The impact of globalization and technological advancement on businesses and industries has steadily grown over the past decades. Among the more daunting challenges for businesses to remain competitive has been in the area of Strategic Human Resource Management. More specifically, managers at different levels of the organization have been bewildered by an emerging segment of the workforce that can be considered a “new breed” of workers: the Millennials.
Generation Y
Generally, the term Millennials, also commonly called Generation Y, refers to people born between the early 1980s until the early 2000s. They are usually described as lazy, narcissistic and prone to hop from one job to another. They are typically characterized as wanting flexible work schedules; more ‘me time’ on the job; requiring a lot of feedback and career advice from managers; less civically and politically involved; more focused on materialistic values; and less concerned about helping the larger community. They tend to give more “emphasis on extrinsic values such as money, fame, and image, and less emphasis on intrinsic values such as self-acceptance, group affiliation and community.”
On the positive side, they have been described as being more open-minded, tolerant of diversity, and sensitive to rights of marginalized groups in society. Furthermore, they are generally known to be confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and receptive to new ideas and ways of living. (Source: http://www.livescience.com/38061-millennials-generation-y.html)
In a journal article written by Baker in 1999 entitled “Strategic Human Resource Management: Performance, Alignment, Management,” he espoused the importance of SHRM in achieving institutional goals. Citing Hendry and Pettigrew, Baker considered ‘seeing the people of the organization as a strategic resource for achieving competitive advantage’ as one of the components of SHRM.
CST and the Millennials
With the foregoing discussion, a critical question emerges: “How should managers across an organization capitalize on the Millennials as a strategic resource for achieving institutional goals and securing competitive advantage?” I believe the recent visit of Pope Francis to our country has shed light on this critical question. It was amazing how the Filipinos, regardless of religious beliefs, received the ideas from Pope Francis as words of wisdom. Initially, one might conclude that it was due to the magnetic and charismatic personality of the Pope. After deeper reflection, I realized that what really appealed to the people was the universal character or applicability of what he said. His words were irresistible and penetrating because they struck a chord in each man’s heart.
Thus, I am inclined to think that the key to addressing the challenge of the Millennials lies in the social teachings of the Catholic Church. Managers can definitely keep on experimenting on different approaches to human resource management. Ultimately, however, such tinkering will bear only superficial results unless they sincerely try to understand the nature of man and his dignity, and use this to draw the best from each person.
Integral Human Development
Benedict XVI, in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, wrote: “… authentic human development concerns the whole of the person in every single dimension. Without the perspective of eternal life, human progress in this world is denied breathing space… integral human development is primarily a vocation… Moreover, such development requires a transcendent vision of the person, it needs God: without him, development is either denied, or entrusted exclusively to man…”
This insight from Benedict XVI points to the need for managers and business leaders to have a deeper understanding of Integral Human Development in order to achieve authentic development. And while Catholic Social Though is definitely helpful for Catholics, it actually has universal significance and benefit. Stabile (2005) in his article entitled A Catholic Vision of the Corporation made the following argument regarding its universality: “In general terms, CST is a valuable lens through which to view all questions of law, not just those relating to the nature of the corporation. First, although the principles of CST are based on the Gospels and the teachings of Jesus Christ, they have been developed and grounded, not in Catholic orthodoxy, but in natural law… Second, the CST lens does not introduce individual religious values into a field that is non-neutral… Thus, we cannot have law or talk about law divorced from some vision of the human person.”
Thus, I would like to suggest that our business leaders take the lead in pursuing authentic development through Integral Human Development. They can transform the challenge of the Millennials into an opportunity for sustainable business by strategically applying the principles of CST in managing their businesses.
It is by seeing and understanding the Millennials through the lens of CST that managers will be able to distinguish what is superficial from what is essential; what is subject to flexibility from what is non-negotiable; what is open to innovation from what is supposed to be preserved and safeguarded. The principles of CST are a most valuable guide for drawing what is best from each workforce generation.
Ms. Imelda Estillore is a Doctor of Business Administration student in the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. She is presently the Vice President for Students and Alumni of the University of Asia and the Pacific. She may be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.