Challenge of Millennials in Project Management

The need for understanding Generation Y employees' attitudes and expectations that considerably differed from previous generations had been a focus of researchers in the last decades. IT industry and specifically software industry had been among the most popular employment areas of Generation Y professionals and hence Generation Y Software Developers constitutes the majority of the work force in the software industry. As known, software development is a project-based business where the project management methodologies and principles are utilized. Similar to other project based works, the effectiveness of human resources management and team development is the determinant of project success in software development. Therefore, to effectively manage and to adapt appropriate approaches for leading the project teams which include Generation Y software professionals, managers and leaders prior in need to understand their perspective. In this context, research aims to understand the expectations and attitudes of Generation Y Software Developer professionals in projects. The research is structured in two parts reflecting these dual aims. The first part of the research addresses the expectations of Y generation employees from project management and project environment in software development projects. The second part of the research explores the attitudes of Y generation Employees in software development project teams. Survey is conducted with the participation of 113 Generation Y Software Professionals who are employed in major software companies in Turkey. Basic concepts that are explored in the study are expectations from working environment, expectations from project type and content, leadership, motivation factors, challenges faced, perceptions on generation conflicts and the attitudes of Generation Y professionals towards project-based work and work environments. Software industry is dominated by project based management methods, perceptions and attitudes of Generation Y in projects are expected to provide practical guidelines to policy makers and HR professionals in developing solutions and tools for improving motivations and effectiveness of Generation Y employees.

The Important Issues for Millennial Workers

This chapter will help you to understand the important issues facing the Millennial Generation and their behavior in the workplace, understand the concepts of interpersonal relation and the viewpoints of the Millennial Generation, understand the contents of communication skills, communication models and communication styles, and understand how the Millennial Generation views conflict and conflict management.

Developing an Intergroup Communication Intervention Curriculum

This chapter describes a community-based participatory research project that embraces opportunities to augment the skills necessary to excel in an increasingly diverse workforce, especially in terms of proficiency in communication, social interaction, and technology. The Intergroup Communication Intervention (ICI) provides needed technology skills training to older adults in a community setting to improve intergroup relationships, foster positive civic attitudes and skills, and reduce ageist attitudes of younger adults. Participants build workforce skills necessary for future success as the project advances group and interpersonal communication skills across generations using technology pedagogy to bridge the divide. The ICI approach is systematic and grounded in theory. Analyses across the project's last three years demonstrate how communication processes ignite the powerful bonding that can occur over technology. This chapter encourages future research with similar goals of using longitudinal, communication studies to enhance community, competencies, and the future workforce.

Would You Accept a Facebook Friend Request from Your Boss?

Because Millennials and Generation X tend to desire close relationships with their leaders, expect frequent and open communication, and integrate their personal and professional contacts via social media, it was predicted they would be more likely than Baby Boomers to accept a Facebook friend request from their boss. Although no main effect was found for generational differences, a significant interaction between self-disclosure and generation was found, such that self-disclosure was positively related to acceptance of a friend request from one's boss for Baby Boomers and Generation X, but negatively related for Millennials. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Millennial Leadership Model

Recent attention has been given to the attitudes, perceptions, and needs of the Millennial Generation both in the educational setting and the workforce. This chapter provides background and rationale for the development of a Millennial Leadership model benefitting teachers, administrators, and employers desiring to proactively address concerns attributed to individuals in the millennial generation, and positively influence their success. A brief overview of the past four generations events, both social and politically, that have shaped values and perspectives. Millennials at work and the effects of the economic recession on Millennials are also discussed. The chapter ends with a model for millennial leadership, which outlines clear expectations, open and respectful communication, consistent feedback, flexibility, involved decision-making and provided opportunities for growth.

Communicating across the Generations

Today's workplace is composed of four generational groups of employees, each with varying degrees of technological expertise, career expectations, and professional experience. As such, higher education administrators need to identify differences among generations of workers and develop a strategic plan for managing and motivating across the generations. This case study addresses the following question: “How do higher education administrators lead and motivate multi-generational employees and online students?” An understanding of the common characteristics of each generational group is the first step for developing a strategy for motivating all employees and students in higher education. Communication, mentoring programs, training, respect, and opportunities for career advancement are components valued by all. It is important for higher education administrators to understand the values, work ethic, and communication style of the different generations. The implications for higher education administrators lie in establishing an organizational culture that promotes satisfaction for all individuals in the higher education setting.

Workplace Discrimination

Diverse workforce is now a global phenomenon. The quality of interaction between people of diversified cultures in the organization has significant association with the marketing, managing, as well as human resource functions. The majority organizations are indulging in diversity management programmes so that they can benefit from the varied skills. But discriminatory behaviour against people of different backgrounds than majorities in the workplace act as a hindrance in taking full advantage of workplace diversity. This chapter reveals different forms in which discrimination can arise in a discrimination-free environment. The organizational as well as individual factors that cause discrimination at the workplace are discussed. The aftereffects that are related to discriminatory behavior at work, which render both employees as well as organization at disadvantage, are also highlighted. The chapter will help by highlighting the issue faced by thousands of employees every year and suggesting steps that need to be undertaken to remove discrimination from the workplace settings.

Millennial Teamwork and Technical Proficiency's Impact on Virtual Team Effectiveness

The successful completion of information systems projects is already a difficult process that many times ends with projects failing to meet the information systems requirements. These requirements typically center on completing projects that perform the way initially envisioned, and delivering completed projects on time and within budget. Pressures around communication and leadership style are now compounded by the use of virtual teams. The goal of this study was to determine whether or not technical proficiency in the project-based skills, facility with database management systems development, and greater technical proficiency in coping within the virtual environment contributed to the development of greater virtual team effectiveness. This study targeted millennial students at the Maine Business School who were assigned to virtual teams tasked with developing a database management system within a virtual environment. Findings suggest that increased proficiencies in project skills will contribute to greater team effectiveness and more importantly, increased proficiencies within the virtual environment will contribute to greater virtual team effectiveness. These findings have implications for business educators and by natural extension, business practitioners as they suggest that training students and workers how to communicate, collaborate, exchange ideas, and share information better within virtual environments will improve virtual team effectiveness which should translate into greater virtual teams project outcomes.

Baby Boomers and Online Learning

There continues to be a significant increase in the number of post retirement employees (i.e., baby boomers/older workers) in the workforce, either having remained in the organization after retirement or having returned to the workforce in different capacities for varying reasons after their initial separation. A resulting accompaniment to this labor force increase is the increase in the number of boomers who will seek higher education to equip themselves with the skills needed to remain competitive in the workplace. With the advent of online learning, however, the higher education landscape is different from when baby boomers first attended college. This chapter explores the experiences of baby boomers who are pursing graduate studies in an online environment and will discuss appropriate learning strategies for baby boomers to facilitate academic success for this group of learners.

Towards a Reference Framework for Generational Analyses on Information Technology Professionals

In light of the sociology of generations, this theoretical trial relates literature on information technology (IT) professionals, IT professional management, IT project teams, and generational studies to elaborate a reference framework that supports the research on the intergenerational dynamics of the field. The proposed framework offers a definition and structure for the concept of IT generation and contemplates the dimensions related to (1) technological contemporary changes, (2) culture bearers, (3) continuous nature of generational change, (4) generational succession, (5) knowledge transmission and sharing, and (6) intergenerational conflict, allowing future empirical research on the IT generational phenomena.