Cusper
A cusper is a person born near the end of one generation and the beginning of another. People born in these circumstances tend to have a mix of characteristics common to their adjacent generations, but do not closely resemble those born in the middle of their adjacent generations.[1][2][3][4] Generational profiles are built based on people born in the middle of a generation rather than those on the tails of a generation.[5] Generations may overlap by five to eight years.[5][6][7] As such, many people identify with aspects of at least two generations.[5] The precise birth years defining when generations start and end vary.[8]
Notable cusper groups
Date ranges
- Just before the 1920s, as identified by Graeme Codrington[9]
Characteristics
These cuspers experienced the lows after World War I but also the highs of the early Roaring Twenties, the Flappers, the Charleston and early silent films. As these cuspers came of age, some of them become more visionary like the Greatest Generation or stoic like the Silents.[9]
Date ranges
Characteristics
Claire Raines Associates names these cuspers the Sandwich Group,[5] Susan Mitchell calls these cuspers the Swing Generation,[10][12] and Smit calls them Troomers.[4] According to the Mayo Clinic, these cuspers have the work ethic of the Silent Generations, but like Baby Boomers will often challenge the status quo.[8] Codrington describes them as having the status-seeking, career advancement motivations as Baby Boomers.[9] Codrington adds that they are old enough to remember World War II, but were born too late to enjoy the 1960s.[9] Hart notes that research has found the younger members of the Silent Generation tended to share more traits with Baby Boomers.[13] Writer Marian Botsford Fraser described women in this cusper population as girls who "...did not smoke dope at high school, go to rock concerts, toy with acid and the pill and hippie boyfriends at university or tour Europe with a backpack." Instead, she notes "These girls wore crinolines and girdles, went to The Prom, went to nursing school and teachers' college, rarely university."[14] Speaking of Susan Mitchell's population specifically they are believed to be an anomaly in that they tend be more activist and free thinkers than those born prior to them in the Silent Generation.[3][10] Lancaster and Stillman echo this last point and note that these cuspers were on the frontlines of America's internal struggles as adults, agitating in favor of human rights. They go on to say many women among these cuspers entered in to male-dominated workplaces before the women's movement existed, blazing a trail for other generations of women to follow.[11]
Baby Boomers/Generation X
Date ranges
- 1954–1965 as identified by Jonathan Pontell[15]
- 1955–1960 as identified by Mary E. Donahue[16]
- 1958–1967 as identified by Mark Wegierski of the Hudson Institute[17]
- 1960–1965 as identified by Lancaster and Stillman,[11] Mayo Clinic,[8] and Andrea Stone writing in USA Today[18]
- 1962–1967 as identified by Smit[4]
- 1964–1969 as identified by Codrington[1]
Characteristics
This population is sometimes referred to as Generation Jones,[15][3] and less commonly as Tweeners[18] & as Baby X’s by Smit.[4] These cuspers were not as financially successful as older Baby Boomers.[8][11] They experienced a recession like many Generation Xers but had a much more difficult time finding jobs than Generation X did.[8][11] While they learned to be IT-savvy, they didn't have computers until after high school but were some of the first to purchase them for their homes.[8][9] They were among some of the first to take an interest in video games.[11] They get along well with Baby Boomers, but share different values. While they are comfortable in office environments, they are more relaxed at home. They're less interested in advancing their careers than Baby Boomers and more interested in quality of life.[9]
Generation X/Millennials
Date ranges
- 1975–1980 as identified by Donahue,[16] as well as The Mayo Clinic[8]
- 1976–1982 as identified by Hannah L. Ubl, Lisa X. Walden, and Debra Arbit[19]
- 1977–1981 as identified by Doree Shafrir, writing for Slate[20]
- 1977–1983 as identified by Smit[4] and Merriam-Webster[21]
- 1977–1985 as identified by Business Insider[22][23]
Characteristics
The Generation X/Millennial cuspers are most commonly referred to as Xennials, although other names include the Oregon Trail Generation, Generation Catalano and The Lucky Ones.[7] Researchers point out that these cuspers have both the healthy skepticism of Generation X and the optimism of Millennials.[11][9][8] They are likely to challenge authority, but also are more career-focused than Generation X.[9] While not all of these cuspers are digital natives,[24] they are very comfortable with technology.[8]
Millennials/Generation Z
Date ranges
- 1990–2000 as identified by Avery Hartmans, writing for Business Insider USA [25]
- 1992–1998 as identified by Ubl, Walden, and Arbit,[19] WGSN,[26] Vogue,[27] Mary Everett, writing for PopSugar[28]
- 1992–2000 as identified by Ketchum[29]
- 1993–1998 as identified by Smit,[4] Maisy Farren, writing for Vice,[30] Lindsay Dogson, writing for Business Insider Mexico,[31] and Metlife[32]
