Heeding the advice of authors Koulopoulos and Keldsen in The Gen Z Effect, I am making an intentional choice to be a part of Gen Z although I was not born into it. If we are to bridge the generational gaps in the modern, multigenerational organizational culture, some effort from all members will need to be made in order to understand the gifts, talents, and challenges that all parties bring to the table. As a member of Gen X, my experiences with technology during my formative and emerging adult years was very different than those of Gen Z, so in order to understand and relate to the challenges this emerging generation faces, I will devote time researching issues relevant to their life.

One aspect which spans all generations today relates to the issue of distraction. Opening this conversation in a previous post entitled Attention Residue, I share from Cal Newport’s Deep Work, the explanation that “when you switch from Task A to another Task B, your attention doesn’t immediately follow-a residue of your attention remains stuck thinking about the original task.” Connecting to this notion of Attention Residue is a concept called Continuous Partial Attention, which I first read about in McHugh’s A Listening Life and has repeatedly emerged in numerous articles, specifically when describing some of the obstacles to flourishing for Gen Zers.

The term Continuous Partial Attention was coined by former Microsoft executive Linda Stone and explained by Thomas L. Friedman as “multitasking your way through the day, continuously devoting only partial attention to each act or person you encounter.” Unfortunately, this “distractibility has become the signature phenomenon of the twenty-first century,” not just for Gen Z but for all of society as a whole and it has far deeper implications than just a distracted workplace. Enjoying the conveniences afforded through the use of a smartphone, I am not planning to eliminate this technology from my life, but I have been forced to consider a digital philosophy towards it’s usage and how much control I will allow it to have over my attention. My current concern is that the college students I encounter each and every day are unable to recognize the power their phone has on their life and are headed down a road of addiction.

Picture this scenario last semester in a sport management course. With chairs scattered about the upstairs classroom to form three groups, students were assigned four to a group to participate in an activity called a circle of voices. After collecting their thoughts on the past three assignments, each student was instructed to provide what they had learned to the members of their group in a one-minute monologue. This activity included four minutes of listening and one of sharing. (Attempting to focus on small amounts of attention). Most students listened to the instructions provided and did not carry their phones with them to the grouping of chairs; however, at least one student did not comply and the second I removed myself from the proximity of group #1 so that I could hear the discussion occurring in group #2, that student had his phone out. No longer listening to his peers, his Continuous Partial Attention to his phone resulted in a missed opportunity to practice essential workplace/life skills such as eye contact, meaningful conversation, and attentive listening.

Whether the issue is termed Continuous Partial Attention or multitasking, it “has been shown to not only diminish productivity but also interfere with learning, impede academic performance, reduce reading comprehension, and make it more difficult to concentrate on academic texts,” Dewan shares. So, what are leaders of Gen Z to do? Do college professors ban the presence of smartphones in the classroom? I would be thrilled to offer students a break from the interruption, but then their anxiety levels skyrocket because their brain is focused on what they are missing outside the class, the unknown. Not only does one have to consider phones, but now it’s watches too.

My desire truly is to find some compromise onto the best solution to offer Gen Z a break from technology without stressing them out. Removing the distraction from the classroom would be a blessing for me, as I tire of seeing students constantly looking at their phone. My heart longs to engage students in deep work rather than settling for Continuous Partial Attention, so please feel free to offer suggestions for dealing with this issue in the comments below, especially if you are a Gen Zer. How can we partner to find a win-win solution?

References:

Dewan, P. (2019). Reading in the age of continuous partial attention: Retail-inspired ideas for academic libraries. References & User Services Quarterly, 58(3), 177-187.

Koulopoulos, T. & Keldsen, D. (2016). The Gen Z effect: The six forces shaping the future of business. Routlege.

McHugh, A.S. (2015). The listening life: Embracing attentiveness in a world of distraction. Downer’s Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press.

Newport, C. (2016). Deep work: Rules for focused success in a distracted world. Grand Central Publishing.