Career Aspirations

and Attributes of Indian

Generation Y @ Workplace
A Research Study
in Partnership with
IKYA Human Capitals,
MTHR Global
and

The Academy of HRD

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

AN EXPLORATION
OF
HOW THE MOTIVATORS & VALUES OF GEN Y ARE
COMPATIBLE
WITH
THEIR CAREER ASPIRATIONS
@ WORKPLACE

INTRODUCTION

Gen Y population
in India is 25.47%
of world
population (Indian
Population
Bureau, 2009), but
not all are
employment
ready

Generation Y professionals
skills and potentials are crucial
if economies are to move up
the value chain.

THE RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY

Lack of validated Indian
Studies on Indian Gen Y
population

We laugh at
stringent rules
and
unproductive
processes at
workplace

We ask Y
how what
when
often, till we
are ready to
proceed
so answer
us!

With a smile
we fight
workplace
challenges.
So lead us and
we can do
anything!

QUESTIONS ADDRESSED

What are the Indian Gen Y professionals career aspirations,

motivations and value preferences?

What are the relationship between career aspirations with

motivations and value preference?

Are there any differences in the career aspirations, motivations

and value preferences of the Indian Gen Y professionals from
different zones of India, gender, work-experience, size of
organization and industry?

What are current challenges and opportunities posed by the

Indian Generation Y at workplace today?

What HR policies & processes will make them engaged and

happy?

LITERATURE REVIEW
Understanding Generational Blend
Traditionalists/Salients (born 19221945)

Strong respect for authority

Formal relationship preference
Disciplined and adhere to rules
Avoid taking risks
Powerful work ethic
willingness to invest
Expect respect for their age and
experience

Baby Boomers (born 1946 1964)

Tough to crack
Strong respect for authority
Highly competitive
Value recognition
Value being a member of a cohesive group
Personal style of communication
Enjoy teamwork
Willingly work through the processes
needed to achieve outcomes
Inflated view of their physical and
financial well-being
Overestimated retirement money

Understanding Generational Blend:

Gen Y in India (born 1980 2000)
Generation X (born 1965 1979)
Self-reliant
Prefer fun to the workaholic lifestyles of
boomers
Often lacking the basic academic scores
Ready to advance without having spent time on
each step of the career ladder.
Neither team players nor risk takers
Focus on outcomes rather than process
Want more and fast
Informal relationship preferred
Loyal to their own career goals, not the
organization or the job
More comfortable with technology than previous
generations
Skeptical of boomers and traditionalists

Ambitious, optimistic, embraces change and

has a clear sense of where they are headed.
Not all are employment ready
Invests their money in buying gold, capital
goods, etc
Promiscuous shoppers
Credit cards generation. Different card for
different purpose
Go getters
The EMI generation
Jugarus
Look for stability in uncertain times.
Grab opportunities, when the market offers
Want to earn more in less time now.
Time is money
Take decision smartly
Needs freedom and access
Technology, social media- socio cultural DNA
Connected to world 24/7
Celebrate diversities.
Friends = family
Biggest loyalty is towards ones own career
Individualistic
..many more..

RESEARCH
DESIGN AND
METHODOLOGY

Cross-sectional exploratory study

Urban locations of India, divided in 4 zones (North,
South, East And West)
Mixed methodology
Two stage sampling: Judgmental and convenience
sampling
Scheins (1985) career orientation inventory , Udai
Pareeks (1997) extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and
Sarupriya s(1983) value preference scales
Duration May2011 to October2011

The Gen Y
in our study,
is the
generation
born between
the years
1981-1991,
and
limited to the
working
Gen Y
professionals
in urban
locations
of
India.

DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND

INTERPRETATIONS
Date of Birth

Gender

61% between 1981 - 1985

35% between 1986 - 1991

41% Gen Y Female

51% Gen Y Male

Profile
of the
Respondents
Work Experience
21 % (1981-1985 ) from 2- 8
years
80% (1986- 1991 ) 6 months to
4.5 years.

Educational Qualification
60 % post graduates
29 % graduates

DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND

INTERPRETATIONSDATA ANALYSIS
Sector
74% Service Sector
23% Manufacturing Sector

Profile
of the
Respondents

Organization Size
39% 1000+ workforce size
12% 501-1001 workforce size
20% 101-500 workforce size
24% 1-100 workforce size

Service Industry
5% BFSI
17% Consulting & Professional Services
15% Education Sector
8% Healthcare Sector
3 % Tourism And Hospitality
9% Infrastructure
24% IT
5% Media And Entertainment
5% Retail
6% Telecom

Manufacturing industry
14% Automotive
3% Cement
11% Chemical
14% Consumer Electronics
20% Power And Energy
4% Steel

CAREER ANCHORS DEFINED

Managerial Task/Competence
Strong desire to climb the corporate general management ladder
Competence lies in a blend of analytical, interpersonal, and
emotional skills
Accept challenge, crisis, group conflict and work under conditions of
incomplete information and high uncertainty.

