LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR MILLENNIAL WOMEN

A dissertation submitted

by

MOLLY K. SANTILLO

May, 2016

to

School of Organizational Leadership

UNIVERSITY OF THE ROCKIES

Upon the recommendation of the Faculty and the approval of the Board of Trustees, this
dissertation is hereby accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

Approved by:

Brandy Blount, Ph.D.

Committee Chair

Committee Members:
Sharla M. Walker, PhD
Jennifer M. Beaman, DM
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Copyright © by

Molly Santillo

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ii
 Leadership Development for Millennial Women

by

Molly Santillo

Abstract

Research conducted in multiple sectors have highlighted a growing problem of

millennial women’s hesitation in taking on leadership roles. This is in light of increased

organizational spending on developing the next generation of leaders through company

facilitated leadership development programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate

leadership development for millennial women in an effort to explore why millennial women

are hesitant to move into leadership roles. Using a qualitative descriptive cross-sectional

study research design, millennial women answered survey ten questions specially designed to

explore the contents of leadership development programs, participant characteristics, career

ambitions, and perceptions of women in leadership roles. The data were collected and

analyzed using SurveyMonkey, a third party vendor. SurveyMonkey was used to recruit

participants, administer survey, collect and analyze the results from the data. Key findings

indicated millennial women have ambition to move into leadership roles, align personal

sacrifices to leadership offerings and perceive a lack of individualism within leadership

positions.

Key Words: generations, millennial generation, leadership, leaders, millennial leaders,

millennial leadership, women leaders, millennial women leaders, women leadership
development, millennial leadership development, career path, careers, management,
perceptions, leadership development programs

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It is not always the accomplishment that makes the greatest impact, but the journey

itself. Thank you to everyone who contributed to my journey. Special thanks to my

committee for believing in the research, holding me accountable to the goal, and always

encouraging me along the way. Thank you to my family who never questions that I would

finish, even when I questioned it myself. Thank you to my mom who is my biggest

cheerleader and my dad who taught me hard work pays off in the end. Finally, to my

husband for being my life neighbor. Never walking in front or behind, always right by my

side through the many journeys of life.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... V

General Statement ........................................................................................................... 2

Statement of Problem ...................................................................................................... 5

Statement of Purpose....................................................................................................... 6

Importance of the Study .................................................................................................. 8

Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................. 10

Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 12

Overview of Research Design ....................................................................................... 12

Definition of Terms ....................................................................................................... 17

Assumptions and Limitations ........................................................................................ 19

Summary ....................................................................................................................... 21

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................... 23

Search Strategy.............................................................................................................. 23

Generational Theory...................................................................................................... 25

The History of the Generational Theory ....................................................................... 26

Different Generations .................................................................................................... 27

Silent Generation………………………………………………………………....27

Baby Boomers…………………………………………………………………....28

Generation X……………………………………………………………………..29

Millennial Generation…………………………………………………………....29

Women in Leadership ................................................................................................... 31

History of Women in Leadership………………………………………………...31

Influences on Leadership…………………………………………………………32

v
 Employment Statutory Code of Practice……………………………………...….33

Challenges for Women Leaders……………………………………………….…33

UC Davis Study of California Women Business Leaders………………………..35

Effectiveness of Women Leaders………………………………………………...35

Women as Political Leaders……………………………………………………...36

Underrepresented by Choice………………………………………………..……37

Millennial Women Characteristics ................................................................................ 40

Leadership Development............................................................................................... 41

Specialized Training……………………………………………………………..41

Summary ....................................................................................................................... 42

CHAPTER III: METHOD ............................................................................................... 45

Method of Inquiry ......................................................................................................... 46

Methodology Selection ................................................................................................. 46

Research Questions……………………………………………………………....48

Role of the Researcher………………………………………………………...…49

Participants .................................................................................................................... 50

Sampling Approach……………………………………………………………...52

Recruiting Participants………………………………………………………..…53

Data Collection.............................................................................................................. 53

Tracking Data………………………………………………………………….....54

Procedures Followed……………………………………………………………..54

Trustworthiness ............................................................................................................. 55

Ethical Concerns ........................................................................................................... 56

Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 57

Summary ....................................................................................................................... 58

vi
CHAPTER IV: RESULTS................................................................................................ 60

Sample ........................................................................................................................... 61

General Population Criterion….…………………………………………………61

Specific Population Criterion…………………………………………...….…….61

Data Collections ............................................................................................................ 62

Survey Creation……………………………………………………………….….62

Purchase Population…………………………………………………….………..64

Monitoring Data Collection……………………………………….……………..65

Unusual Circumstances…………………………………………………....….….66

Data Analysis and Results ............................................................................................. 66

Participation Breakdown…………………………………………………………67

Demographic Information ............................................................................................. 68

Participant Age…………………………………………………………………...68

Highest Educational Level……………………………………………………….69

Years of Experience……………………………………………………………...70

Leadership Development Acknowledgement and Duration ......................................... 71

Open Ended Questions .................................................................................................. 71

Focus of Leadership Development Program…………………………………......72

Research Question 1 ...................................................................................................... 73

RQ1 Themes…………………………………………………………………......73

RQ1 Answer…………………………………………………………………......74

Research Question 2 ...................................................................................................... 74

RQ2 Themes…………………………………………………………………......74

RQ2 Answer…………………………………………………………………......76

Research Question 3 ...................................................................................................... 76

vii
 RQ3 Themes…………………………………………………………………......77

RQ3 Answer…………………………………………………………………......78

Inconsistences and Disconfirmation ............................................................................. 79

Theoretical Model ......................................................................................................... 80

Summary ....................................................................................................................... 82

Conclusion..................................................................................................................... 82

CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION ........................................................................................... 84

Interpretations of Findings ............................................................................................ 85

Participant Age…………………………………………………………………...86

Higher Education………………………………………………………………...87

Years of Experience……………………………………………………………...88

Leadership Development Acknowledgement and Duration………………...…...89

Research Question 1……………………………………………………………...92

Research Question 2……………………………………………………………...93

Research Question 3……………………………………………………………...94

Limitations to the Study ................................................................................................ 96

Strengths and Weaknesses……………………………………………………….97

Creditability …………….……………………………………………………….99

Researcher Reflection …………….………….………………………………...101

Implications for Theory and Research ........................................................................ 103

Generational Theory and Women in Leadership …..…………………....……...103

Millennial Women Characteristics ……………. …..……………...…....……...104

Leadership Development…………………………………………...…………...105

Underrepresented by Choice……...………………………………..…………...106

Implications for Practice ............................................................................................. 108

viii
 Specialized Training ……………………………………………………….…...109

Theoretical Model Implication …………………………………………….…..110

Recommendations for Further Research ..................................................................... 112

Conclusion................................................................................................................... 114

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 116

ix
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Participant Breakdown…………………............................................................ 67

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Participant Age at time of Study ………………………………..................... 69

Figure 2: Highest Educational Level of Participants ………………………………...... 70

Figure 3: Years of Experience of Participant at Employer …………………................. 70

x
 LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A- Participant Survey...................................................................................... 123

Appendix B- Participant Awareness Page....................................................................... 124

Appendix C- Permission to Conduct Research Using SurveyMonkey........................... 126

Appendix D- Survey Question Formula Chart…………………….................................127

Appendix E- Acknowledgment- Disqualification Page………….................................. 130

xi
 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Organization leaders are investing in human capital more than ever before (American

Society of Training and Development, 2012a). Talent managers are placing an emphasis on

training the millennial generation because of the mass numbers of millennials entering into

the workforce (PwC, 2014). One million millennials enter the workforce each year

(American Society of Training and Development, 2013b). According to the U.S. Department

of Labor (2004), 80,000,000 individuals born between 1976 to 2001 will be joining or

already are a part of it. In 2020, 46% of the U.S. workforce will consist of the millennial

generation, which will continue to increase over time based on the size of this generation

compared to others (Lynch, 2008).

Each generation comes into the workplace at different stages in history to reshape

business norms, strategies and the definitions of success (PwC, 2011). Older generations are

exiting the workforce leaving leadership positions available for millennials to fill (Future

Workplace, 2012). To support this leadership gap, organizations are investing in human

capital to prepare the millennial generation for leaders roles (American Society of Training

and Development, 2012a).

Companies spend 14 billion annually specifically on leadership development to create a

strong pipeline of talented leaders (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, & Lane, 2014). The return on

investment is low with the considerations of time with the company, training expenditures,

hiring cost, and management time allocation (Lynch, 2008). Organizations have a financial

stake in preparing the next generation of leaders.

Women make up half the millennial generation within the United States. Women are not

moving into leadership roles after completing Leadership Development programs, which has

1
contributes to the low return on investment for organizations that are investing in such

programs to develop the next cohort of leaders (Zeno Group, 2014). Millennial women have

demonstrating a perceptual gap regarding optimal career paths and meanings to management

after completing a Leadership Development programs as to the experiences with Leadership

Development programs, optimal career paths, and meanings to management (McKinsey,

2013; PwC, 2014).

General Statement

According to the Association of Talent Development (2013) millennials are entering the

workforce lacking skills and competencies. To cure such deficiencies, an estimated $164.2

billion spent on employee learning in 2012 stated on the State of the Industry report

(American Society of Training and Development, 2012a). Of this total direct learning

expenditure, 61% ($100.2 billion) spent on developing in-house training solutions (American

Society of Training and Development, 2012a).

Schawbel (2014) argued that Leadership Development programs explicitly designed for

this employee population are critical to business success because leadership development

solutions have not successfully preparing millennials for leadership positions. In a survey of

592 business and learning professions administered by Association of Talent Development,

46% of the participants believed millennials require specialized Leadership Development

programs, but only 15% responded that the individual’s companies offer such programs

(Lykins & Parker, 2013). Both mentoring and on-the-job training have been included in the

costs spent on developing in-house training solutions.

Leadership Development programs designed for millennials have been moderately

successful at developing millennial leaders (Leadership Development for Millennials, 2013).

2
Millennials have a two-year average employer tenure compared to other generations ranging

between a five to seven years average (Association of Talent Development, 2013). The

Future Workplace Multiple Generations @ Work Survey results showed that out of 1,189

employees and 150 managers, 91% of millennials expected to stay at the employer for less

than three years (Future Workplace, 2012). In addition, a staggering 81% of millennials are

open to other job opportunities, regardless of employment status (Candidate Behavior Study,

2015).

The generational difference in employee tenure has affected the ability of organization

executives to retain, engage, and develop talent after Leadership Development programs are

completed (Association of Talent Development, 2013). The general problem was that

training and development organizations were spending significant amounts of money

targeted at leadership development of millennial employees and such training programs were

not producing desired outcomes, resulting in a low return on investment (McKinsey, 2012b).

The leadership development industry has expanded greatly in the past 20 years; however,

programs meant to develop future leaders continue to fail (Profiles International, 2011;

Profiles International, 2015; Saba, 2015;).

Millennial employees have completed in house Leadership Development programs but

are not moving into leadership roles (McKinsey, 2013c; PwC, 2014; Zeno Group, 2014).

Millennials may not be interested in management roles because millennials prefer a flattened

hierarchy system and would be more interested in leadership based on the individual’s terms

(Kelan, 2012; Schawbel, 2013; Saba, 2015). Brack (2012) highlighted that the sheer volume

of millennials, combined with the relative lack of Gen Xers and the increasing retirement of

Baby Boomers, means that employers are facing a leadership gap. In a survey of 500

3
executives, almost two-thirds identified leadership development as the business’s number

one business concern (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, & Lane, 2014).

In 2011, 15 of the Fortune 500 companies had women in the highest level of the

organization (Hagemann & Stroope, 2011). According to the Employment Statutory Code of

Practice outlined by the Equality and Human Right Commission, women have equal rights

within the workplace (Employment Statutory Code of Practice, 2010). However, less than

3% of the Fortune 500 companies have women in the highest level of the organization

(Hagemann & Stroope, 2011; Kelan, 2012; Pew Research Center, 2015). The percentage

does not reflect such equality.

Chu claimed (2014) that the newest addition to the workforce, the millennial generation,

has challenged and redefined the definition of leadership (PwC, 2011). Millennial women

contribute to this new definition and the balance between genders within organizational

leadership. A report from the Zeno Group (2014) included information that only 15% of

millennial women desire a role of as a top executive of a large or prominent organization.

The Global Workforce Leadership Survey supports the Zeno Group’s findings. Survey

results showed only 31% of millennial employees has a desire to obtain C-level positions

(Global Workforce Leadership Survey, 2015). Furthermore, the same study showed that

only 36% of women, compared to 64% of men survived aspire to be a C-level executive

(Global Workforce Leadership Survey, 2015).

Interestingly, the millennials in the workplace study indicated that millennial

respondents recognize the sacrifices women in leadership may have made but don’t want to

make the same sacrifices to be successful (Bentley University, 2012). Millennial women are

unwilling to make personal sacrifices are believed to be inextricably linked to a women’s

4
ability to climb the corporate ladder (Zeno Group, 2014). Nearly one quarter of millennial

women feel that work has been worse than originally expected compared to only 12% of men

(Millennial Majority Workforce, 2015).

Yet, women rate higher than men in every area of leadership measured, except

decisiveness (Pew Research Center, 2010; Pew Research Center, 2015). Companies with

higher numbers of women at senior levels report improved organizational and financial

performance (McKinsey, 2007a). Such reasons would incentivize organizations to promote

equal representation within leadership positions. The majority of millennials, both males and

females, feel men are better suited to be successful in a business climate (Bentley University,

2014). Women make successful business leaders, however millennial women have shown

hesitation to move into such roles.

Diversity of leadership styles, including gender, has shown to be an important factor

affecting the organization and financial performance (McKinsey, 2013c). The perceptual gap

has not transferred into meaningful training therefore has not produced millennial women

leaders who are willing to take on leadership positions (Zeno Group, 2014). Organizations

that do not focus on addressing the perceptual gap will be affected negatively by an

imbalance of gender within organizational leadership; therefore, research to explore the

perceptual gap was needed.

Statement of Problem

Fourteen billion is spent annually on leadership development (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, &

Lane, 2014). The return on investment has been low with the considerations of time with the

company, training expenditures, hiring cost, and management time allocation (Lynch, 2008).

The general problem was that training and development organizations are spending

5
significant amounts of money targeted at leadership development of millennial employees

and such training programs are not producing desired outcomes, resulting in a low return on

investment (McKinsey, 2012b). The specific problem was millennial women demonstrate a

perceptual gap regarding optimal career paths and meanings to management after completing

a Leadership Development program (Bentley University, 2014). Millennial employees are

completing in house Leadership Development programs but are not moving into leadership

roles (McKinsey, 2013c; PwC, 2014; Zeno Group, 2014).

This study investigated leadership development for millennial women in an effort to

explore why millennial women are hesitant to move into leadership roles after completing

Leadership Development programs. A qualitative descriptive study design was the research

methodology chosen to address the research questions. A descriptive study approach was

appropriate for addressing the research questions, because this research approach was

intended to describe or explain relationships among people, situations, and events

(Descriptive Studies, 2001). This type of research may potentially explain causal

relationships within certain areas of interest and used as a foundation to develop theory

(Harder, 2010).

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive cross-sectional study was to investigate the

perceptual gap as to the relevance of organizational learning and development solutions

among millennial women located within the United States. A perceptual disconnect had

emerged between millennial women and management (Bently University, 2014; Gage, 2005;

Pew Research Center, 2015). Little research had been done on the experiences of millennial

women in organizational Leadership Development programs.

6
 Research conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers highlights the differences in

generational characteristics but not directly on millennial women as to the meanings of

management and optimal career paths, which are elements of Leadership Development

programs. Most research conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers focuses on how

millennials are reshaping the workforce and the need to develop female leaders (PwC, 2011;

PwC 2014).

The specific area of research was millennial women’s meaning of management and

optimal career paths after completing a Leadership Development program. The study

concept was to explore the perceptual gap as to the meanings of management and optimal

career paths between this specific generation employee population and organizational

leadership. The ultimate purpose was to identify why millennial women are not moving into

leadership roles after completing Leadership Development programs.

Such identification are founded on millennial women’s meanings of management and

optimal career paths, which was gathered during the study. From this identification, ideas to

redesign Leadership Development programs for millennial women that promote positive

meanings of management and career paths thus addressing the return on investment for such

programs may take place. Future research may be formed based on such assumptions.

The unit of analysis in the study was the individual’s experiences of completed

Leadership Development programs. The general method of inquiry in the study was a

qualitative approach. The qualitative methodology approach identified the leadership

development phenomenon of millennial women. Factors of interest were the experiences

millennial women have had in Leadership Development programs and effects of these

experiences on meanings of management and optimal career path.

7
 Importance of the Study

The millennial generation continues to reshape the climate of corporate America. The

impact is so large that by 2025, 75% of the workforce will be comprised of millennials; 50%

of which will be women (Schawbel, 2014). Yet, research by Bentley University has

indicated that only 26% of women make up senior management positions within the U.S.A

(2014). It is clear there is a lack of millennial women who are willing to move into

leadership positions (Zeno Group, 2014). If women do not have substantial representation

within organization leadership positions, organizational decisions will be made by male

perceptions alone.

Equal gender representation at all levels is critical in developing, establishing, and

supporting organization decisions. The impact is not limited to a corporate business setting.

Millennial women need representation in all leadership capacities including government, law,

education, military, political, religious, athletics, science, the arts, and organizations (Klenke,

2011). Parents, policymakers, higher education, business leaders, and millennial women all

have an influence over the identified perceptual gap (Bentley University, 2014).

Role models have been cited as a main method to support the development of millennial

women leaders however, there was a lack of women role models in leadership positions to

emulate (Kelan, 2012). In order to establish a lasting presence in leadership roles in all

capacities and to ensure women’s perceptions are influencing decisions in all environments,

millennial women need to move into leadership roles to be a role model for future

generations. Past generations fought for equal rights for all women. Millennial women have

the opportunity to maximize equal rights.

8
 Certain events that contributed to equal rights included the1963 mandate by congress of

equally for both genders, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of

1978. If millennial women do not establish themselves within leadership positions,

continuing regression in women representation in leadership will occur. Understanding how

gender and generations work together is critical in transforming the workplace (Kelan, 2012).

This study represented a unique approach to the problem because it investigated the

perceptual gap as to the relevance of organizational learning and development solutions

among millennial women located within the United States. Millennial women are attending

Leadership Development programs but these women are demonstrating hesitation in moving

into leadership roles. In order to exercise equality, millennial women need to have full

representation in all leadership capacities.

The study sought to identify optimal career paths and meanings to management of

millennial women in an effort to understand how Leadership Development programs may be

more impactful in promoting women into leadership. The results of the study contribute to

new or reformed public policy, higher education focus, and business strategies. Qualitative

and quantitative studies of millennial leaders need to be devised in order to identify these

emerging leadership constructs and propose new theoretical approaches and definitions

(Balda & Mora, 2011).

The ultimate influences that equal representation may have on future generations of

women, based on a role model theory, is immeasurable at this time. The outcomes from the

conducted study will be used to create engaging Leadership Development programs to help

address the growing women leadership gap. A theoretical model to support this need is

outlined in chapter IV.

9
 Conceptual Framework

Reviewing the existing literature has provided the framework for this descriptive cross-

sectional study on millennial women and leadership. Generational Theory explores the age

of individuals in relation to attitudes and behaviors (Rotolo & Wilson, 2004). The

Generational Theory helped guide the study. Generational Theory has been well established

within both academic and practitioner research. This type of research can be tracked back

thousands of years and has a strong placement within society therefore is an accepted theory

within the public (Gage, 2005; Marias, 1970). A thorough literature review on Generational

Theory and the history of generational research covered in chapter II.

The Strauss and Howe (1991) defines the millennial generation as individuals born

between 1982 and 2004. Each generation has its own values, characteristics, and behaviors.

