Salla Karima's multi-method doctoral research in the field of education studies 30-40-year-old millennial leaders. Leadership is approached from a positive psychology perspective, as a life-long development process. Karima explored millennial leaders' thoughts on growing and developing as leaders, succeeding as a leader, and leadership challenges and resources.

“The majority of future leaders will be millennial leaders. The better we understand their ideas about leadership, the better organisations and communities can support their work," says Karima.

Karima interviewed 28 millennial leaders. The interviewees worked in Great Place to Work companies in Finland that received the award in 2020. The Great Place to Work® ranking is based on employee experience and culture analysis measured in employee surveys.

Work guided by humanity and the desire to develop

Millennial leaders share a human approach to people and leadership. They highlight the basics of leadership, which Karima says are even surprising, such as the importance of social skills, feedback and listening.

Humanity is strongly linked to well-being. Leaders want to support the overall well-being of both themselves and their subordinates. The personal experiences of a few leaders of exhaustion at work further reinforced their awareness of the importance of well-being.

Millennial leaders are also service-minded. When they have enough time to support their subordinates, they feel they are successful themselves. When subordinates are doing well, leaders are doing well.

“The amount of work of leaders should be critically reviewed. Leaders should have enough time for meetings and discussions with their subordinates.”

The interviewees associate leadership with human values, uniqueness, and self-realization. They value self-awareness, and have a strong belief in learning and growth. They also want to promote ethically sustainable activities.

The desire for continuous development and learning are strongly displayed. According to Karima, millennial leaders value positive interaction, training and support from others, such as coaching from a more experienced colleague or supervisor. These are seen as helpful in developing leadership.

“Organisations should ensure that they have effective feedback and development methods in place," says Karima.

Attitude helps to overcome challenges

 The challenges experienced by the leaders were diverse, covering both challenges from outside the operating environment and everyday challenges. These include industry uncertainty, cost pressures and uncertain prospects. Everyday work situations such as development discussions, redundancy situations and lack of time are also challenging.

However, the leaders have one thing in common that helps them in the face of these challenges: a realistic and positive attitude towards work. They understand that challenges are part of leadership and believe that a positive attitude is a legacy from childhood.

“An optimistic attitude encourages development and helps in challenging situations. Childhood education and a realistic attitude are important", says Karima.

In the face of challenges, it helps that millennials are aware of the interactive nature of leadership and understand that it involves different emotional states. A persistent and passionate approach to leadership will carry them through challenging situations.

Information on the public examination

The academic dissertation Millennial leadership in Great Place to Work companies in Finland by Salla Karima will be publicly examined in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lapland on Friday, 6 October 2023, at 12 noon, in lecture hall B127. The opponent is Professor Marianne Teräs from Stockholm University and the custos is Professor Satu Uusiautti from the University of Lapland.

The public defense can be followed online: https://blogi.eoppimispalvelut.fi/ulapland/

Information on the doctoral candidate

Karima graduated from Mercuria Business College in 2005, and earned her MEd from the University of Lapland in 2016. She has worked in various positions at Nokia, including logistics, knowledge development, organizational communication, and change projects.

Futher information

Salla Karima
skarima(at)ulapland.fi
050 486 1910

Information on the publication

Salla Karima (2023) Millennial leadership in Great Place to Work companies in Finland. Acta electronica Universitatis Lapponiensis 361. ISBN: 978-952-337-382-2, Rovaniemi, University of Lapland.

The permanent address of the electronic publication: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-337-382-2