Section Two
The implications for strategic management of these
results are that U.S. workers are interested in the types of jobs
that they perform and that they still have desirable work
values. Younger workers who currently account for a major
portion of the workforce and who will dominate it during the
rest of the decade and beyond, feel entitled to meaningfulness
and involvement. They want interesting work, to participate in
decisions affecting them, autonomy, and opportunities to grow.
Pay will remain important, but workers will probably not be as
focused on pay as in the past.^33 These findings are consistent
with the description of changing work values conveyed in the
following:
After a decade of excessive consumerism and
blind ambition, American workers between the
ages of 25 and 49 are beginning to emphasize
public service and family life as measures of
success...^34The trend toward greater interest in aspects of job
satisfaction, such as autonomy and interesting work, are even
reflected in the significant impact such factors have on workers’
intentions to vote for unionization. Recent research also has
demonstrated the significance of values as determinants of job
choice decisions.^35