<img style="float: right;" src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2006-02_05/Fairley_Miki.jpg" hspace="4" vspace="4" /> <b><i>Impossible is an opinion, not a fact.</i></b> This is Cameron Clapp's motto, and how well it describes this young man's exuberance and enthusiasm for life. Since losing both legs and his right arm in a train accident, Clapp has gone on to become an elite athlete. The media spotlight has embraced him. His story was featured on the Discovery Channel's <i>Medical Incredible</i>, NBC's <i>Today Show</i>, and CNN. Clapp also has enjoyed the excitement and challenge of being an actor; he has appeared on the HBO series <i>Carnivale</i> and most recently on NBC's <i>My Name is Earl</i>, starring Jason Lee. However, all the celebrity and success has not turned his head; he's unpretentious, fun-loving, personable, and excited about the future. You can read more about Cameron in "<a href="https://opedge.com/2914">Unquenchable Spirit: The Cameron Clapp Story</a>". <h4>Change Agents</h4> Change is inevitable, so how do businesses manage it? Those who help drive adaptation to new environments and circumstances are the "change agents"--the early adopters of whatever is new, especially technology. Largely, change agents belong to "Generation Y"--those born in the period from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. How do these workers affect the organizational dynamics--that is, how people function together to accomplish a task--of your business? This is the first time in American history that there have been four different generations working side-by-side in the workplace, observed Greg Hammill in <i>FDU Magazine</i><i>Online</i>, published by Fairleigh Dickinson University. Hammill defines these generations as the "veterans" or "traditionalists" (born 1922-1945); the "Baby Boomers" (1946-1964), "Generation X" (1965-1980), and "Generation Y," also known as the "Millennials" or "Echo Boomers" (1981-2000). Although each individual is unique and not all are necessarily tied to a particular generation, each generation has distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits, and motivational buttons, notes Hammill. The feature article, "<a href="https://opedge.com/2915">Do Your Organizational Dynamics Determine Your Operational Success?</a>" by Meredy DeBorde, discusses managing generational diversity as well as other aspects of human interaction in the workplace. <b>And...</b> Mud, mold, and misery continue to beset hurricane survivors--and their businesses--in Louisiana and Mississippi. What is happening with their insurance coverage and payments? Find out in an online-exclusive article "<a href="https://opedge.com/2916">Getting O&P Companies Up and Running after Katrina: Why Does the Insurance Response Seem So Slow?</a>" Stock-and-Bill--could it be good for O&P? Is it professional? Legal? Ethical? Profitable? The article "<a href="https://opedge.com/2917">Stock-and-Bill: Sleeping with the Enemy?</a>" brings this controversial subject out of the shadows and into the light as it explores these issues. We also want to know what you think about Stock-and-Bill. Be sure to visit <a href="https://opedge.com/349">www.oandp.com/edge</a> and participate in this month's related poll question and if you have a specific comment on the subject, feel free to share it with us by sending your thoughts to Tina Eichner at <a href="mailto:tina@opedge.com">tina@opedge.com</a>. We will summarize a sampling of comments in a future issue.
