ITS A DIFFERENT BALL GAME – HOW TO MOTIVATE

ITS A DIFFERENT BALL GAME – HOW TO MOTIVATE
YOUR MILLENNIAL TALENT
Idealistic, self-absorbed, unfocused, impatient, internet-obsessed,
noncompliant, and demanding. Meet the Millennials, coming soon to
a cubicle near you. Never before has a cohort of people triggered as
much exasperation as this generation.
Typically identified as those born after 1981, the Millennials, or GenYs, have come of age and are entering the workforce in a big way. By
2020, nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce will consist of Millennials,
according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics1. By 2025, it is
projected that Millennials will make up 75 percent of the global
workforce2.
Even today, Millennials are already the majority of employees in some
companies. Pricewaterhouse Cooper, the world's second largest
professional services network, reports that 2 out of every 3 PwC staff
is a Millennial3. At EY, the global firm that includes Ernst & Young LLP,
Millennials already make up 60% of the workforce4. In Asia, the
Singapore Armed Forces has identified development and
management of the Millennial soldier as a key priority in a 2013
report on the future of military service5.
Yes, we are indeed entering the age of the Millennial workforce.
Corporations around the world are starting to realise this, and notice
that this is a different, more demanding type of employee than what
they have previously encountered.
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Talentlens Whitepaper: How to Motivate Your Millennial Talent
Advice on how to manage Millennials is becoming increasingly
prevalent. Although well-intentioned, some of this advice sounds like
awkward suggestions by a bewildered parent on how to reach out to
an inexplicable teenager.
“Give them a structure to follow, since they can’t do it themselves.”
“Give them some community projects outside of work to spend some
of their energy on.”
“Don’t squash their enthusiasm, encourage it.”
“Listen to them, pay attention to them, make work fun for them.”
Despite our growing awareness of Millennials as a unique group, it
seems that we still struggle to understand them. What really makes
them different? Are these just stereotypes about the young or are
there genuine interpersonal differences at play? How can
organisations truly engage and motivate the Millennial worker?
TalentLens Singapore decided to investigate further to examine what
the data says about Millennials.
The Results
Between 2012 and 2013 TalentLens Singapore administered Sosie, an
internationally renowned personality and values assessment, to a
broad sample of over 250 people in Singapore, encompassing over 15
major occupational groups, including Engineering, Marketing,
Finance, Human Resources and IT professionals.
By 2025, Millennials
will make up 75% of the
global workforce
As an in-depth assessment of individuals, Sosie
measures both behavioural preferences (i.e. personality)
and deeply held beliefs about what is important and
personally fulfilling to an individual (i.e. values).
49% of the sample were women and a majority were
ethnically Chinese (85%). Most importantly, 45% of the sample were
Millennials (born after 1981) and 55% were Gen X (born from the
1965 to 1981).
We compared the personality and value scores of the Millennials and
the Gen X-ers in our sample. In many ways, the results were
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Talentlens Whitepaper: How to Motivate Your Millennial Talent
remarkably consistent with popular conceptualisations of Millennials.
But a deeper look reveals some surprising insights on why Millennials
behave the way they do and what is driving this behaviour.
A Decline in Work Ethic
For better or for worse, it seems that Millennials indeed score lower
on personality and value scales that relate to work ethic. As the below
table illustrates, the Millennial employee tends to be less diligent and
persistent in seeing tasks through to completion. They are inclined to
place less value on rules, hierarchy and social convention. Moreover,
structured organisations and systematic work processes are likely to
be viewed as less important and motivating to Millennials.
Table 1
Responsibility: Diligence,
professional conscience
&a
Responsibility
sense of duty
Millennials
Conformity: Respect for social
convention, rules and
what is
Conformity
socially accepted and proper
Gen X
Orderliness: Importance given
to structured organisations,
Orderliness
procedures and methods
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
55.0
Note: Chart presents statistically significant differences on Sosie along a T-score scale.
Key Motivators
If traditional, structured, hierarchical businesses hold less appeal to
the Millennials, what then are they looking for? Based on their highest
rated values, Millennials want Variety, Support and Recognition (see
Table 2)
They are motivated to seek out varied, novel, sometimes even risky
situations that will challenge them. Routine, repetitive work is likely to
be disengaging for them. Instead, they are looking for new, unfamiliar
experiences that will enable them to distinguish themselves and gain
the esteem and social recognition from others. In line with this, they
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Talentlens Whitepaper: How to Motivate Your Millennial Talent
value a supportive and nurturing environment that will help them get
there.
