Generational differences in employee motivation in the tourism industry in Finland
Pelkonen, Krista (2021)
2021
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021120824409
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021120824409
Tiivistelmä
The main research problem was to compare employee motivation in the tourism industry between Generation X and Millennials in Finland. The main objective of the research was to find out what motivates the younger generation and is it different from what motivates their predecessors, and to provide recommendations for tourism industry employers on how to better motivate their employees as the older generation is giving way for the new.
The thesis was written as an empirical research paper to find an answer to the research problem. The data collection was designed to bet more general within the industry with the hopes of getting a more general idea of the employee motivation of the two generations of employees to provide employers with the knowledge of what motivates these employees in the industry.
The theoretical background consists of relevant literature, professional websites, professional blogs, and academic articles. The theory explains the concepts of motivation, the generations and their stereotypes, and the tourism industry. It introduces well known motivation theories in addition to the theory applied to the thesis. Additionally it provides some insight to previous research conducted on the subject.
The author chose to implement a quantitative research method conducted via an online survey. The online survey was executed as a short questionnaire which was shared to the author’s contacts in the tourism industry via a public weblink. In addition the link was sent out via a news letter to different companies in the industry. The data was collected during a five week period and altogether twenty-nine responses were submitted. The questionnaire consisted of only closed-ended statements and the main questions which were based on the applied motivation theory were to be answered on a scale of agreement. The data was examined via comparative analysis.
The results indicated that Millennials are more motivated that Generation X in general. Differences between the generations exist, such as the fact that Millennials tend to value personal development and impact more so than Generation X, who want stability and a work-life balance. However these differences are not solely the product of a difference in age, and overlooking this leads to conflict on the assumption that different generations automatically have different values, views, thoughts, desires, and behaviour. Employers should treat each employee as an individual, and stereotypes, attitudes, and prejudices should be openly discussed in the workplace. Furthermore, motivation is everchanging and should continuously be researched and developed.
The thesis was written as an empirical research paper to find an answer to the research problem. The data collection was designed to bet more general within the industry with the hopes of getting a more general idea of the employee motivation of the two generations of employees to provide employers with the knowledge of what motivates these employees in the industry.
The theoretical background consists of relevant literature, professional websites, professional blogs, and academic articles. The theory explains the concepts of motivation, the generations and their stereotypes, and the tourism industry. It introduces well known motivation theories in addition to the theory applied to the thesis. Additionally it provides some insight to previous research conducted on the subject.
The author chose to implement a quantitative research method conducted via an online survey. The online survey was executed as a short questionnaire which was shared to the author’s contacts in the tourism industry via a public weblink. In addition the link was sent out via a news letter to different companies in the industry. The data was collected during a five week period and altogether twenty-nine responses were submitted. The questionnaire consisted of only closed-ended statements and the main questions which were based on the applied motivation theory were to be answered on a scale of agreement. The data was examined via comparative analysis.
The results indicated that Millennials are more motivated that Generation X in general. Differences between the generations exist, such as the fact that Millennials tend to value personal development and impact more so than Generation X, who want stability and a work-life balance. However these differences are not solely the product of a difference in age, and overlooking this leads to conflict on the assumption that different generations automatically have different values, views, thoughts, desires, and behaviour. Employers should treat each employee as an individual, and stereotypes, attitudes, and prejudices should be openly discussed in the workplace. Furthermore, motivation is everchanging and should continuously be researched and developed.