact, setting aside differences between countries or even within a single country’s regions, it is possible to encounter Generation Z groups that are completely opposite to one another even in different neighborhoods of the same city. In short, there is no single, uniform Generation Z. In our research conducted last year in Turkey’s three major cities—Ankara, Izmir, and Istanbul—with both low-income and high-income Generation Z groups, we encountered as many differences as similarities. Clearly, each group viewed the other as the “other.”
The primary consumers in the stationery sector are predominantly young people of school age—that is, Generation Z… How would you describe Generation Z’s consumption habits?
The key concept shaping Gen Z’s consumption habits is convenience. Compared to the two preceding generations, what matters most is not whether a product comes from a prestigious brand or is widely preferred, but rather how it simplifies life. They are not reckless consumers. They are aware that they have come into a world struggling with environmental sustainability and tend to favor brands from companies that are sensitive to these issues.
The global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had a profound impact on the stationery industry, both in terms of consumer habits and production. Young people prefer to use digital tools to express themselves, and the pandemic seems to have further solidified this preference. How might this trend affect product usage in the near future?
Just as in all areas of life, an innovative approach is essential when it comes to stationery products. I have a feeling that we’ll be producing physical tools that are compatible with digital technology. In other words, we need to be able to combine the digital and physical experiences to create digital tools.
Finally, we’d like to ask about your relationship with pen and paper. When you work, do you primarily use stationery or technology?
Kağıt-kalem olmadan yaşayamam. Hem çok sayıda defterim ve kalemim var -ki tam bir kalem delisiyim- hem de teknoloji kullanımında da fena değilim.
What was the last stationery item you bought?
I bought some whiteboard markers for the whiteboard in my office
Evrim Kuran Consulting, Founder of Universum, Turkey Leader, Researcher and Author Evrim KURAN