If this headline caught your attention, that was my intention. Certainly the 1990s, at least today, aren't viewed as a particularly innovative time in healthcare. The 90s brought the rise (and fall) of managed care, a rush to employ (and then divest) physicians and perhaps the worst era of patient satisfaction in the history of modern medicine.
However, the 90s also brought us something else: Millennials. Today, these 90s babies are the new human capital of our nation's workforce.
While many industry veterans are tempted to roll their eyes at this generation, which has often been referred to as 'entitled,' Liz Wisemen, a management and development researcher who studies the role of organizational newcomers, says rookies can be a big asset to organizations.
"Newcomers face a steeper learning curve, but, because they're mindful of the gap and want to gain ground, they often deliver results faster," Wiseman writes in a recent Harvard Business Review article. "In our comparative study, rookies scored 60% higher than experienced colleagues on the timeliness of their output. They're cautious at first as they gather data and study a situation, but once they jump in, they move quickly, making them perfectly suited for lean and agile development projects."
Rookies accelerate innovation, she says. At eBay, 2013 graduates contributed 25 percent more patent ideas than the rest of the company.
Wiseman urges companies to encourage rookies to contribute right off the bat; allowing them to do so may bring more innovative ideas than you ever expected.
For those of us that are far removed from our rookie days, take note: Wiseman says anyone can display what she calls "rookie smarts."
She explains: "The real game-changer is ensuring that your entire team is able and willing to adopt the newcomer's mindset when necessary — mobilizing experts, forging new territory and accelerating innovation — no matter their age or career stage."