Eas on, Ca olyn; S eyn, Renie
A icle
Millennial leade s' p e e ences o leade ship
de elopmen : A quali a i e analysis
Adminis a i e Sciences
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Eas on, Ca olyn; S eyn, Renie (2025) : Millennial leade s' p e e ences o
leade ship de elopmen : A quali a i e analysis, Adminis a i e Sciences, ISSN 2076-3387, MDPI,
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Recei ed: 26 Janua y 2025
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Ci a ion: Eas on, C., & S eyn, R.
(2025). Millennial Leade s’
P e e ences o Leade ship
De elopmen : A Quali a i e Analysis.
Adminis a i e Sciences,15(4), 135.
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A icle
Millennial Leade s’ P e e ences o Leade ship De elopmen : A
Quali a i e Analysis
Ca olyn Eas on * and Renie S eyn
G adua e School o Business Leade ship, Uni e si y o Sou h A ica, P e o ia 0003, Sou h A ica;
[email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: ca [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : Cu en ly he la ges wo k o ce in he wo kplace, he millennial gene a ion is
pe cei ed as being di e en o he p eceding gene a ions in he wo kplace, namely, baby
boome s and gene a ion X. Millennials a e also seen as he leade ship pipeline, ye lead-
e ship de elopmen ha mee s he needs o his gene a ion appea s o be absen . The
objec i e o his s udy was o explo e wha millennial leade s a e looking o conce ning
leade ship de elopmen and aining. Semi-s uc u ed in e iews we e conduc ed wi h
12 millennial leade s employed in one la ge inancial se ices o ganisa ion in Sou h A ica.
Con en analysis was used o analyse he quali a i e da a collec ed, and coded hemes we e
gene a ed. The pa icipan s’ esponses a ou ed mo e speci ic leade ship de elopmen ,
such as s uc u ed men o ship p og ammes, expe ien ial lea ning o on- he-job aining,
so skills aining, and digi al online aining wi h emo e access. These indings, coupled
wi h a close a ini y shown o he mo e mode n empowe ing and ans o ma ional lead-
e ship s yles, closely align wi h he li e a u e and a i m he need o a specialised and
ailo -made leade ship de elopmen s a egy o millennial leade s. O ganisa ions should
ake heed o wha millennial leade s a e looking o o become e ec i e leade s in illing he
leade ship pipeline o he wo kplace. This esea ch la gely a i ms in e na ional esea ch
ends ha speci y millennials as a unique g oup and he impo ance o e ising adi ional
leade ship de elopmen p og ammes o his gene a ion as leade s.
Keywo ds: gene a ions; leade ship s yles; millennial leade s; leade ship beha iou s;
leade ship aining; leade ship de elopmen
1. In oduc ion
The cu en mul i-gene a ional wo kplace has ou gene a ions, wi h he newes
gene a ion being iden i ied in he li e a u e as pos -millennials (2000+) o gene a ion Z
(Jones e al.,2018). P io o gene a ion Z en e ing he wo kplace, he wo kplace was ca -
ego ised by h ee gene a ions, namely, he baby boome gene a ion (bo n be ween 1946 and
1964), gene a ion X (bo n be ween 1965 and 1979), and gene a ion Y, also known as millennials
(bo n be ween 1980 and 2000) (Kai i e al.,2012). Fo he pu poses o his s udy, gene a ion
Z has been excluded. This is because his gene a ion does no as ye ha e a signi ican ep-
esen a ion in he wo k o ce (Jones e al.,2018). The e en s and social condi ions in he li e
o a speci ic gene a ional coho shape hei alues and beha iou s (Noonan e al.,2019). In
he wo kplace, he con ex ha explains each gene a ion’s cha ac e is ics has an impac on
wo k- ela ed di e ences be ween gene a ions (Magano e al.,2020).
When conside ing he millennial gene a ion, i is also impo an o no e ha when
acknowledging he complexi y and a ied con ex s su ounding gene a ional heo y, de i-
ni ions o millennials and o he b oad sociological g oupings can a y widely, in luenced
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/admsci15040135
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 2 o 22
by di e se cul u al, economic, and his o ical ac o s (Kap e e & Vale e-Flo ence,2022;
Schewe e al.,2013). When conside ing leade ship in he wo kplace, gene a ional di e -
ences a e u he highligh ed wi h he millennial gene a ion, who ha e a di e en iew
o he ela ionship be ween leade s and ollowe s han he p e ious gene a ions did (Ben-
Hu & Ringwood,2017;Medyanik,2016), ha ing been b ough up by pa en s who ook a
g ea deal o in e es in p o ec ing and guiding hem h ough di ec supe ision, ca e, and
nu u ing (Sledge,2016). Seen as he la ges wo k o ce, compa ed o p e ious gene a ions
in he wo kplace (Pu i e al.,2020), i is, he e o e, aluable o unde s and millennials
and, mo e impo an ly, millennial leade s, gi en ha a sho age o leade ship alen has
eme ged ollowing he baby boome gene a ion e i ing om he wo k o ce and also due o
he smalle numbe s o gene a ion X’e s (1965–1980) holding managemen and leade ship
posi ions (Pis ui e al.,2020).
The impo ance o his esea ch is highligh ed by he leade ship gap in he wo k o ce
c ea ed by he declining baby boome leade s and no enough gene a ion X leade s o ill
his leade ship pipeline. The wo kplace is u ning o he millennial gene a ion as he new
dominan leade ship cad e, ye his gene a ion is seen as being di e en o he p e ious
gene a ions. This uniqueness may ha e an impac on how millennial leade s wan o lead and
hei p e e ences o being de eloped as leade s and, in u n, poin s o whe he he wo kplace
has sui able leade ship de elopmen and aining p og ams in place o mee hese needs.
In de e mining wha millennial leade s wan om leade ship de elopmen and ain-
ing, he ollowing aspec s we e explo ed wi h millennial leade s:
•Wha hei leade ship jou ney has been like.
•Thei pas leade ship de elopmen and aining, including u u e p e e ences.
•
Cu en leade ship beha iou s hey display and he leade ship beha iou s hey iew
as e ec i e.
•Speci ic leade ship s yles o guide how hey lead and wan o be led.
The esul s will con ibu e o a specialised and ailo -made leade ship de elopmen
s a egy ha mee s he needs o millennial leade s.
2. Theo e ical F amewo k
The amewo k o his s udy is embedded in ce ain heo ies, as ollows.
The li e a u e shows ha he millennial gene a ion is di e en om o he gene a ions
in he wo kplace by he alues hey hold. The s udy assumes ha as leade s, millennials
will also lead di e en ly and lead o he s in he manne in which hey hemsel es wan
o be led and acco ding o hei own alues. This assump ion is based on Fes inge ’s
cogni i e dissonance heo y (Fes inge ,1957), which says ha he e is consis ency no
only in an indi idual’s opinions and a i udes bu also be ween wha a pe son knows and
belie es and wha ha pe son does. In u he unde s anding which e ec i e leade ship
s yles millennial leade s p e e , and in line wi h hei alues, a u he assump ion is
made aligned wi h he social lea ning heo y (Bandu a,1977), which says ha human
beha iou is lea ned be o e i is pe o med by obse ing a model o he desi ed beha iou
h ough compe en models ha show how he equi ed ac i i ies a e conduc ed. The
comp ehensi e leade ship amewo k o Pea ce e al. (2003) was hen used o explo e hese
p e e ed e ec i e leade ship s yles o millennial leade s.
