The U.S. Office of Personnel Management reported the productivity levels of the American multigenerational workforce decreasing as leaders strive to actively engage employees to improve organizational output. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore what leadership strategies federal government managers use to engage a multigenerational workforce. The conceptual framework consisted of Kahn's employee engagement theory and Strauss and Howe's generational cohort theory. The sample consisted of 3 federal government managers within metro Atlanta, Georgia who had successfully managed a multigenerational workforce, demonstrated through the feedback they received from their employees. Data were collected using face-to-face semistructured interviews and a review and analysis of company documents. Data analysis consisted of applying Yin's 5 step data analysis process, and member checking and methodological triangulation of the data strengthened the trustworthiness of interpretations. Emergent themes included generational differences; strategies for working with multigenerational differences; and strategies for engaging a multigenerational workforce. The most effective strategies involved training, communication skills, and team building. Findings from this study may contribute to social change by providing federal government managers with the framework for understanding and engaging its multigenerational workforce, which can result in promoting positive relationships between coworkers, families, and communities. Positive relationships in the workforce may increase employee morale and motivation and decrease employee turnover and the unemployment rate.

A new generation of recent graduates and young workers, the Millennials, have started entering the workforce within the last ten years and work alongside older generations, such as Generation Xers and Baby Boomers. The limited research on Millennials suggests that Millennials are significantly different from their predecessors. The lack of robust or academic findings on the subject of Millennials and their impact in the workplace form the motivation for this research. To give clarity and cohesion on the topic of Millennials and to guide the analysis, it was necessary to develop a comprehensive taxonomy, or model, of Millennials’ traits. Two aspects of the model were investigated through the use of interviews. The results of the study do not support the existence of all of the numerous and distinct traits that Millennial have, as suggested by the literature; however, the results do support a subset of the traits. Compared to other current generations and to other recent generations of youths, the results suggest that Millennials have a greater sense of entitlement, have more unrealistic expectations, and need a greater amount of management involvement, such as supervision, structure, and feedback. Some factors outside of the model were found during the course of conducting the study. These factors may have impacted the results and possibly resulted in a false rejection of the propositions of this study. This exploratory research takes a step towards getting a better understanding of Millennials by providing a comprehensive taxonomy of Millennials’ traits and some academic findings for future research to build upon. A more rigorous study with a strengthened field methodology may better explore the impact of various factors on the results of intergenerational and Millennial investigations.

A new generation of recent graduates and young workers, the Millennials, have started entering the workforce within the last ten years and work alongside older generations, such as Generation Xers and Baby Boomers. The limited research on Millennials suggests that Millennials are significantly different from their predecessors. The lack of robust or academic findings on the subject of Millennials and their impact in the workplace form the motivation for this research. To give clarity and cohesion on the topic of Millennials and to guide the analysis, it was necessary to develop a comprehensive taxonomy, or model, of Millennials’ traits. Two aspects of the model were investigated through the use of interviews. The results of the study do not support the existence of all of the numerous and distinct traits that Millennial have, as suggested by the literature; however, the results do support a subset of the traits. Compared to other current generations and to other recent generations of youths, the results suggest that Millennials have a greater sense of entitlement, have more unrealistic expectations, and need a greater amount of management involvement, such as supervision, structure, and feedback. Some factors outside of the model were found during the course of conducting the study. These factors may have impacted the results and possibly resulted in a false rejection of the propositions of this study. This exploratory research takes a step towards getting a better understanding of Millennials by providing a comprehensive taxonomy of Millennials’ traits and some academic findings for future research to build upon. A more rigorous study with a strengthened field methodology may better explore the impact of various factors on the results of intergenerational and Millennial investigations.

