Success or failure of recruitment and retention programs depend upon whether they resonate (or not) with the target audience. However, could it be they resonate differently depending upon whether they fit hand-in-glove with the generation then in young adulthood? If they do not fit, then both message and program require re-tailoring based upon the newly arrived generation's personality and preferences. This research methodology applies a generational perspective to recruiting and retention: a rifle-shot at a specific target generation, not the shotgun approach sometimes used. The underlying generational theory seeks to generalize--the root word of generation--about large groups of people moving through time together, being affected by the same events at similar ages, and therefore forming shared attitudes, values, and beliefs to shape a generation's personality and preferences. Theory seeks to explain the past and predict the future. Using historical trend data, this research theorizes about past recruiting and retention shortfalls and successes from the 1970s to 2001. As the Services fail to achieve retention, and especially recruiting, goals now and in the future, they will be forced to reexamine their programs until new lessons are learned, messages and programs are retailored, and success is reestablished. And, the cycle may be expected to repeat itself unless the Services employ new tools--perhaps including a generational perspective--to anticipate, recognize, and cut short any divergence between program and target (generation).
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