Leadership preferences of a generation Y cohort: A mixed‐methods investigation

Presently there are four generational cohorts in the workplace. Born from 1977 to 1997, the youngest cohort group, Generation Y, has 81 million members, of whom over 29 million are already in the workplace. The importance of leader‐subordinate relationships in the workplace has been confirmed. In recognizing this, leaders must identify and adapt to the era‐shaped needs of employees, who cannot fully participate in organizational life if their most urgent needs are not being met. The goal of this study was to determine leadership preferences of a Gen Y cohort as a means to enhance workplace relationships in the 21st‐century organization. A sequential, mixed‐methods study was employed to explore leadership preferences of a Gen Y cohort. Initially, focus‐group interviews were used to generate leadership themes. Based on these themes, an instrument was designed, and Gen Y business students from three higher education institutions were surveyed. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the themes. Five leadership themes emerged in the focus groups and were confirmed through CFA.