According to research conducted by PWC (2011), the millennial generation values career

progression, competitive wage, training and development programs, good benefits, and

flexible working arrangements from employers. Characteristics of the millennial generation

include being continuous learners, team players, collaborators, diverse, optimistic,

achievement-oriented, socially conscious, and highly educated (UNC Executive

Development, 2012). These values and characteristics have influenced employee behaviors

within the workplace. Further exploration within literature as to the differences of the

millennial generation are explored in chapter II.

There has been an abundance of successful and non-successful leaders throughout

American history. Men and women have fulfilled these roles and set examples for other

women. Leaders may take on a formal or informal role, which demonstrate leadership

abilities and thus contribute to success or failure. Women leaders have established

10
themselves in almost all areas of industries including government, law, education, military,

political, religious, athletics, science, the arts, and organizations (Klenke, 2011).

The visibility and acceptance of women in leadership has increased, yet women still do

not hold equal leadership representation within all areas of life. Roughly, 23% of university

presidents are female and less than 25% of full university professors are female, however

females make up almost 58% of all undergraduate college students (Borzelleca, 2012;

Brown, 2009). Daniel Goleman’s (1995) research in emotional intelligence and John

Elkington’s (1997) Triple Bottom Line publication reshaped elements of leadership,

therefore has influences women in leadership. Chapter II illustrates a comprehensive

literature review on women in leadership.

Kelan (2012) indicates six elements being critical in successful Leadership Development

programs. These elements subdivide into three categories, which were designed to

successfully support Leadership Development programs. These elements included

organizational culture, role models, authenticity, experiential learning, formal education, and

visibility. Kelan (2012) indicated learning and development programs should address all six

elements in order to properly prepare and develop leaders (Avolio & Gardener, 2005; Goffee

& Jones, 2005; Kilian, Hukai & McCarty, 2005; Ibarra, 2005; Ibarra, Carter & Silva, 2010;

Kelan, 2012; Van Gennep, 1960).

The six elements separate into three subcategories, which are social knowledge, self-

knowledge, and acquiring knowledge. Chapter II contains an in-depth literature review as

well as the theoretical rationale for the study of millennial women and Leadership

Development programs. Additional research in means to support the construction and

11
application of Kelan (2012) heuristic for developing millennials women as leaders is

included in chapter II.

Research Questions

Millennial women may have had different meanings to management and optimal career

paths when compared to men, women from other generations, and millennial women who

had not completed a Leadership Development program within the last three years. The

answers depict the level of influence Leadership Development programs have had on

millennial women. The ultimate purpose was to identify why millennial women are not

moving into leadership roles after completing Leadership Development programs. In order

to fulfill the purposes of the study, the following research questions (RQ) were asked:

RQ1. How do millennial women describe their optimal career path?

RQ2. Why do millennial women have a perceptual gap with values espoused by

management in current leadership development offerings in organizations?

RQ3. How can the perceptual gap between millennial women employees and

management be narrowed as to increase meaningful career pathways?

Overview of Research Design

The study used a qualitative descriptive cross-sectional study design to investigate the

perceptual gap as to the relevance of organizational learning and development solutions

among millennial women. The qualitative method examines how individuals see and

experience the world (Given, 2008). Quantitative research is systematic, objective,

deductive, and may be generalized to larger populations (Frankel & Wallen, 1996). The

qualitative method was best suited for this study because, as Garwood (2006) argues,

quantitative research does concentrate on social meanings and the ways in which the world is

12
socially constructed. Research studies could be quantitative, qualitative or both (Aaltio &

Heilmann, 2010). The object of study in the qualitative tradition involved a focus on one

company or the stages of an individual (Aaltio & Heilmann, 2010).

A descriptive study approach was appropriate for addressing the research questions

because the research approach investigated a focused and detailed phenomena (Tobin, 2010).

Participants were not directly observed therefore the study was better suited for a descriptive

study design. The descriptive study approach may promote further theory development

based on the descriptive theory which provided boundaries to the study (Tobin, 2010). Tobin

(2010), states, “descriptive studies as intensive or focused research” (p.289). A

methodological framework has been identified inclusive of a sampling strategy,

instrumentation, and a data analysis approach.

The target population for the study was millennial women who had completed a

Leadership Development program within the last three years. Broadbridge, Maxwell, and

Ogden (2007) define the millennial generation as individuals born between the years 1977 to

1994. In comparison, Zichuhr (2010) defines the millennial generation as individuals born

between the years 1977 to 1992. Strauss and Howe (1991) defines the millennial generation

as being born 1982 to 2004, which places these individuals at age 12 to 34 as of 2016. Based

on the Strauss and Howe (1991) definition, participants were born between the identified

years.

Participants were between the ages of 18 to 34 at the time of participation in the study.

The target population’s geographical boundary was nationwide. Originally, the self-report

survey was intended for one hundred participants who met the general participant criteria.

13
The exact number of participants who completed the survey was not determined until the

third party vendor administered the survey.

This determined the final decision on the exact number of participants. To obtain

sufficient amount of data, a minimum of ten replies were required. The size of the sample

was determined by the saturation (Saumure & Given, 2008).

A snowball sampling strategy was selected because the targeted population was isolated

and difficult to attract. The snowball sampling strategy was a technique used to gather

research subjects through the identification of an initial subject who used to provide the

names of other participants (Atkinson & Flint, 2004).

Descriptive studies seek to explore and explain a certain topic by providing additional

information (Kowalczyk, 2015). According to Kowalczk (2015), descriptive research “tries

to describe what is happening, fill in the parts and expand understanding” (p.2). This type of

research focuses on what and how of the study compared to other methods which focuses on

why (San Diego State University, 2015). Furthermore, Bickman and Rog (1998) suggest

experiments general address the why or how when descriptive research focuses on what is

and what was. Given the nature of the study, descriptive research was ideal.

There are two types of descriptive studies which are cross-sectional or longitudinal studies

(Jefferys, A. & Media, 2015). Longitudinal studies are designed to collect data over a

significant period of time (San Diego State University, 2015). In contrast, cross-sectional

studies are designed to collect data at one specific time. This study only collected data at one

specific time on a certain group of people therefore was better suited for a cross-sectional

design. The selection makes the study a qualitative descriptive cross- sectional study.

14
 Tobin (2010), states “descriptive studies seek to reveal patterns and connections, in

relation to theoretical constructs, in order to advance theory development” (p.289). The

descriptive study design provides information on about people, individual circumstances, and

environments (Descriptive Studies, 2001 & Given, 2007). Most importantly, this method

seeks to describe the relationship between all variables within the study.

There are three data collection method under the descriptive research design. These

include observations methods, case-study method, or survey method (Hale, 2011). The

observation method requires the researcher’s direct observation of participants. Since the

study population was isolated and difficult to attract, this method was not ideal. Hale (2011)

differentiates studies from observations based on the outcome of a testable hypotheses or the

opportunity to study a rare phenomenon.

In comparison, the survey method asked participants questions through the form of

interviews or questionnaires (Hale, 2011 & Given, 2007). From there, the researcher

describes the answers given. To successfully address the research questions of the study, the

survey method was selected.

Data sources for the study included a ten-question survey. The survey questions were

specifically designed to address the research questions and Statement of the Problem. Close-

ended and open-ended responses were included in the survey design. Each type of questions

had strengths and weaknesses. According to Jackson (2009), open-ended questions allow

participants to provide a greater variety of responses (p. 89). However, open-ended questions

can be difficult to analyze in a statistical manner. In comparison, closed-ended questions are

easy to analyze statistically, but seriously limit the responses that participants can give

15
(Jackson, 2009, p. 89). To strength the data, both types of questions were implemented into

the survey.

The survey was separated into three sections which were demographic, acknowledgment

and open-ended responses. The first three questions were demographic, the fourth question

was an acknowledgement of participation in a Leadership Development program, and the last

six questions inquired about participant’s optimal career path and meanings to women

leaders. The full survey may be viewed in Appendix A and additional information may be

referenced in chapter III.

The self-administered surveys method was selected for the study because it is one of the

two most common primary techniques used to collect data (Persaud, 2010). Survey Monkey,

a third party vendor, was used for participant recruitment, administering surveys and

collecting the data. The researcher contract Survey Monkey to recruit participants based on

the general criteria outlined in chapter III, which was provided to Survey Monkey by the

researcher.

For the data analysis phase, each time new findings became available, the research

protocol was activated, thus reflecting the intuitive nature of descriptive studies (Tobin,

2010). The data were analyzed by looking for trends and commonalities based on optimal

career path, meanings of management, and meanings of Leadership Development programs

in the interview responses and self-administered surveys. The Survey Monkey platform

offered a variety of tools designed to analyze the data.

For the study, the researcher used the trended data; text analysis and cross- tabulate

responses features. Each feature provided the opportunity for a detailed analysis. The

research design is carefully outlined in chapter III.

16
 Definition of Terms

To provide the framework for the study, selected terms were identified and receive

further conceptualized in chapter II. The following terms were used throughout the course of

the study. The terms were outlined to promote clarity within the research. Misunderstandings

can occur when definitions differ between the researcher and participants.

Gender: For the purposes of the study, gender was defined on a biological sexual

premise. This included male and female separation based on birth gender. Another definition

of gender focused on social construction, which magnifies masculine and feminine

characteristics within an individual’s self-identity. Biological and social constructions are

seen equally within society therefore carry the same level of importance for self-identify

(Fausto- Sterling, 2000). The study only used the biological sexual identification of

participants and not one’s social identification given the context of the study.

Generations: There are three definitions attached to generations, which include age,

cohort, and incumbency (Joshi, 2010). Using age to define generations was the most

commonly used method in research. There are four main titled generations based on the age

theory. These include Millennials, Generation X’s, Baby Boomers, and the Silent

generation. In both academic and practitioner research, the millennial generation has been

defined in altering year ranges. One definition of the millennial generation was individuals

born between 1977 and 1997 (Leadership Development for Millennials, 2013). Strauss and

Howe (1991) define the millennial generation as being born 1982 to 2004, which places these

individuals at age 12 to 34 as of 2016. The Strauss and Howe Generation Theory (1991) was

used in the study because of its U.S. focus. Other countries have differing definitions of

generations.

17
 Leadership: Bass and Bass (2008) identified that leadership is a universal phenomenon

(p. 3). Leadership is a process in an organizational context, which involves thinking,

planning, acting, and reflecting between oneself and others (Emory, 2014). Emony defines a

leader as a person who influences others to willfully act on an organizational vision (2014).

For the purpose of this study, Leadership Development programs were defined as

organizational offered learning to a group of employees who have been selected based on

demonstrated leadership characteristics. There are no industry standard for Leadership

Development programs, therefore an outlined definition aligned with the intent of the study

was stated. The attendees are individuals who are not in leadership positions. The program

encompasses learning topics designed to prepare and encourage employees to move into

leadership positions at the conclusion of the program. Such programs could include both

genders and all generations. For the purpose of this study, the duration of the program was a

minimum of three days and completed within the last three years. The timeframes were

designed to obtain information on such programs and the impact these programs have had on

meanings to management and optimal career paths.

Leadership Development Program: Include the process of training, assessment, and

feedback with the goal of instilling and enhancing desirable behavior in organizational

leaders.

Meaning of management: Is the perceptions attached to leadership position within an

organizational setting and the values these positions align with (American Society of

Training and Development, 2012a). This definition does not take into consideration the

individuals in leadership positions but the perception and values of the position itself.

However, a certain level of overlap occurred within this definition given that the individuals

18
in the positions are demonstrating the position’s values, therefore influencing the perception

of the position.

Optimal career path: Is an individual’s most desirable occupation and position. Within

this definition, considerations such as education level, past job experience, and skills are

measured to obtain a realistic optimal career path of participants. These factors are

considerations because each one could influence an individual’s optimal career path. For

example, a majority of college educated millennials are interested in working for a

corporation someday, and only a third feel corporations and big business should have less

influence in the U.S. than before (Bentley University, 2012).

To promote clarity in the study, the definitions for each term carefully selected to align

with the purpose of the research. These definitions served as a framework to the study and a

reference point during each stage of the research process. Additionally, such terms are

included in the survey to help provide understanding to participants regarding the survey

questions.

Assumptions and Limitations

All research has assumptions, limitations, and delimitations. A summary of the

assumptions, limitations, and delimitations is listed below and a thorough evaluation is

outlined in chapter III. Assumptions are key elements that defined the framework for the

study. These key elements clearly outlined what the understanding was of the researcher and

research prior to conducting the study. Limitations of a study supported the assumptions.

These limitations were used to guide these data parameters and state external factors.

Assumptions of the study included all participants having an interest in obtaining a

leadership position at the individual’s employer. Participants within the study had varying

19
education level. The participant survey communicated this information. Other varying

elements included industries and work experiences. Another assumption were that millennial

women who participate in the study do not substantially differ from the total population of

the millennial women in terms of the leadership development experiences, meanings of

management, and optimal career paths.

With all assumptions, certain factors were expected. The outlined assumptions were out

of the researcher’s span of control. Such factors surrounding the listed assumptions were that

participants answer the questions truthfully. This assumption was supported by the

confidentiality provided by using a third party vendor to collect the data. The researcher

assumed that participants answer truthfully because identities were unknown aside from

characteristics listed in chapter III.

Qualitative studies mainly have limitations that result from a restricted sample size,

sample selection, the techniques used for gathering data, and researcher bias (Bloomberg &

Volpe, 2012). Limitations of the study included the participant population being limited to

the Strauss and Howe (1991) definition of the millennial generation therefore only

encompasses one definition. The methodology outlined the use of the identification of

participants. This was a limitation since it only addressing on networking platform available

to millennial women. Gender was another limitation in the study. Only half of the millennial

generation population was considered.

Delimitations in the study included women participants ages 18 to 34 at the time of

participation in the study. All participants completed a Leadership Development program at

the participant’s employer within the last three years. Individuals who partook in the study

and the employers were located in the United States. Limited delimitations were outlined

20
because the population was isolated and difficult to attract. Each of the assumptions,

limitations, and delimitations are addressed in chapter III.

Summary

The focus of the study was on the exploration of millennial women’s experiences of

Leadership Development programs as to meanings of management and optimal career paths.

In this chapter, the General Statement and Statement of the Problem were introduced to

establish a foundation for the research. Both sections highlight concerns with millennial

employees completing Leadership Development programs and not moving into leadership

roles (Zeno Group, 2014).

The Purpose of the Study outlined the need for research and the Importance of the Study

explained the applicable of the research field to industry trends. Such sections cite that

millennial women need representation in all leadership capacities (Klenke, 2011). The

Conceptual Framework provided contexts to the research by exploring the existing literature

regarding the subject and related subjects of the study. Supporting the Conceptual

Framework are Generational Theory (Rotolo & Wilson, 2004), Strauss and Howe’s (1991)

millennial generation timeframes, and historical references of women and leadership.

A full in-depth literature review on relative research and theory is listed in chapter II to

help guide the context of the study’s framework. Three research questions were introduced

in additional to the overview of the research design, which was used to guide the study. A

qualitative, narrative research methodology was used to survey millennial women who had

completed a Leadership Development program in order to gather information on the

experiences, meanings of management, and optimal career paths. Stating the definition of

terms provided celerity around the focus of the research and decreased the opportunity for

21
misrepresentation. In summary, the study presented an understanding of millennial women’s

experiences, perceptions, and optimal career path, which may be useful for subsequent

research, theory design, and application of the findings in Leadership Development

programs.

22
 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

In undertaking a descriptive study in leadership development for millennial women,

several subjects were considered to construct a conceptual framework to guide the research.

The conceptual framework was critical in answering the research questions outlined in

chapter I. The purpose of chapter II was to provide an overall context of the conceptual

framework. The chapter begins with exploration into the Generational Theory. During this

exploration, differing generational year ranges are introduced.

Next, the chapter investigates the characteristics, values, and needs of the millennial

generation considering the Strauss and Howe’s definition of this population. Women in

leadership are in the third section in the chapter and highlights historical progression of

women in leadership roles, trends within industries, and future constraints regarding the

progression. Lastly, leadership development was examined on the six elements under the

Kelan’s Theory. These elements help identify characteristics within Leadership

Development programs that are affective in developing leaders. Reviewing the existing

literature provided the context and conceptual framework for the study.

Search Strategy

The strategy used to collect relevant literature on the topic was to leverage all resources

under the University of the Rockies library system. There were multiply databases under this

main resource. Databases used in collecting literature included ProQuest, EBSCOhost,

International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and Sage Journals Online.

Outside the school provided resources, other databases used included the Association of

Training and Development, the American Society of Training and Development, and Google

Scholar. Research firms were also an avenue to collect relative literature.

23
 The two main research firms used were Price Waterhouse Coopers and Pew Research

Center. ProQuest Dissertation and Theses databases were main resources used in identifying

empirical research that most closely resembles the study. Through dissertations published in

these databases, additional historical seminal studies and theorists became known, which are

included in chapter II.

Once in the selected database, the search strategy was based on the key words selected

for the topic. Certain requirements were listed in the search options to identify relative

research. These requirements included published within the last five years, peer reviewed

articles, and full text only. The five-year timeframe was most appropriate given the lack of

currency of publications. There was substantial research on millennial and leadership

separated topics but limited on the leadership development of millennial women focusing on

optimal career paths and meanings of management.

There had been important research on characteristics of the millennial generation but

limited research on women and leadership develop within this generation. The research that

had been published on the millennial generation and leadership had focused on how to lead

this employee population. In contrast, this study sought to research how to develop

millennial woman into leaders through organizational based Leadership Development

programs. Other considerations were to identify if other authors had cited the article, and if it

were a scholarly journal or dissertation.

The following terms were used when completing the literature review:

Generations, millennial generation, leadership, leaders, millennial leaders, millennial

leadership, women leaders, millennial women leaders, women leadership development,

24
millennial leadership development, career path, careers, management, perceptions,

leadership development programs

Generational Theory

Generational Theory explores the age of individuals in relation to their attitudes and

behaviors (Rotolo & Wilson, 2004). This separation of age in society has had a lasting

presence within culture. The concept of generations goes back thousands of years. There are

three definitions attached to generations, which include age, cohort, and incumbency (Joshi,

2010). For the purpose of this study, the age definition was used and is supported by the

Generational Theory. According to Marias (1970) it is not until recently that this area has

been explored in research.

Each generation has a different set of characteristics that influence the role of leadership

in the workplace (Apostolidis & Polifroni, 2006). Researchers have tried to explain

generational characteristics differences by citing events that have occurred during the

generation’s upbringing. Such national events have an impact on society members include

the youth. Examples of national events would include President Kennedy’s assassination,

transitions in popular music, school shootings, and political changes in the government. All

elements of society have shaped citizen’s character.

Under the Generational Theory, these events influence characteristics within age ranges

therefore creating a generation. Rotolo and Wilson (2004) cite that the validity of

generational research was questionable because of unjustified branding based on an

individual’s birth year. The concept of generations is not new but the research to support the

concept is still being developed. The study’s contributes to the Generational Theory can be

viewed in chapter V.

25
 The History of the Generational Theory

At one time, the standard measurement of cosmic time was generations and not years

(Strauss & Howe, 1991). The concept of generations can be traced back to Indo – European

languages thus demonstrating the history is vast in theory but limited in research given the

peak in interest. Greven publication of Generations: Populations, Land and Family in

Colonia Andover, Massachusetts book in 1970, look at the historical records of a town. The

book separated out the progression of the town and the citizens based on cohorts.

Greven, being a historian, identify trends within generational cohorts considering age.

This identification carries throughout Greven’s publications on other historical periods. This

was one of the first accounts of generational age research.

As a foundational step in the research of generations, Strauss and Howe (1991) book

Generations clearly defined and depicted generational creation and adoption within society.

Within the book, four generational types were outlined. These four types of generations are

based on the generation lifecycle (Strauss & Howe, 1991). Strauss and Howe acknowledge

that events are influential in generational characteristics but based on the lifecycle of

generations and the four types, the influence does not stop in adulthood. There are influences

that shape generational characteristics throughout the generation’s lifespan. The four

generational types are an idealist generation, a reactive generation, a civic, and an adaptive

generation.