So it is not so much that Millennials are unmotivated to succeed and
achieve – they value achievement as much as the Gen-Xers. But
instead of a structured, targeted, goal-driven approach to success,
Millennials are more likely to pursue success with a dash of flair and a
sense of adventure.
Table 2
Support: Importance given to
help, support and
Support
understanding in the workplace
Recognition: Importance given
Recognition
to social recognition,
esteem
and status
Millennials
Gen X
Variety: Importance given to
Variety
change, novelty and even
a
certain degree of risk
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
55.0
Note: Chart presents statistically significant differences on Sosie along a T-score scale.
Millennials… a more profound employee?
Moreover, Millennials may be due more credit than they are currently
getting. Comparisons on Sosie suggest that high on their values
priority is a sense of conviction and steadfastness to their beliefs and
passions (see Table 3).
Compared to Gen-Xers, Millennials are more likely to have a strong
sense of right and wrong, form a strong personal attachment to the
perspectives, and commit to putting their beliefs into practice.
Not only do Millennials take their convictions more seriously, they are
also less likely than the Gen-Xers to value material and financial
goods. As evidenced in their lower scores on the Materialism scale,
Millennials are less concerned about short-term tangibles. They feel
less attraction towards short-term profitability and are less motivated
to produces immediate results.
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Talentlens Whitepaper: How to Motivate Your Millennial Talent
Table 3
Conviction: Importance given
Conviction
to personal commitments
to
decisions and beliefs
Millennials
Gen X
Materialism: Importance
Materialism
given to profit, material
goods
or immediate results
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
55.0
Chart presents statistically significant differences on Sosie along a T-score scale.
This eschewing of the material and valuing of intangible beliefs is a
theme that can be seen in other studies on Millennials. A recent
Deloitte survey6 of Millennials highlight that 50% of Millennials
around the globe want to work for businesses with ethical practices.
Millennials also want to make a positive impact on society and
contribute to public life actively – 63% of Millennials gave to charities,
43% actively volunteered or were a member of a community
organization and 52% have signed petitions.
It is possible to speculate that this is what contributes to the
generational tension in the workplace. Grounded, practical Gen X
managers who are perplexed at the high-minded ideals of the
Millennials; Millennials who are discouraged by the lack of major
social impact in the world of work.
Conclusion
So what can we do about this? says the ever-pragmatic Gen-Xer.
For a start, there seems to be some truth to laments about “kids these
days”. Certainly if organisations expect a high level of punctiliousness
from Millennials, they will be disappointed and may even face
resistance. But those who just stop there may be missing out on the
bigger story.
In today’s knowledge-based economy, where digital technology has
repeatedly proven its ability to upheave established markets, and the
march of change beats at an accelerating pace, it is the more agile,
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Talentlens Whitepaper: How to Motivate Your Millennial Talent
adaptive and flexible employee that organisations need more than
ever before. Millennials and their appetite for change, willingness to
operate without clear boundaries and specifics, may be just what
companies need.
Millennials are more
likely to commit to
putting their beliefs
into practice
Perhaps we should also recognise that the sense of
conviction that Millennials show is something to be
welcomed, even celebrated. That the idealism and
optimism of this generation is a tremendous source of
energy and dynamism, and a clarion call for
organisations to step up.
Ultimately, it is also vital for organisations to recognise that there is a
shift taking place in the perspectives, beliefs and values of its people.
On some level, any analysis on a group as wide and diverse as an
entire generation of people will be an over-simplification. And yet the
data speaks to a powerful underlying trend on how people’s values
are changing, how their priorities and motivations are changing and
how we need to change in tandem.
1
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2012, February). Employment outlook: 2010–
2020. Retrieved May 2014, from www.bls.gov
2
Barrett, K. N. (2011). Gen Y Women in the Workplace. Retrieved May 2014,
from www.bpwfoundation.org
3
Pricewaterhouse Cooper (2013) PwC’s NextGen: A global generational study
2013. http://www.pwc.com/en_GX/gx/hr-management-services/pdf/pwcnextgen-study-2013.pdf
4
Holland, K. (2013). Gen Y managers perceived as entitled, need polish, CNBC,
retrieved May 2014, http://www.cnbc.com/id/100997634
5
Fu, W. & Nah, J. (2013). Understanding the millennial generation: Developing
a more effective workforce for the future SAF. Pointer, 39 (1), 1-9.
6
Deloitte (2014). The Millennial Survey 2014 – Big demands and high expectations.
http://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/2014millennial-survey-positive-impact.html
What do your employees value? Find out with Sosie at www.talentlens.com.sg
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Talentlens Whitepaper: How to Motivate Your Millennial Talent