The abo e wo assump ions o heo ies o Fes inge and Bandu a suppo he s udy in
explo ing and unde s anding how o sui ably de elop millennial leade s in he wo kplace.
Millennial leade s will s i e o align hei beha iou s wi h hei alues and will no endo se
leade ship s yles o which hey ha e no a ec ion and ha a e no in line wi h hei alues.
Millennial leade s will ha e a ce ain pe cep ion o e ec i e leade s in he wo kplace and
will be mo e inclined o adop hese e ec i e leade ship s yles. A clea link be ween he
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 3 o 22
millennial gene a ion being di e en and wan ing o lead di e en ly as leade s in he
wo kplace and he impac o his on how hey wan o be de eloped and ained as leade s
hen bounds he s udy heo e ically.
The below li e a u e e iew ocuses on leade ship de elopmen p e e ences o millen-
nial leade s suppo ed by he leade ship beha iou s and s yles hey p e e , aligned wi h
he Pea ce e al. (2003) leade ship amewo k.
Acco ding o esea ch unde aken by Hawkins (2017) in which CEOs, HR di ec o s, as
well as millennial u u e leade s we e in e iewed, he concluded ha o e 90% o cu en
leade ship de elopmen is no deemed sui able o oday’s leade s. La ge changes in he
alues and a i udes o employees in oday’s age con ibu e owa ds cu en adi ional
leade ship heo ies becoming less app op ia e o 21s cen u y leade s (Ande son e al.,
2017). The millennial gene a ion has ede ined he concep o leade ship, c ea ing a need
o esea che s o con inue iden i ying and analysing he p edominan leade ship pa adigm
o his gene a ion, gi en ha gene a ions en e he wo kplace wi h an unde s anding and
expec a ion o leade ship oles and p ocesses based on hei own expe iences and majo
e en s ha occu ed du ing hei upb inging (Ande e al.,2019). Leade ship de elopmen
o millennials, he e o e, needs o be ailo ed o sui hei needs (Kos e li z & Lewis,2017).
Millennials a e seeking ou leade ship oppo uni ies mo e han hei gene a ional
p edecesso s, gene a ion X and baby boome s (Falle & Gogek,2019), wi h he mo e
ambi ious millennials al eady aking on leade ship oles wi hin he wo kplace, looking
o a clea ly de ined ca ee pa h wi h immedia e g a i ica ion and success (Wheele ,2017).
Al hough millennials a e seen o be he gene a ion ha will de ine he u u e o leade ship
in he wo kplace, young and ambi ious millennial indi iduals may lack he equi ed
leade ship skills necessa y o he success o he o ganisa ion (Nye,2017). The e may
also no be many millennial ole models o hese eme ging leade s o ollow (Fola in,
2021). In addi ion, he wo kplace is aced wi h he eali y ha millennials’ p omo ion
in o leade ship oles, as well as hei leade ship de elopmen jou ney, has mos ly been an
in o mal p ocess (A ellano,2018). On a posi i e no e, o ganisa ions should ake heed ha
al hough millennials on he alen leade ship bench may lack he expe ience o hei olde
gene a ional leade s, hey compensa e h ough hei ene gy and en husiasm (Kos e li z
& Lewis,2017) and hei abili y o adap well o change in he cu en as -changing
en i onmen and wo k clima e (Bi ne ,2019).
The millennial gene a ion is no com o able wi h adi ional manage ial p ac ices
(Da by & Mo ell,2019), esul ing in a “leade ship challenge” in he wo kplace, whe e adi-
ional manage ial p ac ices and leade ship me hods a e becoming less e ec i e (Ko nelsen,
2019). The li e a u e has many a icles on gene a ional di e ences, howe e , cu en leade -
ship aining p og ammes s ill each millennials o lead in he same way ha p e iously
exis ed in he o ganisa ion (Heyns e al.,2019).
The li e a u e on millennial leade s’ p e e ences o leade ship de elopmen sugges s
ha hey p e e ewe o mal in e en ions. Companies should be c ea ing new leade -
ship de elopmen o millennial leade s ha includes men o ship and on- he-job aining
(Nye,2017), combined wi h expe ien ial lea ning and lea ning by doing, o imp o e he
compe ence o hese leade s (Rony,2019). Leade ship guidelines o new millennial leade s
should no only include ha ing a pe sonal expe ienced men o , bu mus ideally also build
on hese indi iduals’ in e pe sonal so skills, such as empa hy, lis ening, anspa ency,
and ai ness (Busha d e al.,2018), as well as emo ional in elligence (Tanasyah e al.,2022).
Since millennials g ew up wi h he in e ne , hey a e used o in e ac i e and audio isual
echnologies o engaging lea ning con en (Spence ,2020). They also p e e o c ea e hei
own pe sonalised lea ning plans, elying on a combina ion o compu e simula ion, mic o-
lea ning, ideo-based lea ning (Happ,2017), gami ica ion (Ha a d Business Publishing,
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 4 o 22
2018), as well as o he lea ning echnologies, such as mobile and social media pla o ms,
o which digi al lea ning ools can be made a ailable online oge he wi h emo e access
o p o ide millennials wi h he wo k lexibili y ha hey p e e (Elayan,2022).
The ue abili y o millennials o lead, including hei leade ship ai s and s yles,
has no been ully explo ed, esul ing in a knowledge gap conce ning he beha iou o
millennial leade s (Ba ga i e al.,2017;Busha d e al.,2018;Medyanik,2016). Wha he
li e a u e does sugges is ha millennial leade s a e au hen ic, democ a ic, and anspa en
as a esul o echnology becoming a egula ea u e o his gene a ion’s upb inging and
b inging people close (Au-Yong-Oli ei a e al.,2018). They conside eamwo k as he
mos impo an leade ship ai , ollowed by communica ion, espec , ision, and in luence
(G aybill,2014), wi h meaning ul ela ionships also conside ed a aluable elemen o hei
leade ship (Medyanik,2016). They adhe e o p o essional e hics in he wo kplace and
adop a dynamic and anspa en leade ship s yle (Akmalapu i e al.,2018), p e e ing o
lead by example and looking o oppo uni ies o p o ide eedback o and ecognise hei
subo dina es (Medyanik,2016).
