Noteworthy: Cynthia Saunders-Cheatham on how millennial MBAs are changing the future of work

The key traits that set millennials apart from previous generations are their affinity with the digital world and their desire to use technology to improve the companies in which they work. Cynthia Saunders-Cheatham, the executive director of the Career Management Center at Johnson, recently spoke to BusinessBecause about how the increased business demand for tech-savvy workers is allowing millennial MBAs to drive change in the workplace and how business schools are adapting.

Key Takeaways from Saunders-Cheatham in BusinessBecause:

All companies, not just those focused on the digital world, need people with tech know-how.

“Tech has become the bedrock of almost all industries and we see students interested in tech companies. But many companies in many industries are recruiting people who are tech literate and comfortable with analytics.”

Millennial MBAs’ superior grasp of technology is allowing them to drive change in the workplace and insist that the companies they work for are socially responsible.

“It’s a bigger goal for students now to [want to] change things in a major way as opposed to [the] incremental changes we’ve seen in previous generations . . . They want to work for companies where they feel they are doing the right thing from a social impact perspective.”

Johnson has strengthened its analytics curriculum to meet industry demand.

“We have significantly beefed up our analytics curriculum. It’s not just Google, Facebook, and Amazon. All industries want and need tech talent. [Our] students can bring that perspective to the many companies and industries they go into. “

Johnson’s approach emphasizes flexibility.

“Flexibility is important as no one has a crystal ball. Being able to stay on top of what we think is going to happen and being able to flex as needed is going to be really important. It’s a big skill that needs to be developed — some people can do it easier than others.”

Read the full article to learn more about what Saunders-Cheatham and others had to say about how millennial MBAs are changing the future of work.