Existing research on the Millennial generation has focused on identifying the workplace attributions and stereotypes between generations, and the relationship between those attributions and stereotypes, as related to organizational commitment. However, research has not addressed which workplace characteristics influence organizational commitment of the Millennial generation. Herzberg's 2-factor theory was used to investigate the relationship between workplace characteristics and organizational commitment of the Millennial generation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether workplace characteristics influence organizational commitment in the Millennial generation. This quantitative study used the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire. A convenience sample of 215 individuals born between 1984 and 1998 were surveyed. The key research questions investigated which workplace characteristics had the greatest impact on organizational commitment. The results indicated that self-management of career paths, combined with opportunities for employee development provided the best predictors for organizational commitment of the Millennial generation. These 2 variables accounted for 21% of the variance of the OCQ (R = .463, R²=.21).By understanding which workplace characteristics impact organizational commitment, organizations will be able to reduce turnover, employees will become more committed to the organization, which may provide employers with a greater opportunity to develop future leaders of their organizations and thereby initiate positive social change at the level of the individual employee and the organization.

This study was an investigation of the relationship between subordinates' perceptions of the quality of the leader-member exchange (LMX) relationship and their willingness to engage in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and organizational commitment (OC). Differences in subordinates' perceptions of the quality of the LMX with their supervisor according to the gender of the supervisor compared to the employee (same sex vs. different sex) and dyadic duration of the LMX were also investigated. The possible moderation of dyadic duration on the relationship between subordinates' perception of the quality of the LMX and their willingness to engage in OCB and OC were also investigated. Lastly, the possible moderation of gender on the relationship between subordinates' perception of the quality of the LMX and their willingness to engage in OCB and OC were also investigated. This study surveyed direct service subordinate staff currently employed at a large rehabilitation organization in the Midwest. Results of research questions (RQ) one through eight are as follows: No significant correlation, r = .15, p = .35 for RQ1, significant correlation for RQ2, r = .38, p =.01, no significant correlation, r = .14, p = .38, for RQ3, no significant correlation, r = .30, p = .05 for RQ4, RQ5 model one was not significant, R2 = .10, F (2,38) = 2.21, p = .12, model two was significant, R2 = .19, F (3, 37) = 2.86, p = .05, RQ6 model one was significant, R2 = .26, F (2, 38) = 7.59, p = .002, model two was significant, R2 = .34, F (3, 37) = 6.34, p = .001, RQ7 model one was not significant, R2 = .10, F (2, 38) = 2.21, p = .12, model two was not significant, R2= .16, F (3, 37) = 2.31, p = .09, and RQ8 model one was significant, R2 = .26, F (2, 38) = 7.59, p = .002, model two was significant, R2 = .32, F (3, 37) = 5.98, p = .002. A summary of results and limitations and delimitations of the study are discussed, as well as implications and directions for future research.

Many U.S. organizations fail to retain Millennials for longer than 3 years. The purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies and methods leaders have used to retain Millennial employees within a small business in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The leaders of this small business have retained their Millennial employees for the last 3 years. The conceptual frameworks for the study were Bass's transformational leadership theory and von Bertalanffy's general systems theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 4 participant leaders with a successful record of retaining Millennials. In addition, company documents including policies, training records, company website, and peer-reviewed journals were gathered to supplement the semistructured interviews. All data were analyzed using the modified van Kaam method. The findings revealed that these 4 leaders employed specific strategies for career growth opportunities, communication plans, organizational level community involvement, high compensation packages, high functioning and fun culture, regular feedback meetings, training opportunities, and respect for opinions to solve the low retention rate among Millennials within an organization. The leaders also reported 3 methods that they employed to retain Millennials were maintaining open lines of communication, establishing positive relationships with management, and providing targeted training throughout the employees' tenure. Social change implications include organizational leaders increasing retention rates of Millennial employees by enhancing employee motivation and improving relationships. Results may benefit organizations by reducing turnover costs.

This study investigated the role of selected variables on organizational commitment in selected organizations in a North Texas metropolitan area. The selected (independent) variables were orientation attendance, unit size, educational level, gender, age, and length of service. Organizational commitment score was the dependent variable. The Organizational Commitment Questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire were administered to 1,055 employees. The Organizational Commitment Questionnaire contained fifteen statements which measured employees' feelings about their organization. Multiple regression was used to determine the relationship between organizational commitment and the selected variables at the .001 level of significance. It was determined that gender and length of service showed the strongest significant relationship on organizational commitment. This model shows that the six independent variables account for only 3 percent of the variance in the relationship between organizational commitment and the selected variables. Therefore, approximately 97 percent of the unexplained variance is accountable for the organizational commitment of the employees at the selected organizations used in this study. Studies using the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire to show the relationship between organizational commitment and other antecedents of organizational commitment are recommended. A follow-up study should also be conducted using the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire to show the relationship between organizational commitment and race. A follow-up study should be conducted using this questionnaire and a work ethic questionnaire to determine the relationship between organizational commitment and work ethics. An orientation attendance questionnaire should be developed and used with the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire to show the relationship between organizational commitment and orientation attendance. Additional research is necessary in other organizations and cultural settings before this study can be generalized to a greater number of employees. Recommendation is made that future researchers administer questionnaires to subjects due to the low reading and comprehension skills of many respondents.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / Organizational cynicism is an attitude, characterized by frustration and negatively valenced beliefs, resulting primarily from unmet expectations, which is capable of being directed towards an organization in general and/or more specific facets of the organizational environment (Brockway, Carlson, Jones, & Bryant, 2002). This thesis presents an exploratory study into the causes of organizational cynicism at the United States Naval Academy. The study is based on focus groups involving 30 first class midshipmen (i.e., seniors). Gaps in expectations versus students' reality emerged as a cause of organizational cynicism. Themes such as (1) constraints on decision-making discretion, (2) disappointment in peers' actions, (3) organizational inconsistencies, and (4) emphasis on outside interests versus midshipmen's interests emerged as the strongest precursors to the development of cynicism. The effects of organizational cynicism were reported as (1) lack of organizational commitment and citizenship and (2) deficiencies in decision-making and risk taking skills. / Lieutenant, United States Navy