A Study of Generation Y in the Workplace : Values, Leadership, and Workplace Leadership Decision-Making

Access restricted to the OSU CommunityBy the year 2020, the workplace will be led and fueled by members of the millennial generation also known as Generation Y (GenY). This generation consists of people understood to include those generally born between 1981 and 2002. Given these demographic developments, the need to understand how GenY approaches life in the workplace is becoming more urgent for workplace leaders and workplace learning. The literature regarding GenY in the workplace, particularly regarding workplace leadership and decision-making, is thin. This lack of research is more striking when considered in light of the voluminous literature regarding workplace leadership and decision-making in general. Using a qualitative method of a semi-structured interview study, this dissertation examines the values, beliefs, and attitudes of 33 members of GenY, Americans who were born between 1981 and 1993. It then explores how these themes apply to GenY's approach to and behavior in the workplace. Once in the workplace, how GenY approaches leadership and in particular, workplace leadership decision-making is the primary focus. With the emerging trend of spirituality in the workplace and spiritual leadership theory, to what extent this dimension impacts GenY's leadership and workplace decision-making is necessary for organizations, executives, and learning practitioners to understand. Recognizing that there is no one true accepted definition of spirituality, this study posits a new working definition to use as the benchmark for analyzing GenY spirituality. This study confirms that spirituality does indeed play a role in how GenY acts and behaves in workplace leadership roles. Recognizing that there is a gap in understanding the GenY leadership decision-making process, this research contributes to the literature by providing an understanding of that process. The findings reveal that GenY has strong values and attitudes forged from their perspectives of spirituality, which impact their leadership and leadership decision-making in the workplace. This study also highlights key values and ethics that contribute to how GenY leads and makes decisions in the workplace. Finally this study recommends approaches for current executives, organizations, and practitioners to address retention of GenY members and develop appropriate organizational and learning strategies