The following was inspired by Cristina Gonzalez's article titled "Colleges Should Cultivate Leaders Within Their Own Ranks".
This is not based off of research but is a collection of my personal thoughts, speaking with my peers and observations. Basically my ramblings... sources will be sited as used.
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Professor Gonzalez discusses the desire to hire from within the college system to create stability and create a cohesion of ideas and projects among higher administration. I am not going to discuss whether this is a good idea or not but point out why this desire will become increasingly difficult.
As student affairs professionals we constantly look at the characteristics that make up the Millennial generation (our current students and new professionals). The ones I would like to highlight when looking at workplace longevity are: the need to collaborate, results and achievement oriented and more selectivity & loyalty (Sweeny, 2009).
The need to collaborate
As I start to delve into the culture of student affairs on a broader scale (i.e. twitter feeds, blogs, etc.) I am able to connect with like minded peers. It would make sense that eventually I would want to pull a King James and migrate to where these great minds are in order to collaborate on larger scale projects. I have found myself and peers making lists of where we want to work in our lifetimes and field relevant mentors we want to work with.
As more of the Millennial generation enters the workforce I expect to see this shift in job searching and acceptance. After all networking and social media is becoming a driving force in job placement and recruitment.
Results and Achievement Oriented
Sweeny's study at The New Jersey Institute of Technology states: "Millennials are interested in processes and services that really work and really speed their interactions. They prefer merit systems to others (e.g. seniority)."
To me this says two things:
1) I would rather have an awesome diverse portfolio than wait in line to be department head, Dean or Chancellor at a single institution. (Especially when I can work with my hero, a diverse group of schools, get my Ph.D. and start my own business on the road there.)
2) I would like to create these process therefore I need to work for companies that can benefit from my skill set. Being content is not satisfactory. Especially not while I am waiting in line. It has been noted that Millennials must feel their work is meaningful and important on a professional and personal level (NAS, 2006).
Selectivity & Loyalty
"Perhaps the most important Millennial behavior is their expectation for more selectivity and options. They have grown up with a huge array of choices and they believe that it is their birthright... The converse is also true: they are most unhappy with limited choices." - Sweeny
I have constantly grown up with a fear of the cubicle and I have come to believe this is no coincidence. I spent a few moments chatting up my social networks to see how many positions those of us have held post college was an average of 4.25 , the number of moves was an average of 2.6, with the longest employment at one company being an average of 4 years.
I would love to do this as a legitimate study... humm...
While unemployment is still high 51% of millennial do not expect job offers upon graduation (NAS) baby boomers are heading towards retirement and there is a demand for skilled workers. Millennials are no stranger to technology and professional niches in order to help market themselves and create several options for employment. Added with the characteristic of "entitlement" there are now several options which creates selectivity on which employer Millennials will choose to work with. Especially in a competitive market for skilled workers in high demand fields.
"They expect to spend no more than 18 months to 2 years in their first job; expect constant
practical training and useful skills; want office hours with flexible schedules; are more likely to be recruited online. 61% of CEOs say they have difficulty attracting and integrating younger workers."- Sweeny
When looking at the first two characteristics I discussed and combining them with the concept of loyalty it gets tricky. Retention is already an issue with older Millennials entering the workforce and will become a larger issue with each year. Money is not a solution to increase retention as noted by several researchers. The desire to satisfy personal and professional goals is always larger. (i.e. the key to retaining your best lab researcher is not going to be a salary increase but better support staff, access to new technology, recognition/ awards, a strong mentor, a customized career path and appreciation.- NAS)
Wrap Up
Competition among universities is not new but in order to retain the new Millennial workforce some cultural shifts will have to occur. While the NAS document is not the most up-to-date it does maintain some good pointers about retention.
Other thinking points:
- Will higher administration positions be plentiful as colleges re-structure?
- How will the Millennial generation effect traditional offerings in higher education such as tenure?
I don't have the answer to creating a stable higher administration staff for colleges but I know I'm not going to wait around to find out. I'm just a tweet away from working with my dream mentor and a kicking technology budget.
