Innovations of the Baby Boomers

Over the course of a lunch meeting and a few emails, the staff at LSI came up with a list of inventions and innovations that were signatures of the time period. Here is the final list:

(In no particular order)

1. Women in Leadership
   • After battling hard for their own equality just decades earlier, the baby boomer generation saw large influx of women put into leadership positions in companies.
2. Diversity and Inclusion
   • As America became more diverse itself, companies began to add more people of different backgrounds (race, gender, religion).
3. Personal Computers - Daily Technology
   • The usage of personal computers allowed business run more efficiently and from multiple places. Personal electronic organizers started the evolution of items such as the "Palm Pilot," a forerunner to the modern smartphone.
4. Rise of Entrepreneurship
   • Workers found more independence during this era. From starting your own business to contracting and freelance work, many more options became viable during this time.
5. Personal Retirement Plans
   • With the rise of self ran businesses and the concern over lengthier retirements, people started to take more responsibility for long term savings.
6. The Internet
   • It changed the amount, and the way we receive our information. From e-mail and instant messaging, to surfing the web, the Internet changed how many companies did business. It is by far the biggest innovation in modern contextual history.
7. Pay for Performance
   • Being paid for your contributions, regardless of your tenure, became the norm for organizational compensation plans.
8. Credit Cards
   • Replaced cash as the primary way of paying for things.
9. Work-Life Balance
   • The emergence of the notion of work-life balance, became a goal for even the most ambitious baby boomers.
10. Customer Service
    • Businesses became focused on customers and their specific needs. Motto's like "have it your way," became popular indicating a competitive advantage of understanding the specific needs of the people being served.

So there you have it, our list of the Top 10 innovations of the baby boomer era. We are sure you have ideas as well. Let us know in the comment section.