Different Leadership Style Choices, Different Generations

In the past, a generation covered a larger span of time, having more members. However, today, thanks to the developments in technology and many other factors generations change frequently having less members and covering a few years. What matters now is the workforce itself and how these different generations work together. The current workforce has 3 generations working together while waiting for the fourth one. Soon, it is inevitable that 5 or 6 generations will be working at the same workplace. As a result, it is crucial to understand the type of leadership a generation prefers in business and academic life. The aim of this study was to find out how leadership style choice differs among four generations (Baby Boomers, Generations X, Generation Y, and Generation Z) of academics and prospective academics in Turkey. In the study, 265 participants from different generation rated the leadership attributes that contribute or impede effective leadership. The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) Project research survey by House et al. (2004) was used to find out the leadership style choice of different generations. The statistical relationships were determined between the generation variable and the 16 primary leadership subscales through MANOVAs and ANOVAs. The results of the tests showed that significant differences exist among the four different generations in 3 of the 16 leadership subscales. These subscales are Charismatic 3: Self-sacrifice, Conflict-inducer, and Face saver. Key words: Leadership, Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z