A Culture of Voice for Millennials
Millennials are those typically born between 1980 and before 1995. They outnumber the Gen-X and Baby Boomer population in the workplace since 2018.
The Millennial generation value and prioritize job satisfaction, security, quality of life, and opportunity for advancement over traditional financial compensation. Millennials' values shape what they expect from organizations. They want visionary leaders and transparency is essential for them.
A Culture of Voice is most appropriate for the Millennial population. Studies show they expect more interaction with their immediate manager and have a strong desire to contribute in a meaningful way. Leaders must adopt a Learning Mindset that values the views, opinions, and contributions of others versus telling them what to do and how to do it. Culture of Voice can be shaped by encouraging voice and interaction.
Here are a few practices that will most likely encourage voice:
1. Build up ideas and never tear them down, even if they seem half-baked.
2. Strengthen your tolerance for divergent thinking. Look for and encourage different viewpoints at every opportunity.
Organizations and leaders who lead millenials must routinely measure overall organizational culture and specifically test for cultures of voice. Leadership development must be based upon a diverse, collaborative, and inclusive framework. The dividend for this investment is employee commitment and satisfaction and for the Millennial population, job satisfaction equates to relatively low quit rates.
Source: Bogosian R., Rousseau C. 2017. "How and Why Millennials are Shaking Up Organizational Cultures". Rutgers Business Review Vol. 2, No. 3, Fall 2017.
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