Recent literature shows an increased interest in generational differences among the workforce, particularly in Western societies. This has coincided with a focus on the role of women as successful leaders in the workplace. Despite this, the exploration and understanding of generational differences amongst female leaders in organisations has received limited attention, particularly in the South African context. The main purpose of the study was therefore to explore whether generational differences among women have an influence on how they approach leadership roles in a South African context. The study also sought to examine whether there are differences in gender identity across the generations as a result of socialisation. The study adopted a qualitative, life histories methodological approach to address the research purposes. Semi structured interviews were conducted with nine South African women in leadership positions from both the Baby Boomer and Generation X generational cohorts. The two generational cohorts were selected as they make up the majority of the current workforce while also being more likely, due to their age, of occupying leadership positions. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and were imported into Atlas.ti for data analysis. The findings indicated that mothers played a dominant role in the socialisation of women, while fathers were significantly less present in the women’s stories. In terms of the effect of socialisation on career and leadership expectations, Baby Boomers were taught that they should be ‘stay-at-home-mothers’ and after having raised their children could then begin their careers. Generation X believed that they could be career women just as easily as ‘stay-at-home-mothers’. Despite both generations favouring a transformational approach to leadership, each generation differed in the way it practiced leadership. Baby Boomers led in a shared, structured and empowering manner, whereas Generation Xs focused on being attentive, unlocking potential, identifying talents of followers, and assisting in the growth and development of followers within their leadership approach. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

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The changing demographics of the federal workforce require managers to understand generational differences in experiences, values, and leadership preferences that can negatively impact an agency's ability to fulfill its mission. There is a gap in the literature regarding generational cohort perceptions of employee satisfaction with leadership and turnover intention in the Small Business Administration (SBA). The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to examine the generational perceptions of SBA employees regarding leadership satisfaction and intent to leave the organization within the next year. Strauss and Howe's generational theory served as the theoretical framework. This non-experimental quantitative study used the 2016 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey that consisted of data from 407,789 federal government employees. The population in this study included 1,383 respondents who worked in the SBA. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test to examine perceptions of leadership and perceptions of turnover intention between 2 age groups. Results indicated that employees under 40 had higher satisfaction with leaders than employees 40 and over (p < .05). There were no statistically significant differences between the age groups and turnover intention. Findings showed that generations differ based on shared experiences of their members. These findings can help government leaders enact policies to strengthen the relationship between leaders and employees, resulting in satisfied and committed employees across generations.

Social Security Administration (SSA) managers and leaders are facing an unprecedented challenge to understand 3 to 5 generations of employees, and value the diversity of each group (Glass, 2007). Perceived lack of recognition has resulted in low morale and job satisfaction, leaving employees not feeling valued. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological research study was to explore, identify, and examine the lived experiences and perceptions of SSA employees to determine how managers and leaders can contribute to employee valuation. The central question and subquestions were designed to determine whether generational theory accurately described the lived experiences and perceptions of the subjects' value to the organization. Data collection included in-depth interviews with 15 employees of SSA, 5 from each of the most represented generational groups: Baby Boomers, Generation Xs, and Generation Ys. Key findings of a thematic analysis were that employees of differing generations feel valued in different ways. It was found that appreciation for each generation should be shown in a way that is meaningful to that generation, and does not reflect discrimination of another group. The results of this study contribute to positive social change by clarifying the relationship between generational differences and perception of value and provides specific recommendations to SSA managers and leaders. This guidance is an important contribution to the existing literature and will enhance social change initiatives through valuing all employees for the skills and talents they bring to the organization irrespective of age.

One of the demographic changes in the workplace is the presence of multiple generations working together. Some managers may find leading a multigenerational workforce a challenge, because the generational cohorts may have different work values and approaches to work. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how generational characteristics manifest in the workplace, how managers perceive a multigenerational workforce, and whether macro-level descriptions of generations creates stereotypes or recognizable indicators of behavior in the workplace. Mannheim's theory of generations and diversity management theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through interviews and a focus group discussion from 40 participants from the public sector. The participants consisted of members from the veterans, baby boomers, Gen Xers, and millennial cohorts. Summative content analysis was used to analyze data with the use of NVivo software, and member checking was used to enhance the trustworthiness of interpretations. The key themes from the analysis indicated that, among these 40 participants, intergenerational conflicts in the workplace were attributed to generational descriptors of work values, communication styles, productivity, work-life balance, leadership styles, organizational change, and the future of the public sector. The findings may enhance managers' understanding of generational perceptions and may help managers take steps to reduce intergenerational conflict in the workplace.