Generations and Different Types of Leadership: Case Study of a Branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces

Abstract

Nowadays, we are increasingly faced with an environment of generalised demotivation. An organisation is not just made up of people, it is also made up of generations and the generational issues that come with that. All generations have different values and motivations. And since the generations are different from each other, it is to be expected that they will also have different leadership Styles. The main aim of this study is to try to understand the relationship between generations X and Y and leadership styles, with motivational issues playing a moderating role in the relationships under study, by carrying out structured interviews with members of a branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces. The methodology used is an exploratory, qualitative case study, using structured interviews to obtain relevant information on the relationship between generations X and Y and leadership Styles. The main conclusions are that there is a relationship between the three factors mentioned, the type of generation influences the leadership style, which in turn influences employee motivation.