It is important to study the impact of generational gaps on leadership styles because ultimately leadership styles define the success of an organization. The leadership approach most appropriate for Millennials is situational leadership. Performance of an organization depends completely on its people, and if the leaders are not adapting to changing requirements of the workforce then the organization cannot be successful (Ceil, 2019, p. 1). As we learned in our readings for the week situational leadership focuses on how different situations call for different kinds of leadership (Northouse, 2016, p.93).
One of the reasons this is important is because team performance depends on how the leaders and members get along together. The employee-supervisor relationship is an important aspect of corporate success. With generational gaps, the leadership styles need to modify to manage the Millennials effectively (Ceil, 2019, p. 2). Millennials will perform best when they are motivated by leaders who understand their requirements, adapt themselves to the individualistic needs of the employees, and also exhibit some of the traits of the Millennials. This form of leadership is unique to the challenges of the 21st century and can be best solved by situational leadership (Ceil, 2019, p.3). The situational approach stresses that leadership is composed of both a directive and supportive dimension, and that each has to be applied appropriately in a given situation. Leaders should change the degree to which they are directive or supportive to meet the needs of the followers (Northouse, 2016, p.94).
With my degree path being in HR this article was important because it broke down how HR professionals can adapt and prepare for changes. The recommendations made for human resource management focus on providing realistic expectations to Millennial employees, lowering their expectations and providing work-life balance. Today, most human resource managers showcase that they have pool tables, gym, and other features that enables Millennials to value the workplace. Compensation is now just one part of the deal. Millennials are lured with extrinsic rewards that have more value to them. They are also looking for opportunities that allow fast growth and lateral promotions. Millennials are always in the hurry and they are quick to move from one job to another unless their demands are met. Most companies today have active social media pages and they are constantly showcasing their employees through social recognition. This builds trust and a reward system for the Millennials. Human resources should also note how feedback is important for Millennials and what form of feedback would be best suited to meet their needs. Lastly, human resources should also train and offer guidance to existing employees about how to adapt to the changing workforce. I think it’s important to understand your employees because not just the amount of education they have that affects their development style and that would be their age and I think in order to be an effective leader you must make sure you understand and adapt.
Work Cited:
Ceil, Chenoy, The Impact of Generational Gaps on Leadership Styles (March 05, 2019). https://ssrn.com/abstract=3521069 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3521069.
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Chapter 5: Situational Approach. P. 93- 114. 7th Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
jav40 says
As a millennial, I find your preference for the situational approach very intriguing. Although I can understand and appreciate your emphasis on the need for leaders to create a cohesive working environment, I don’t think the responsibility lies solely on the employer. I recently worked for a “gen x” boss, who told me that he had a “hand’s off” style of leadership and that he wanted me to know that he would not have hired me if he didn’t “trust my capabilities”. Although this statement made me feel encouraged and empowered, I equally wanted to be honest and open with him in regards to my own preferred working style. I told him that I was motivated by clear expectations, structure, and frequent feedback, which all seem to coincide more with the style approach to leadership than the situational approach (PSWC, 2020). By doing this, I used my own leadership style to “manage up” in a way that I know works for me, rather than walk away or decide that I couldn’t work with him.
As much as I envy the work environments of Linked In and Google, having a boss that I feel cares about me and takes the time to understand me as an individual, evokes more feelings of loyalty. I have a friend that works for one of the above mentioned companies and although she mentions Friday night socials, Wednesday night hikes, and free daily buffet lunch options, I have always preferred a more personal approach. This more personal approach has often required me to meet my employers “half way” as I have learned that our styles, traits, and approaches all differ, even if we have the same goals (to be good leaders).
References
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2020). PSYCH 485 Lessons 5. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2045005/modules
hxu5004 says
The critical observation made is the role that leaders play in organizations. This is based on the finding that it is the leaders that will determine whether employees will feel motivated and remain to be part of the company or cause them to leave. This is especially the case with millennial employees who are known to be always on the move (Northouse, 2016). This means that they have demands that they expect to be met, and if not, they are often likely to seek alternative places of work where their needs and demands can be met. Leaders, therefore, as noted, have to understand the behavior of millennial employees and apply the right leadership style to address the generation gap in the workplace.
As suggested in the blog, and which an agreeable point of view is, situational leadership plays an important role since every situation will require a certain style of leadership to be applied when handling millennial employees. The reason for this is that in every organization, there are different groups of people, and currently, most companies have the majority of their employees belonging to the millennial group (Northouse, 2016). The expectations of these employees, when compared to the older generation, are different and which require that the leaders should understand those differences so that they can be able to implement effective measures that address the gaps. For example, millennial seek workplaces where they can experience a work-life balance. Therefore, having understood this need, most companies offer benefits to their employees, including recognition, among other benefits.
Furthermore, an important point that is made in the blog and which is agreeable is that feedback is of great importance to any organization, especially when working with millennials (Dugan, 2017. Feedback means that the leaders in an organization are constantly communicating and interacting with their followers, which provides the opportunity to build trust and positive relationships. However, it is vital that leaders must understand the type of feedback that will work with the millennials. Rather than focusing on providing negative feedback, positive criticism can be used together with ensuring issues that arise are fully elaborated and the employees given the opportunity to learn from the feedback (Northouse, 2016).
Moreover, as noted from your study experience as a person focused on the HR profession, millennials tend to focus on extrinsic rewards that they consider more valuable to them than others. This is an issue that HR professionals must understand as leaders regarding millennials if they want to retain such talent. Therefore, considering that different situations will always arise and that millennial will always be motivated by diverse factors, the best form of leadership to apply is situational leadership (Dugan, 2017). However, while applying an effective leadership style, the leaders in an organization should also consider providing training to their employees. This is an important step since it helps employees to gain the right skills as well as improve their skills so that they can fit in the changing workplaces.
Overall, leaders must understand the different types of employees that they have, the needs of those employees and work on appropriate ways of engaging the employees. Also, they must also understand that communication is a fundamental factor that they should consider as part of bridging the generation gap in the workplaces, and retain the talented millennial workforce. Therefore, this blog has effectively met its objective which is to enlighten the target audience, in this case, employers and HR professionals, of the importance of understanding their workforce and issues to do with the generation gap. Well done!
References:
Dugan, J. P. (2017). Leadership theory: Cultivating critical perspectives. John Wiley & Sons.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. 7th Edition. Sage publications.