Knowledge o millennial leade s’ p e e ed leade ship ai s will allow o ganisa ions
o p o ide aining me hods ha place millennials in posi ions whe e hey can succeed
(Da by & Mo ell,2019). The li e a u e sugges s ha he app oach o millennials as leade s,
o hei leade ship ai s, encompasses hei own cha ac e is ics and alues (Casey,2015;
Medyanik,2016). This means ha millennial leade s may ha e a di e en wo kplace
leade ship s yle compa ed o p e ious gene a ions (Bako,2018). In he case o his s udy,
he leade ship ypology o Pea ce e al. (2003) was adop ed when looking o explo e
he leade ship s yles o millennial leade s and included ou leade ship s yles, namely,
empowe ing, di ec i e, ansac ional, and ans o ma ional leade ship. Acco ding o
Pea ce e al. (2003), empowe ing leade ship en us s he ollowe s o do wha hey hink is
co ec whils also p omo ing pa icipa i e decision-making and building us . Di ec i e
leade ship e e s o he beha iou o he leade who issues o de s o ollowe s on how he
wo k needs o be done and is e y much ask-d i en. T ansac ional leade ship es ablishes
he pa ame e s o he exchange ela ionship be ween he leade and he ollowe in which
he leade ewa ds his o he ollowe s o achie ing speci ic goals, and akes co ec i e
ac ion when pe o mance is subs anda d. T ans o ma ional leade ship e e s o leade ship
beha iou ha is cha isma ic and isiona y, gene a ing inspi a ion om he ollowe s o
achie e g ea e esul s, whils also mo i a ing c ea i i y and pa icipa ion.
F om he li e a u e, i seems ha millennial leade s p e e an empowe ing leade ship
s yle (Lamasan & Oducado,2019;Maie e al.,2015;Medyanik,2016;Sledge,2016), as
hey highly alue us and empowe men in leade s, whils also ha ing he oppo uni y
and encou agemen o make hei own decisions and be a ole model o hei ollowe s.
They also ag ee wi h a ans o ma ional leade ship s yle (Ax en,2015;Bodenhausen &
Cu is,2016;G ubbs öm & Lopez,2018), wan ing o be cha isma ic leade s who p o ide
a sense o pu pose h ough encou agemen while also mo i a ing hei ollowe s wi h
challenging wo k and ewa ding inno a ion. Howe e , he e a e wo leade ship s yles ha
a e disliked by millennial leade s. The i s one is di ec i e leade ship, as millennial leade s
do no wo k well wi h highly au oc a ic di ec i e leade s, pa icula ly whe e leade s ha e
been c ea ed h ough a hie a chy (Maie e al.,2015;P a ama e al.,2019). T ansac ional
leade ship is also disliked by millennial leade s, as hey p e e being leade s who a e mo e
o ien a ed owa ds people and less owa ds asks, he eby ocusing on p o iding cons an
eedback and pe sonal a en ion o hei subo dina es so ha whe e ailu es happen, hey
a e ole a ed and lea n om (Ax en,2015;Maie e al.,2015;Medyanik,2016).
In closing, he li e a u e sugges s ha millennial leade s, h ough hei uniqueness,
equi e specialised and ailo -made leade ship de elopmen ha speaks o hei needs.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 5 o 22
Gi en ha millennial leade s p edominan ly p e e ans o ma ional and empowe ing lead-
e ship s yles, leade ship de elopmen and aining p og ams should ocus on enhancing
hese s yles by inco po a ing expe ien ial lea ning, men o ship, coaching, and so skills
aining, which align wi h hei p e e ence o cha isma ic and inspi a ional leade ship and
he os e ing o c ea i i y and inno a ion.
Mos o he esea ch epo ed abo e s ems om esea ch conduc ed in he global no h,
he eby poin ing o he need o his esea ch s udy. The li e a u e is illed wi h di e se
pe cep ions and his s udy aims o de e mine which o hese a e ealised in p ac ice in Sou h
A ica. I is clea ha al hough heo ies and models exis , wha millennials uly seek in e ms
o hei pe sonal leade ship de elopmen emains unknown. This has no been cap u ed in
non-WEIRD con ex s, in he pos -COVID-19 e a, o in Sou h A ica. An e en mo e compelling
a gumen is o p esen da a p oduced pos -COVID-19, as he popula isa ion o a i icial
in elligence echnologies is changing he wo ld o wo k qui e d as ically.
3. Ma e ials and Me hods
The me hodology sec ion ou lines he esea ch design, sampling, da a collec ion, and
analysis o he s udy.
3.1. Resea ch Design
The s udy adop ed a quali a i e esea ch app oach o explo e and unde s and wha
millennial leade s a e looking o conce ning leade ship de elopmen and aining in he
wo kplace. C oss-sec ional da a we e collec ed by way o conduc ing semi-s uc u ed
in e iews wi h millennial leade s employed in one o ganisa ion. As is cus oma y in
in e iews, he pa icipan s answe ed mos o he ques ions h ough simple con e sa ion,
gene a ing ex o analysis. Howe e , in a ew cases, he pa icipan s we e asked o assign
nume ical alues o s a emen s, he eby quan i ying he s eng h o hei con ic ion on
speci ic issues and p o iding o a compa a i e analysis o how hey di e ed in hei
opinions. Essen ially, his esea ch was quali a i e wi h a small deg ee o quan i ica ion o
en ich he in e p e a ion o he indings.
3.2. Sampling and Resea ch Pa icipan s
The esea ch was conduc ed in a la ge inancial se ices o ganisa ion in Sou h A ica,
wi h he a ge popula ion being millennial leade s (bo n be ween 1980 and 2000). Non-
p obabili y sampling (De Vos e al.,2011) was used in he s udy. The esea che sen emails
o leade s in b anch manage oles in i ing hem o pa icipa e in he s udy, s a ing he age
c i e ia equi ed. F om his popula ion (35 manage s we e in i ed), 12 pa icipan s we e
in e iewed, which me Gues e al.’s’s (2006) guidelines o he ideal sample size in a g oup o
ela i ely homogenous indi iduals. The “yes” esponse a e was 89 pe cen . Howe e , some
o hese leade s had o be excluded, as hey did no mee he age c i e ia. The ela i ely high
esponse a e indica es a willingness on he pa o he leade s o pa icipa e in he in e iews.
3.3. Da a Collec ion
Semi-s uc u ed in e iews we e conduc ed wi h he 12 pa icipan s. Demog aphic
da a we e collec ed on he pa icipan s ega ding hei age, gende , ace, and enu e in
cu en leade ship oles. The in e iews we e conduc ed online using a i ual pla o m,
namely, MS Teams, and we e eco ded using MS Teams’ audio- eco ding unc ionali y
on he esea che ’s lap op. A de ailed in e iew guide was compiled by he esea che
and used o guide bo h he esea che , as he in e iewe , and he pa icipan s du ing
he in e iew p ocess and included p e-de e mined ques ions ela ing o he pa icipan ’s
leade ship jou ney, leade ship de elopmen / aining, leade ship beha iou s, and s yles. A
o al o 23 ques ions we e posed o he pa icipan s. The i s explo a o y ques ion ead as
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 6 o 22
ollows: “Tell me abou you leade ship jou ney so a ”. Mos o he o he ques ions posed
o he pa icipan s a e p esen ed in Sec ion 4o his a icle, and he ull in e iew guide is
p esen ed in he Appendix A.
Fou ques ions (Ques ions 10 o 13) gene a ing quan i a i e da a we e posed and
p esen ed on a 10-poin a ing scale, wi h numbe 1 being leas impo an and numbe
10 mos impo an . Ques ion 10, he i s quan i a i e ques ion, ead as ollows: “How
necessa y is i o you ha he aining be a ailable ia online and mobile audio isual
pla o ms, including ideo-based lea ning?” The o he ques ions a e ci ed in Sec ion 4. The
las ou ques ions in he in e iew guide also gene a ed quan i a i e da a. Pa icipan s
we e asked o choose one leade ship s yle om a selec ion o ou s yles
(Ques ions 20 o 22).
