What implications do the values of younger generations have for businesses? 

What are the implications of the values held by younger generations for businesses? 

In our latest study, we seek answers to the question of what consequences the values of younger generations have for corporate behaviour. In doing so, we will focus on those values held by younger generations which place less emphasis on purely economic aspects in their own behaviour than is the case with older generations.

As part of our third middle management study 

‘Middle Management – Leadership in Times of Massive Upheaval’, we gained some fascinating insights in 2023:

Younger middle managers 

• are most frequently confronted with having to enforce corporate directives that conflict with their own values, 
• are most likely to notice breaches of regulations and corporate scandals, and 
• harbour the strongest doubts about the sustainability of their own company’s business model. 

Whereas older generations find these three moral conflicts significantly less challenging as they get older. 

Moral conflicts have always been an integral part of middle management; however, the massive generational divides – including with regard to breaches of rules, scandals and sustainability (ESG) – suggest that a closer look is needed at the observable moral gap across the generations.

Within the context of this intergenerational moral difference, three key value dimensions can be distinguished: 

• Internal values relating to personal lifestyle choices.
• Values centred on the significance of work and their manifestations in the corporate world.
• Values centred on the environment in the context of companies’ competitive activities.

We would like to hold discussions with business leaders regarding these three value dimensions. We wish to find out 

• whether you agree with our findings regarding the values of younger generations,
• what specific consequences these values have for the organisation, structure and development of work and collaboration within your company, and
• what significance you attach to the values of younger generations for your company’s competitiveness, future viability and reputation, and where you see risks and opportunities in integrating these values. 

Should you be interested in discussing with us the implications of the values held by younger generations for your organisation, we look forward to hearing from you. 

michael.schellberg@stiftung-wirtschaftsethik.de