An analysis of a multigenerational workforce and their preference for the servant leadership style

Abstract

This dissertation’s premise is that multigenerational workforces are becoming the norm, and to properly lead them based on the generational preferences of the employees is crucial. Moreover, in times of immoral conduct at work, a servant leader who serves their followers and avoids immoral behavior is vital. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the preferences of Generations Baby Boomers, X and Y, for servant leadership style, autonomy and support. This dissertation uses secondary research to identify the characteristics of the Generations Baby Boomers, X, and Y and further illuminates the servant leadership style theory. The findings of this dissertation’s theoretical part have exhibited a preference among the generations seeking a servant leader and autonomy and support from their supervisors. An online questionnaire experiment was designed for the empirical part of the research. Information from 92 employees from different industries and generational cohorts was gathered to analyze potential preferences for the servant leadership style, autonomy and support. The quantitative analysis confirms a preference concerning the servant leadership style for Gen Y. There were no preferences between the generational cohorts concerning autonomy. However, Gen Y has shown a preference for receiving support from their leader. The findings of this dissertation have practical as well as social implications. Existing and new managers can be trained corresponding to the generational preferences and today’s companies can minimize unnecessary work conflicts and be overall more efficient.

Date of Award	15 Oct 2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Marco Tulio Zanini (Supervisor)