Understanding Future Leaders: How Are Personal Values of Generations Y and Z Tailored to Leadership in Industry 4.0?

Rok Črešnar and Zlatko Nedelko
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Rok Črešnar: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Razlagova ulica 14, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Zlatko Nedelko: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Razlagova ulica 14, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: This study combines two main challenges for organizations today, as it examines the alignment between personal values of future leaders and the values needed in the Industry 4.0 workplace. Based on the movement of the organizational environment toward a more multidisciplinary, open, collaborative and multicultural environment, we presuppose that the Industry 4.0 workplace requires a more benevolent, universally oriented and generally self-transcended leaders. Drawing upon Schwartz’s value theory, we examine the impact of Generations Y and Z’s personal values on their leadership inclination. The results from the survey of 371 young participants from Generations Y and Z reveal that self-enhancement (i.e., power and achievement), openness to change and conservation values most significantly affect leadership inclination. Meanwhile, benevolence, universalism and general self-transcendence values—cornerstones of the Industry 4.0 workplace—show negative effects on leadership inclination in the frame of the Industry 4.0 workplace. This indicates a poor fit between the values of future leaders and the values of the Industry 4.0 workplace. These findings have significant implications for human resource management in future organizations and contribute to the understanding of future leaders. In addition, the findings can help organizations to manage sustainable workings in an Industry 4.0 environment.

Keywords: personal values; future leaders; Industry 4.0; Gen Y; Gen Z; organizations; Industry 4.0 workplace; Slovenia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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