Below are the Strauss and Howe’s (1991) definitions for each generational type:

Idealist Generation- Encounters a spiritual awaking entering rising adulthood and a

secular crisis entering elder hood.

Reactive Generation- Encounters a spiritual awaking entering youth and a secular

crisis entering midlife.

26
 Civic Generation- Encounters a secular crisis entering adulthood and a spiritual
awaking entering elder hood.

Adaptive Generation- Encounters a secular crisis entering youth and a spiritual

awaking entering midlife.

The three definitions of generation have affected the research attempts in the field.

Greven’s research took into consideration age but the primary focus was cohort. In

comparison, Strauss and Howe focused the research on age and the events that took place

during the generation’s lifespan. For each study, the generation takes on a different

definition. Howe and Strauss (1991) state that generation are not typically noticed until 15-

20 years after a new generation begins.

Different Generations

There are not universal year definitions for each generation. In academic and

practitioner research, overlap in years defining a generation has been observed. In this

section, each of the four generations ware defined with year ranges, characteristics, historical

events, and values. Having a clear understanding of all four generations helped separate

participants for the study.

Silent Generation

The Silent Generation includes individuals born between 1925-1945 (American Society

of Training and Development, 2012b). Differing year ranges are 1922- 1943. This

generation has been referred to as the GI generation or the Veteran generation. This

generation population would be between age 91 and 71 as of 2016.

Individuals from the Silent Generation are known for being hard workers and being loyal

to employers therefore staying with the same employer for many years (Zemke, Raines, &

Filipczak, 2000). Most of this population either has retired or will be retiring in the next five

27
to ten years. Given the age of this group, values include healthcare and stability (Zemke,

Raines, & Filipczak, 2000). Research published by Pew Research Center (2011) states the

majority of the Silent Generation vote Republican. Respect is something these individuals

value and may create conflict with other generations who do not value the same (Zemke,

Raines, & Filipczak, 2000).

Being born prior to World War II has influenced this generation’s characteristics. Other

historical events that influenced this generation include the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor,

and D-Day. As mentioned before, transitions in music norms also shapes the generation.

Duke Ellington and Stan Herman are musical staples of this generation.

Baby Boomers

The Baby Boomer generation consists of individuals born between 1946-1964

(American Society of Training and Development, 2012a). Differing year ranges are 1943-

1960. Not to be compared to the past generation, this group seeks to stand out from the rest

in all areas of life. References attached to this generation are don’t trust anyone over the age

of 30 and hell no, we won’t go. Since the ages within the population range between 70 and

52, well over 30, the reference is not valid but the perception still remains.

Many national events shaped Baby Boomer perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Such

events that influenced this generation include Vietnam War, Moon Landing, and Woodstock.

Passion, equality, humanity and fairness are all elements this group values (Zemke, Raines,

& Filipczak, 2000). This group has redefined what it means to be old with their success,

energy, and enthusiasm in all areas of life.

28
 Each generation impacts the next generation’s characteristics. The Baby Boomers created

the world Generation X grew up in. This transition links each generation together in some

way.

Generation X

The Generation X includes individuals born between 1965-1976 (American Society of

Training and Development, 2012a; Zickuhr, 2010). Differing year ranges are 1960- 1980.

Xer’s, as referred to, are comfortable with change, embrace feedback and value flexibility

(Zemke, Raines, & Filipczak, 2000). This generation may be difficult to work with based on

the dislike of close management given the value on flexibility. This generation has been

described as deeply segmented and fragmented, (Zemke, Raines, & Filipczak, 2000).

Historical events that shaped Generation X character included the first personal

computer being released and Civil Rights including women’s rights. According to Zickuhr

(2010), 19% of the US population makes up the Generation X. Considerably smaller than

other generations such as millennials or Baby Boomers. Generation X has had a difficult

time fully defining themselves as an individual generation, which contributed to the level of

media exposure this generation has had on comparison to others (Pew, 2012).

Millennial Generation

The millennial generation’s career aspirations, attitudes about work, and knowledge of

new technologies will define the culture of the 21st century workplace (PWC, 2011). This

generation is comprised of individuals born between 1977 - 1997 (American Society of

Training and Development, 2012a). Differing year ranges are 1980 – 2000. For the purposes

of this study, the Strauss and Howe millennial generation definition was used which is 1982-

2004. Other names for this generation include Generation Next and Generation Y.

29
 The millennial generation was raised with technology, which is something that is

contrastingly different from other generations. The rapid changes in technology have greatly

influences how this generation obtain and access information, thus changing priorities and

values. These individuals are optimistic; value flexibility and have a limited trust for

authority (Zemke, Raines, & Filipczak, 2000).

Research published by PwC (2011), showed this generation values career progression,

competitive compensation, and training and development program when looking at

employers. This group does not just want to work for financial reward, compared to

Generation X, but seeks to find passion and purpose in their work (PwC, 2011). The

millennial generation seeks to connect with a chosen occupation.

Historical events that have influenced the millennial group include the President Clinton

scandal, Oklahoma City booming and Death of Princess Diana. Research conducted by PwC

(2011) indicates 54% of millennial expect to have 2-5 employers over the lifetime of their

career. Executives struggle with engaging, training, and keeping these employees based on

their generational characteristics (American Society of Training and Development, 2012b;

McKinsey, 2014d).

This study specifically focused on the millennial generation. However, understanding

how the millennial generation differs from other generations, such as Generation X or the

Baby Boomers generation helped the researcher address the research questions outlined in

chapter III. Having a clear understanding of millennial generation characteristics and factors

that have contributed to these characteristics, was critical to the study given the focus on

millennial women who had completed a Leadership Development program. To support this

understanding, an evaluation into women in leadership roles was required.

30
 Women in Leadership

Women have always held a place in society; however, the placement has change

dramatically over the last hundred years. More than ever, women have the right and

opportunity to fulfill leadership roles in all areas of society. To understand the needs of

millennial women entering into leadership positions, one must explore the past as it relates to

women in leadership positions.

History of Women in Leadership

History has set both good and bad examples of women in leadership. The history of

women in leadership positions has been influences by politics, social norms, educational

inequality, and historical standards. Klenke (2011) highlights women leaders on a global

scale mentioning the leadership of Queen Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Arsinoe II, and Cleopatra.

The Middle Ages illustrated women leaders such as Joan of Arc, Elizabeth of England,

and Isabella I of Span (Klenke, 2011). Additional women role models include Eleanor

Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, and Rosa Parks. Each one of these women contributed to the

perceptions, expectations, and overall equality.

With such strong examples of women in leadership in place, one would think women

have equal representation within leadership in all areas of life. The concept that women will

in time, progress to reach equal representation in leadership roles argued by some (Kelan,

2012). This concept has been based on the higher number of women awarded college

degrees and increase in equalization in employee populations (OECD, 2012). The fact that

women are underrepresented within leadership positions in all areas of society is

unquestionable (McKinsey, 2007a; McKinsey, 2013c; Pew Research Center, 2015). The lack

of representation has influenced multiple elements in society.

31
Influences on Leadership

The role of women in leadership and overall acceptance of the concept has greatly

progressed in the last 40 years (Klenke, 2011). Women are not the only ones who have

contributed to this shift, men played a substation part. The concept of leadership has

changed alongside the adoption of women in leadership roles. In 1985, Dr. Bar-On introduce

the term EQ, which stands for Emotional Quotient (Bar-On, 2015). Dr. Bar-On created the

Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory™ (the EQ-i™) during this time, which was the first

test of emotional intelligence to be published by a psychological test publisher (Bar-On,

2015).

The Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventor y™ (the EQ-i™) was the first test of

emotional intelligence to be peer-reviewed in the Buros Mental Measurement Yearbook

(Bar-On, 2015). Goleman introduced the notion of emotional intelligence in the workplace

in 1995. This idea influenced the business perception that employees are people and high

emotional intelligence contributes to good leadership. Goleman (1995) indicated that gender

was not a consideration for good leadership.

In the The Triple Bottom Line published in 1998 by John Elkington, social and global

responsibilities were highlighted as good leadership strategy and have contributed to the

reshaping of leadership and business responsibilities. Examples derived from Levi Strauss,

Volkswagen, Texaco, Intel, Volvo, and Dow Chemical (Elkington, 1998). These two

theories influence a greater change in leadership definitions, responsibilities, expectations,

and norms. Women are able to embrace leadership positions more than ever before in United

States history in the last 40 years based on such changes in the overall context of leadership.

Despite these advances, women continue to encounter challenges in becoming leaders.

32
Employment Statutory Code of Practice

As mentioned, women’s placement in leadership has greatly changed and continues to

change in the world. Many standards are in place and upheld by law to mandate equal

opportunity for both men and women in the workplace. Employers are familiar with such

expectations regulated by law. These are many resources available to help navigate such

laws for both employers and employees.

The Employment Statutory Code of Practice (2010) explores and set expectations to

prevent discrimination because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil

partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. It

highlights equal rights for all no matter gender but outline the additional rights for pregnant

women and for women after pregnancy. This period is referred to as a protected periods,

which allows for additional protection given the situation of the women. It clearly outlined

the expectation of equal pay between genders.

The Act gives women and men the right to equal pay for equal work (Employment

Statutory Code of Practice, 2010). Additional rights mentioned include breastfeeding and

maternity leave. The Employment Statutory Code of Practice (2010) provided employers

with guidelines and expectations to lawfully support the employees no matter the employee’s

gender.

Challenges for Women Leaders

The glass ceiling, glass elevator, and the glass walls, are all terms used to describe

women in relation to leadership (Klenke, 2011). Research conducted by Bentley University

(2012) disclosed that both men and women agree that the concepts of the glass ceiling, glass

elevator, and the glass walls all still exists. The glass ceiling refers to the invisible obstacles

33
women face when trying to move into leadership roles (Bentley University, 2012; Klenke,

2011). The concept is based on obstacles that are not discussed openly but are visible in the

lack of representation of women in leadership.

The term glass elevator used to describe the promotional requirements for women

compared to men and the timeframes attached to the progression. The requirements for

promotion, expectations, and progression differ between men and women. The glass walls is

a term used to describe women in leadership executive positions. The concept implies that

women, who reach such leadership levels, continue to be challenged by male colleagues for

equality. It also encompasses the ideals that women maybe promoted for alternative reasons,

such as to show representation within leadership however, equality is not present within the

leadership team.

The glass cliff is another challenge many women face. Unlike the glass ceiling, glass

elevator, and the glass walls challenges already mentioned. The glass cliff occurs when an

organization is struggling and a woman is promoted to a senior leadership position to redirect

the organization (Kanter, 1977). The high-risk situation the woman being placed in could

result in a successful outcome or a failure. Many elements in the situation could easily

determine the outcome with little influence from the new leader.

The high- risk explains the glass cliff term used to describe the situation (Ryan &

Haslam, 2005). All of the glass concepts are all changes Human Resource executives

struggle with (Bentley University, 2012; Klenke, 2011; McKinsey, 2012b). None of the

terms discussed are positive encounters for women both within and outside leadership roles.

This contributes to the multiple challenges women face when making the decision to take on

a leadership role.

34
UC Davis Study of California Women Business Leaders

A closer look into the challenges women face in moving up the leadership ladder reveals

a substantial lack of women role models. Over the last nine years, the UC Davis Graduate

School of Management has been tracking women business leaders in the state of California.

Though the data is based in California, it is a clear depiction of the lack of representation

women have in leadership across the country, thus a lack of role models for other women to

follow.

According to the UC Davis study, (2012-2013) women only hold 9.9% of board seats

and highest paid executive positions in the 400 largest public companies in California.

Within this surveyed population 44.8%, almost half, have no women directors and only

33.8% have one women director (UC Davis Graduate School of Management, 2012-2013).

The study did indicate the industry, company size, and locate contributes to the

representation of women in leadership roles.

Consumer good and the healthcare sectors both had higher than average women

representation in leadership however; significantly lower than men’s representation for the

same positions. The study further indicated 63.3% of the 400 companies surveyed have no

women among the highest paid executives (UC Davis Graduate School of Management,

2012-2013). The findings illustrated the lack of role models for women who aspire to move

into leadership roles.

Effectiveness of Women Leaders

One would question the effectiveness of women in leadership positions based on the

underrepresentation discussed in prior sections. To address the effectiveness of women

leaders, the Zenger-Folkman’s research on 7,280 leaders is introduced. Zenger-Folkman has

35
been described as the authority in strengths-based leadership development and uses 16

competencies to measure one’s effectiveness in leadership (Zenger-Folkman, 2012).

One main consideration within the study was participant’s positions, which were

categorized into six options ranging from executive level to front line managers. The

participant’s functional area was also considered. There were 16 different options including

Marketing, Product Development, and Engineering. The research showed that gender was a

contributor to overall leadership effectiveness. In all positions, women scored higher in

overall leadership effectiveness then men.

Interestingly, the percentile gap increased along with the position being that women

scored 9% higher in overall leadership effectiveness than men within the executive category

(Zenger-Folkman, 2012). Regarding functional area, the research showed out of the 15

functions listed, women rated more positively compared to men in 12. However, Zenger-

Folkman (2012) indicated the largest gaps were in functions that tended to be male

dominated such as sales, product development, legal, engineering, IT, research, and

development. The overall results illustrated the effectiveness women may have given the

opportunity to be leaders.

Women as Political Leaders

Women have served in leadership roles in all areas of life. As mentioned previously,

there is underrepresentation in these areas however, some women have been able to break

through the glass ceiling and reach high levels of leadership. One would think the political

arena would illustrate a higher level of representation given equality legalities.

The public ranks women superior to men in areas of honesty, intelligence,

compassionate, and hardworking, which are all factors the public looks for in political

36
leaders according to the Pew Research Center Social and Demographic Trends survey

(2008). Considering these factors of importance to the public, women should see equal

representation within political leadership. Yet only 6% of respondents in this survey of 2,250

say that women make better political leaders than men (Pew Research Center, 2008). This

contradicts the characteristics indicated before. If women have the character that

demonstrates strong leadership abilities when compartmentalized and separated from gender,

women should not have underrepresented in the political arena.

The study supports Zenger-Folkman’s (2012) findings that women rate equal or higher

than men do in leadership traits. On 7 of 8 leadership traits measured in the Pew Research

Center Social and Demographic Trends survey (2008), the public rated women either better

than or equal to men. The public agreed that women have the traits to be successful political

leaders. One must question why women are underrepresentation still is prevalent in this

sector.

Underrepresented by Choice

Research suggests that millennial women may not be interested in moving into

leadership positions, which could explain the lack of women representation within leadership

roles. The Zeno Group (2014) conducted a survey of 1000 millennial women ages 21 to 33

years old, focusing on leadership ambitions. The result showed that only 15% of the

participants indicated they have an interest to lead a large or predominate organization (Zeno

Group, 2014). These findings suggest that the majority of millennial women are uninterested

in moving into leadership positions. According to the study, millennial women are unwilling

to make the personal scarifies perceive to be attached to leadership roles.

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 The Zeno Group (2014) survey showed a staggering 90% of participants indicated that

men make less personal scarifies then women when in leadership positions (Zeno Group,

2014). The research also indicated that 49% of millennial women said the sacrifices of

women leaders were not worth the rewards of the job and 76% communicated concerns with

work life balance if in a leadership role. Given the characteristics of millennial women, these

scarifies are hindering the willingness to become leaders.

The Millennials in the Workplace (2012) publication by Bentley University strengthens

Zeno Groups findings. When it comes to the millennial generation’s long-term aspirations

and expectations, personal values outweigh the need for professional accolades (Bentley

University, 2012). Making a difference in the world ranked higher in value compared to

professional recognition (Bentley University, 2012). However, this does not mean the

millennial generation is not interested in working for a corporation. Interestingly, 72% of

millennial respondents would be somewhat or very interested in working for a corporation or

big business someday (Bentley University, 2012).

The work life balance is apparently critical to the millennial generation since the

personal values outweigh professional success yet; a majority seeks to establish themselves

in big business. Respondents communicated flexibility as a key element in fulfilling both

personal aspirations and career goals, especially among women (Bentley University, 2012).

To support such flexibility, a nontraditional career path is appealing to the millennial

generation, according to the study. This could include nontraditional working hours or

location to accommodate and support the generation’s need to balance both personal and

professional aspirations.

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 To establish and continue a balance between the two areas, sacrifices are required. The

Zeno Group’s research revealed that millennial women are unwilling to make the personal

scarifies perceive to be attached to leadership roles (Zeno Group, 2014). The Millennials in

the Workplace (2012) publication exposed that in general, millennials will make sacrifices

that impact personal lives to achieve career success, but parenthood and age decrease

willingness to do so (Bentley University, 2012). The same study states that women are less

willing than men to make personal sacrifices to achieve professional success. Millennial

women continue to contribute to underrepresentation in leadership roles by choice (Bentley

University, 2012; Zeno Group, 2014).

The perception of women in leadership roles could be influencing the underrepresented

by choice concerns. Women business leaders are perceived as compromising authenticity

and family life to achieve success (Bentley University, 2012). These are highly valued

among the millennial generation. The growing concern is that the views of women’s

leadership signal a challenge to businesses that wish to retain and promote the women of this

generation in coming years (Bentley University, 2012). It is clear that millennial women are

hesitate to go into leadership roles and women leaders are possibly unknowingly hindering

equal representation efforts.

Notably, only 20 % of millennial women hope to emulate the career path of at least one

woman in leadership within the organization (Bentley University, 2012). This is concerning

since millennials are becoming more dominate in the workplace therefore should be fulfilling

leadership roles. According to the study, the vast majority of millennial women in the

workplace do not see women leaders as role model (Kelan, 2012). This continues to

perpetuate the growing concerns of a lack of women in leadership roles.

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 Millennial Women Characteristics

Women millennials matter because they are more highly educated and are entering the

workforce in larger numbers than any of their previous generations (PwC, 2014). According

to a study by PwC (2014), women make up 40% of the global workforce. Of the 64,421,000

women 25 years of age and older participating in the labor force in 2013, 12.7% had an

associate’s degree, and 37.8% had a bachelor’s degree or higher (United States Department

of Labor, 2014). This means a little over 50% of the women workforce holds a college

degree. Millennial women are effective leaders, highly education, and hold a substantial

presence in the workforce but have shown hesitation to move into leadership roles. One must

ask where millennial women are going.

One factor to consider was compensation. On average, according to the United States

Department of Labor (2014) women make .79 cents for every dollar a man makes.

Competitive wages and other financial incentives ranked number two in importance when

considering employers by the millennial generation (PwC, 2011). Millennial look for

employers who value equality and diversity within the organization however, the

Millennial’s at Work survey conducted by PwC (2011) indicates that 55% of respondents

believe organizations talk about diversity but do not feel opportunities are really equal for all.

Gender bias was a topic explored in the Millennial’s at Work survey (PwC, 2011).

Results showed 51% of millennial women who responded to the survey felt they could not

reach top leadership within their organization (PwC, 2011). The same survey showed

millennial women value work life balance and flexible schedules over financial

compensation. Other factors that are specific to this generation was the constant need for

feedback from management and the personal connect to one’s line of work. These

40
characteristics differ from other generations that look at a job for only financial and stability

reasons.

Leadership Development

For the purposes of this study, leadership was a process in an organizational context,

which involves thinking, planning, acting, and reflecting between oneself and others (Emory,

2014). Leadership development includes the process of training, assessment, and feedback

with the goal of instilling and enhancing desirable behavior in organizational leaders.

Many organizations invest into Leadership Development programs to prepare the next

generation of organizational leaders. The contents of these programs include elements such

as organizational culture, role models, authenticity, experiential learning, formal education,

and visibility. From these elements, specialized training has been created to support certain

employee populations such as millennial women.

