Management characteristics desired by talented employees from different generations within a South African consulting organisation
Date
2012-10-04
Authors
Elias, Junaid
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Abstract
Talent retention is an important aspect for South Africa in general. The shortage of talented individuals exacerbates the dearth that exists in the workplace today. Coupled with the shortage of talented employees are the three generations that pervade our working landscape. Under these circumstances, the consulting industry places a high demand on recruiting talented individuals and this industry is seemingly never satiated when it comes to talented employees.
Twelve employees were interviewed to gain their views on the impact of their managers on the decision of the employee to remain with the company or leave. Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials were equally represented. Interviews were conducted with each respondent and their responses analysed.
A key finding was that Baby Boomers place emphasis on empathy, trust, respect, integrity and humility of their managers. Another was that Xers value inclusivity, trust, integrity, communication of management decisions, empathy and consistency in their managers. Finally, a divergence from the literature was found in that Millennials look for the characteristics of trust, empathy, acknowledgement (with monetary and non-monetary rewards), being supportive and clear communication in their managers.
In conclusion the research found that the experience a talented employee has through the interaction with their manager plays a role in their decision to remain with or leave the company.