Learning Preferences of Millennials in a Knowledge-Based Environment

This paper discusses how understanding intergenerational knowledge transfer can improve knowledge transfer in large organizations. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) risks significant loss of institutional human capital as huge numbers of senior controllers retire. To perform their job, air traffic controllers must develop in-depth knowledge, including tacit knowledge typically acquired over many years, so they can quickly make accurate decisions while dealing with the many air traffic control (ATC) situations that arise. The only pool available to replace the retiring controllers is the Millennials. This group, the best educated ever, has its own attitudes toward life, work, and training as well as technology use. Because knowledge transfer and training involve both technology and human interaction, this paper explores not only the role of technology but also that of intergenerational communications in both the training and operational environments of a highly technical workplace.