Specialized Training

Excellent training and development programs are the third most important feature of an

employer to the millennial generation (PwC, 2011). Millennials are continual learners and

want to constantly grow and develop. A survey of 500 executives indicated two thirds

believed the number one business concern is leadership development for their company

(McKinsey, 2014d). Millennials needs specialized leadership development training based on

the different characteristics of this generation. As stated previously, this generation is greatly

different in behaviors, attitudes, goals, and almost all others areas; therefore historical

training programs do not align with the needs of this generation.

In a study conducting by the American Society of Training and Development titled

Leadership Development for Millennials (2012b), well over one half believe the this

41
generation requires specialized Leadership Development programs but only 15% reported

that their companies offer such programs. In the same study, 66 % of millennials agreed

specialized Leadership Development programs are needed (American Society of Training

and Development, 2012b). The need is there for specialized Leadership Development

programs for this increasingly dominate employee population.

Kelan (2012) identified six elements that are critical to leadership development. These

elements derived from literature around leadership development concepts, practices, and

theories. Certain literature references include Leadership Development – A Review in

Context (Day, 2000), Integrating Leadership Development and Succession Planning Best

Practices (Groves, 2007), and Women’s Leadership Development Strategic Practices for

Women and Organizations (Hopkins, 2008). The six elements outlined by Kelan (2012) are

organizational culture, role models, authenticity, experiential learning, formal education, and

visibility.

The six elements are categorized into social knowledge, self-knowledge, and acquiring

knowledge. These elements were selected for investigation because it provided insight as to

why millennial women are not moving into leadership positions based on the lack of

Leadership Development programs that align with the generational characteristics. The

perceptual gap between millennial women and management were considered based on the six

elements as related to the meanings of management and optimal career paths.

Summary

Each generation has a unique influence on the workplace and the millennial generation is

actively reshaping the workplace into the workplace of tomorrow. Unnamed generations to

come, will work within the new norms shaped by the generations. As time passes, one would

42
assume millennial women would obtain equal representation within leadership roles in all

areas of society. History has shown progress in this area but as noted, more progress is

required. To help support this effort, Leadership Development programs need to assist in the

preparation for this employee population.

Leadership Development programs may not support the specific needs of millennial

women based on the different characteristics research has identified. To date, foundational

research in the field includes Bentley University Millennial Women and Workplace

Transformation (2014), the American Society of Training and Development focusing on

leadership development for millennials (2012b), and McKinsey & Company’s research on

Why Women Matter (2007a) and Female Leadership - A Competitive Edge for the Future

(2013c). Other contributing research included Pew Research Center efforts with Millennials:

A Portrait of Generation Next (2010) and Social and Demographic Trends Survey; Men or

Women: Who’s the Better Leader, A Paradox in Public Attitudes (2008). Price Waterhouse

Coopers is another leader in research on the millennial generation with contributions

included Millennials at work- Reshaping the Workforce (2011) and Next Generation

Diversity: Developing Tomorrow’s Female Leaders (2014). These efforts have built the

foundation for this study.

Research in the field of Leadership Development programs for millennial women does

not focus on optimal career paths or meanings to management. When exploring the history

of women in leadership, it is clear women have the right and opportunity to establish equal

representation. As the literature has shown, additional research was needed in exploring the

perceptual gap to the meanings of management and optimal career paths. By doing so, a

better understanding to why women are not moving into leadership positions was obtained.

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This information may be used for future research in designing a Leadership Development

program that meets the needs of this specific and critical employee population.

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 CHAPTER III: METHOD

In order to determine millennial women’s optimal career paths and meanings of women

leaders, a qualitative descriptive cross- sectional study was conducted. The purpose of this

chapter is to reiterate the research questions listed in chapter I and clearly define the research

design. Within this chapter, the methodology is described, along with the study population,

and procedures followed. The validity of the research method selected was explored based

on the study’s trustworthiness and ethical concerns surrounding the research. The final

section of this chapter focuses on instrumentation, the data collection using the selected

instruments, data analysis, quality of the instrumentation and summary.

The method of inquiry used to answer the research questions was qualitative. The

qualitative method examines how individuals see and experience the world (Given, 2008;

Glesne, 2010; Merriam, 2010). Qualitative research may provide a general understanding of

an area of interest by analyzing a group of individuals and looking for standardized answers

within the collected data (Kelan, 2012).

The Statement of Problem outlined in chapter I supports the selection of a qualitative

approach. This approach was suitable for the study because the focus of the research is

measuring millennial women’s optimal career paths and meanings to women leaders after

completing a Leadership Development program thus, how individuals see the world after

completing such programs. Based on Given’s (2008) definition of qualitative research and

the focus of the study constructed around the Statement of Problem, the qualitative

methodology was the logical selection. Moreover, the research questions derived from the

Statement of Problem are qualitative in nature.

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 Method of Inquiry

Other methodologies could have been selected for the study, but may not clearly answer

the research questions given the descriptive nature of the problem. Other methods included

quantitative and the mixed method approaches. Garwood (2006) argues that quantitative

research does not focus on social meanings and the ways in which the world is socially

constructed therefore the qualitative method is more suited for the study. Quantitative

research is systematic, objective, deductive, and may be generalized to larger populations

(Frankel & Wallen, 1996; Given, 2008; Kelan, 2012).

Research involving the collection of data such as durations, scores, counts of incidents,

ratings, or scales is quantitative research (Garwood, 2006). Since this study did not focus on

numerical data points, the quantitative approach does not support the research questions.

Quantitative research produces ‘facts’ about the world and behavior (Garwood, 2006). The

nature of the research was more descriptive compared to fact focused. Given the differences

between qualitative and quantitative research, a mixed methods was not ideal.

Methodology Selection

A descriptive study design was the specific research methodology chosen to address the

research questions. A descriptive study approach was appropriate for addressing the research

purposed, because this research approach is intended to describe or explain relationships

among people, situations, and events (Descriptive Studies, 2001). Jefferys and Media (2015)

suggest descriptive studies seek to describe what is going on or what exists. The descriptive

nature of investigation with the selected research method directly correlates to the research

questions based on the Statement of the Problem.

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 Bickman & Rog (1989) define the purpose of a descriptive study as one that has an

isolated variables, comparing two variables or exploring the relationship between two

identified variables. A descriptive study was the foundational step to launch additional

research. Thomlison (2001) stated, “understanding what it is that needs to be studied assists

in creating theories and hypotheses for future research” (Descriptive Studies, p.131). This

type of research is implemented as a preliminary step of an overall causal or explanatory

research design exploring a relatively new field (Streb, 2010; Woiceshyn, 2010; Yin, 2009).

There are many possible outcomes to descriptive studies including exploring and

describing people, circumstances and one’s environment (Descriptive Studies, 2001 & Hale,

2011). Moreover, this type of research may potentially explain causal relationships within

certain areas of interest and used as a foundation to develop theory (Harder, 2010).

Descriptive studies begin with what question into a group of individuals (Descriptive Studies,

2001 & Hale, 2011).

The purposed research was intended to explore why millennial women are not moving

into leadership positions after completing Leadership Development programs. The first step

in doing so is to isolate the description of this population as it relates to leadership

development programs. Once what questions are answered with a qualitative descriptive

cross-sectional study, further exploration can take place into the why questions.

Measuring the impact of Leadership Development programs for millennial women as to

their optimal career paths and meanings of women leaders, was not established in research.

The research designed was to fulfil the preliminary step in the relatively new field. To do so,

a descriptive study was ideal because of the lack of research conducted on the association

between leadership development programs and millennial women.

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 Other possible choices would have been less effective because the foundational

information in the field is lacking. Many of other methodology options require a baseline of

research in the field to establish the contributions for new research, thus a comparison of

data. Since the data are limited in the field of the research, other possible choices would not

have fulfilled the research questions and addressed the Statement of the Problem. Hence, the

selection of a descriptive study method.

Research Questions

Each of the research questions below supported the Statement of Problem presented in

chapter I. Millennial women may have had different optimal career paths and meanings of

women in leadership positions after completing a Leadership Development program. The

magnitude of the problem was illustrated in the McKinsey Quarterly (2014d) research. This

research revealed that out of 500 executives, two--thirds stated leadership development were

top priority (McKinsey, 2014d).

The Leadership Development Factbook (2012) reports an increase in corporate

investments into Leadership Development programs (Laci & O’Leonard, 2012). However,

the return on investment was low for such investments with the considerations of company

time, training expenditures, hiring cost, and management time allocation (Lynch, 2008).

Measuring this possible difference may illustrate the success and deficiencies within such

programs.

In addition, the data collected in this study may have depicted the level of influence

Leadership Development programs have on millennial women’s ambitions to move into

leadership positions. The research purpose was to identify why millennial women are not

48
moving into leadership roles after completing Leadership Development programs. In order

to fulfill the purpose of this study, the following research questions (RQ) were asked:

RQ1. How do millennial women describe their optimal career path?

RQ2. Why do millennial women have a perceptual gap with values espoused by

management in current leadership development offerings in organizations?

RQ3. How can the perceptual gap between millennial women employees and

management be narrowed as to increase meaningful career pathways?

Role of the Researcher

The researcher took a limited role in the procedure to collect the data in order to

minimize bias through the methodological approach. Hale (2011) states a lack of rigor and

potential for bias are concerns with descriptive studies because the role of the researcher. To

decrease the potential for bias, the researcher’s role was to supply the survey questions,

number of participants and participant criteria to SurveyMonkey, a third party vendor.

Permission to conduct research using SurveyMonkey can be viewed in Appendix C. Aside

from this communication, the researcher had no influence over participant selection.

Participants in the survey were completely anonymous to the researcher by utilizing a

third party vendor who identified and recruited participants for the study. SurveyMonkey,

the third party vendor, protect the participant’s information. Details to this protect are

outlined in the Ethical Concerns section of this chapter. As participants completed the self-

reported survey and the third party vendor collected data, individual data were placed in the

vendor supplied housing system. The researcher only was able to view the data collected

within the vendor’s system and no identifying information.

49
 SurveyMonkey, the third party vendor, treated the survey questions and responses as

information that was private to the individual who has access to the account with secure

username and password login information (SurveyMonkey, 2015). For the purposes of this

study, the only individual who had access was the researcher. The policy used is in

accordance with SurveyMonkey’s Privacy Policy and Security Statement available to all

participants and researchers. The TRUSTe Privacy Seal signifying that this privacy policy

and privacy practices are being upheld within the SurveyMonkey accounts (SurveyMonkey,

2015).

Participants

The general population criterion included age, location, gender, income, employment,

job level, and SurveyMonkey approval to be a surveyor. The target general population for

the study was millennial women. Strauss and Howe (1991) define the millennial generation

as individuals born between 1982 to 2004. For the purposes of this study, the Strauss and

Howe millennial generation definition was used. Participants were ages 18 to 34 at the time

of completing the survey. The target population’s geographical boundary was within the

United States.

Additional general criteria included females, employed full time, and job level falls

within entry level, intermediate, or middle management. An implied criterion was that the

individuals had passed the vendor’s screening process to have been approved to complete

surveys. This approval process requires the individual to complete a self-reported

questionnaire provided by SurveyMonkey. This questionnaire allowed the vendor,

SurveyMonkey, to align the participations characteristics to possible research.

50
 For example, in this study the target population was women between the ages of 18 to 34

years old. The vendor’s screening process questionnaire ask gathers gender and age

information to successfully match the individual with possible research. The researcher

provided the vendor with such parameters to than identify participants.

The specific population criteria was individuals who self-reportedly successfully

completed a Leadership Development program, as defined in chapter I under definition of

terms, prior to participating in the study. The Leadership Development program completed

must have included the process of training, assessment, and feedback with the goal of

instilling and enhancing desirable behavior in organizational managers. The minimum

duration of the completed Leadership Development program was three full days or twenty-

four hours of instruction within one program. The duration was a criterion to ensure

participants have had the opportunity to be influenced by the Leadership Development

program experience.

The completed Leadership Development program was within the past three years at the

participant’s current or a previous employer. This was a requirement to validate that these

data collected was based on Leadership Development programs. The study obtained the

following demographic information: age, gender, education level, and tenure in position.

SurveyMonkey offers selection options of race, language, marital status, parental status,

religion, and sexual orientation when selecting the study population. The ones that used

include females, employed full time, and job level falls within entry level, intermediate, or

middle management.

The characteristics of the sample population align with the general population because

the millennial generation will continue to fulfill leadership positions within organizations.

51
The sample population encompassed individuals who had completed a Leadership

Development programs therefore have some level of awareness regarding leadership roles

and the transition into such roles in moving into a leadership role.

Sampling Approach

A snowball sampling strategy was used because the targeted population is isolated and

difficult to attract. The snowball sampling strategy was a technique used to gather research

subjects through the identification of an initial subject who was used to provide the names of

other participants (Atkinson & Flint, 2004). In this study, the researcher did not have access

to the names of participants to protect against researcher bias. Instead of an individual

participant, SurveyMonkey was used as the first subject who then identify other participants

under the snowball sampling strategy. Given the specification of participant criteria and

anonymous factor, obtaining a third party provider was suitable.

Descriptive studies can have multiple sources to collect data such as observations, case

study or survey method. Since the population was isolated and difficult to attract, one

collection method was used. Alternative sources used in the study could have included direct

observation, interviews, archival records, documents, and participant-observation and

physical artifacts. By using a third party vendor, alternative sources to collect data are

unavailable to the researcher do to participant confidentiality. Participant identities were

concealed not allowing for direct observation, interviews, and participant-observation.

The size of the sample was determined by the saturation (Saumure & Given, 2008). The

self-report survey was intended to be sent to one hundred participants who meet the general

participant criteria. The exact number of participants who complete the survey was not

determined until the third party vendor who administered the survey.

52
 The study focused on getting a description of millennial women’s optimal career path

and meanings of women leaders after completing a Leadership Development program. The

qualitative descriptive study provided the opportunity to obtain this analysis by focusing on a

concentration of participants, compared to a high-level generalized understanding, which

aligns with quantitative research. Descriptive studies are implemented to improving service

or establishing needs within a program (Descriptive Studies, 2001). The specific description

of millennial women’s optimal career path and meanings of women leaders may not have

been captured if more participants were included in the study.

Recruiting Participants

SurveyMonkey, third party vendor, was supplied with the general criteria to recruit

participants. SurveyMonkey selected participant based on the self-reported answers to the

questionnaire required to be a surveyor. Once identified by SurveyMonkey, the survey was

intended to be sent to one hundred individuals who met the general criteria.

The specific criteria was self-reported on the survey once received by participants.

Individuals who did not meet the specific criteria did not move forward in completing the

survey. The targeted participant population was twenty participants but the final number of

participants was based on the number of participants who meet the general criteria and self-

report meeting the specific criteria.

Data Collection

These data collection method was a survey of ten questions. Participants were not

directly observed because the population is isolated and difficult to identify. Instead, data

were collected through a survey. To formulate these questions, the researcher consulted

literature on the millennial generation, women, and Leadership Development programs.

53
Appendix D illustrates the survey questions in association to such literature and intended

outcome.

Within the first three questions, participants were instructed to select the appropriate

category to answer the questions. These questions measured the participant’s age,

educational level, and years of experience in position. The fourth question was an

acknowledgment of completing a Leadership Development program that meets the specific

requirements. Questions five through ten derived from the research questions and Statement

of Problem. The survey contents may be viewed in Appendix A.

Tracking Data

Once the data generated by participants submitting the survey was completed,

SurveyMonkey gather the responses and record it in an online platform accessible by the

researcher. The researcher had access to view data in multiply ways including individual

responses, summary, and comparison. The data recorded in the online platform does not

expire and was not accessible to anyone but the researcher. The data may have been

exported for the analysis stage of the study. An Excel Spreadsheet, SPSS, or converted to a

PDF are all ways to export the data.

Procedures Followed

The researcher created the survey within the SurveyMonkey website,

www.SurveyMonkey.com, and contracted SurveyMonkey to identify participants, send

participants the survey, and house the collected data for the researcher to view. The contract

between the researcher and SurveyMonkey included the general criteria and number of

participants needed. Once the contract was in place, the researcher create an account, input

the ten survey questions into a template located on SurveyMonkey’s platform, and finalize

54
the participant request. SurveyMonkey identify participants who met the general criteria

based on the researcher’s original contract. Participants received and completed the survey

in an electronic platform provided by SurveyMonkey.

Details to how SurveyMonkey contacted participants and delivered the survey are

unknown to the researcher. The estimated timeframe for response from participants was ten

days. After that timeframe, the researcher was able to log into SurveyMonkey’s online

platform with a previously created account to access the data collected. The researcher was

the only individual who had access to the account to view the data. There was no pilot study

in compared to the full study.

Trustworthiness

Researcher and participants must have a relationship built on trust (Glesne, 2010). When

trust is in place, participants are more willing to express their true feelings and thoughts (Pitts

& Miller-Day, 2007). To establish trust with participants, the researcher posted a Participant

Awareness Page prior to participants completing the survey. The Participant Awareness

Page may be viewed in Appendix B. The purpose of the Participant Awareness Page was to

give the participant a clear understanding of what the data were being used for and their

rights as a participant in the research.

The TRUSTe’s Privacy Seal was listed on the SurveyMonkey website and viewable by

participants. TRUSTe was an independent third party vendor that investigates organization’s

compliance with privacy policies. The seal indicates that the organization being investigates

in this case SurveyMonkey, has followed, and continues to uphold the privacy policy

outlined to customers. In addition, it verified information being stored was secured as

outlined in the security statement listed on the website (SurveyMonkey, 2015).

55
 By providing the Participant Awareness Page at the beginning of the survey, the

researcher hoped to increase the trustworthiness between the participant and researcher. This

in turn increases the participant’s willingness to provide in-depth information on the survey

replies. Moreover, participants were given the researcher’s contact information to help

strengthen the relationship between researcher and participant. The option to withdraw from

the survey is another method used to increase trust by allowing participants to express their

true feelings and thoughts when they choose to compared to mandating participant answers.

Ethical Concerns

Within any study, adequate measures need to be in place to protect participants. Within

this study, the researcher had limited information regarding participants by going through a

third party vendor for participant recruitment, administrating surveys and the collecting of

data. Within the SurveyMonkey platform, there are two default ways, which could have

tracked computer IP addresses. To ensure participation was completely anonymous, the

researcher turned off the web link collector and email invitation collector functions when

creating the survey within the SurveyMonkey platform.

The researcher had no way to identify participants aside from a participant number

assigned to each person who completed the survey. By using this method, researcher bias

was decrease and the confidentiality of participants upheld. The researcher was able to

analyze participant’s replies without awareness of other factors not explored in the study.

When selecting an electronic platform for surveying participants, researchers must be

concerned with securing the communication between the participant’s computer and the data

housing system. In this study, SurveyMonkey was the supplier of the data housing system,

which held participant survey replies. Secure Sockets Layer, also referred to as SSL

56
Encryption was an automatic feature of SurveyMonkey’s platform securing the

communication between systems. This feature was automatically on for new surveys and the

researcher kept this function active during the study to confirm communication is secure.

Participants needed to consent to participate in the research prior to taking the survey.

At the end of the Participant Awareness Page, prior to the survey questions, participants were

asked to answer the below consent question.

I have read this statement and agree to participate in the research.

Yes, I agree to participate in this survey or No, I would prefer not to continue

If participants select, yes, I agree to participate in this survey, they will move forward to

the Leadership Development Acknowledgment question. If participants select, no, I would

prefer not to continue, participants were be redirected to the following acknowledgement.

Based on your selection, you will not continue in the survey. If you have any questions or

concerns regarding your request for participation, please contact Molly Santillo.

The informed consent process was a part of the Participant Awareness page to obtain

participant consent prior to gathering any information from the participant. At the conclusion

of the survey, participants again had the option to withdraw from the survey. If this option

was selected, participant answers were not be sent to the SurveyMonkey platform, thus not

included in the study.