The las ques ion (Ques ion 23) equi ed a yes/no esponse abou ce ain leade ship s yles.
3.4. S a egies o Ensu e Da a In eg i y
T us wo hiness was assu ed h ough mee ing he c i e ia o c edibili y, ans e abili y,
dependabili y, con i mabili y, and au hen ici y (Babbie & Mou on,2011;Guba & Lincoln,
1994). C edibili y was achie ed h ough i e a i e ques ioning (p obing) by he esea che
and pee deb ie ing e iews wi h he esea che ’s supe iso . The esea che and supe -
iso looked a he ex sepa a ely o u he imp o e he c edibili y o he esea ch. Full
disclosu e was made o he loca ion, con ex , and pa icipan s in he s udy ( ans e abili y).
Conside a ion o any powe ela ionship was made by excluding he esea che ’s di ec
and indi ec epo s om he in e iews (dependabili y) since he esea che was employed
a he same o ganisa ion whe e he esea ch ook place. Con i mabili y was me h ough
pee e iew deb ie s wi h he esea che ’s supe iso and by including he limi a ions o
he esea ch in he s udy epo . Au hen ici y was achie ed h ough ha ing app op ia ely
selec ed pa icipan s as millennial leade s by iden i ying hei age and wo k ole.
3.5. Da a Analysis
3.5.1. Demog aphic Da a
Age, gende , ace, and leade ship ole enu e we e p esen ed in equencies, as pe
Table 1below, and applicable mean sco es we e calcula ed. The p ima y conce n was ha
he pa icipan s ell wi hin he a ge popula ion.
Table 1. Demog aphic da a o millennial leade s (ML).
Pa icipan Yea Bo n Age
(Yea s) Gende Race
Leade ship
Role Tenu e
(Yea s)
B anch
Manage
Tenu e (Yea s)
ML1 1981 42 Male A ican 14 10
ML2 1985 38 Female A ican 8 6
ML3 1985 38 Female A ican 7 5
ML4 1986 37 Female A ican 9 7
ML5 1980 43 Male A ican 16 7
ML6 1984 39 Female A ican 6 5
ML7 1981 42 Female Colou ed 17 8
ML8 1981 42 Male A ican 2 2
ML9 1988 35 Female Colou ed 3 1
ML10 1985 38 Female A ican 0.42 0.42
ML11 1981 42 Female A ican 7 5
ML12 1982 41 Female A ican 15 8
Mean - 39.75 - - 8.70 5.37
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 7 o 22
3.5.2. Quan i a i e Analysis
The ou a ed leade ship aining ques ions we e analysed by looking a he mean,
median, and mode sco es, as p esen ed in Table 2. This allowed o a quan i iable answe
o ends iden i ied in p e ious s udies.
Table 2. Ra ings gi en on ou leade ship aining ques ions.
Pa icipan Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13
ML1 10 9 10 10
ML2 9 9 8 10
ML3 10 10 8 10
ML4 9 5 6 10
ML5 10 9 10 5
ML6 8 8 10 10
ML7 10 10 6 10
ML8 10 10 10 10
ML9 9 8 5 10
ML10 6 7 9 10
ML11 9 8 10 10
ML12 10 10 5 10
Mean 9.17 8.58 8.08 9.58
Median 9.5 9 8.5 10
Mode 10 10 10 10
F equency analysis was used in he case o hese ou ques ions (Ques ions 20 o 23) o
eco d he numbe o selec ed esponses o he chosen leade ship s yles, as p esen ed in
Table 3.
Table 3. Leade ship s yles.
Leade ship S yles (Numbe o Responses)
Ques ions Empowe ing Di ec i e T ansac ional
T ans o ma ional
(Q20) How would you desc ibe you
leade ship s yle i you had o look a
hese leade ship s yles?
3 0 0 9
(Q21) How would you like o be led
when looking a hese
leade ship s yles?
2 0 0 10
(Q22) How a e you cu en ly led when
looking a hese leade ship s yles? 2 1 5 4
Empowe ing and ans o ma ional /s Di ec i e and ansac ional
(Q23) Millennial leade s display mo e
empowe ing and ans o ma ional
leade ship beha iou and less di ec i e
and ansac ional leade ship beha iou .
Would you ag ee wi h his when
looking a you sel as a
millennial leade ?
Yes = 12
No = 0
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 8 o 22
3.5.3. Quali a i e Analysis
Con en analysis was applied o he in e iew da a, whe eby he analysis subjec i ely
in e p e s meaning om he con en o ex da a h ough coding and iden i ying hemes
(Hsieh & Shannon,2005). A combina ion o con en ional and di ec ed con en analysis
was applied o 15 open-ended ques ions posed o he pa icipan s. Con en ional con en
analysis comp ises o using coding ca ego ies de i ed di ec ly om he ex da a gi en
limi ed esea ch li e a u e on he phenomenon being s udied. Di ec ed con en ional da a
analysis commences wi h heo y as guidance o he ini ial codes (Hsieh & Shannon,2005).
The coding so wa e ATLAS. i 23 was used o ex ac quo a ions and code he esponses
om he in e iew ques ions posed. Coding is a cyclical p ocedu e, as u he a emp s
may be equi ed (Saldaña,2013), and in his s udy he esea che conduc ed nume ous
a emp s o ensu e he elimina ion o duplica ed codes, he eby de i ing he salien ea u es
o he da a collec ed. Topics we e assigned o he ques ions asked and sub- hemes we e
gene a ed as he codes p o ided o he answe s. The ini ial coding p ocess ocused on
ex ac ing he sub- hemes p o ided in he answe s by he pa icipan s, and he p ocess was
hen adjus ed by emo ing duplica ed sub- hemes. The esea che also ead h ough he
ansc ip da a o ge a be e unde s anding and o e iew o wha he pa icipan was
saying in esponse o he ques ions asked. A syn hesis o hese sub- hemes hen allowed
o hemes o be de eloped om he da a.
4. Findings
4.1. Demog aphic Da a
The da a in Table 1showed he younges millennial leade in e iewed in his s udy o
be 37 yea s o age and he oldes 43 yea s, ep esen ing he cusp o he millennial gene a ion
li e span (mean = 39.75). The emale gende ep esen ed he majo i y gende o he sample
in e iewed (75%), and he A ican ace g oup ep esen ed he majo i y ace g oup o he
sample (83%). The e we e 4 pa icipan s who had a leade ship ole enu e o longe han
10 yea s and he e we e 3 pa icipan s occupying leade ship oles o less han 5 yea s.
One o hese pa icipan s had been in a leade ship ole o only i e mon hs (mean = 8.70).
When looking a hei cu en leade ship oles as b anch manage s, he mean educed o
5.37, wi h 6 o he 12 pa icipan s ha ing a enu e o mo e han 5 yea s
No iceable om Table 1was he dominance o women in he g oup, and he absence
o whi e esponden s. A mo e balanced g oup o pa icipan s could ha e been p e e ed,
bu his was he ou come o he ec ui ing p ocess, which is de endable, and abo e ha , i
is e lec i e o he s a popula ion o he o ganisa ion a ge ed.
