Pied piper to the Y generation: What type of leadership meets the needs of a twenty‐first century workforce?

Abstract

Purpose

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

Good leadership is one of the keys to success in any organization, and some would argue that it is the master key. However, defining “good” leadership is a much more difficult task today than it was a quarter of a century ago. We used to know what leaders looked like. They were usually white men of mature years wearing conservative suits. Leaders who looked like this operated a top‐down style of leadership and demanded respect from their subordinates due to their position and the authority accompanying their corporate rank. Leaders did not discuss company business with employees who were lower down on the organizational stepladder. Leaders led and followers followed without question. This type of traditional leadership continues to exist in some places; however organizations where traditional leadership still holds sway are likely to have employees who suffer from a lack of motivation and engagement. This is because traditional leadership no longer meets the needs of twenty‐first century employees

Practical implications

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations

Social implications

This review discusses the pitfalls associated with traditional models of leadership and proposes more relevant models for the needs of twenty‐first century organizations

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Citation

(2010), "Pied piper to the Y generation: What type of leadership meets the needs of a twenty‐first century workforce?", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 23-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777281011056749