Analysis

The SurveyMonkey platform was used to assist in the data analysis process. This vendor

had built in software to assist in the analysis process. Using this software, the researcher had

access to a variety of analysis tools including text analysis, which would highlight frequent

words used in the open-ended questions to identify trends within the data. The demographic

57
questions; age, educational level, and years of experience in position, was analyzed using the

trended feature. This included frequency of answers and alignment across all three

demographic categories.

There are multiple analysis software options available to the researcher such as NVivo.

The SurveyMonkey built in the data analysis software was selected as the ideal software to

use because it was already attached to the collected data. If the research did use alternative

software, the data would have had to be exported thus increasing the chance of the data to be

lost or manipulation.

The data were analyzed using SurveyMonkey’s chart creation feature, which illustrated

the data. Questions five through ten was analyzed using the text analysis feature previously

mentioned. This feature identify words used in multiple replies. The filter and cross tabulate

responses feature was used with all data collected to identify trends. The analysis process

took place once the ten-day duration was concluded.

Given the nature of a descriptive study, all answers were examined and compared using

the features mentioned but also by the researcher. Themes and categories were identified

based on the frequency and consistency of survey answers. Once trends were determined

from the data, additional exploration into the themes connecting all answers was explored.

Summary

To address the research questions outlined in chapter I, a descriptive study was selected.

Participants were sent a ten-question survey collecting the data to identify themes and

categories for additional exploration into the Statement of the Problem. SurveyMonkey, a

third party vendor, was used for the recruitment and collection phases of the research. By

doing so, researcher bias was decrease and participant confidentiality upheld. The participant

58
consent process began with the Participant Awareness Page, within each survey question and

at the conclusion of the survey.

The Participant Awareness Page allows participants to withdraw fully from the entire

survey or from specific questions throughout the survey duration. To address ethical

concerns within the research, the web link and email invitation collectors’ functions

remained active while participants completed the survey to protect full anonymousness

element. By using the outlined research method, a clear investigation into the research

questions occurred. In chapter IV, the results of the study are presented. Findings in the data

are explored in an effort to address the outlined research questions.

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 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS

To promote clarification in each section, it is important to revisit the purpose of the study

and supporting research questions. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to

investigate the perceptual gap as to the relevance of organizational learning and development

solutions among millennial women located within the United States. The ultimate purpose

was to identify why millennial women are not moving into leadership roles after completing

Leadership Development programs. In order to fulfill the purposes of this study, the

following research questions (RQ) were answered:

RQ1. How do millennial women describe their optimal career path?

RQ2. Why do millennial women have a perceptual gap with values espoused by

management in current leadership development offerings in organizations?

RQ3. How can the perceptual gap between millennial women employees and

management be narrowed as to increase meaningful career pathways?

The answers to each research questions, thus fulfilling the purpose of the study, are

outlined in this chapter. Further research is suggested on Leadership Development for

millennial women, perceptions of women leaders as well as meaningful career pathways.

Such suggestions stated in chapter V based on the results presented in chapter IV.

Following with the processes outlined in chapter III along with the research questions

introduced in chapter I, the results of the analysis of the data collected are presented in

chapter IV. The purpose of the study and aligned research questions were the foundation for

the analysis conducted by the researcher. Raw data is not presented in chapter IV. Instead,

results of the analysis conducted are presented through the interpretations of the researcher.

The layout of chapter IV is as follows, description of participants in accordance with

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demographics and population specific characteristics. The summary of the logistics for the

data collection phase of the study then follows. Next, the data analysis and results from the

analysis are presented, and finally the conclusion which will summarize the results pertaining

to the purpose of the study and defining research questions.

Sample

There were two levels of sample participant depending on what the participants selected

while participating in the study. Both levels meet the general criterion to participant, which

was the first level of sample participation. Participants who reached level two self-identified

meeting the specific criterion. Both sets of criterion outlined in chapter III.

General Population Criterion

For quick reference, the general population criterion includes age, location, gender,

income, employment, job level, and SurveyMonkey approval to be a surveyor. Within this

definition, the targeted general population were millennial women born between 1982 to

2004. This places participants 18 to 34 years old at the time of the study. Participant ages

truly reflected in the study range between 18 to 34 years, however, the concentration of

participant ages are presented in the participant age section of this chapter. Within these

categories, the general criteria includes females, employed full time, located within the

United States, and job level falls within entry level, intermediate, or middle management.

All individuals who met the general criteria as mentioned were considered in the first level of

sample participation.

Specific Population Criterion

In addition to the general population criterion, there were a specific set of population

criteria, which were self-reported on the data collection instrument. The specific population

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criteria were individuals who self-reportedly successfully completed a Leadership

Development program, as defined in chapter I. This definition outlines a three-day or

twenty-four hours of instruction within one program requirement along with completion of

the program within the last three years. Participants, who met the specific creation, were

included in the second level of sample participation.

Data Collection

Three main stages outlined the logistics during the data collection phase of the study. The

first stage was to create the survey in the SurveyMonkey system. The second stage was to

supply the general population criteria to SurveyMonkey for purchase of the study population.

During the third stage, the research monitored the SurveyMonkey platform for data

collection. All three stages included both the researcher and SurveyMonkey. Below are the

details to each logistic stage.

Survey Creation

The survey visible in Appendix A, was used as the primary instrument to collect data.

Prior to administering the survey, it had to be created in the SurveyMonkey platform. The

research had to create a secure username and password to access to SurveyMonkey platform.

Once in there, the researcher copy and pasted over the research questions from Appendix A.

Multiple survey questions creation options were used to construct the layout of the final

survey. To increase the ease of navigating the survey, the researcher used six signal- row

rating scales. This allowed the participant to only select one of the question answers instead

of multiple. This feature was used on questions one through six including the Participant

Awareness page located in Appendix B.

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 Another question creation option used to construct the survey layout was Skip Logic.

This feature allowed the researcher to guide the participant participation based on their

individual section. Both the Participant Awareness and Leadership Development

acknowledgements used this feature.

For example, if participants selected, yes, I agree to participant in this survey, the skip

logic feature would allow them to continue in completing the survey. If participants selected,

no, I would prefer not to continue, the skip logic redirected the participant to the Participant

Acknowledgement Disqualification page viewable in Appendix E. Participants who selected

no to the Leadership Development Acknowledgement viewable in Appendix A, redirected to

the Leadership Development Acknowledgement Disqualification page.

Under the question creation options, the researcher assigned the, require an answer to this

question, feature to all survey questions. If participants did not select an answer, please

select your answer from the options provided, statement would appear under the question

once the participant tried to move forward in the survey. Out of the answer options for each

question, participants were always able to select the, prefer not to respond, answer, which

would either redirect them or allow them to continue in the survey depending on which

question was answered.

The SurveyMonkey platform offered many different question creation options, which

were not used by the researcher. The options did not align with the survey layout or would

not result in the successful creation of the survey. These included the question bank

database, exit link, required asterisks, progress bar, page randomization, question

randomization, and quota. These features were not integrated into the survey layout or

navigation because it would not meet the desired outcome.

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Purchase Population

After the survey was created, the researcher moved to the second stage, which was to

supply the general population criteria to SurveyMonkey for purchase of the study population.

On the SurveyMonkey website, there were multiple options listed under the, survey services,

tab located at the top of the page. The researcher clicked on the, buy survey responses

option, which then was, redirected the researcher to a different location on the website. From

there, the get started option was selected followed by the yes, I want to purchase

respondents. The researcher titled the project, Leadership Development for Millennial

Women – Dissertation Survey.

Targeted audience categories were selected based on the general criteria outlined in

chapter I and III. These included location, gender, age, employment status, and job level.

Under these categories, the researcher was able to select options, which aligned with the

general criteria. These included United States, female, age 18 to 34 years old, full time

employee, and job level between middle management, intermediate, or entry level. After the

general criteria sections were made, the research typed in the number of desired responses,

which were 100 in total.

Once the general criterion was imputed into the targeted audience categories, the proceed

to checkout link selected by the researcher and details to the order appeared. These details

included estimated timeframe to reach full participant, total cost, and price per response. The

researcher purchased the population, which then allowed SurveyMonkey to send the survey

link to 100 participants who meet the general criterion.

The research purchased 100 responses from participants through the SurveyMonkey

platform. However, the final number of responses collected was 112. There were two

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factors, which went into these additional responses. First, SurveyMonkey sent the survey to

two additional participants who met the general criteria without any additional cost. This

was to exude appreciation for using SurveyMonkey services and was unknown to the

researcher until the survey was closed.

The second factor that influenced the response rate from going from the intended 100 to a

final 112 was due to participants delay in submitting the survey. After analyzing the data, it

was identified that ten participants delayed in submitting the survey, which means these

individuals began the survey but did not fully submit the survey in the SurveyMonkey

system. As a precaution, SurveyMonkey sent the survey to an additional ten participants

who met the general criteria to insure the 100-response expectation was fulfilled. This

resulted in gathering a total of 112 responses.

Monitoring Data Collection

The estimated timeframe to collect the desired 100 responses was 48 hours after payment

was successfully processed. During this timeframe, the researcher monitored the

SurveyMonkey platform for data collection. The researcher was able to view responses in

real time and begin analyzing trends as each respond came in. It took less than 48 hours to

collect all 112 responses. The first set of data appeared on January 15th, 2016 and the data

reached 112 respondents by January 16th, 2016.

During the 48-hour data collection period, the researcher was notified when new

responses were added to the SurveyMonkey system. These notifications came in the form of

emails sent from SurveyMonkey to the researchers email address. This informed the

researcher to log into the secure SurveyMonkey account to view the new data collected.

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Once in the secured account, the researcher was able to monitor the overall progress of the

data collection as it relates to gathering the intended 100 responses.

Unusual Circumstances

During the data collection phase of the research study, the researcher did encounter one

main unusual circumstance. This was the final number of participants increasing to 112 from

the intended 100 responses purchased. In order to identify what caused this change in

participation, the research contact SurveyMonkey customer service department. After

investigating the situation, it became clear that SurveyMonkey sent out an additional twelve

responses for two reasons, two additional responses where gifted to the researcher as an

appreciation for using SurveyMonkey services. Second, to ensure the intended 100

responses were obtained, SurveyMonkey sent out an additional ten surveys since ten

individuals started the survey but had not submitted it. Therefore, this action was done as a

precaution to ensure reaching 100 responses.

Data Analysis and Results

Each section of the survey aligned with one of the three research questions, thus

supporting the overall purpose of the study. The findings are presented alongside the

research questions. For clarity, the results of the analysis were outlined around three sections

of the survey, which were demographic information, Leadership Development program

acknowledged with program duration, and open-ended responses regarding completed

Leadership Development program. Representative quotes were used to illustrate the

findings. Raw data is not included in this section; however, the analysis of the raw data is

presented. Interpretation of the findings based on the data analysis and results are presented

in chapter V.

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Participation Breakdown

There were different levels of participation based on what participants acknowledged

throughout the completion of the survey. Out of the 112 participants, 105 acknowledged to

participate in the study, 104 completed the demographic information sections, 18

acknowledged completion of a Leadership Development program as defined in chapter I, and

12 successfully completed answers to the open-ended questions, thus fully completing the

survey. Table 1 represents participation at each stage of the survey.

Table 1

Participation Breakdown

Survey Question Action Number of

Participants
Number of surveys sent to individuals who meet the general criterion 112
Number of participants who acknowledged yes on the Participant 105
Awareness Page
Number of participants who selected no, I wish not to continue on the 7
Participant Awareness Page
Number of participants who completed the three questions under the 104
Demographic Information section
Number of participants who selected yes to the Leadership 18
Development Acknowledgment
Number of participants who selected no to the Leadership 80
Development Acknowledgment thus not continuing in the survey
Number of participants who selected prefer not to answer to the 6
Leadership Development Acknowledgment thus not continuing in the
survey
Number of participants who completed all survey questions 12

The participant breakdown chart located in Table 1 illustrates the varying levels of

participant based on the progression of the survey. The non-completion rate impacted the

results given the significant participant dropout rate. This rate was directly tied to the nature

of the research and survey design. For example, in order to complete all questions outlined

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in the survey, participants needed to meet the specific criterion, which was the completion of

a Leadership Development program. The participant chart communicates 18 participants

were able to state yes to this threshold. Additional requirements attached to the two levels of

participation are outlined later on in this chapter.

In order to count responses, participants had to complete the corresponding level of

participation. For example, 112 participants agreed to participate in the study and 18 met the

specific criterion. From the 18 participants who reached this level of participation, 12

continued to complete the written responses. Within any study, there is a level of known,

which was apparent in the response rate in this study. However, the non-completion rate

clearly communicated findings. Full analyses of the data along with the corresponding level

of participation based on the general and specific creation are presented throughout this

chapter.

Demographic Information

Three questions fulfilled the demographic information section of the survey. These

questions covered participant age range, highest educational level, and years of experience in

position. Of the 112 total participants, 104 participants completed the questions in this

section. Findings within these questions are listed below.

Participant Age

There were four different age ranges participants could select from, not including the

“Prefer not to respond” option. The findings show that the majority of participants were

between the ages of 30 to 34 years old while participating in the study. This category made

up 43.27% of participants. On the opposing side of the results, only 4.81% of participants fell

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between ages 18 to 21 at the time of the study. Figure 1 illustrates the participant age

categories and results.

50
40
Participants
Quantity of

30
20
10
0
18-21 22-25 26-29 30-34 Prefer not to
Respond
Participant Age Range

Figure 1. Participant Age at time of Study

Interestingly, only two responses separated the 22 to 25 and the 26 to 29 years of age

ranges. These two categories combined, make up 51.92% of all study participants. In

summary, the results show that 95.19% of participants were between the ages 22 to 34 while

completing the survey.

The general criteria were given to SurveyMonkey to match participants to the study.

These criteria includes ages between 18 to 34 years old, females, employed full time, and job

level falls within entry level, intermediate, or middle management. Less than 5% of

participants self-identified themselves as being 18 to 21 years old at the time of the study

Highest Educational Level

Over half of participants completed a 4-year college degree with a staggering 51.92%.

With only two responses in separation, 19.23% of participants identified having some college

with 21.15% of participants holding a graduate level degree. In total, 75.95% of participants

acknowledged holding a college degree ranging from 2-year degree to graduate level. In

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contrast, 4.5% of participants reported completing some high school up to completing a high

school diploma. Figure 2 illustrates the highest educational level data.

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50
Participants
Quantity of

40
30
20
10
0
Primary Some High High School Some 2-year 4-year Graduate
School School College College College Degree
Highest Education Level

Figure 2. Highest Educational Level of Participants

Years of Experience

Multiple studies have found that the millennial generation tends to stay with organizations

an average of 2 years (PwC, 2011; PwC, 2014). The findings support this by 54.81% of

participants reporting 2 to 5 years of experience in position. Interestingly, a separation

emerges between 0 to 1 year and 6 to 10 years of experience in position. Figure 3 illustrates

the years of experience data collected.

60
50
Participants
Quantity of

40
30
20
10
0
0 to 1 2 to 5 6 to 10 11 + Prefer not to
Respond
Years of Experience with Employer

Figure 3. Years of Experience of Participant at Employer

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 The data showed that 43.27% participants reported having 0 to 1 or 6 to 10 years of

experience in position. The largest gap in the data were in the 11 years plus category with

only representing 1.92% of participants. The interpretations of the findings are outlined in

chapter V.

Leadership Development Acknowledgement and Duration

There was one critical question separates the general criteria from the specific criteria,

which was the Leadership Development acknowledgement. If a participant has completed a

Leadership Development programs as defined in chapter III, progression in the survey will

take place. If a participant does not acknowledged or select prefer not to answer, progression

in the survey will not take place. This transition point reflects a significant finding in the

study.

Out of the 104 respondents that reached this portion of the survey, 18 acknowledged

participation in a Leadership Development program. Leadership Development programs

were defined as focusing on training, assessment, and feedback with the goal of instilling and

enhancing desirable behaviors in organizational leaders. This calculates to a 17% responds

rate.

Open Ended Responses

Participants completed five open-ended responses designed to capture the perceptions of

women leaders, ways to narrow the perceptual gap between millennial women and

management, personal sacrifices attached to leadership, professional goals, and focus of

completed Leadership Development program. Out of 18 participants who acknowledged

completing a Leadership Development program, 12 participants continued to fill in responses

to the outlined questions. The six participants, who did not continue, either selected prefer

71
not to answer or submitted without writing in answers. The results were analyzed using text

analysis software offered on the SurveyMonkey platform. The research questions were

aligned with these questions to fulfil the intentions of the study.

Focus of Leadership Development Program

Participants were asked to describe the focus of the completed Leadership Development

program to gather information as to what was being instilled in future leaders. The text

analysis identified four words that summarized participant responses, which included

management, leadership, team, and staff. Individual responses supported these themes. All

responses centered on of the four themed outlined.

Specific focuses included, change management, stress management, and situational

leadership. Additional specific focuses continued to include increase staff performance,

leadership styles, and technical training. One participant stated, “the focus was at problem

solving, stress management, and team work”. Others communicated, “general introduction

into management and leadership” and “continuous process improvement and change

management”. The specific focuses could be meeting an industry or organization need not

known to the researcher.

There were many more unknown around this area of exploration within the study. Such

as the extent of the content covered, learning outcomes to each topic, method of delivery, and

integration of the content taught into daily practice. All of which would influence the return

on investment for teaching such content in a Leadership Development program. The

Leadership Development programs are not resulting in high return. The return on investment

would extend to the readiness and willingness of participants to move into leadership roles

after completing such programs.

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 Research Question 1

The first research question in the research design was how do millennial women describe

their optimal career path. To answer this questions, participants were asked to describe

professional goals in the next three years. The SurveyMonkey text analysis software

highlighted development, management, and staff as themes.

RQ1 Themes

Many participants stated development as their own development, which took on multiple

meanings. One participant stated, “further develop my technical skills in order to be

promoted to a manager position”. In comparison, another participate reported the desire to

seek further development to complete an occupational therapy degree. Development to a

third participant was viewed as, “learning better time management skills and becoming more

integrated”. Each participant looked at development differently. Some viewed development

as formal education when others viewed this as personal growth. Either viewpoint still

communicated the optimal career path to grow as an individual.

Management and leadership were overall themes within the responses. The majority of

participants communicated their optimal career path as including management or leadership

positions. Participants labeled the goal differently, however, promotion and organizational

progression was apparent in obtaining a management or leadership position. For example,

some participants states, “move up to a managerial level position”, “transition into a senior

position and gain more responsibility”, and “move up to the next level of leadership, coach

leadership to improve engagement with front line staff, implement sustainment model for

process improvement”. Participants clearly communicated the desire to move into a

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management or leadership role but other questions further in the survey also communicated

associated personal scarifies.

RQ1 Answer

Millennial women describe their optimal career paths as moving into a leadership or

management position. The majority of participants communicated professional goals that

included management or leadership. To answer this research question, the researcher

considered the identified themes after completing a rich and thick analysis of information

regarding RQ1. The answer to RQ1 was drawn on participant responses such as, “move into

a higher level position” and “move up to a managerial level position”.

Research Question 2

Participants were asked to describe their perceptions of women in leadership positions

within their organization. This question aligned with research question two, which was why

do millennial women have a perceptual gap with values espoused by management in current

leadership development offerings in organizations. Three themes that were captured using

the SurveyMonkey text analysis software were respected, leaders, and hard which were

individually explored.

RQ2 Themes

The word respected was frequently used to describe participant’s perceptions of women in

leadership positions within their organization. Other positive attributes to describe

participant perceptions include effective, supportive, confident, competent, smart, funny, and

helpful. One participant summarized the majority of positive perceptions by simply stating,

“female leaders are bad asses”. This statement seem to emulate many of the other

participant’s perceptions however, there were also corresponding negative perceptions.

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 The word hard describe participant perceptions of women in leadership roles. This was

supported by other negative attributes preserved of women leaders. For example, women

leaders emotions where mentioned in two separate responses highlight “emotionally driven”

and “overly emotional” terms. Within these perceptions, there was a comparison to men

leaders.