4.2. Quan i a i e Da a
Fou quan i a i e ques ions we e posed o he pa icipan s o quan i y how hei
a i udes/p e e ences aligned wi h he p esen li e a u e. These we e Q10—how necessa y
is i o you ha he aining be a ailable ia online and mobile audio isual pla o ms,
including ideo-based lea ning? Q11—Is gami ica ion and/o compu e simula ion a
p e e ed way o lea ning o you? Q12—How necessa y is i o you ha he aining be
done on a mic o-lea ning (small-bi e lea ning) basis? And las ly, Q13—how necessa y is
i o you ha you ha e emo e access o he aining? Answe s o hese ques ions we e
gi en on a 10-poin scale, and p esen ed in Table 2a e he mean, median, and mode sco es
o he pa icipan esponses o hese ou leade ship aining a ing ques ions.
I is in e es ing o no e ha some o he pa icipan s ga e lowe a ings o below 7 o
ce ain ques ions posed (highligh ed in bold in Table 2). This does no necessa ily indica e
a ejec ion o wha he li e a u e is saying ega ding millennial leade s’ p e e ed con en
and deli e y mode o leade ship aining. The o e all end in he sco es did indica e an
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 15 o 22
Table 6. Topic 3: Leade ship beha iou s (pa 1).
Ques ion and Themes (T) Sub-Theme (ST) Di ec Responses (X Is he Employe )
Wha beha iou s do you display as a
leade ?
Themes:
(1) Values-d i en
(2) Empowe ing leade ship
(3) Adap able leade ship
(1) Hones y/
in eg i y
“Because i you a e no hones and you don’ lead wi h in eg i y, i a ec s he
us issue” (ML12/T1/ST1).
(2) In luence “. . .displaying he key o in luencing people a he han dejec hem when
he e is no buy-in” (ML8/T2/ST2).
(3) Inspi e “. . .I am e y good a mo i a ing. I would say a he inspi ing”
(ML7/T2/ST3).
(4) Resilience “To ne e gi e up. . .” (ML3/T3/ST4).
(5) Suppo
“
. . .
I y by all means o be he e o my eam aking hem h ough e e y hing
hey ge s uck wi h” (ML2/T2/ST5). “Wha is ha we could do o be e han
ha . . .” (ML10/T2/ST5).
(6) Open minded
“I am e y open o any hing
. . .
I ac ually gi e i a hough
. . .
” (ML1/T3/ST6).
“I am a e y open leade ” (ML2/T3/ST6).
(7) Role model
“. . .I need o be he i s one o do i be o e i is done by he s a ”
(ML5/T2/ST7). “. . .i you see me doing ha , which I eel as a leade , ha ’s
wha I wan you o do. . .” (ML9/T2/ST7).
(8) Coach
“I like s a o be independen
. . .
” (ML4/T2/ST8). “I’m also a eache in a way
o a coach” (ML11/T2/ST8).
Which leade ship beha iou do you
hink makes you e ec i e as a leade ?
Themes:
(1) Adap i e leade ship
(2) E hical conduc
(3) Employee empowe men
(4) Con inuous suppo
(1) Open minded
“. . . ha someone can come and say some hing” (ML6/T1/ST1). “. . .could
p obably ha e go en mo e ou o you people as opposed o, his is he only
way o doing i ” (ML7/T1/ST1).
(2) Communica e “Communica ion is always e ec i e. . .” (ML4/T4/ST2).
(3) Delega e “. . .I allow people o be exposed. . .ha e ha eeling o making a
decision. . .accoun able o hei oles” (ML10/T3/ST3).
(4) Respec and hones y
“
. . .
espec goes bo h ways
. . .
I’m hones
. . .
and
. . .
ac ual
. . .
by doing ha you
also aise s ong leade s. . .” (ML12/T2/ST4)
(5) Role model “. . .I belie e hey need o ollow wha happened, in my oo s ep”
(ML5/T3/ST5).
(6) In luence
“
. . .
I had o cons an ly look a how do I in luence hese hings
. . .
o bene i he
s a ” (ML8/T4/ST6).
(7) Focused “. . .knowing wha ma e s mos ” (ML1/T1/ST7).
(8) Suppo
“
. . .
I would hold my s a by hei hand and ake hem h ough new hings
. . .
”
(ML2/T4/ST8). “. . . hey can know ha wha e e happens, you a e
suppo ing hem as well” (ML11/T4/ST8).
(9) Obse e “. . .when you a e obse ing, ha ’s when you know ha no, his pe son is
s uggling he e” (ML3/T4/ST9).
Which leade ship beha iou do you
hink you should display o be a be e
leade ?
Themes:
(1) Sel -imp o emen
(2) Emo ional in elligence
(3) Adap abili y
(4) S uc u e
(1) Asse i e
“. . .I am no a c i ical manage . . .I don’ know how o go o ha pe son and
say, his is no supposed o be done” (ML5/T1/ST1). “You need o know when
o d aw he line. . .some imes i akes me a while o do ha ” (ML9/T1/ST1).
(2) Lis en
“
. . .
I should lis en mo e
. . .
you missed his impo an o i al in o ma ion ha
you could ha e go om he s a membe . . .” (ML10/T2/ST2). “I hink e y
as like and mos o he ime i a ec s my lis ening skills” (ML12/T2/ST2).
(3) Role model “. . .leading by example. . .I should be eally be e a ha ” (ML1/T1/ST3).
(4) Ca e “. . .I ca e, bu I don’ hink I gi e i all he bes . . .You don’ ge ime o. . .si
wi h he indi idual eam membe s. . .” (ML11/T2/ST4).
(5) Open minded
“. . .be willing o ecei e eedback, c i icism. . . ha will ac ually help you in
being a be e leade ” (ML2/T3/ST5). “I hink I should be gi ing my people
mo e ope o do hei business hei way. . . because we’ e go di e se
eams. . .” (ML7/T3/ST5).
(6) S uc u ed “. . .maybe o be mo e o ganised. . .I like o wo k wi h s uc u e”
(ML4/T4/ST6).
(7) Re lec
“
. . .
g ow mo e
. . .
Make su e ha I e lec on a daily basis on how he day wen
and e e y hing” (ML3/T1/ST7).
(8) Suppo “. . . hey see ha you a e he e o hem. You wan he bes o hem”
(ML8/T4/ST8).
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 16 o 22
Table 7. Topic 3: Leade ship beha iou s (pa 2).
Ques ion Sub-Theme (ST) Di ec Responses (X Is he Employe )
Wha ype o leade ship beha iou do
you hink is displayed by olde
leade s, leade s om ea lie
gene a ions?
Theme:
(1) Flexibili y and suppo i eness
e sus igidi y and s ic con ol
(1) Nu u ing and
ole an
“I am jus hinking o leade s who a e ahead o me. . . hey a e mo e
nu u ing; hey a e mo e ole an ” (ML1). “Gene a ion X. . . hey s ill
belie e in gi ing a chance, someone can imp o e” (ML5).
(2) Laid back
“
. . .
hey ake ime o unde s and ce ain concep s o g asp hings” (ML2).
(3) Analy ical “I belie e he baby boome s a e analy ical oo much, hey analyse a lo ”
(ML5).
