Truth or Myth? Millennial Stereotypes, Self-Image, and Engagement in the Workplace
type: CreativeWork
description: There are approximately 58 million Millennials working for corporations in the United States. Millennials generally born between the years 1980 to 1995 are said to have been shaped by events such as the invention of the Internet and cell phones. Given that Millennials make up a large percentage of the active workforce, it is important to understand the perceived stereotypes of Millennials and how these generalizations may impact their engagement and effectiveness at work. This research aims to better understand how managers perceive Millennial employees, how Millennials self-identify with their generational stereotypes, and how they differ from other generations. The dissertation further seeks to better understand the factors that engage Millennials at work. A total of 1,097 employees of two private, service-based organizations participated in the survey that collected information on stereotypes and engagement preferences. The results indicate managers hold nine of the common Millennial stereotypes (entitled, disloyal, lazy, creative, multi-taskers, passionate, wanting work/life balance, needy, and sensitive) while Millennials view themselves as passionate multi-taskers, who value work-life balance. Further, Millennials who identify as Millennials saw themselves as less creative and placed less value on work-life balance than Millennials who do not self-identify as Millennials. When compared to other generations, Millennials differ only in their responses to the following stereotypes: entitled, lazy, needy, creative, and passionate. Finally, the relationship between eleven engagement practices and stereotypes, controlling for role in the organization (manager vs. non-manager), generation, gender, and highest level of education, is presented in regression models. Key findings indicate the more an individual self-identifies as a multi-tasker, the more likely they are to enjoy team competition and dress casually in the workplace. Also, those who self-identified as sens…
abstract: There are approximately 58 million Millennials working for corporations in the United States. Millennials generally born between the years 1980 to 1995 are said to have been shaped by events such as the invention of the Internet and cell phones. Given that Millennials make up a large percentage of the active workforce, it is important to understand the perceived stereotypes of Millennials and how these generalizations may impact their engagement and effectiveness at work. This research aims to better understand how managers perceive Millennial employees, how Millennials self-identify with their generational stereotypes, and how they differ from other generations. The dissertation further seeks to better understand the factors that engage Millennials at work. A total of 1,097 employees of two private, service-based organizations participated in the survey that collected information on stereotypes and engagement preferences. The results indicate managers hold nine of the common Millennial stereotypes (entitled, disloyal, lazy, creative, multi-taskers, passionate, wanting work/life balance, needy, and sensitive) while Millennials view themselves as passionate multi-taskers, who value work-life balance. Further, Millennials who identify as Millennials saw themselves as less creative and placed less value on work-life balance than Millennials who do not self-identify as Millennials. When compared to other generations, Millennials differ only in their responses to the following stereotypes: entitled, lazy, needy, creative, and passionate. Finally, the relationship between eleven engagement practices and stereotypes, controlling for role in the organization (manager vs. non-manager), generation, gender, and highest level of education, is presented in regression models. Key findings indicate the more an individual self-identifies as a multi-tasker, the more likely they are to enjoy team competition and dress casually in the workplace. Also, those who self-identified as sens…
author: Van Dellen, Stephanie
keywords: Engagement, Generations, Millennials, Stereotypes, Organizational Behavior and Theory
date published: 2019-05-19T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:41:10Z
provider: University of San Diego
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of San Diego