Interestingly, in all responses where industry was mentioned, a clear comparison or

remark about men leaders was made. For example, one participant stated, “men leaders

make more than women however, female leaders in my field are highly qualified and work

extremely hard for their positions”. It was as though participants feel the need to draw a

comparison in order to fully describe their individual perceptions of women leaders.

Some participants highlighted the number of women in organizations. One participant

states, “few women in the top management”. In comparison, another participant

communicated, “there are a lot of women in leadership positions throughout the company”.

The level of exposure to women in leadership roles may impact the perceptions of such

leaders. No matter the level of exposure to women leaders, there still was a positive theme

regarding this employee population.

Multiple participants state the lack of women in leadership roles. One participant

contributes this to her industry stating, “religion isn’t very cooperative with women in

leadership roles”. The ideal of industry specific perceptions was also apparent in other

responses, but on the contrary. Multiple participants view equality within their organizations

based on the industry. Two industries mentioned were occupational therapy and nursing.

The analyzed responses communicate other factors concerning perceptions of women in

leadership positions. Some participants make commits with future hopes for equality among

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leadership roles while others communicate personal sacrifices to get into such roles. Another

participant identifies a stereotype to succeed as a woman in a leadership role. Two

participate stated, “there is a general stereotype that they have to adopt traits to success”.

The analysis of the data would imply that either women do not carry these traits naturally or

adopting such traits would not a good thing.

RQ2 Answer

Millennial women feel hesitant to move into leadership positions because once in that

role, a comparison to male leaders will be drawn. There seems to be a wide range of

perceptions around women in leadership positions. To answer the second research question,

why do millennial women have a perceptual gap with values espoused by management in

current leadership development offerings in organizations, the researcher must conclude that

the perceptual gap was there because of the apparent need to compare women and men

leader. Individualism was not apparent within the perceptions of women in leadership roles.

At the same time, the positive attribute reinsures the effectiveness of women in leadership

roles. Effectiveness maybe overshadowed by the comparison.

Research Question 3

In order to answer research question three, which was how can the perceptual gap

between millennial women employees and management be narrowed as to increase

meaningful career pathways, an investigation into the perceived personal sacrifices attached

to leadership positions needed to be explored. This was done by asking participants, what

personal sacrifice(s), if any, do they associate with leadership positions. The researcher

concluded based on previous studies that millennial women associate personal sacrifices with

leadership, therefore in order to increase millennial women’s equal representation in

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leadership roles, an understanding of what personal sacrifices was needed (Zeno Group,

2014).

RQ3 Themes

All but one participant acknowledged and labeled a personal sacrifice associated with

leadership positions. The text analysis found family to be the most frequent personal

sacrifice women in leadership roles encounter. Other sacrifices still centered on family. For

example, participants communicated, “no flexibility for working mothers”, “no time for

family”, and “delaying marriage” as personal sacrifices. These statements center around the

establishment and sustainably of a family unit. These findings align with the Zeno Group

(2014) research suggesting that millennial women were unwilling to make the personal

scarifies perceive to be attached to leadership roles.

Furthermore, the comparison made between women and men leaders continues to be

supported by the Zeno Group (2014) research along with the study’s findings. The Zeno

Group (2014) survey showed a staggering 90% of participants indicated that men make less

personal scarifies then women when in leadership positions (Zeno Group, 2014). Statements

made to the question, what personal sacrifice(s), if any, do they associate with leadership

positions, continue to expand and support Zeno Group findings. For example, one

participant committed, “must get in with the old boys club” and “have to work harder than

the guys to prove themselves”.

Interestingly, other factors such as “free speech”, “feeling like I have to be more then I

really am or want to be”, and “personality changes” were all statements associated with

personal sacrifices attached to women in leadership positions. Personal sacrifices were

dominant in the perceptions of women in leadership positions. Future research is needed into

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way to change this perception as it is influencing women moving into such roles, which is

discussed in chapter V.

In the previous section, results of the analysis were presented based on the personal

sacrifices attached to women in leadership positions. With this as the foundation, research

question three can be addressed which was, how can the perceptual gap between millennial

women employees and management be narrowed as to increase meaningful career pathways.

The text analysis showed two words as dominate themes within the responses of participants.

These were women and position which the researcher feels continues to communicate the

focus and findings of the research study.

RQ3 Answer

The perceptual gap between millennial women employees and management can be

narrowed by more women moving into leadership positions. Participants communicated the

need for more women to move into leadership positions. By doing so, this would naturally

implement many of the suggestions made by participants. These include “more role models”,

“mentorship programs”, “establish relationships with women leaders”, “more training on

leadership, not management”. These statements speak to the lack of formal and informal

leadership development opportunities for millennial women who aspire to move into

leadership roles.

Other strategic organizational suggestions focused on acknowledging the individualism of

leaders, thus not comparing women and men leader’s needs. This data results was driven

from participants suggesting reform around maternity leave policies, flexible working

arrangements, and more formalized affordable educational opportunities. In many ways,

these suggestions align with the millennial generational characteristics outlined in chapter II.

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 Inconsistences and Disconfirmation

When conducting any research, it is expected some of the data collected will create

inconsistences and disconfirming during the analysis phase. There were two areas of

inconsistences and disconfirming within the data collected. Each provided alternative insight

to the overall results of the analysis. Overall, the level of inconsistences and disconfirming

information was limited.

The first inconsistence within the data collected was within the descriptions of the

completed leadership development programs. There was a wide range of elements

participants communicated. The varying elements created question regarding the overall

focus of the program as it is compared to other participant’s reports of the completed

leadership development program. For example, one participant reported Situational

Leadership being the main focus when another reported the main focus placed on technical

skills.

The length of the completed leadership development program was another areas of

inconsistences presented in the data. Participants reported a range of three to six months

duration. This range was a part of the research design, however the majority of participants

reported completing either the least amount of time on the scale or the longest amount of

time on the scale. Only three participants reported completing a leadership development one

week to three months in duration.

The overall level of inconsistences and disconfirming information was limited therefore

had a small impact on the results of the analysis. However, such inconsistences and

disconfirming information represent a small population within the studied population

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therefore is important to the overall findings. Further research into such inconsistences and

disconfirming elements is needed.

Theoretical Model

A theoretical model is formed from the study findings in relation to other research on the

topic. The model reflects the information reported by participants under the completion of

the researcher’s analysis. Drawing upon past research in addition to the findings of the

study, a model was created. This model serves as a starting point for implementation and

practice.

Kelan (2012) indicated learning and development programs should address six elements

in order to properly prepare and develop leaders (Avolio & Gardener, 2005; Goffee & Jones,

2005; Kilian, Hukai & McCarty, 2005; Ibarra, 2005; Ibarra, Carter & Silva, 2010; Kelan,

2012; Van Gennep, 1960). These elements included organizational culture, role models,

authenticity, experiential learning, formal education, and visibility. The research findings

directly support four out of the six necessary elements needed to develop women millennial

leaders through leadership development programs. The supporting elements are role models,

organizational culture, authenticity and visibility. These four elements serve as the

foundation to the theoretical model.

Leadership and development programs need to include role models for program

participants. By doing so, participants would be given the opportunity to build a relationship

with someone in a leadership position to provide a clear understanding to the role and its

aligned responsibilities. This relationship could either support or disconfirm the perceptions

of women in leadership roles and connected personal sacrifices.

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 Many participants communicated the need to redesign the organizational culture to

embrace the differences between genders as it relates to leadership positions. When

designing and implementing a leadership development program, organizations need to

consider the organizational norms within its culture. Such norms could be creating more

challenges for women which would need to be addressed in the leadership development

program.

Authenticity and visibility support the other in relation to leadership development

programs. Study participants clearly communicated the need to see more women in

leadership roles. At the same time, this visibility is only desired if the women in such roles

demonstrate a high level of authenticity.

Organizations should carefully consider all individuals, no matter the gender, in

leadership positions. By increasing the visibility of women in leadership roles, the

perceptions of women leaders may change. However, the increase in visibility may also

hinder the perceptions therefore need to be carefully considered.

Building on Kelan (2012) six elements theoretical model for leadership development

program, the four elements outlined above become critical in preparing the next generation of

women leaders. Leadership development programs need to reflect on outcomes, program

focus, and level of exposure in order to successfully prepare millennial women. More

importantly, such programs need to address the identified hesitation in millennial women

moving into leadership roles. By implementing these four elements, leadership development

programs can truly impact future millennial women leaders.

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 Summary

As identified under the optimal career path section, millennial women have

communicated the desire to move up in organizations and seeking personal as well as

professional development opportunities. Yet, perceptions of personal sacrifices, real or not,

are hindering the organizational progression of millennial women. The research findings

suggest a reconfiguration of Leadership Development programs to address these perceptions.

In closing summary, the analysis of the data showed many findings not anticipated by the

researcher, which suggests future research. Such findings illustrated a perceptual gap

between organizational investments based on the increase participation rate of 2.3% within

organizational learning and development solutions. The analysis of the data also found

individualism was not apparent within the perceptions of women in leadership roles. The

desire to move into leadership roles was a dominate trend in participant responses, however

equally apparent was the attachment leadership has to personal sacrifices. In order to achieve

equal representation amongst genders within leadership roles, additional research into this

study’s findings are recommended.

Conclusion

In this chapter, the data collection and results of analysis were presented. Representative

quotes were used to communicate the research findings. Each question in the survey was

aligned with one of the three research questions which all supporting the purpose of the

study.

There were limited inconsistences and disconfirmation within the data which strengthen

the research findings. Referencing back to the literature review located in chapter II, a

theoretical model of application was contrasted. This was built from the literature review in

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addition to the results of the analysis. Chapter V explores ideas for future research based on

the findings of this study.

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 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION

The purpose of chapter V is to provide a platform to discuss the implications the study’s

findings has had on the topic. Research allows the perfection of practices, expansion of

understanding, and set a foundation for the next level of research. As a society, it is critical

to continually innovate and continuously improve practices. This requires advancements in

all areas within society. Such advancements need logic, which is the foundation research can

provide. A logical understanding to what are occurring, what has occurred, and desired

outcomes surrounding practices is the intended outcome in research. It is the researcher’s

responsibility to represent the findings in a way to promote progression within society. This

chapter addresses this need.

The purpose of this chapter is to align the research findings with established bodies of

research surrounding the topic. It holds the research findings up against the norms within

practices in place to develop the next generation of leaders. Future research is suggested to

continue the perfection of such practices.

Within this chapter, the importance of the study’s findings on literature, the context of

other research on the topic and implications on practices are presented. The importance of

the findings was built on the foundation other research on the topic has put into place which

is outlined in chapters I and II. The contribution this study has had to the larger context of

research on the topic are explored while referencing other research, which formed the

framework of the study. Other elements of the chapter include limitation to the results and

applications to practices. Lastly, future research suggested centers on the study’s findings.

The chapter layout includes six main elements. These are interpretations of findings,

limitations of the study, implications for theory and research, implications for practice,

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recommendations for future research, and conclusion. Each section is supported by

subsections to enrich the chapter and explore the study. Previously presented chapters

further support the context of each section.

Interpretations of Findings

There were several major findings in the study. The survey was separated into three

categories which was reflected in the data collected. These categories were demographic,

Leadership Development program acknowledgment and duration, and open ended responses.

Given the descriptive nature of the study, this section will describe the employee population

based on the sections outlined in the survey. The interpretations of the open ended responses

are separated based on the initial research questions. The three research questions were as

follows.

RQ1. How do millennial women describe their optimal career path?

RQ2. Why do millennial women have a perceptual gap with values espoused by

management in current leadership development offerings in organizations?

RQ3. How can the perceptual gap between millennial women employees and

management be narrowed as to increase meaningful career pathways?

In general, the analysis of the data revealed a perceptional gap between organizational

investments and organizational Leadership Development solutions. This finding emerged

from the increase in Leadership Development program participation rate among millennial

women. The idea of individualism is not apparent in the perceptions of women within

leadership positions is another finding within the study. Moreover, there is a clear

comparison between men and women within one role definition, which does not allow for

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individual traits, strengths and attributes. This comparison is driving the perceptions of

women in leadership.

Participant Age

Since less than 5% of participants self-identified themselves as being 18 to 21 years old at

the time of the study, one could state that this group had limited impact on the study findings.

Furthermore, this could imply that very few individuals meet the general criteria between the

ages of 18 to 21 within the SurveyMonkey surveyor population. To expand on this thinking,

individuals within this age range have limited experience thus supporting the notion that the

match between the general criteria and this age range was difficult to locate within the United

States population.

Reflecting on the general criteria supplied to SurveyMonkey, the researcher concludes

that the majority of participants were able to be match with the criteria due to increased years

of life experience. More time allows for more experiences, therefore increasing the

likelihood of meeting the general and specific criteria. However, the focus of this study was

on millennial women, which places participant birth years between 1982 and 2004 (Strauss &

Howe, 1991). This naturally places limitations on the years of experience participants have.

Connecting to the literature review presented in chapter II, participant ages align with the

three definitions of generations. These three definitions include age, cohort, and incumbency

(Joshi, 2010). Participants in the study followed all three definitions that make up a

generation.

The age range was defined under the Strauss and Howe (1991) definition which placed

participants between 18 to 34 years old at the time of the study. The cohort of the study

population was millennial women who met the general and specific criterion. The

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incumbency was the completion of a leadership development program. The implication of

the findings around participant age clearly supports the generational aspect to the study. This

supports on the Generational Theory outlined in chapter II.

Each generation has a different set of characteristics that influence the role of leadership

in the workplace (Apostolidis & Polifroni, 2006). The age of participants, cohort, and

incumbency of the study population all impact characteristics of leadership. These three

elements are influencing the role of leadership as defined in chapter I.

Higher Education

There was a 14.12% difference between participants higher education levels compared to

the general population of women over the age of 25. Of the 64,421,000 women 25 years of

age and older participating in the labor force in 2013, 12.7% had an associate’s degree, and

37.8% had a bachelor’s degree or higher (United States Department of Labor, 2014). The

data showed that over half of participants completed a 4-year college degree with a

staggering 51.92%. The study presented in chapter II took place in 2013 therefore the

increase could be explained in the three year gap between the studies. This shows increase in

women’s accomplishments within the higher education sector.

Overall, participants in the study were well acquainted with higher education. Drawing

on the conclusions from the participant age section, the researcher suggests limited life

experience could justify the mass majority of education level. The general criteria required

participants to be employed full time and fall into one of three options for employment level.

These two factors could easily affect the educational levels of participants. For example,

individuals who have higher education would experience lower unemployment rates (U.S.

Department of Labor, 2014).

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 Once in a full time position, a college degree could influence one’s employment level.

The general criteria outline employment levels between middle management, intermediate, or

entry level. The increase in educational experiences, such as a college degree, aligns with

higher employment rates as well as one employment level within an organization (U.S.

Department of Labor, 2014). Lastly, these findings support complimenting research on the

number of women compared to men with higher education degrees (OECD, 2012).

Years of Experience

Interpretation of this data does not mimic the findings in both the age and highest

educational level sections. Instead, it supports established generational characteristics (PwC,

2011; PwC 2014). The years of experience identified in the study align with other research

on millennial characteristics. There was a bell curve within the data between 0 to 1 years all

the way to 6 to 10 years. Going along with generational characteristics, something happens

to participants between the 2 to 5 years (Association of Talent Development, 2013).

Research conducted by PwC (2011) indicates 54% of millennial expect to have 2-5

employers over the lifetime of their career.

Leveraging the findings in the age and educational level sections, participants could be

seeking out additional experiences given position limitations, which would explain the bell

curve in data. The challenge of keeping millennials at one company for over the five year

mark seems to be a growing priority. The research findings support the executive challenges

outlined in chapter II. Executives have struggled with engaging, training, and keeping these

employees based on their generational characteristics (American Society of Training and

Development, 2012b; McKinsey, 2014d).

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 The age, highest educational, and years of experience in positional all provide insight to

the state of this employee population. The findings suggest that millennial women who meet

the general criteria, average 2 to 5 years of experience in position and hold a college degree.

The general criteria includes employed full time, having a position that falls into entry level,

intermediate, or middle management. Understanding the talent shortage highlight in chapter

I and chapter II, one could assume these individuals have been exposed to Leadership

Development programs.

Leadership Development Acknowledgement and Duration

There were several factors to consider when interpreting findings around the Leadership

Development Acknowledgement and Duration. The Leadership Development program had a

three-year completion requirement along with a minimum of 3 days or 24 hours of

instruction under a signal program. These additional requirements could have limited the

response rate. Based on the response rate of 17.31% of participants, additional exploration

into where an estimated $164.2 billion was spent on employee learning is needed (American

Society of Training and Development, 2012a).

In a complimenting survey of 592 business and learning professionals administered by

Association of Talent Development, 46% of the participants believed millennials require

specialized Leadership Development programs, but only 15% responded that the individual’s

companies offer such programs (Lykins & Parker, 2013). In comparison, 17.31% of

respondents have completed a Leadership Development program, which was higher than the

expected 15% according to the Association of Talent Development (Lykins & Parker, 2013).

The research findings suggest a 2.3% increase in millennial women participation in

Leadership Development programs.

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 However, this increase was called into question with The Leadership Development

Factbook (2012) reports, which has indicated an increase in corporate investments into

Leadership Development programs (Laci & O’Leonard, 2012). If business and learning

professionals see great need in millennial Leadership Development, one would inquire why a

higher percentage was not represented, given the overall increase in investments into

Leadership Development (Laci & O’Leonard, 2012). The data collected, in connection with

other complimenting studies in the field, illustrates a disconnect between the organizational

need to develop the next generation of leaders by investing into Leadership Development

programs outlined in chapter I and the allocation of funds or contents within such programs

to address this organizational need.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptual gap as to the relevance of

organizational learning and development solutions among millennial women located within

the United States. The Leadership Development acknowledgement response rate addresses

this purpose. Based on the data, it is clear that participation in organizational learning and

development solutions among millennial women has increased but does not align with the

continued increase in organizational investments in this area. A higher participation rate

expected with the increase in investment and general criteria of participants.

This is contrast research highlighted in chapter II. Excellent training and development

programs are the third most important feature of an employer to the millennial generation

(PwC, 2011). A survey of 500 executives indicated two thirds believed the number one

business concern is leadership development for their company (McKinsey, 2014d).

Moreover, 66 % of millennials agreed specialized Leadership Development programs are

needed (American Society of Training and Development, 2012b). Such studies communicate

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the need for more specialized training for millennials, however the study’s findings do not

reflect the same priority level.

The researcher anticipated investigating a perceptual gap between millennial women and

organizational learning and development solutions. However, the data reported a perceptual

gap between organizational investments based on the increase participation rate of 2.3% and

the organizational learning and development solutions. Organizations are making greater

investments into this area but are not seeing an equal increase in participation, which calls the

contents or allocations of funds for Leadership Development programs into question.

The duration of the completed Leadership Development program was another interesting

element within the data. Participants were able to select varying durations for the Leadership

Development program completed. These included 3-days up to 6+ months. Other options

included 1 week, 1 month, or 3 months. The data illustrated yet, another curve. The majority

of participants reported completing a 3-day program. However, this was only separated from

the 6+ month category by one respondent. This resulted in the majority of participants

completing either a 3-day or 6+ month long Leadership Development program.

These findings highlight another concern within organizational learning and development

solutions among millennial women. The majority of participants were experiencing a

condensed training program over 3-days or an extensive training program over 6+ months.

Learning and Development best practices were not represented within this extreme

difference. The polar difference makes it difficult to identify best practices with developing

millennials as leaders.

Kelan (2012) identified six elements that are critical to leadership development which are

outlined in chapter II. Given the vast difference in durations for Leadership Development

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programs, it is possible not all six elements were not integrate. According to Kelan (2012),

this could explain the lack of success around such programs.

Research Question 1

The first research question the study sought to answer was how do millennial women

describe their optimal career path. The analysis of the data revealed that millennial women

do aspire to move into leadership roles, which contradicts other research on the topic. The

research findings were called into questioned by the perceptions of personal sacrifices

millennial women see inherently attached to leadership roles. These two findings directly

attached to research conducted by the Zeno Group (2014) which is explored in chapter II.

