Rethinking Gen Y Motivation for Social Impact

In a recent study in the Journal of Management, researchers have some interesting findings on the motivations of Generation Y.

Some of the conventional wisdom about Gen Y, such as their supposed preference for socially responsible careers that really make a difference, wasn’t supported by the numbers.


Press accounts often mention that Gen Y wants to help others and have a positive impact on society, but the study found no differences in preferences for jobs that helped others or were worthwhile to society – Gen X’ers and Boomers embraced such values just as much when they were young.

What was important to Gen Y? The youngest generation in the workforce said they want both work-life balance and high status and salary, a result that prompted the researchers to conclude they “want their cake and to eat it to:”

Striking differences emerged for valuing leisure. Gen Y was much more likely than previous generations to say they wanted a job with an easy pace and lots of vacation time, and less likely to want to work overtime. They also saw work as less central to their lives and were more likely to agree that “work is just making a living.” At the same time, they placed more importance on salary and status. In other words, the younger generation wants to have their cake (big salaries) and eat it too (work-life balance).

In my career coaching work with Gen Y clients, I have found these findings have some relevance. I am not surprised by the findings, nor am I frustrated by them. I believe many theorists have wanted to believe the next generation had an altruistic side second to none. Yet in much of my work, I've observed conflicting messages around service, where the espoused values do not make the enacted values. However, rather than being discouraged by the results, it suggests to me that we have more opportunities to create learning experiences that illustrate the intended and unintended consequences of our actions on all stakeholders.

Given our societal challenges, the idea that creating change takes effort, patience and diligence is ever more relevant to the discussion. I believe those of us in the development space have an opportunity to create new conversations that convey the amount of effort that is required. I believe this study just demonstrates a generation that reflects the larger societal attitude of getting more for less effort. The value proposition for taking the road less traveled needs to be articulated in a new way.