642: How Generational Learning and Working is Changing, with Mauro Guillén

Mauro Guillén: The Perennials

Mauro Guillén is Professor of Management and Vice Dean at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. An expert on global market trends, he is a sought-after speaker and consultant. He combines his training as a sociologist at Yale and as a business economist in his native Spain to identify and quantify the most promising opportunities at the intersection of demographic, economic, and technological developments.

His online classes on Coursera and edX have attracted over 100,000 participants from around the world. He has won multiple teaching awards at Wharton, where his presentation on global market trends has become a permanent feature of over fifty executive education programs annually. His book on 2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything was an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller and he’s now the author of The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society*.

Many of us grew up in a world where life was divided into three stages: school, work, and retirement. Traditional ways of thinking about credentialing and ways to transition in the workforce are also changing. In this conversation, Mauro and I explore what has changed and how we can shift our thinking and actions to stay relevant in a new world of work.

Key Points

• The sequential model of life is no longer as relevant as it was a generation ago. Life span, health span, and technology are massively affecting how we think about generations.
• It’s no longer a correct assumption that entry level positions are going to be only filled people in their twenties coming out of school.
• Intergenerational learning is an opportunity that many institutions and organizations still miss. Embracing this will increasingly help us stay relevant.
• Traditional credentials will still hold value, but it will be assessed in the context people’s ability in learning how to learn.
• Intergenerational differences are real, they do not necessarily result in different values, attitudes, and behaviors in the workplace. There is lots of heterogeneity that our stereotypes conceal.

Resources Mentioned

• The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society* by Mauro Guillén

Interview Notes

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