Generational power shift
People under 40 are transforming work.
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I spend a lot of time with teams across different levels, and see a clear shift in who sets the tone inside organisations. Millennials and Gen Z now make up most of the workforce and a growing share of leadership. Their expectations are shaping how institutions operate, and I find many leaders underestimate how structural this change is.
To me, this generational power shift is a transfer of economic and organisational weight from cohorts shaped by stability to those shaped by disruption. People under forty grew up with the internet, entered the job market during the financial crisis, and formed their worldview in a period marked by uncertainty about climate and politics. These experiences influence how they judge credibility, authority, and fairness.
Inside organisations, I see this play out in the demand for autonomy and alignment of values. Traditional hierarchies often feel slower and less coherent to younger employees.
What stands out to me is how often organisations frame this as a cultural issue when, in fact, it is structural. Values shape decision-making systems. Once the dominant values change, the operating system of a workplace changes with them. The firms that adapt fastest will be the ones that treat this as a redefinition of how power works.
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