Do you work for a younger boss? Do you find yourself struggling to buy into your supervisor's way of doing things? You're not alone, according to a study published in September 2016.
As it turns out, working for a younger boss might affect an employee's commitment to the company. This especially rings true if the younger boss has less education and less experience in the company compared to his older subordinates. When workers are less committed to the company, it can cause a drop in productivity, retention rates and performance metrics. If this is true, then why do firms hire younger people to step into management roles?
Transformational Leadership
The answer could lie in transformational leadership. This occurs when a business professional inspires those around him through a visionary plan for the company and an ability to stir emotions. A transformational leader supports his teammates, gets everyone to buy into the team concept and leads by example. This type of manager may take a lot of energy to the role, but lack the education or experience of an older worker.
Instead, a transformational leader has an aura about him that makes everyone want to follow him wherever he goes. This dynamic individual has the potential to take everyone within the firm to new heights. The only difficulty is when he's the younger boss of older workers, who may feel that a younger person doesn't have the credentials to back up the soft skills. Older workers might feel slighted by a younger person in a leadership position.
Back to the Study
Authors of the study, headed by Dr. Orlando Richard of the University of Texas at Dallas, examined leadership roles in the United States and Turkey. They found that people in the United States had trouble following a younger female boss if she lacked sufficient education and managerial experience. In Turkey, the opposite was true. Men in leadership roles had a harder time inspiring older workers to remain committed to a company's vision if they lacked the experience to step into managerial roles.
The September 2016 study backs information found in a survey published in November 2015. More than 5,700 people in the United States responded to Nexxt's questionnaire about multigenerational leadership. The survey found 83 percent of respondents noted millennials managing someone from an older generation. Interestingly, 45 percent of older workers stated that younger supervisors hurt the company, while one-third of millennials said it is more difficult to manage older workers.
How to Mitigate Problems
Authors of the study from U-T Dallas offer a solution to the problems of a younger boss. Companies, particularly human resources departments, should put the right kind of manager in place for the right department. Although hiring an inspirational leader can take a company to the next level, it can also hurt morale and profits in the long term.
A younger boss can create a great atmosphere for change within a business. However, companies may not want to deal with the consequences of alienating older workers. Firms should plan carefully and make changes for the better rather than for the worse.
Photo courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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