The Zeno Group (2014) research suggested that women are unwilling to make the

personal sacrifices they perceived to attach to leadership roles. The research findings

explored this perception and supported some of the Zeno Groups ideals. For example,

millennial women did identify many personal sacrifices, which align with the Zeno Group’s

(2014) research on the topic.

In contrast, the research findings also showed a disconnection with the Zeno Group’s

(2014) research. It aligns with the concept that millennial women see personal sacrifices

within leadership roles but contradicts Zeno Group’s (2014) findings by identifying that

millennial women do aspire to move into leadership roles. There are many factors to

consider regarding the separation within the research findings. For example, it could be the

simply exposure millennial women have had to women leaders.

To support the lack of exposure, the consideration that less than 3% of the Fortune 500

companies have women in the highest level of the organization should be considered

(Hagemann & Stroope, 2011; Kelan, 2012; Pew Research Center, 2015). As both referenced

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studies identified, millennial women have had limited exposure to leadership roles within an

organizational structure. This limited exposure supports the need for further research as to

why millennial women are hesitating to move into leadership roles.

Research Question 2

The second research question within the study was why do millennial women have a

perceptual gap with values espoused by management in current leadership development

offerings in organizations. This research question directly aligns with the purpose of the

study which was to investigate the perceptual gap as to the relevance of organizational

learning and development solutions among millennial women located within the United

States. This was investigated by asking study participants to describe perceptions of women

in leadership roles as outlined in the second research question. There seems to be a wide

range of perceptions around women in leadership positions. On major trend within the data

were that millennial women communicated personal sacrifices associated to leadership

positions as previously notated.

In almost all written responses by participants, there was a natural comparison to men

leaders. Interestingly, participants demonstrated a need to compare women leaders,

successful and non-successful, to men leaders. The comparison was on the general concepts

of men leaders in comparisons to a specific women leader. The analysis of the data clearly

communicated the lack of individualism within leadership roles. This finding also promotes

the need for future research into the conscious or unconscious bias of women leaders in

comparison to the opposite gender.

Women business leaders are perceived as compromising authenticity and family life to

achieve success (Bentley University, 2012). Compromising was a major finding with the

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research which could be influencing the perceptions of women leaders. It was explored in

chapter II that the vast majority of millennial women in the workplace do not see women

leaders as role model (Kelan, 2012). It is possible that the perceptions of women leaders are

being driven by the lack of role models and perceived compromising characteristics.

Additional research into this connection is needed.

Research Question 3

The third research question the study sought to answer was how can the perceptual gap

between millennial women employees and management be narrowed as to increase

meaningful career pathways. Participants suggested different ways to narrow the apparent

perceptional gap and communicated multiple suggestions, but an underlining theme emerged.

Participants communicated the need for more women to move into leadership positions.

Other suggested included more role models, mentorship programs, establish relationships

with women leaders, more training on leadership, not management. Implementing such

suggestions would increase exposure to such women and the opportunity to share best

practices amongst this limited employee population.

Interestingly, in a survey of 500 executives, almost two-thirds identified leadership

development as the business’s number one business concern (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, & Lane,

2014). This communicated as a top priority for executives but the lack of consistencies

would suggest the priority is not as high as originally communicated. However, the previous

statements speak to the lack of formal and informal leadership development opportunities for

millennial women who aspire to move into leadership roles.

The role of women in leadership and overall acceptance of the concept has greatly

progressed in the last 40 years (Klenke, 2011). The relationship between women and

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leadership has changed but challenges are still being faced as the next generation of women

aspire to move into leadership positions. Chapter II mentioned many factors concerning

women and leadership. These factors included the history of women in leadership, women’s

influence on leadership, challenges for women leaders, effectiveness of women leaders,

women as political leaders, and the possibly that women are underrepresented by choice.

Millennial women’s perceptions of women leaders given could be negatively impacting each

area mentioned.

Participants in the study recommending multiple ways to narrow the gap. By

implementing the suggestions, Leadership Development programs would be better suited to

support the next generation of women leaders. Factors such as the history of women leaders,

women’s influence on leadership, challenges for women leaders, effectiveness of women

leaders, and the possibly that women are underrepresented by choice would be seen in a

different light. Furthermore, if organizations openly acknowledged awareness surrounding

the challenges women faced when taking on leadership roles, women’s effectiveness as

leaders and the growing concern that women are selecting out of leadership positions,

significant movements to redirect this critical employee population’s career path could take

place.

More importantly, if organizations acknowledge the factors outlined in chapter II,

Leadership Development programs could be designed and implemented to specifically

support the specialized employee population. The design would center on the seen personal

sacrifices aligned between women and leadership roles, the overall lack of women in

leadership roles and how the limited visibility impacts the perception of women leaders, as

well as the absence of individualism within leadership roles. Descriptive research is intended

95
to describe a situation (Hale, 2011). This study provided the framework to clearly define the

situation between millennial women and leadership. Further research is needed to apply the

research findings and develop practical models for implementation.

The Generational Theory explores the age of individuals in relation to attitudes and

behaviors (Rotolo & Wilson, 2004). Each generation has a different set of characteristics

that will influence the role of leadership in the workplace (Apostolidis & Polifroni, 2006).

Millennials have different attitudes and behaviors then past generations which has and will

continue to reshape the role of leadership. The interpretations of the findings along with

other foundational research presented in chapter II support the unique characteristics of the

growing employee population. Business leaders and millennials alike have acknowledged

the need for specialized training (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, & Lane, 2014).

Action is the next step to address the growing need for specialized training. This requires

additional research into theoretical models of implementation which can be tested. From

there, best practices surrounding ways to development millennial women as leaders can be

executed in organizations around the country. The impact is immeasurable to future

generations of women.

Detailed to the results of the analysis can be viewed in full under chapter IV. The

findings were presented in chapter V were to align with the organization within chapter IV.

This promotes consistency and organization surrounding the major interpretations of the

findings.

Limitations to the Study

All research has limitations to the study surrounding the validity, generalizability, and

trustworthiness of the results. This research study is no different and had factors to consider

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in each area. Qualitative studies mainly have limitations that result from a restricted sample

size, sample selection, the techniques used for gathering data, and researcher bias

(Bloomberg & Volpe, 2012). Given the qualitative nature of the research, all factors

encountered during the study.

When research is conducted, the researcher must critically evaluate the strengths and

weaknesses of the work. This attests the conclusions are credible given the method, the

limitation, and data collected. Furthermore, this phase of research allows the researcher to

discussion of the practical application of the findings given the strengths and weakness of the

study.

Limitations of the study include the participant population being limited to the Strauss and

Howe (1991) definition of the millennial generation, therefore only encompasses one

definition. All participants were born 1982 to 2004. This definition placed participants

between 18 to 34 years old at the time of the study. Other millennial definitions may extend

or would have limited the ages of participants.

Furthermore, all participants were located within the United States and were registered

surveyors with Survey Monkey. These additional limitations influenced the results of the

study because the results can only be generalized to this population. The collected data and

interpretations of the findings may not fully represent the full millennial women population.

Future research outside of these limitations is needed.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The study had three main strengths which were the range of participants, open-ended

responses, and accessibility of obtaining data from an isolated population. Participates were

located across the United States which allowed for a vast range of participant experiences. If

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the population was isolated to one region, the interpretations of the findings may only be

generalized to that specific area. Since the population was across a country, it allowed the

interpretations of the findings to be generalized to the entire millennial women employee

population.

There are three types of data collection methods typical used in descriptive research which

include direct observation, interviews and questioners which are also referred to as surveys

(Jefferys & Media, 2015). Surveys were used to collect participant answers. The survey was

comprised of both closed and open-ended questions. By allowing free formed answers, the

research was able to obtain a more in-depth understanding which answered the research

questions (Jackson, 2009). If only closed ended responses were used, participants would

have limited answer options which would have been guide by the researchers selected answer

offerings (Hale, 2011 & Jackson, 2009).

In 2020, 46% of the U.S. workforce will consist of the millennial generation, which will

continue to increase over time based on the size of this generation compared to others

(Lynch, 2008). Given this significant number, one would think identifying the millennial

population would not be difficult. However, the combination of the general and specific

criterion outlined in chapter III removed a mass majority of possible participants therefore

created additional challenges.

For example, the study only focused on women who were working full time and

completed a Leadership Development program within the last three years. Furthermore, the

Leadership Development program had to be defined as the process of training, assessment,

and feedback with the goal of instilling and enhancing desirable behavior in organizational

leaders which is outlined in chapter I. This combination made the study population isolated.

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 There cannot be strengths within a study without identifying the weaknesses. There were

two main weaknesses in the study. These were using one data collection method and

selecting SurveyMonkey for the recruitment of participants. The identified weaknesses

should be heavily considered in further research.

Only have one data collection method limited the depth of data being collected. Having

multiple data point’s strengths the overall study findings. The researcher recommends

considering this element for future research. Possibly, isolating a network of individuals who

meet the general and specific creation to preform formalized interview in addition to the

survey.

SurveyMonkey, a third party vendor, was used to recruit participants. This limited the

study population to SurveyMonkey approved surveyors only. This element alone could have

influenced the data collected and thus, the interpretations of the findings. The researcher

recommends using multiple sources to recruit participants to create a more diverse study

population.

A strong study has a balance between the strengths and weaknesses. In many ways, the

strengths within a study highlights the weaknesses. This balance and reflections serves as the

foundation for future research. There are always lessons learned in a study with will progress

the body of work.

Creditability

The creditability of the study’s conclusion must be questioned given the method, the

limitation, and data collected. The selected research method was a qualitative descriptive

cross-sectional research design. Generally, descriptive research is allied with quantitative

approaches (Given, 2007). This study was conducted under the qualitative method because

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Given (2007) suggests descriptive approaches used in qualitative research provide valuable

background information for analyses of individuals' attitudes, opinions, and personal

experiences of particular phenomena (p.252). The combination of descriptive research

within the qualitative approach directly aligns with the research questions and Statement of

Problem outlined in chapter I.

There were multiple limitations within the study. The Strauss and Howe (1991) definition

of the millennial generation, participant location, and Survey Monkey elements all are

factors, which influence the ability to generalize the interpretations of the findings. All

research has limitations therefore this research lays the foundation for future research outside

such limitations. The continuation of research on the topic will, in time, limit the overall

limitations within the body of literature and increase the ability to generalize the research

findings in the field.

Out of the 112 participants, 105 acknowledged to participate in the study, 104 completed

the demographic information sections, 18 acknowledged completion of a Leadership

Development program as defined in chapter I, and 12 successfully completed answers to the

open-ended questions, thus fully completing the survey. The three sections of the data

which were demographic, acknowledgement, and open-ended response had three vastly

different participation levels. This speaks to the isolation of the study population based on

the specific criterion which was needed to answer the research questions. The collected data

were rich, however there was limited data to analyze. Additional research is needed to

expand on the theoretical model outlined in this chapter and strength the body of literature

surrounding millennial women and leadership.

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 The given method, limitations and data collected all address the creditability behind the

study’s conclusion. All research faces limitations by the method, population, or data

collection. These elements can detract from the creditability of the work, but also lay the

path for future research in the field. For this reason and explanation of such factors above,

the researcher conclude the study’s findings are creditable and support the need for further

research as to why millennial women are hesitant to move into leadership roles.

Researcher Reflection

After results of the analysis concluded, the researcher had the opportunity to reflect on the

study. This includes investigating possible personal biases, preconceived ideas, and values,

influences the researcher had on the participants, and the changes in the researchers thinking

surrounding the topic. The researcher examines the reflection around such areas below.

The researcher identified possible personal biases prior to collecting any data. The

occurrence of personal biases could be apparent in the design of the study, survey questions,

and participant selection. To decrease this possibility, the research design, survey question

creation, and participant selection were presented to a committee of three doctorate level

faculty members at University of the Rockies. Each member had multiple opportunities to

provide feedback on each element in order to decrease the likelihood of such bias within the

study. This additional element of evaluation helps decrease the likelihood of researcher bias.

In addition, chapters I, II, and III were anonymously reviewed by two separate review

boards. The Research Review Board focused on evaluating the methodologies for

appropriateness for the research. In contrast, the Institutional Review Board focused on

ensuring the research is ethically sound. Both review boards were designed to identify

concerns within the study such as possible personal biases, preconceived ideas, and values,

101
influence the researcher had on the participants. Such reviews occurred prior to any data

collection.

The researcher had limited influence over participants given the utilization of

SurveyMonkey. The researcher’s role in data collection phase was to provide

SurveyMonkey, third party vendor, with the general and specific criterion for participant

recruitment. The general and specific participant criterion can be review in chapter III. This

research structure is termed a snowball sampling strategy.

A snowball sampling strategy was selected because the targeted population can be

isolated and difficult to attract. The snowball sampling strategy is a technique used to gather

research subjects through the identification of an initial subject who is used to provide the

names of other participants (Atkinson & Flint, 2004). The initial subject was

SurveyMonkey. In this study, the researcher did not have access to the names of participants

to protect against researcher bias. This greatly decreased the influence the researcher had

over participants.

The conceptual framework presented in the literature review aligns with the study’s

findings. After the research was concluded, the researcher has the opportunity to add to the

conceptual framework. The research questions could have also been addressed by adding

information on unconscious bias since participants demonstrated a need to compare men and

women leaders. This lead to the conclusion that participates experienced or preserved a lack

of individualism within leadership positions. The addition of unconscious bias around

gender and leadership could have provided additional insight. Future research should

consider adding in unconscious bias to the conceptual framework to enrich the study.

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 The research findings have reshaped the researchers thinking regarding millennial women

and leadership. In general, the researcher has identified the need for future research in this

field given the contradicting findings. A passion to promote equal representation amongst

gender in leadership roles has emerged. The perceptual gap highlighted in the research

findings, needs to be narrowed to successfully secure the next generation of great leaders,

both men and women.

Implication for Theory and Research

In reference to the conceptual framework presented in chapter II, the results directly align

with the majority of research in the field. However, as stated in chapter II, there is limited

research on millennial women and Leadership Development. Therefore, the findings align

with research on millennial women and research on Leadership Development but not

conjunctly since limited research has been published combining these two areas of research.

Chapter II highlights historical research on Generational Theory, women in leadership,

millennial women, and leadership development. These elements provide the conceptual

framework of the study. The research findings contribute greatly to the body of literature

surrounding millennial women and Leadership Development. The research findings are a

unique contribution because it combines two elements, millennial women, and Leadership

Development, which was a gap within the literature. Based on the contribution to the greater

body of literature, future research can take place and further practices around developing the

next generation of great leaders can form.

Generational Theory and Women in Leadership

The research findings bring forth additional characteristics formed on individual’s

attitudes and behavior, attached to the millennial generation. Generational Theory explores

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the age of individuals in relation to their attitudes and behaviors (Rotolo & Wilson, 2004).

As explored in chapter II, each generation has specific characteristics that define and

represent themes within participants who fall within the identified generational years. Many

factors shape these characteristics. These characteristics influence how individuals see the

world.

Each generation has a different set of characteristics that will influence the role of

leadership in the workplace (Apostolidis & Polifroni, 2006). The research findings directly

explored how the characteristics of the millennial generation, specifically women within this

generation, view women in leadership roles. The research findings communicated that

millennial women identify personal sacrifices attached to leadership roles.

Furthermore, perceived personal sacrifices are possibly hindering millennial women from

moving into leadership roles. This connection is support by other research conducting by

Bentley University (2012) and the Zeno Group (2014). This is an expanding notion within

the body of literature around the millennial generation. The research findings contribute to

this concept, which can lead to further research into what can be done to address this

generational perception.

Millennial Women Characteristics

Women millennials matter because they are more highly educated and are entering the

workforce in larger numbers than any of their previous generations (PwC, 2014). The

research findings support the educational levels noted by other research in the field (PwC,

2014, United States Department of Labor, 2014). The data showed that over half of

participants completed a 4-year college degree with a staggering 51.92%. This is an increase

from previous year research on educational level and women in the workplace. Of the

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64,421,000 women 25 years of age and older participating in the labor force in 2013, 12.7%

had an associate’s degree, and 37.8% had a bachelor’s degree or higher (United States

Department of Labor, 2014).

Bentley University Millennial Women and Workplace Transformation (2014) research

aligns with many of the results from the study. Research conducted by Bentley University

(2012) disclosed that both men and women agree that the concepts of the glass ceiling, glass

elevator, and the glass walls all still exists. One participant in the study clearly stated the

concept of the glass ceiling, as an obstacle women face when attempting to get into

leadership positions. Written responses from participants continued to highlight these

obstacles surrounding millennial women moving into leadership roles.

Women are underrepresented within leadership positions in all areas of society

(McKinsey, 2007a; McKinsey, 2013c; Pew Research Center, 2015). The research findings

support this general concept as reported by participants. The lack of women in leadership

positions continues to be an expanding issue amongst organizations and is influencing

millennial women to step into leadership roles as reported by participants. This continues to

be a dominate characteristic of millennial women.

Leadership Development

A survey of 500 executives indicated two thirds believed the number one business

concern is leadership development for their company (McKinsey, 2014d). This focus would

lead to a high participant rate of millennial women in Leadership Development programs.

To support this focus, the study’s findings showed an increase in millennial women

participants in Leadership Development programs, thus confirming this executive focus.

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 In a study conducting by the American Society of Training and Development titled

Leadership Development for Millennials (2012b), well over one half indicated they believe

the this generation requires specialized Leadership Development programs but only 15%

reported that their companies offer such programs. The results of the analysis showed

limited specialized training to support millennial women in Leadership Development.

Participants communicated focusing on a wide range of training topics, which did not support

a specialized set of curriculum based on the generation needs.

To support the redesign or creation of specialized training to support millennial women’s

ambitions to move into leadership roles, a theoretical model was created and outlined in

chapter IV. The researcher suggest integrating the model to address the study’s findings.

Implications of practices around the theoretical model is covered further in the chapter.

The exploration into the contributions the research findings had on the overall body of

literature highlights the need for more research. Focused research on specialized Leadership

Development programs designed for millennial women in hopes to narrow the perceptual

gap. The body of literature has formed a strong foundation for the research conducted but

more research into this specific area is required to promote application of theory.

Underrepresented by Choice

The Zeno Group (2014) conducted a survey of 1000 millennial women ages 21 to 33

years old, focusing on leadership ambitions. The result showed that only 15% of the

participants indicated they have an interest to lead a large or predominate organization

(Zeno Group, 2014). In contrast, this study identified high ambition amongst millennial

women. Study participants clearly communicated the desire to move into a leadership role.

106
The difference between the Zeno Groups and the findings of this study is the level of

leadership millennial women are interested in.

For example, the Zeno Group (2014) measured millennial women’s desired to be a leader

of a large or predominate organization. When this study measured millennial women’s

optimal career paths. It is possible that both studies support one another given the differences

in participants desired leadership level. The interpretations of the findings communicate

millennial women’s desires to move into leadership roles. Aligning with Zeno Groups

(2014) findings, this does not mean millennial women wish to lead a large or predominate

organization. Many participants communicated the desire to move into leadership roles but

the level of leadership within the organization was not captured.

Building upon this concept, the findings of the study influence a new theory as to why

millennial women are hesitating to move into leadership positions. The new theory is that

millennial women are not hesitating but rather contemplating the decision to move into such

a role. This requires carefully considering all options and observing the landscape of the

opportunity. Personal sacrifices are seen as directly correlated to leadership roles which

could be impacting millennial women’s decision. The Zeno Groups (2014), findings

alongside the interpretations of the findings in the study support this concept.