Technical / Functional Competence

Actual work content is a primary concern & chief area of interest in
formulating career decisions.
Feelings of well being and competence aligned with subject or
discipline proficiency

CAREER ANCHORS DEFINED

Security and Stability : Job & preferred location, the driving and
constraining forces of both are tied to a personal sense of security,
certainty, and future predictability

Creativity: need to demonstrate self-extension through building,

creating, inventing or producing something of their own

Identity: need to be associated with a firm or occupation which

externally or visibly enhances or substitutes for self definition

Variety: diversity of challenges and the need to maintain flexibility of

responses

Gen Y working in
1000+ workforce
size aspires for:
Technical & functional
competence
Geographical stability

Gen Y working in 1100 workforce size

aspires for:
Managerial task
Individual and
organizational brand
identity
Service & dedication to
a cause

Gen Y working in 1100 workforce size

aspires for:

Gen Y working in
101-500 workforce
size aspires for:

Service & dedication to

a cause
Individual and
organizational brand
identity

Creativity
Service & dedication to
a cause
Job stability

C
A
R
E
E
R

A
S
P
I
R
A
T
I
O
N
S
&

C
O
M
P
A
N
Y
S
I
Z
E

South zone and west zone in

almost all dimensions have high
and similar scores

There is significant difference for

over all career aspirations
particularly for east zone when
compared with other three zones
(west, north and south). East
zone Gen Y employees aspire to
have lowest level of overall career
aspirations, however, their overall
intrinsic motivation is higher

There is significant difference for

intrinsic & extrinsic motivators
& value preference particularly
for north zone when compared
with other three zones (west, east
and south).

Adequate earnings,
equitable pay and
interesting work are key
differentiating motivators
among less and more
experience cohorts in
terms of mean
differences.

In terms of value
preferences there is
difference for monetary
orientation for the selected
two cohorts based on work
experience.

Correlation analysis of Gen Ys career aspiration with motivations

and value preferences

Freedom to work their own way v/s Responsibility to complete the task given
Open & Fun filled work environment v/s systematic & structured processes
Independence v/s handholding
Spendthrift v/s invests
Work hard v/s work smart
Work &life balance v/s want everything fast and now
Work & life balance v/s 24/7 access to internet
Want decision making power v/s tend to take decisions in haste
Learning attitude v/s seek Guidance only
Competitive v/s collaborative peers
Supportive management/leaders v/s despise micromanaging
Need emotional bonding with Organization v/s detached when see better opportunity outside
Loyal to job v/s boss who walk the talk
Need high maintenance of hygiene factor v/s need meaningful & interesting work
Fat pay & job profile v/s learning and development opportunity
Job Hop for better opportunity v/s want stability till they get what they want
Want instant feedback of their performance v/s questions and deny if they think the feedback is insufficient
Want to retire at 40 v/s What to do after forty is not precise
Family oriented v/s lack of time for family
High aspirations v/s not sure how to attain them
High energy v/s energy seldom channelized in bringing out their best
Open interaction v/s despise grapevines
Responsibility v/s stress
Time for Friends important v/s time at work equally important
Gives 100% to work v/s expects 100% care

C
O
N
F
L
I
C
T
I
N
G

M
O
T
I
V
A
T
I
O
N
S

O
F
G
E
N
Y

CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS AND

DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Conclusions

Managerial competence, organization brand identity and sense of service are

Gen Yers focus in making their career decisions. However, a Gen Y employee
may have one particular primary aspiration and two or more secondary
aspirations.
Gen Ys are motivated by extrinsic factors, only marginally than the intrinsic
factors and they highly oriented towards achievement value.
Overall career aspirations are positively correlated with intrinsic motivations
and values such as achievement, monetary and role orientations.
Partial negative correlation is seen between the career anchors and intrinsic
motivations, such as, technical & functional competence - technically
competent supervisor, autonomy & independence - Equitable Pay,
geographical stability - equitable pay.
Some career anchors are partially negatively correlated with extrinsic
motivations, such as managerial competence vis-a-vis sound company
policies job stability vis--vis fringe benefits and alike.
Further analyses showed there were significant differences within the different
cohorts, such as, industry, gender, location, work - experience and company
size, for overall career aspirations, motives and values.

CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS AND

DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Direction for Future research:

Gen Ys career aspirations, motives and values are shaped by their individual
socio-cultural background
As Gen Y moves forward in their career & life stages, their career aspirations also
gets influenced by their personal and socio-cultural needs.
North youth is not enough demanding for comfortable working conditions &sound
HR policies. Either it could be because of satisfied lot Low aspirations or
something more serious. These in-congruencies is worth exploring in future
research

Limitations:

Inter and intra organizational factors have not been considered {for eg.
Comfortable working condition (as an extrinsic motivator) is very low at 18.71 (at
Delhi & NCR) as compared to west (54.84) & south which indicates that
organization in the north zone may have less developed corporate culture}.
Market variables are neglected, {for eg. In the eastern zone, job stability lower than
any other zone, maybe because of socio-political effect- more security feeling}.
We have taken a single unit of analysis. Also, the underlying reasons of the
correlation analysis results remain inconclusive, but it gives direction for future
research.
Generation Yers archetypes not explored. Scope of study limited to urban
locations

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