Managing Millennials: looking beyond generational stereotypes

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine what managers perceive Millennial employees as doing in organizations to find generalizations rather than relying upon stereotypes. Design/methodology/approach In total, 25 interviews were conducted with managers in the hospitality industry. The transcribed data were analyzed to learn about identified category-bound activities described. Findings Three prominent findings are elaborated. First, Millennials express a desire for learning and training, because they see this as fostering advancement. Second, there were mixed evaluations of Millennials effectiveness in teamwork. Specific teamwork problems managers identified involved cliquish behavior. Finally, managers stated that Millennials desire feedback. In order for the Millennial employee to feel satisfied with the feedback, however, it needs to be ample, positive and personal. Research limitations/implications The ability to generalize findings is limited because the objective of qualitative research is not to predict. The study does offer some patterned observations by managers that may be useful to future employees and other managers. Practical implications The analysis revealed that some practical problems managers may face when leading Millennial employees; however, these employees bring their own solution to the workplace: a desire for training. Originality/value Existing research on Millennials has not acknowledged the desire for training by Millennials. This is an important finding due to its implications for effective management.

A Qualitative Description of Millennial Nurse Administrators’ Perspectives on Leadership and Their Practice Environment

“…However, shifts in personalities and work values may shape the work and career expectations of this generation (Ng & McGinnis Johnson, 2015). There are also some reported challenges when leading or managing the millennial generation at work (Riegel, 2013;Baker Rosa & Hastings, 2018). The capacity of millennial nurses to successfully navigate the multifaceted nurse manager role is essential to meeting the leadership needs of the profession (Saifman, 2017).…”

Millennial Leaders’ Display of Generational Cohort Stereotypes: A Qualitative Research Approach

“…In the literature, the concept of generation is approached from different perspectives, spanning life phases or birth cohorts (Baker Rosa & Hastings, 2018). In social sciences, the concept of generational cohorts is commonly used (Özcelik, 2015;Pînzaru et al, 2016;Sauser & Sims, 2012).…”

“…Costanza & Finkelstein, 2015;Kelan, 2014;Rudolph et al, 2017). While going deeper into this debate is beyond the scope of this paper, this study follows the premises that there is evidence of differences between generations and that generational membership is crucial to an individual's identity due to the unique social and historic influences experienced by a generation (Baker Rosa & Hastings, 2018;Lyons et al 2015;Porter et al, 2019).…”

“…The term 'Millennials' refers to the generation of so-called Generation Y, born between 1980 and1995 (Würzburger, 2016). They are one of the youngest generations currently in the workforce and will follow in the footsteps of the soon-to-retire Generation X and Baby Boomers, increasingly comprising a significant number of employees within organizations across the globe (Baker Rosa & Hastings, 2018;Weldy, 2020).…”

Gen Y: Emotions and Functions of Smartphone Use for Tourist Purposes

“…As Richards [7] points out, Gen Y (as this generation is often referred to) is a market segment of great value to tourist destinations due to the economic potential and availability of its members to travel more frequently and for longer periods. The professional and academic fields have shown great interest in this generation, which is reflected in the recent publication of a remarkable number of research works, both general in scope [2,3,[8][9][10][11][12][13] and specific to the tourism sector [5,[14][15][16][17][18]] The latter sector is particularly interested in this generation's use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for tourism purposes [19][20][21][22][23][24].…”