STUDY PAINTS NEW PICTURE OF GENERATION Z’S VALUES
SCHOOL : SDA Bocconi School of Management COUNTRY : Italy
Simplicity, stability, sociality and sustainability – these are the four words chosen to define the most common core values held by members of Generation Z, in a new study from SDA Bocconi School of Management. “Gen Z is embedded in a unique sociocultural context, shaped by geopolitical, health-related and climatic uncertainty, rapid technological advancements, global interconnectedness and unprecedented access to information,” declared SDA Bocconi marketing professor Fabrizio Zerbini. “This can lead to a certain degree of anxiety and the ability to soothe it can be key to a successful commercial offer,” he added. The value of simplicity relates to Gen Z members’ predilection for sourcing the shortest routes and interest in using a single app for all mobility service providers. Stability speaks to their inclination towards risk aversion and emphasis on routines, while sociality refers to their tendency to include quality time with loved ones as part of their definition of ‘luxury’. The last value relates to a commonly avowed commitment to sustainability. However, the caveat is that the study also found members do not always act in accordance with this commitment until they have children of their own. This picture of Generation Z’s outlook is based on the work of SDA Bocconi’s Smart & Sustainable Mobility Lab, a research arm that seeks to uncover changes to socioeconomic behaviours and habits relating to the short, medium and long-distance movement of people and goods. It surveyed 8,137 individuals aged between 18 and 30 and conducted interviews with 42 individuals based in 15 different countries. In addition, more than 100,000 captions from Instagram and TikTok were scraped using machine-learning algorithms. “The evidence we collected shows that Gen Z individuals change their behaviour not only according to their parental status but also according to whether they are students or workers. This suggests the need for further analysis and, perhaps, for a reconsideration of the generation’s narrative,” surmised Zerbini. TBD
New research indicates that gossiping at work can be bad for your career. Instead of making you a go-to person in the office for the latest news, it is said to hinder your ability to climb the corporate ladder. The study stems from a three-stage experiment. The first stage surveyed people on their reactions and perceptions to a scenario involving a gossiping colleague. A gossiper’s gender was then changed to assess how this affected participants’ perceptions of their morality. The third stage delved into real incidents of gossiping that had taken place in respondents’ workplaces. Overall, gossipers were viewed negatively and often socially excluded. For example, they were removed from social media groups and had decreased communication with the rest of the group. The potential impact on career progression is also stark, as survey participants were more likely to give gossipers lower performance ratings and reduced bonuses. In terms of gender, women were found to hold a more negative view of workplace gossipers than men, on average. “Gossiping is fairly common in all workplaces. Whether it’s a small comment about someone’s work, or something more personal and less work-related, we’ve all engaged in it either through gossiping ourselves or hearing someone gossip,” said Maria Kakarika, associate professor in leadership and organisational behaviour at Durham University Business School. “However, it is highly likely that gossiping can be reduced in the workplace if people are aware that it reveals as much about the gossiper as it does about the subject of their gossip. This workplace gossiping can have real negative impacts on career progression.” To counteract its impact, the study recommends helping employees to understand the negative consequences of gossiping and how it might impact their careers. The research was carried out by Durham University Business School in conjunction with France’s Neoma Business School. EB WHISPER IT SOFTLY… HOW WORKPLACE GOSSIP CAN STIFLE CAREER GROWTH SCHOOL : Durham University Business School COUNTRY : UK
10 | Ambition | MAY 2024
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