Tangible

I like tangible things. You know, getting my hands on something and holding it. Even better is molding or creating something. In my line of work; this tangible factor is getting harder and harder to find. For example, when I first started working as on software development testing, I still touched the scanner, plugged in the peripheral, and had one masterful binder for each project. I once worked at a pharmaceutical company, where a large project was converting all the medical case files from paper to digital. Blacking out the sensitive information was done with a marker. The symbolism of going from paper to electronic was real to me with a start and an end. This lack of tangibility has moved to a more personal level as well.

Recently, I find I can hardly get a face to face with 80% of my team. Even if the developers are in the same continent (or "gasp" building), they like to multi-task through meetings by sitting at their desk. That is if they work in the office at home. Rare are the days when all-hands stand up meetings took place in the lab at the start and end of the day. Here are the days when tangible labs, or face-to-face meetings are the exception. I can no longer use strategies based on bagels or cookies, or the water cooler. Those were real project management strategies I assure you. Learning how to manage and guide without tangibility is a challenge. Obviously, I don't have three bullet points below.

I think this is why there was a scrap booking boom. As photography went from tangible pieces of paper to electronic mediums, those nostalgic of us turned to meaningful tangible objects. We created and decorated our way through meaningful pieces of paper. I collect pieces of ephemera from my great and grandparents, and sit beside my teenage daughter who prints out a collection of photos once a year but takes 10 digital's once a day. I belong to that generation whose parents made things for a living and children who will produce ideas. This younger generation has a desire for connections and has found a way to do that electronically. They have desired flexibility and have found a way to work electronically. So I wonder if this now young generation will get's nostalgic for something tangible.

Recently, I happened upon an unemployment uptown workshop for the displaced worker. This particular workshop was in an art studio and focused on the 3 figure salary finance manager having recently been displaced by recession fall-out and acquisition re-org. From the website it appeared the artists led the dis-placed managers through tangible creative projects to revive and encourage them. Would this only work for us Gen X work force that still longs for tangible things?

Will Gen Y value antique furniture when they embrace sparse?
Will Gen Y pay for conferences in order to have face-to-face when it is rare?

Although it's interesting to think about the marketing and business growth opportunities for Gen Y's; I am more perplexed when I consider the project management strategies that work with them. If a younger generation doesn't value year-end bonuses or bagels how to I negotiate?