Who’s the Boss?: Millennials Managing Across
Generations in the Hospitality Industry
Case
Author: Cynthia Mejia & Vicki Lavendol
Online Pub Date: January 15, 2020 | Original Pub. Date: 2015
Subject: Leadership in Business, Hospitality, Travel & Tourism Management
Level: | Type: Experience case | Length: 2635
Copyright: © 2015 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE). All
rights reserved.
Organization: | Organization size:
Region: Northern America | State:
Industry: Accommodation and food service activities
Originally Published in:
Mejia, C. , & Lavendol, V. ( 2015). Who’s the boss?: Millennials managing across generations in the
hospitality industry. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases, 4 (2), 11– 20.
Publisher: International CHRIE
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781529712216 | Online ISBN: 9781529712216
SAGE
© 2015 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional
Education (ICHRIE). All rights reserved.
SAGE Business Cases
© 2015 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE). All rights reserved.
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Who’s the Boss?: Millennials Managing Across Generations in the
Hospitality Industry
SAGE
© 2015 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional
Education (ICHRIE). All rights reserved.
SAGE Business Cases
Abstract
Prior to the recent global financial crisis, it was assumed Baby Boomers would retire in massive
numbers and there would be a dearth of unskilled younger workers prepared to take their place
(Kunreuther, 2010). As a result of the Great Recession, Baby Boomers have chosen to remain
at work longer, alongside those members of the Greatest Generation, Generation X and the
Millennials. For the first time in history, a multi-generational workforce poised with an influx of
Millennial leaders, has created numerous challenges for hospitality businesses. This case was
written to explore generational characteristics while examining potential strategies Millennials
could utilize to lead a cross-generational hospitality workforce.
Case
Objectives of the Case Study
The main learning outcome of this case will be to enhance hospitality undergraduates’ understanding of the
benefits and challenges of working in and managing a multi-generational workforce. By the conclusion of this
case analysis, activities, subsequent assignments, and assessment, the student should be able to:
•
•
•
•
Define the four generational cohorts currently in the workforce.
Describe several key events and issues which occurred in each generation.
Analyze the typical characteristics of each cohort as they relate to the key events and issues.
Evaluate the challenges and potential solutions Gen Y managers might encounter in leading the
various generations presently in the hospitality workforce.
Introduction
A generation within a population is often referred to as a cohort, or a group of persons born in the same time
period, exposed to similar social and historical events, which shape the critical stages of their lives (Schaie,
1965; Solnet & Kralj, 2011). Due to a lack of agreement on the definitive events and time periods of each
generational cohort, the literature often reports conflicting generational time periods (Solnet & Kralj, 2011).
For the purpose of this case study, the Millennial generation, also known as Gen Y, is a generation of persons
defined herein as born between 1980 and 2000. A much larger cohort outpacing their predecessors, Gen
X-those born between 1964 and 1979, the Millennials are quickly reaching the population size of the Baby
Boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964 (Solnet & Kralj, 2011; Young et al., 2013). 2012 generational
demographics describe the workforce consisting of 5% from The Greatest Generation (those born before
1946), 38% Baby Boomers in the workforce, 32% of workers from Generation X, and 25% from the Millennial
generation (Catalyst, 2012).