(4) Au oc a ic,
close minded, igid
“. . .do i his way, he e is no o he way. . .i is basically o ell. . .” (ML7).
“. . . hey we e no open o ying new hings. . .i can only be done his
way
. . .
” (ML3). “
. . .
hey ind a s uggle when hey a e supposed o apply
lexibili y” (ML6).
Which leade ship beha iou do you
hink you subo dina es iew as
e ec i e?
Themes:
(1) Suppo i eness
(2) E hical beha iou
(3) Engagemen
(4) Emo ional in elligence.
(1) Suppo
“. . .i you di ec hem o he co ec pa h hey ollow” (ML2/T1/ST1).
“. . .gi e hem suppo and di ec ion and be e y pa ien wi h hem”
(ML11/T1/ST1).
(2) Role model “The ole model one” (ML5/T1/ST2). “. . . hey wan ha somebody ha
hey can look up o and belie e in. . .” (ML10/T1/ST2)
(3) Inclusi e “They wan o be hea d. . .S a do no like o be ou o he loop”
(ML4/T3/ST3). “. . . hey wan o ge in ol ed” (ML6/T3/ST3).
(4) Lis en “. . .my eam likes o say Boss you need o lis en” (ML1/T4/ST4).
(5) Respec
“I ea my s a he way I expec o be ea ed mysel
. . .
” (ML3/T2/ST5).
(6) Ca e “. . . hey. . .jus wan someone who shows ha hey ca e abou
hem. . . hey hen g ow close . . . o you as a leade . . .” (ML8/T1/ST6).
The i h ques ion, “How aluable is such beha iou in mo i a ing employees such as
you sel ”, was no documen ed in Table 7, as he esea che was only no ing posi i e and
nega i e esponses. Six o he pa icipan s did no pe cei e he olde gene a ion leade ship
beha iou s (laid back, au oc a ic, close-minded, and igid) as mo i a ing. The pa icipan s
who men ioned nu u ing and ole an ace s (ML1/ST1 and ML5/ST1) did ind hese be-
ha iou s mo i a ing, howe e , ML5/ST3 did no pe cei e he analy ical leade ship beha iou
as mo i a ing, saying “I don’ like ha ”. O in e es we e ou pa icipan s who saw he alue
in lea ning om he olde gene a ion leade s, wi h ML12 sha ing “
. . .
by us lea ning om
hem we could a oid he mis akes ha hey ha e made”, ML11 saying “
. . .
I’m whe e I am
now because o he lea nings I go om hem”, ML9 s a ing “
. . .
he e is s ill a lea ning ou o
e e y hing”, and las ly, ML8 saying “
. . .
y o ap in o hei wo ld and see how can you lea n
some hing”. In gene al, al hough he esponden s as millennial leade s did no associa e
hemsel es wi h he leade ship beha iou s o he olde gene a ions, hey acknowledged ha
hey could lea n om hese olde leade s, he eby jus i ying he impo ance o men o ship
by olde leade s o millennial leade s, as sugges ed by he li e a u e.
Pe aining o he las ques ion in Table 7, “Which leade ship beha iou do you hink
you subo dina es iew as e ec i e”, he esea che was mind ul ha he subo dina es o
hese millennial leade s could be a mix u e o bo h old and young gene a ions. Howe e ,
he leade ship beha iou s (sub hemes) o “suppo ”, “ ole modelling”, “lis ening”, “ e-
spec ”, and “ca e” shown unde his ques ion we e also leade ship beha iou s iden i ied
by he pa icipan s unde he i s h ee ques ions in Table 6, indica ing he impo ance
o hese leade ship beha iou s o millennial leade s o achie e e ec i e and imp o ed
leade ship le els.
5. Discussion
The main aim o he s udy was o explo e wha millennial leade s wan om leade ship
de elopmen and aining, he eby con ibu ing o a specialised and ailo -made leade ship
de elopmen s a egy ha mee s he needs o his unique gene a ion o leade s. Pe he
sample in e iewed, 12 millennial leade s in b anch manage oles we e asked 23 ques ions
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 17 o 22
alling in o 4 ca ego ies (leade ship jou ney, leade ship de elopmen / aining, leade ship
beha iou s, and leade ship s yles). The ques ions we e in ended o be explo a o y in na u e
(Tables 4–7unde quali a i e da a analysis), excep o wo pa s in he in e iew guide
whe e he pa icipan s we e asked o a e ou ques ions ela ing o p e e ed deli e y and
con en o lea ning (Table 2unde quan i a i e da a analysis), and la e , whe e hey we e
asked o selec om ou leade ship s yles adop ed om Pea ce e al. (2003) (Table 3unde
quan i a i e da a analysis).
F om he quan i a i e da a indings in Table 2, ega ding he p e e ed lea ning mode
o millennial leade s, i became e iden om he mean and mode sco es ha millennial
leade s did p e e a ce ain con en and deli e y mode o lea ning aligned wi h exis ing
li e a u e. O ganisa ions should pay a en ion o his elemen when ailo ing leade ship
de elopmen o he millennial gene a ion.
F om he quan i a i e da a indings in Table 3on leade ship s yles, he esponden s’
selec ion o empowe ing and mainly ans o ma ional leade ship as leade ship s yles ha
hey p ac ice was aligned wi h he li e a u e, which sugges s ha millennial leade s wan
o be cha isma ic, inspi a ional leade s, p o iding a sense o pu pose h ough challenging
wo k and encou aging c ea i i y and inno a ion (Ax en,2015;Bodenhausen & Cu is,2016;
G ubbs öm & Lopez,2018). O some conce n is he pe cei ed p edominan ly ansac ional
leade ship s yle ollowed by he esponden s’ leade s. One pa icipan (ML3) said “he does
ha e he ansac ional leade ship; he is a ewa ding pe son
. . .
he does need o punish whe e
he needs o punish
. . .
we jus need him o come o numbe 4 mo e ( ans o ma ional)
. . .
”
This is a leade ship s yle ha millennial leade s a e no inclined owa ds, as hey a e mo e
people o ien a ed and less ask-d i en as leade s (Ax en,2015;Maie e al.,2015;Medyanik,
2016). The li e a u e was suppo ed by all 12 pa icipan s ag eeing wi h he s a emen ha
millennial leade s display mo e empowe ing and ans o ma ional leade ship beha iou
and a less di ec i e s yle (Maie e al.,2015;P a ama e al.,2019) o ansac ional beha iou .
Unde he quali a i e indings in he s udy on he i s opic, he leade ship jou ney, we
a e awa e ha he li e a u e sugges s ha millennials who ha e mo ed in o leade ship oles
may lack he equi ed leade ship skills (Nye,2017) and ye hei leade ship de elopmen
also lacks a o malised p ocess o equip hem o be e ec i e leade s (A ellano,2018). The
quali a i e indings om he s udy unde he leade ship jou ney opic did poin o hese
millennial leade s ha ing a challenging in o mal leade ship jou ney, ha ing o lea n how
o lead as hey go abou hei daily b anch manage oles. Howe e , as millennials, hese
leade s possess posi i e quali ies, such as en husiasm, exci emen , and adap abili y, ha
enable hem o cope wi h he lea ning cu e (Bi ne ,2019;Kos e li z & Lewis,2017).
