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Prospectus
Exploring Human Resource Management Strategies to Retain Millennials
Latashia Reid
Doctor of Management
Walden University
A00529481
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Exploring Human Resource Management Strategies to Retain Millennials
Problem Statement
Managers have often found it difficult to retain millennial employees in the workforce
(Chaudhuri & Ghosh, 2012). The general problem is more millennials are dissatisfied with their
present employer. They are quitting their current positions resulting in high turnover rates
(Campione, (2015). Managers held approximately 2% of all workforce positions in 2014 and
90% of them believe an engagement strategy will impact businesses successfully, though only
20% help and sustained a platform or strategy to influence their employees (U.S. Department of
Labor, 2016). According to Christensen Hughes and Rog (2008), the cost of recruiting new
employees can be expensive and if managers are not able to provide HR management strategies
to retain millennials in the workforce, they will continue to experience a high turnover rate.
The specific problem is that some managers lack effective HR management strategies to
retain employees in the fast food industry (Ruiz, 2017). Employee turnover in the fast food
industry has an adverse impact on the companies outcomes but if managers implement employee
HR strategies employees are less likely to leave the organization. Creating impactful jobs is
essential and many studies have documented that generational differences, especially in relation
to retaining millennial employees (Great Expectation, 2016). A study was conducted on 40,000
millennials and only 17% were highly engaged in their work and these were also the employees
who remained in their positions (Nolan, 2015). According to a report conducted by Global HR,
out of 3,000 HR professionals, 73% indicated that turnovers had been and may continue to be
prevalent in the workplace (Barack, 2012).
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Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study is to gain an
understanding of HR management strategies to retain millennial, in the fast food industry in
Charlotte NC metro area. In this study, data will be collected through open-ended questions to 20
managers. The managers will participate in semi-structured interviews to identify effective and
failed HR strategies for millennials. The interviews will allow the participants the opportunity to
answer questions related to the effective and failed HR strategies to retain millennials. The
participants will be sampled using purposive sampling technique (Rankin & Brown, 2016).
Observation of managers will enable the exploration as an outsider to record events, behavior
and impressions that can be used in the interviews (Janesick, 2011). The primary method of data
collection is to seek multiple sources of data such as interviewing and recorded artifacts, called
field notes. The secondary method of data collection will consist of participating industry public
training documents. According to Frankel (2016) managers have been trying to retain millennial
employees for the past several years and there is an undoubtedly need to find the correct
solutions to retain millennials. The information generated from this research may reveal what
strategies managers could use to retain millennials.
Significance
Effective and failed strategies can influence employees to quit or be retained in
organizations. This study may have a significant impact on business practices because it may
provide managers with effective strategies to retain millennial employees. Business leaders may
have to understand how different generations has a unique experience that has contributed to
their way of approaching employment and long-term decisions. According to Campione, (2015)
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one of the major challenges facing businesses today is the retention of millennials and some
businesses practices and industry standards must be critically examined to find out why.
Millennials are considered to be the largest group of individuals in the workplace by 2020, so
there is a great need for managers to learn how to retain millennials (Chenkovich & Cates, 2016).
A lack of effort may cost companies a lot of money and loss of productivity (Dejesus, 2017). If
managers can understand the different ways millennials think and communicate perhaps they
could significantly reduce high turnover rates in the workplace. The social impact of this study
may help business to retain millennials and raise employment in the communities for millennials.
Background
1. Nolan, (2015) examined the projection of the high cost of employee turnover amongst
companies and dissatisfaction millennial employees. The author discussed how managers often
stereotype millennials employees into groups, portraying them as unmanageable employees. The
author stated different substitutions and changes to manage millennials employees. When
millennials needs are addressed and developed through perks, it would encourage them.
2. Campione, (2015) information regarding millennials and the importance of job satisfaction
is considered a core indicator of workers Assessment and retaining them to avoid high cost
turnovers. The author also discussed findings on millennials work attitudes, values, personality
traits, and behavior in the workplace.
3. Cameron and Quinn, (2006) felt motivated about competing values framework (CVF) based
on the different businesses who had already adopted the framework as a key part of their
services. The authors examined a set of tools and procedures that was their own empirical
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research and consulting experiences in Helping with cultural and personal changes in
organizations.
4. Meuse and Mlodzik, (2010) discussed the difference in generations and rapid changes in the
workplace. The authors also examined how managers who possess stereotypes may consciously
or unconsciously adapt attitudes, behaviors, or decisions based on sweeping generalization rather
than reality. The authors provide literature that was grounded from empirical studies and most
was focused on specific work related variables.
Framework
Conceptual frameworks help reflective researchers link scholarly literature to observe an
issue such as exploring HR management strategies (Fleet, Burton, Reeves, & DasGupta, 2016).
Competing values framework (CVF) is the primary conceptual framework for this study.
According to Cameron and Quinn, (2006) CVF can also be used as a conceptual model to do
qualitative research to explore the reason and process of organizational culture change. In 1983,
Quinn and Rohrbaugh created the CVF to provide a broader framework for managers to become
effective leading others and making organizational decisions (Cameron & Quinn, 2006). CVF
identifies indicators of organizational effectiveness and examines the relationships between
organizational culture and other key organizational variables, such as job satisfaction (DeJesus,
(2017).
Research Question(s)
RQ1: What HR management strategies do managers use to retain millennials in the fast
food industry in Charlotte NC metro area?
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Nature of the Study
The nature of this qualitative study would be to explore effective and failed HR
management strategies. Gog (2015) stated in a qualitative study the researcher will attempt to
understand relationships between the phenomenon, process and experiences with a sample.
Researchers may use qualitative research method to reflect on and challenge assumptions
regarding challenges that exist in roles and creating emancipatory potential in the study design
(Tinkler, Smith, Yiannakou, & Robinson, 2018). Another research method that researchers use
is called quantitative study. Quantitative research involves analyzing statistical data and
examining a theory (Hossain, 2017). The intent will be to explore HR managers with in-depth
questioning to understand millennials quitting their job in the fast food industry. Quantitative
research is not appropriate for this study. Quantitative methods are considered more rigorous
than qualitative methods which randomized controlled trails and systemic reviews (Hoe &
Hoare, 2012). Researchers use quantitative research to provide information on the amount of
data collected and the outcome of the statistical analyses performed (Barnham, 2015).
The research design that was chosen for this study is multiple case study. Case study
investigates a real life phenomenon in depth and within an environmental context. Researcher’s
uses case study to explore multiple or single phenomena in a study (Gog, 2015). A qualitative
multiple case study design would be the most appropriate method because would help
understand effective HR management strategies to retain millennials employees in the fast food
industry (Ridder, 2017). A case study will triangulate data as part of the data collection strategy,
resulting in detailed case description (Hollweck, 2015).
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Other designs that were not appropriate for this study were ethnography and
phenomenological research. Phenomenological research studies the human experiences (Petty,
Thomson & Stew, 2012). Ethnography study a cultural group of people in their natural settings
(Grossoehme, 2014). Both studies are used to collect data from groups or individuals through
interviews over a period of time (Mol, Silva, Rocha, & Ishitani, 2017). Due to time constraints
and different techniques to collect data, these studies were not approached for this study.
Secondary Data Types and Sources of Information
1. I will conduct interviews with 20 managers by recording and taking field notes.
2. There will be personal observation during the interview and observation from their
working environment.
3. I will use purposive sampling to elaborate and provide insight about HR management
strategies to retain millennials.
4. Multiple sources of data such as interviewing and recorded artifacts, called field notes
and data collection of participating industry public training documents.
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