Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Michael Neubert

Abstract

The U.S. labor market expects 83 million of the youngest generational cohort, known as Generation Z, to join the workforce with different attitudes towards work than previous generations. The methods used by human resource (HR) professionals to onboard Generation Z into organizational cultures are not well understood. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the challenges that federal HR professionals experience during the onboarding process for Generation Z employees. The data gathering and analysis were framed by Mannheim and Strauss-Howe’s theory on generational cohort and the conceptual framework developed by the Office of Personnel Management on Human Capital. An embedded case study was conducted using purposeful sampling to interview 12 participants with knowledge of onboarding and Generation Z. The study identified the challenges that hindered HR professionals from promoting organizational effectiveness and revealed where the agency might have been constrained. The use of inductive coding resulted in the emergence of 4 themes: (a) substandard organizational assimilation and preparedness, (b) budgetary constraints to workforce planning, (c) lack of technical infrastructure, and (d) perception of the federal government as a future employer. The implications for positive social change include possible improvements for leveraging technological advances that would enhance communication, training, and development throughout an organization during generation Z onboarding processes. The knowledge acquired in this study may also promote social change through a deeper understanding of Generation Z values, enabling managers to create meaningful work that increases their loyalty as federal employees, thus decreasing turnover and creating economic stability for the agency and future employees.

Download

Share

 
COinS