When u he explo ing he second opic, being hei leade ship de elopmen and
aining, he indings sugges ed ha men o ship did appea o be he pa icipan s’ p e e -
ence o leade ship de elopmen (Busha d e al.,2018;Nye,2017), ye his elemen was
seemingly absen in hei leade ship jou ney, wi h only wo pa icipan s ha ing ecei ed o -
mal men o ship and coaching. The majo i y o hese millennial leade s
(eigh pa icipan s)
did, howe e , ecei e o mal aining h ough cou ses o p og ammes ha equipped hem
wi h managemen leade ship skills, ye he emaining ou millennial leade s had o lea n
leade ship he “ha d” way. Wha was also no iceably absen om he managemen s udies
some a ended was aining on so skills—a ace iden i ied by he li e a u e as impo an
o his gene a ion (Busha d e al.,2018;Tanasyah e al.,2022). On a posi i e no e, he
majo i y o he pa icipan s did indica e ha hei employe had played a “huge” ole in
hei leade ship de elopmen as millennial leade s.
When asked wha hey would like included in hei leade ship de elopmen and
aining, some o he esponses did indica e ha on- he-job aining (expe ien ial lea ning)
was p e e able. This aligned wi h he li e a u e on millennial leade s’ p e e ences o lead-
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 18 o 22
e ship de elopmen (Nye,2017;Rony,2019). O he impo an elemen s we e men o ship,
as p e iously discussed, ce ain so skills (Busha d e al.,2018;Tanasyah e al.,2022),
induc ion cou ses, and ongoing de elopmen oppo uni ies.
The common leade ship beha iou s ( hi d opic) unde he quali a i e indings in
he s udy we e hones y, in luence, suppo , open-mindedness, and ole modelling. These
leade ship beha iou s aligned wi h he li e a u e, which sugges s ha millennial leade s
hold eamwo k and meaning ul ela ionships in high ega d (G aybill,2014;Medyanik,
2016). E ec i e leade ship is achie ed h ough leading by example (Medyanik,2016), by
being au hen ic, democ a ic, and anspa en (Au-Yong-Oli ei a e al.,2018), as well as by
being in luen ial (G aybill,2014). When u he explo ing he pa icipan s’ pe cep ions o
leade ship beha iou s displayed by olde gene a ions (gene a ion X and baby boome s),
he pa icipan s mainly sha ed leade ship beha iou s ha we e di e en o hei own
and no mo i a ional, such as au oc a ic, closed-minded, and igid s yles. Howe e , he e
we e pa icipan s who el ha hey had much o lea n om he expe ience o he olde
gene a ions, he eby suppo ing he impo ance o o mal men o ship p og ammes in hei
leade ship de elopmen .
In summa y, he indings o he s udy, when compa ed o p e ious esea ch, did align
wi h he li e a u e conce ning he absence o a o mal s uc u ed leade ship jou ney o
millennial leade s, which includes hei p e e ed leade ship s yles and hei p e e ences o
leade ship de elopmen and aining. O impo ance a e he elemen s ( hemes) gene a ed
in he s udy, which oge he can con ibu e o a specialised and ailo -made leade ship
de elopmen s a egy o millennial leade s in he wo kplace, as shown in he Conclusion
Sec ion below.
A limi a ion o he s udy was ha he pa icipan s in e iewed ell in o he uppe age
g oup o he millennial gene a ion. Gi en ha his gene a ion spans a 20-yea pe iod, i
would ha e been aluable o explo e he iews o younge millennial leade s o p o ide
u he insigh s o mee he objec i es o he s udy. The esea ch only ook place in one
o ganisa ion. I is ecommended ha u he esea ch be conduc ed in addi ional o gan-
isa ions o p o ide o mo e insigh s in o wha millennials a e looking o in leade ship
de elopmen and aining. A u he limi a ion o he s udy ela es o he demog aphics
o he pa icipan s in e iewed, in ha he ace g oup was Black only; howe e , his is
e lec i e o he cu en wo ke popula ion in Sou h A ica. The pape made men ion ha
millennials may no necessa ily be a uni o m g oup o leade s when in e p e ing he esul s
o hei p e e ed leade ship con en and deli e y mode o aining agains wha he li e a-
u e says. This could be a sugges ion o u u e esea ch o be e unde s and he possible
absence o uni o mi y in his g oup o leade s. The pape also assumed a geog aphical
implica ion in ha he esea ch p oblem may ex end globally, howe e , u he esea ch is
needed o e i y his. I is also ecommended ha u he esea ch be conduc ed o es and
alida e he elemen s o a specialised and ailo -made leade ship de elopmen s a egy
om he indings o his s udy o millennial leade s.
6. Conclusions
The e is a clea need o o ganisa ions o ocus on he leade ship de elopmen o
hei younge leade s, being he millennial gene a ion, gi en ha his gene a ion cu en ly
cons i u es he la ges pa o he wo k o ce, and ha hey ac di e en ly om he olde
gene a ions in he way hey wan o lead. As one pa icipan sha ed, “We eel unhea d,
we eel ha ou opinions don’ ma e . We eel ha we a e misunde s ood. Ou olde
gene a ions and ou sel es should be able o mee each o he hal way, coming oge he .
This will make he wo ld a be e place, and I don’ hink ha is only happening in Sou h
A ica. I ’s a wo ldly challenge” (ML12).
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 19 o 22
The indings om his s udy aligned wi h he exis ing li e a u e on millennial leade s’
p e e ences o leade ship de elopmen and aining and he way hey wish o lead and be
led. The implica ion o o ganisa ions wi h a mul i-gene a ional wo k o ce is an u gency
o mo e away om adi ional me hods and implemen a specialised and ailo -made
leade ship de elopmen s a egy ha can speak o he ollowing exis ing hemes in he
li e a u e as well as new eme ging hemes om he s udy indings:
•S uc u ed men o ship p og ammes,
•On- he-job aining and expe ien ial lea ning oppo uni ies,
•So skills aining,
•Comp ehensi e induc ion cou ses,
•Fo mal quali ica ions and acc edi a ion,
•Ongoing de elopmen oppo uni ies wi h an en ep eneu ial mindse ,
•
In e ac i e digi al audio isual- and ideo-based lea ning, including gami ica ion
and simula ion,
•Online emo e access o lea ning.
Gi en ha he millennial leade s also p e e ed ce ain leade ship s yles (empowe ing
and ans o ma ional), which aligned wi h he li e a u e, o ganisa ions should encou age
a leade ship cul u e ha e ol es a ound hese leade ship s yles so ha leade s in he
wo kplace could lead in he same way.
A co e akeaway o he s udy was ha millennials a e desi ing a ce ain way o being
de eloped and ained as leade s, and o ganisa ions should ake heed o his so ha hey
a e be e equipped o gene a e e ec i e leade s o ill hei leading pipeline.
Au ho Con ibu ions: C.E. ga he ed and analysed he da a, in e p e ed he esea ch esul s, and
w o e he a icle. R.S. supe ised he s udy, playing an ad iso y ole, and assis ed wi h he p epa a ion
o he a icle o publica ion pu poses. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published e sion o
he manusc ip .
