The promise of the millennial generation.

• Author: Linden, Russ
• Position: Commentary

Millennials may be problematic, but consider their potential for radically improving government.

With good reason, Tom Brokaw coined the term "the greatest generation," in his book of the same name, to describe those who grew up during the Great Depression and went on to persevere through WWII. I was raised by two members of this remarkable group and I'm continually astonished by both the accomplishments of their generation and their mental fortitude. These people faced one enormous challenge after another, handled those challenges beautifully and without complaint, and did so with humility and a positive spirit.

It's just possible that we're about to witness another great generation.

That's my take after reading the intriguing book Generations, by William Strauss and Neil Howe. The authors identify a pattern of four generations that have repeated sequentially throughout American history since 1584 (the only period in which a generation was skipped was during the Civil War).

The four generational types they discovered are:

Adaptives: They tend to be risk averse, like to conform to existing norms, and try to live up to the high standards of the powerful generation that preceded them. The most recent Adaptive cohort includes those bore from 1925-1946.

Idealists: They often inspire a "spiritual Awakening." Their strengths include visionary leadership and their shortcomings can include a tendency toward narcissism. The most recent Idealistic cohort was the baby boom generation, born 1946-1964.

Reactives: They tend to be alienated and highly individualistic and are skeptical of existing institutions and of the Idealists who preceded them. The most recent Reactive cohort, commonly referred to as Generation X, was born between 1964 and 1980.

Civics: This group is called an "institution building" generation. Like the Idealists, they tend to set the social agenda for the country. They respect authority, are comfortable working within the system, and set very high goals. The most recent Civic cohort was born between 1980 and 2000.

The Idealist and Civic cohorts are change-oriented generations, the other two reflect a more stable and conservative orientation. The 20-somethings now entering the workplace are a Civic generation, often referred to as Millennials. And, if you believe Strauss and Howe's premise, they offer enormous promise for our organizations and our society

WHAT THE NEXT GENERATION HAS TO OFFER

My wife and I have two adult "Millennial"...