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ABSTRACT
Purpose
The purpose of this study has been to understand the preferred leadership traits of the Indian millennials.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was conducted through participatory research methods like world café and qualitative interviews and to suggest a change in leadership approach if required. A total of 117 millennials were part of the research in world café and interviews.
Findings
Using content analysis, manual-coding methods for data categorization and topic categorization, this study concludes that Indian millennial leaders prefer nine distinct leadership traits.
Research Implications/implications
MiLeSTROKES - A new millennial leadership model with these traits has also been proposed. It is currently proposed as a theoretical model for the findings of the research. The model needs to be tested in coaching and workshop settings for validation.
Practical Implications
The research has both commercial and business implications. As more managers and leaders face the uncertainty of goals and the changing landscape of followers, this research will provide an understanding of how leaders can lead the emerging generation.
Originality/Value
The unique factor of the paper is the model of leadership as a seven step journey towards the future.
Keywords: Millennial Leadership, Leading in VUCA world, Leadership as a journey, Emerging generation leadership, Leadership development model.
1.INTRODUCTION
Millennials in India are a strong source of untapped power and are yet not studied enough as a generation. They are self-motivated, startup driven, less constrained by cultural norms, occupying more leadership roles. A quick look into the current issues in workplace though shows lack of engagement, increased attrition rates and conflicts in teams.
Millennials are motivated by leadership that transforms themselves, their colleagues, and the world around them (Williams, 2015). The Millennial Leadership Study conducted by Virtuali, a leadership training firm and consultancy, confirms the fact that Millennials respond and aspire to a more engaging form of leadership (Williams, 2015). As of March 2015, millennials are the largest working generational cohort in the workforce (Feeney, 2015; Pew Research Center, 2015). The baby boomer generation in India, that Salman Rushdie called midnight's children in his book are retiring. The Generation X are also in their way to retirement and as a country India has faced brain drain, largest for this generation. The millennials are therefore the largest workforce today. The...