- 1993–1999 as identified by Fullscreen, LLC[33]
- 1995–2000 as identified by Donahue[16]
- 1992-2002 as identified by Deborah Carr[34]
Characteristics
Names given for these cuspers include the Snapchat Generation by Ubl, Walden, and Arbit,[19] MinionZ by Smit,[4] Zillennials,[35] and Zennials.[36] They are characterized as being "raised less by optimistic Boomers and more by skeptical Xers and pragmatic Gen Jonesers, who raised them to focus more on the practical rather than the aspirational."[19]
Workplace importance
Communication misunderstandings between employees of different generations are detrimental to workplace morale, increasing turnover and absenteeism while decreasing job satisfaction, work commitment and productivity.[37][38] Effective communication between employees of different generations, however, allows for collaborative relationships and ensures that information is retained from one generation to the next.[37] Cuspers play an important role in multi-generational workplaces and other organizations.[11][9] Metaphorically, cuspers are like bridges or glue that connect members of their adjacent major generations.[4][24] Between generations, they are naturally skilled at mediating, translating, mentoring and managing.[11][9] Strategically placing cuspers in the workplace has the potential to reduce generational workplace friction and give organizations doing so a competitive advantage.[7][39]
Generational identity
Many cuspers don't feel a sense of belonging to a specific generation.[9][11] Researchers studying generational subculture theory have speculated that there may be populations within larger generational cohorts whose values are more in line with those of preceding generations, for example, someone born in the range of Generation X who has a moral philosophy more similar to the Silent Generation.[7][40] The generational fuzziness theory proposes that one's generation is best defined as the combination of one's birth year and generational identity—the cultural generation to feel most similar to.[41][42]
References
- Codrington, Graeme (2008). "Detailed introduction to generational theory" (PDF): 1–15.
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- Claire Raines Associates (2003). "Generations at Work: Frequently Asked Questions". Archived from the original on 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
- Kupperschmidt, Betty R. (2000). "Multigeneration Employees: Strategies for Effective Management". The Health Care Manager. 19 (1): 65–76. doi:10.1097/00126450-200019010-00011. ISSN 1525-5794. PMID 11183655.
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- Mayo Clinic Staff (July 6, 2005). "Workplace generation gap: Understand differences among colleagues". Archived from the original on March 16, 2007.
- Graeme Codrington (1 October 2012). "Chapter 9: If you don't fit in ... You could be a 'Cusper'". Mind the Gap: Own your past, know your generation, choose your future. Penguin Random House South Africa. ISBN 978-0-14-352911-8.
- Susan Mitchell (2003). American Generations: Who They Are, how They Live, what They Think. New Strategist Publications. ISBN 978-1-885070-46-3. OCLC 51031116.
- Lynne C. Lancaster; David Stillman (13 October 2009). "Chapter 3: The Tie-Dyed Preppy". When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-175589-7.
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- Mary E. Donahue (29 September 2020). "Chapter One Step 1: Stop Assuming". Message Received: 7 Steps to Break Down Communication Barriers at Work. McGraw-Hill Education. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-260-45636-3.
- Wegierski, Mark (23 April 2004). "Defining the "Cuspers"". Hudson Institute. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- Stone, Andrea (22–24 March 1996). "Not boomers, not Xers, they are Tweeners". USA Today. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- Hannah L. Ubl; Lisa X. Walden; Debra Arbit (24 April 2017). "Chapter 13: Making Adjustments for Ages and Life Stages". Managing Millennials For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-119-31022-8.
- Shafrir, Doree (24 October 2011). "Generation Catalano". Slate. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- "Words We're Watching: 'Xennial'". Retrieved 2017-12-02.
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- "Meet the 'zillennials,' who grew up online, live with their parents, and have retailers chasing their disposable income". Business Insider. 17 January 2023.
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- Farren, Maisy (August 20, 2020). "'Zillennials' Are Haunted By Their Internet History". Vice. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
- "Los zillennials atrapados entre los millennials y la Generación Z". 18 August 2021.
- "JOB SATISFACTION HITS 20-YEAR LOW ACROSS U.S. WORKFORCE, LOWEST AMONG 'ZILLENNIALS'". MetLife.
- Dreisinger, Kimberly (June 17, 2019). "Cuspers: Creative, Stressed, Impulsive --- Fullscreen Generational Study Shines Light on the Unique Life Stage Between Millennials and Gen Z". businesswire.com. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- Ward, Terry (10 May 2023). "Zillennials: The newest micro-generation has a name". CNN.
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