Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business—and What to Do About It

A discussion of the buying and working habits of Generation Z arrives in this puzzlingly obvious guide from Dorsey and Villa, respectively president and CEO of the Center for Generational Kinetics. They describe having conducted, for the past four years, an annual “State of Gen Z” study, leading to the “key conclusion” that “the ways in which leaders typically recruited, managed, and marketed to older generations will not work with Gen Z.” It’s genuinely difficult to imagine which businesspeople might still need to hear this, and the effect is that this guide comes across like a missive from 10 years ago. The authors delve into how Gen Zers spend money (mostly online and largely on-demand), how to win their brand loyalty (they cite Nike’s ad with Colin Kaepernick as a success story), and their strong work ethic and independent attitude as employees. The familiar observations, such as of young peoples’ affinity for their phones, fall flat, and the authors’ fascinated tone strikes a slightly creepy note, as if they’re marveling at animals in zoos rather than analyzing the buying habits of human beings. The resulting primer is outdated and safe to skip. Agent: Nena Madonia Dupree, Miller & Assoc. (July)