Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Intellectual ...

Bertrand Pauget and Ahmed Dammak
no more critical than o<strong>the</strong>rs. At each stage <strong>of</strong> this structured questionnaire, we provided <strong>the</strong>
opportunity for people to comment on <strong>the</strong> various <strong>the</strong>mes under consideration, and more than 90% <strong>of</strong>
respondents did so.
Our sample group contained 36 people (out <strong>of</strong> a possible 37) and was constructed based on <strong>the</strong>
recommendations <strong>of</strong> Rispail (2002). Three people belonged to Generation “Y”, and our questionnaire
was modified slightly for <strong>the</strong>m. This was not a representative group because two <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> three had not
worked previously.
Three people were managed by members <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y”. This could have created a different
vision <strong>of</strong> management; however, again, <strong>the</strong> low sample size led us to disregard <strong>the</strong>ir responses.
Of <strong>the</strong> 31 people remaining, 15 had heard <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y” and were <strong>the</strong> most critical. After a closer
examination, it appeared that learning about Generation “Y” resulted from difficulties encountered in
<strong>the</strong> field. Of <strong>the</strong>se 15 individuals, 14 had management positions in <strong>the</strong> French health and social sector
and had to manage members <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y”. These are <strong>the</strong> respondents who formed <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong>
our results. Their ages correspond to <strong>the</strong> distribution <strong>of</strong> ages <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> French people as a whole.
Following this questionnaire, we developed our initial results and returned to <strong>the</strong> field to present <strong>the</strong>m.
We <strong>the</strong>n completed our questionnaire using secondary data on <strong>the</strong> organizations to which <strong>the</strong>
respondents belonged.
4. Results and generalization
Among <strong>the</strong> selected sample, flexibility, positions, and teamwork appeared to pose a problem.
4.1 Observations on <strong>the</strong> characteristics attributed to Generation “Y”
The results <strong>of</strong> our entire sample show that several assumptions regarding Generation “Y” were not
considered true. Thus, <strong>the</strong> idea that Generation “Y” is less committed to <strong>the</strong> organization than
previous generations was not confirmed.
However, according to <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> respondents, members <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y” have <strong>the</strong> following
characteristics:
They put <strong>the</strong>ir personal life before <strong>the</strong> priorities <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> organization. This is summarized by a
questionnaire response as “investing in work is less important, free time and leisure are much more
important” (Respondent 4).
They have a strong desire for flexibility in scheduling, attendance, and leave. They are “sure <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong>mselves and resent constraints (hours)” (Respondent 6), and <strong>the</strong>y are “drawn by attractive aspects
(leave and low unemployment)” (Respondent 7).
The idea that Generation “Y” does not always respect hierarchy or rules is considered to be true, but
with caveats. The latter think that <strong>the</strong>y are less committed than previous generations to <strong>the</strong> teams with
which <strong>the</strong>y work. One person described members <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y” as having “little involvement with
pr<strong>of</strong>essional care practices, lack <strong>of</strong> curiosity, motivation, goals, and team spirit” (Respondent 9).
However, <strong>the</strong> respondents view <strong>the</strong> members <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y” as nothing but critics, stating that
“<strong>the</strong>y are willing to take employment in a business but criticize its operation. Critics within Generation
“Y” can be a positive force for <strong>the</strong> organization if <strong>the</strong>y are properly integrated.
4.2 Observations on adjustments to management and organizations with respect to
Generation “Y”
The relationship <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y” with authority requires us to rethink management.
Of <strong>the</strong> 14 people who constituted <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> our sample, eight felt that authority was being
challenged by members <strong>of</strong> Generation “Y”. Eleven people thought that <strong>the</strong> trend regarding <strong>the</strong> control
<strong>of</strong> youth belonging to Generation “Y” was problematic or very problematic. Ten felt that <strong>the</strong>y had to
adapt <strong>the</strong>ir communication techniques to deal with this generation.
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