Funding: This esea ch ecei ed no ex e nal unding.
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen : An applica ion o ull e hical app o al was made o he
Resea ch E hics Re iew Commi ee o he G adua e School o Business Leade ship o he Uni e si y
o Sou h A ica (Unisa), and e hics consen was ecei ed on 13 June 2023. The e hics app o al numbe
is 2023_SBL_DBL_006_FA_0666. Ga ekeepe pe mission was ob ained om he ins i u ion in which
he da a was collec ed. The ga ekeepe g an ed access o he email add esses ha we e used o
in i e pa icipan s. The da a we e collec ed by C.E., he co esponding au ho o his a icle, and he
p o ocols o he e hics applica ion we e s ic ly ollowed.
In o med Consen S a emen : Pa icipan s we e checked by he esea che o con i m ha hei
pa icipa ion was indeed olun a y, and he esea che ob ained pa icipan s’ pe mission o audio-
eco d he in e iews. The pa icipan s we e in o med ha hei iden i y and he con iden iali y o
hei esponses would be p o ec ed h ough he use o numbe s alloca ed o each pa icipan o eco d
esponses, e.g., millennial leade pa icipan 1 was deno ed as ML1.
Da a A ailabili y S a emen : The da a ha suppo he indings o his s udy a e a ailable upon
eques om he co esponding au ho .
Acknowledgmen s: The au ho s acknowledge he edi ing o he ex done by Lydia on Wielligh-S eyn.
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 20 o 22
Appendix A
Table A1. In e iew Guide.
In oduc ion
I am Ca olyn Eas on. You esponded o my in i e, and I am e y app ecia i e ha you olun ee ed o alk o me. I am cu en ly doing esea ch on
millennial leade s and hei leade ship de elopmen needs and you a e well sui ed o assis me on his. Thank you again.
I would like o eco d you iews on millennial leade s. You esponses would be anonymous, and i you now eel oo uncom o able o alk o me,
you a e ee no o pa icipa e. Also, should you a a la e s age wish o abandon he in e iew, you a e also ee o do so.
The in e iew will ake abou 45 o 60 min and I ha e 23 ques ions o pose o you.
Any ques ions be o e we s a ?
Demog aphics o esponden
Fi s ly, we need o check i you all wi hin he Millennial age g oup.
We e you bo n be o e 1980?
[I esponden answe s yes, e mina e he in e iew in a iendly manne ].
[Obse e he gende and he ace o he esponden and documen i ].
[I i is di icul o de e mine he gende and ace, ask he ollowing ques ions].
To wha ace g oup, i any, would you say you belong o?
Wha is you gende iden i ica ion?
S udy ques ions
Topic—you leade ship jou ney
Q1: How long ha e you been in a leade ship ole?
Q2: Tell me abou you leade ship jou ney so a .
[This could lead o a ch onological e lec ion. Follow his up wi h a ques ion on de ini i e momen s in he esponden ’s leade ship jou ney].
Q3: Wha shaped you mos as a leade ?
[P obe u he on his ques ion and ask he ollowing ques ion]
Q4: Did you a end any aining which in luenced you s yle o leading?
Q5: Wha did his his/ hey each you and was he aining in he o m o men o ship o coaching?
Topic—Leade ship de elopmen and aining
Q6: Please can you speci y o explain wha pa you employe has played in you leade ship jou ney.
Q7: Wha aspec s, i any, o you leade ship de elopmen o aining p o ided by you employe been sa is ac o y?
Q8: Why is his?
Q9: Wha would you like included in you leade ship de elopmen o aining by you employe ?
[Fo Q10 o Q13, he esea che o display empla e o pa icipan o below a ing scales]
Q10: On a scale o 1 o 10, wi h 1 being leas impo an and 10 being mos impo an , how necessa y is i o you ha he aining be a ailable ia
online and mobile audio isual pla o ms, including ideo-based lea ning?
Q11: On a scale o 1 o 10, wi h 1 being leas impo an and 10 being mos impo an , is gami ica ion and/o compu e simula ion a p e e ed way o
lea ning o you?
Q12: On a scale o 1 o 10, wi h 1 being leas impo an and 10 being mos impo an , how necessa y is i o you ha he aining be done on a
mic o-lea ning (small bi e lea ning) basis?
Q13: On a scale o 1 o 10, wi h 1 being leas impo an and 10 being mos impo an , how necessa y is i o you ha you ha e emo e access o he
aining?
Topic—Leade ship beha iou s
Q14: Wha beha iou s do you display as a leade ?
Q15: Which leade ship beha iou do you hink makes you e ec i e as a leade ?
Q16: Which leade ship beha iou do you hink you should display o be a be e leade ?
In my s udy, we e e o he mul i-gene a ional wo k o ce as comp ising o h ee gene a ions, namely, millennials (bo n be ween 1980 and 1999), Gene a ion X
(bo n be ween 1965 and 1979), and he oldes gene a ion, baby boome s (bo n be ween 1946 and 1964). [Sha e you sc een wi h he pa icipan ]
Q17: Wha ype o leade ship beha iou do you hink is displayed by olde leade s, leade s om ea lie gene a ions?
Q18: How aluable is such beha iou in mo i a ing employees such as you sel ?
Q19: Which leade ship beha iou do you hink you subo dina es iew as e ec i e?
Topic—Leade ship s yles
In my s udy, we looked a ou di e en leade ship s yles (LS) o leade ship beha iou s, cha ac e is ics, and ai s shown by leade s:
[p o ide pa icipan wi h ca d showing he below de ini ion o LS and numbe ing he LS]
•LS numbe 1—Empowe men leade ship is ypi ied by a leade en us ing hei ollowe s o do wha hey hink is co ec whils also
p omo ing pa icipa i e decision-making and building us .
•
LS numbe 2—Di ec i e leade ship is ypi ied by a leade gi ing o de s o his ollowe s on how he wo k needs o be done and is e y much
ask-d i en.
•LS numbe 3—T ansac ional leade ship is ypi ied by leade s ewa ding hei ollowe s o achie ing speci ic goals, howe e also aking
co ec i e ac ion when pe o mance is subs anda d.
•LS numbe 4—T ans o ma ional leade ship is ypi ied by leade s who a e cha isma ic and isiona y, who inspi es hei ollowe s o achie e
g ea e esul s, whils also mo i a ing c ea i i y and pa icipa ion.
Q20: How would you desc ibe you leade ship s yle i you had o look a hese leade ship s yles ha I ha e desc ibed?
Q21: How would you like o be led when looking a hese leade ship s yles?
Q22: How a e you cu en ly led when looking a hese leade ship s yles?
I would like o now sha e wi h you wha I ound in he i s pa o my s udy. Tha esea ch showed ha millennial leade s display mo e
empowe ing and ans o ma ional leade ship beha iou and less di ec i e and ansac ional leade ship beha iou .
Q23: Would you ag ee wi h his when looking a you sel as a millennial leade ?
Thank you o you ime, I ha e no u he ques ions.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 135 21 o 22
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au ho (s) and con ibu o (s) and no o MDPI and/o he edi o (s). MDPI and/o he edi o (s) disclaim esponsibili y o any inju y o
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