Management competencies to enhance employee engagement of a new generation workforce

Abstract

The rapid rise of Millennial workers has created complexity for leaders managing the younger cohort. However, there is a lack of academic literature to date that considers the new generation workforce within the context of evolving management competencies for promoting engagement in 21st century organisations. The purpose of this study is to expand the sparse empirical literature on employee engagement within the sphere of generational differences at work by examining (1) the behaviours line managers need to show in order to enhance employee engagement of Millennials, and (2) highlight both effective and ineffective management behaviours in this context. A qualitative research methodology was selected for a more nuanced and theoretical study, aimed at gathering rich insights on manager behaviours, from the perspective of Millennials in the workforce. Data was collected from a diverse sample of 15 Millennial employees, through in-depth semi-structured interviews, using a cross-sectional research design. The data was analysed using thematic analysis to identify patterns which allowed for granular analysis and research on the content of the data. Furthermore, frequency analysis was applied as a statistical method to validate the resultant themes. The research findings contribute to understanding valuable and important manager behaviours for promoting employee engagement of Millennial workers. These findings have practical implications for line managers. The management competency framework derived from the research study serves as an effective management tool that provides managers with guidance on behaviours to adopt and avoid in order to enhance employee engagement.