The Zeno Group (2014) survey showed a staggering 90% of participants indicated that

men make less personal scarifies then women when in leadership positions (Zeno Group,

2014). Moreover, less than 3% of the Fortune 500 companies have women in the highest

level of the organization (Hagemann & Stroope, 2011; Kelan, 2012; Pew Research Center,

2015). New theory suggest that women view a higher level of personal sacrifice based on the

level of leadership within the organization. This would support the difference between

107
millennial women’s description of their optimal career paths in comparison to Zeno Groups

(2014) focused on being leading a large or predominant organization.

In general, this concept supports the notion that women are underrepresented by choice

which creates additional challenges organizations. Study participants clearly communicated

the lack of women in leadership roles. The limited visibility influences the perception of

women in leadership roles which could be driving the perceived personal sacrifices attached

to such positions.

Prior to this study, it could be suggested that women do not wish to become leaders based

on Zeno Groups (2014) findings. However, the combination of the Zeno Groups (2014)

findings along the interpretations of the findings from this study describe a different

situation. Millennial women are making a calculated decision regarding their career

ambitions. Drivers behind such calculated decisions are the perceptions of women in

leadership.

Implications for Practice

Participants were asked to explain the focus of the completed Leadership Development

program. This was intended to provide a comparison to standards around Leadership

Development programs as communicated in research conducted by the American Society of

Training and Development (2012b). In a study focusing on Leadership Development, 66%

of millennials agreed specialized Leadership Development programs are needed (American

Society of Training and Development, 2012b).

This percentage was not apparent in the research’s findings. Specialized training is

needed but millennial women are not receiving such offerings at the expected priority level.

108
This demonstrates a separation between organizational priorities and leadership development

offerings.

Specialized Training

The concept of specialized training for millennial women can be explored under the

reported focus of completed Leadership Development programs. Participants communicated

multiple focuses within the Leadership Development programs. This disconnect drives the

need to promote best practices around training millennial women for Leadership

Development either in a formalized program or in in-formalized methods. Participants

communicated the desire to take part in more role models, mentorship programs, establish

relationships with women leaders, more training on leadership, not management. These

statements speak to the lack of integration such strategies have had into established

Leadership Development programs.

To move forward in Leadership Development for millennial women, Learning and

Development professionals need to evaluate organizational Leadership Development

offerings to see if such programs are addressing the perceptual gap. Professionals over such

organizational programs should consider integrating generational specific training and

promoting individualism within leadership roles. To address the concerns millennial women

have communicated around personal sacrifices, the integration of connection strategies could

be beneficial.

Executives have communicated leadership development for employees as a top priority

(McKinsey, 2014d). By doing so, organizations are preparing the next generation of

leaderships who will in time, support the organizations future. In a survey of 592 business

and learning professions administered by Association of Talent Development, 46% of the

109
participants believed millennials require specialized Leadership Development programs, but

only 15% responded that the individual’s companies offer such programs (Lykins & Parker,

2013). The reported priority level does not reflect a significant increase in leadership

development offerings. Addressing this issue is the first step in implicating this study’s

findings into practice.

Theoretical Model Implication

The theoretical model outlined in chapter IV was based on Kelan (2012) six critical

elements needed in Leadership Development programs specifically designed for millennial

women. Kelan (2012) indicated learning and development programs should address all six

elements in order to properly prepare and develop leaders (Avolio & Gardener, 2005; Goffee

& Jones, 2005; Kilian, Hukai & McCarty, 2005; Ibarra, 2005; Ibarra, Carter & Silva, 2010;

Kelan, 2012; Van Gennep, 1960). Using this as the foundation for the theoretical model

along with the interpretations of the findings, a theoretical model was suggested.

The six elements outlined by Kelan (2012) are organizational culture, role models,

authenticity, experiential learning, formal education, and visibility. The interpretation of the

findings outlined millennial women would benefit most from a role model relationship, being

a part of an organizational culture that values women in leadership roles, and the visibility of

authentic women leaders. This serves as the foundation of the theoretical model by drawing

on four of the elements outlined in Kelan’s (2012) elements.

Connection training strategies would include a role model program. This would create a

connection between millennial women and women in leadership positions in hopes to

redefine the perceptual gap. Other offerings could include training focused on individualized

leadership styles and not the duplication of leadership styles from one established leader to

110
another. This could be accomplished by introducing a wider range of leadership

characteristics supported within the leadership culture at an organization.

Organizational leaders need to have a high level of awareness as to how millennial

women are impacted and contribute to the organization’s culture. If the culture does not

support or demonstrates a lack of support for women in leadership roles, millennial women

will continue to make the decision not to move into such roles not matter the completion of a

specialized training program. Learning and development professionals need to work closely

with organizational leaders to identify possible challenges millennial women face given the

organizations culture. From there, culture reform can take place in order to develop and

secure a working environment that welcomes all types of leaders.

The study’s findings suggest investigating policies and procedures around working hours.

Study participants communicated personal sacrifices as one major factor in making the

decision to move into a leadership role. Organizations may have limited flexibility for

women who need a high level of work life balance. Policies and procedures around these

important factor need to be explored.

Organizational leaders and learning professional need to take inventory on the visibility of

authentic women leaders within the company. Women business leaders are perceived as

compromising authenticity and family life to achieve success (Bentley University, 2012).

Millennials value authenticity (Zemke, Raines, & Filipczak, 2000).

When participants were asked how the perceptual gap could be narrowed, participants

communicate one main theme which was higher visibility of women in leadership roles.

Visibility of women in leadership is critical in supporting the next generation of leaders.

111
However, if the women in leadership roles are not authentic, it could negatively impact

millennial women’s ambitions to move into a leadership roles.

Building the opportunity for role model relationship, evaluating the organization’s culture,

supporting the visibility of authentic women leaders all three main ways to address the

situation the study depicted. Learning professional and organizational leaders need to work

collaboratively to support the suggested strategy integrations. By doing so, millennial

women will be given a better opportunity to make an educated decision on moving into

leadership roles.

Recommendations for Further Research

The results of the analysis highlight multiple new directions for further research in the

field. As previously stated, the body of literature is substantial around millennial

characteristics and leadership development as studies separately. However, this study

combined both areas of research into one study exploring Leadership Development programs

for millennial women. This specific area of research serves a unique combination of two

well-established research fields, thus creating a new avenue of discovery.

Based on the findings of the study, the researcher identified three recommendations for

further research in the field. These include researching the elements within Leadership

Development programs offerings, exploration into millennial women’s perceptions of women

leaders outside the work environment, and research to identify the implications of

individualism within leadership roles. These three recommendations will further provide

context and understanding to the results of the analysis presented in chapter IV.

This study explored, at a basic level, the focus of completed Leadership Development

programs by millennial women. Further exploration into the details behind such focus is

112
needed to truly understand what is missing in Leadership Development programs offerings.

The results of the analysis communicated that program offerings are not addressing the

identified perceptional gap between millennial women and organizational needs therefore

creating hesitation for millennial women to move into leadership positions. This will

continue to increase the gap between men and women in leadership roles and strength

underrepresentation of women in leadership roles for future generations unless further

research into this concern is published. From such publications, adjustments to Leadership

Development programs can be made in order to decrease the gap.

Millennial women’s perceptions of women leaders’ was a main focal point within the

study and the data analyses identified interesting trends. However, the researcher suggests

further research into millennial women’s perceptions of women leaders outside the work

environment. Further research should question if millennial women’s perceptions of women

leaders are similar or different depending on the environment. In this study, the environment

was within participants’ working environment. One would question if the perceptions of

women leaders vary depending on the lens of the millennial women.

The unknown similarities or differences in perceptions could lead to more in-depth

understanding to this unique employee population. In a survey of 592 business and learning

professions administered by Association of Talent Development, 46% of the participants

believed millennials require specialized Leadership Development programs, but only 15%

responded that the individual’s companies offer such programs (Lykins & Parker, 2013).

Further research into millennial women’s perceptions of women leaders could lead to the

creation of specialized Leadership Development programs catering to millennial women.

113
 One major finding within the study was the perceived lack of individualism within

leadership roles. Participants felt the need to naturally compare women leaders to men, thus

not allow women to bring forth individual traits into a leadership role. Instead, adopting

alternate characteristics to obtain or fulfil a leadership role. This occurred multiple times

within the free-formed answers. The results of the analysis reported in chapter IV stated that

this comparison illustrated a perceived lack of individualism within leadership positions.

For example, participants communicated the need to alter one’s personality to obtain a

leadership role and further adjust outside of one’s natural state to find success in the role. To

stretch outside one’s natural personality was to take on more male typical characteristics.

The researcher recommends further research to identify the implications of individualism

within leadership roles. Meaning, what benefits, and possible drawbacks are attached to an

individualized leadership style in comparison to duplicating styles between all leaders,

without consideration to an individual’s gender group.

Conclusion

Chapter V revisited the interpretations of the findings as outlined in chapter IV, addressed

the limitations of the conducted study, introduced the implications for theory as well as

research, continued on to evaluate the implications of practice surrounding the results, and

made recommendations for further research in the field. This chapter serves as a conclusion

to the conducted study. Furthermore, it allows future researchers to take forth the

recommendations and expand the understanding around Leadership Development for

millennial women.

Millennial women are critical to the future success of organizations in all areas within

society (Klenke, 2011; McKinsey, 2007a). Millennial women are hesitating to move into

114
leadership roles because of perceived personal sacrifices as stated in chapter IV. Leadership

Development solutions are not addressing the perceived personal sacrifices which are

creating such hesitations. If this is not addressed, women will continue to be

underrepresented within leadership roles.

Millennial women are completing in house Leadership Development programs but are not

moving into leadership roles (McKinsey, 2013c; PwC, 2014; Zeno Group, 2014).

Organizations will continue to see a low return on investments into Leadership Development

programs for the next generation of leaders unless specialized training is developed to

address the perceived personal sacrifices. This requires further research and an

organizational openness to new definitions of leadership.

Individualism is not a quality being promoted within Leadership Development programs

and within the perceptions of leaders. Leadership Development solutions are attempting to

duplicate leadership styles by losing the unique qualities each generation and gender brings

into the role. This continues to drive the hesitation millennial women have communicated.

Millennial women have the ambition to be great leaders, research indicates women in

leadership roles drive higher financial gains for organizations, and women rate equal or

higher than men leadership traits (Pew Research Center, 2008 & Zenger-Folkman, 2012).

Organizations will continue to question this enormous employee assist if Leadership

Development programs are not redesigned to address individualism, personal sacrifices of

women in leadership roles, and the overall perceptions of women leaders. This will continue

to impact future generations and standards within society. Perception drives behavior, which

creates one’s reality. By changing the perception of women leaders, millennial women’s

behavior will adjust to create a new reality.

115
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 Appendix A
Participant Survey
Demographic Information

1. Select your age:

Answer Scale: (18-21) (22-25) (26-29) (30-34) (Prefer not to respond)

2. Select your highest educational level:

Answer Scale: (Primary school) (Some High School) (High School) (Some College) (2-year
College) (4-year College) (Graduate Degree) (Prefer not to respond)

3. Select your years of experience in your current position:

Answer Scale: (0-1) (2-5) (6-10) (11+) (Prefer not to respond)

Leadership Development Acknowledgment

4. Leadership Development programs include the process of training, assessment, and

feedback with the goal of instilling and enhancing desirable behavior in organizational
leaders. Have you completed a Leadership Development program as previously defined,
within the last three years lasting a minimum of 3 days or 24 hours of instruction under one
program?
Answer Scale: (Yes) (No) (Prefer not to respond)

Questions
5. How long was the Leadership Development program you attended?
Answer Scale: (3 days) (1 week) (1 month) (3 months) (6 months +) (Prefer not to respond)

6. Describe the focus of the Leadership Development program.

Answer Scale: Written response or Prefer not to respond

7. Describe your professional goals for the next three years.

Answer Scale: Written response or Prefer not to respond

8. Describe your perception(s) of women in leadership positions within your organization.

Answer Scale: Written response or Prefer not to respond

9. Research indicated that Millennial women associated personal sacrifice(s) with leadership
positions (Zeno Group, 2014). What personal sacrifice(s), if any, do you associate with
leadership positions?
Answer Scale: Written response or Prefer not to respond

10. How can the perceptual gap between Millennial women considering leadership positions
and management be narrowed, thus increasing Millennial women in leadership positions?
Answer Scale: Written response or Prefer not to respond

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 Appendix B

Participant Awareness Page

Hello,
You are being invited to participate in a research project conducted by Molly Santillo,
graduate student at University of the Rockies. I am collecting data for my dissertation as part
of my Doctoral program in Psychology.

You are invited to participant in a research study about the perceptual gap of millennial
women on their optimal career paths and perceptions of women leaders after completing a
Leadership Development program.

You are asked to complete a ten-question survey on your demographics, past experiences
with Leadership Development programs and perceptions of women leaders. The entire
survey should take 20 minutes of your time.

The potential risks associated with the study are emotional and mental. Everyday life or the
routine completion of psychological tests involves minimal risk, which is also applicable to
all research. These are minimal risk and not expected given the focus of the research, it is
still possible you experience mental and emotional discomfort. We expect the project to
allow you to reflect on your previous experience with leadership development programs and
perceptions of women in leadership positions. Furthermore, the findings of the research could
redefine leadership development for millennial women and help support equal representation
of gender in leadership roles.

If you have decided to participate in this project, please understand that your participation is
voluntary and that you have the right to withdraw your consent or discontinue participation at
any time with no penalty. You have the right to withdraw from the entire survey or to select
the “prefer not the respond” option for any of the questions at any time. You also have the
right to refuse to answer any questions(s) for any reason with no penalty.

In addition, your individual privacy will be maintained in all publications or presentations

resulting from this study. Data will be collected on a secure (i.e., encrypted) and password-
protected survey site. Please note, the results of the survey will be a part of the dissertation
process. The dissertation defense is open to the public and final dissertations are published
under the researcher. The results will be published in aggregate only.

If you have any questions regarding this project, you may contact the researcher at
MollySantillo@gmail.com. If you have questions regarding your rights as a research
participant or any concerns regarding this project, you may contact my advisor Dr. Blount at
Brandy.Blount@faculty.rockies.edu, or you may report concerns – confidentially, if you wish
to the University of the Rockies Chairperson of the Institutional Review Board by emailing
IRB@rockies.edu.

IRB Approval Number 15-065-0

IRB Expiration Date 01-13-2017

124
“I have read this statement and agree to participate in the research. I further attest that I am at
least 18 years of age.”

Select Either One of the Following

“Yes, I agree to participate in this survey” or “No, I would prefer not to continue”

125
 Appendix C

Permission to Conduct Research Using SurveyMonkey

To whom it may concern:

This letter is being produced in response to a request by a student at your institution who
wishes to conduct a survey using SurveyMonkey in order to support their research. The
student has indicated that they require a letter from SurveyMonkey granting them permission
to do this. Please accept this letter as evidence of such permission. Students are permitted to
conduct research via the SurveyMonkey platform provided that they abide by our Terms of
Use, a copy of which is available on our website.

SurveyMonkey is a self-serve survey platform on which our users can, by themselves, create,
deploy and analyze surveys through an online interface. We have users in many different
industries who use surveys for many different purposes. One of our most common use cases
is students and other types of researchers using our online tools to conduct academic
research.

If you have any questions about this letter, please contact us through our Help Center at
help.surveymonkey.com.

Sincerely,
SurveyMonkey Inc.

www.surveymonkey.com

126
 Appendix D

Survey Question Formula Chart

The purpose of this chart is to explain how the survey questions formed. The
researcher consulted literature to assure the content and specific meanings of the words used
in the survey are not ambiguous, are culturally appropriate, and will address the problems
framed within the research. Reference below for more information on how the survey
questioned were created.

Survey Question Intended Purpose Consulted Literature

1. Select your age: To determine if United States Department of
Answer Scale: (18-21) (22-25) (26- participant meets Labor. (2004); United States
29) (30-33) (Prefer not to respond) the general Department of Labor. (2014).
criterion.
2. Select your highest educational level: Verify participant United States Department of
Answer Scale: (Primary school) (Some characteristics are Labor. (2004); United States
High School) (High School) (Some in alignment with Department of Labor. (2014).
College) (2-year College) (4-year research
College) (Graduate Degree) (Prefer not regarding
to respond) education level
and gender.
3. Select your years of experience in Gather participant Hagemann, B., Stroope, S.
your current position: characteristics (2011); Kilian, C. M., Hukai,
Answer Scale: (0-1) (2-5) (6-10) (11+) within current D. & McCarty, C. E. (2005).
(Prefer not to respond) position to
connect to
professional goals
and Leadership
Development
program
completion.
4. Leadership Development programs To determine if American Society of
include the process of training, participant meets Training and Development.
assessment, and feedback with the goal the specific (2012b); Association of
of instilling and enhancing desirable criterion. Talent Development. (2013);
behavior in organizational leaders. Have Definition is Laci, L. & O’Leonard, K.
you completed a Leadership added to provide (2012).
Development program as previously clarity to the
defined, within the last three years meaning of
lasting a minimum of 3 days or 24 hours Leadership
of instruction under one program? Development
Answer Scale: (Yes) (No) (Prefer not to programs.
respond)
5. How long was the Leadership To determine if Groves, K. S. (2007); Lykins,
Development program you attended? participant meets L. & Parker, A. (2013).

127
Answer Scale: (3 days) (1 week) (1 the specific
month) (3 months) (6 months +) (Prefer criterion.
not to respond)
6. Describe the focus of the Leadership Compare the Avolio, B. J. & Gardener, W.
Development program. focuses of the L. (2005); Balda, J. B. &
Answer Scale: Written response or Leadership Mora, F. (2011); Gurdjian,
Prefer not to respond Development P., Halbeisen, T., & Lane, K.
programs (2014); Hopkins, M. M.,
completed by O’Neil, D.A., Passarelli, A.
participants. & Billimoria, D. (2008);
Lykins, L., Parker, A.
(2013); McKinsey. (2014d);
Profiles International. (2015).
7. Describe your professional goals for Identify Ibarra, H., Carter, N. &
the next three years. participant Silva, C. (2010); Kelan, E.
Answer Scale: Written response or ambitions in (2012); UNC Executive
Prefer not to respond association with Development. (2012); Zeno
completed Group. (2014).
Leadership
Development
program’s impact.
Serves as a
measurement of
participant
professional
goals.
8. Describe your perception(s) of Capture Bentley University. (2014);
women in leadership positions within participant Bentley University. (2012);
your organization. perceptions to Pew Research Center.
Answer Scale: Written response or compare to other (2008); Pew Research
Prefer not to respond research findings. Center. (2015); Zenger-
Outcome could Folkman. (2012); Zeno
strength or Group. (2014).
discredit current
findings.
9. Research indicated that Millennial Capture Brack, J. (2012); Lynch, A.
women associated personal sacrifice(s) participant (2008); Ryan, M. K. &
with leadership positions (Zeno Group, perceptions to Haslam, S. A. (2005); Zeno
2014). What personal sacrifice(s), if any, compare to other Group. (2014).
do you associate with leadership research findings.
positions? Outcome could
Answer Scale: Written response or strength or
Prefer not to respond discredit current
findings.
10. How can the perceptual gap between Collect Bentley University. (2012);
Millennial women considering participant ideas McKinsey. (2007a);

128
leadership positions and management be to determine if McKinsey. (2012b);
narrowed, thus increasing Millennial parallel ideas are McKinsey. (2013c).
women in leadership positions? emerging in other
Answer Scale: Written response or research findings.
Prefer not to respond Such ideas can
serve as a call for
more research.

129
 Appendix E

Acknowledgment – Disqualification Page

Based on your selection, you will not continue in the survey.

If you have any questions regarding this project, you may contact the researcher at
MollySantillo@gmail.com. If you have questions regarding your rights as a research
participant or any concerns regarding this project, you may contact my advisor Dr. Blount at
Brandy.Blount@faculty.rockies.edu, or you may report concerns – confidentially, if you wish
to the University of the Rockies Chairperson of the Institutional Review Board by emailing
IRB@rockies.edu.

IRB Approval Number 15-065-0

IRB Expiration Date 01-13-2017

130