Harnessing the power of narcissism and entitlement in millennials through community service self-efficacy

“Our research indicates that organizations that want to reduce the negative effects of narcissism on work engagement amongst millennials should increase opportunities for company-backed community service.” -Keith Credo, PhD

As with gen x and the baby boomers before them, millennials grew up through an incredible period of change and transformation. The 20-to-40-somethings of today, these children of the 1980s to early 2000s navigated their own unique time of social, technological, political, and economic opportunities and challenges, from September 11 to the rise of social media and the Great Recession.   Now “all grown up”, this generation has surpassed Boomers as the largest generation, constituting an increasingly central component of the workforce.  As a result, a number of studies have sought to define and explore the unique characteristics of this generation of millennial employees, often overwhelmingly focusing on negative traits—but is this the whole story?

Generally, different generations can be broadly characterized as exhibiting particular tendencies in the workplace resulting from larger-scale perspectives and values, all arising from a complex matrix of social, political, and economic factors experienced during formative years and experiences. For example, growing up in the atmosphere of the 1960s and 70s, gen x employees are generally considered to be independent workers with a distaste for micromanagement who highly value work-life balance.  This is in contrast with the previous, post-war generation of workers, the baby boomers, who tend to most value traditional career dedication and job stability.  On the other end of the spectrum, millennials tend to value flexibility and work-life balance, with less emphasis on identification with career or a particular company.

It is undeniable that many studies have highlighted the more negative aspects of millennials’ role in the workplace, focusing specifically on higher rates of self-absorption and entitlement, specifically.  In fact, some studies suggest narcissism rates among millennials are as much as 30% higher than in previous generations (Twenge & Campbell 2008).  Indeed, these traits appear to impact the way millennials interact with the workplace; for example, millennials are less likely to accept entry-level positions they consider to be less “important”, and more likely to over-inflate their leadership abilities or other traits (Judge, Lepine and Rich 2006; Tulgan 2009).   On the flip side, millennials exhibit some of the highest levels of volunteering and social engagement (Dalton 2008).  So, how do these seemingly contradictory characteristics interact?

Research my colleagues and I conducted in 2016 suggests that it is precisely this strong belief in self that can mediate the effects of narcissism in the workplace.  In fact, providing millennials with opportunities to make a difference can increase their engagement at work.

Our study examined the relationship between narcissism, entitlement, and community service self-efficacy (CSSE) and engagement in millennial workers.  Previous research indicated that both narcissism and entitlement might increase engagement at work due to attention-seeking desires or belief in self-importance.  Surprisingly, this was incorrect.  Entitlement did not appear to have a significant impact, while narcissism had a significantly negative relationship with engagement.  Most interesting, Community Service Self Efficacy, or CSSE (defined as an individual’s confidence in their ability to positively engage in community service efforts) negated the significance of narcissism’s negative impact on engagement.

In other words, our study showed that millennials, when confident in their ability to engage in community service (as a result of past organizational opportunities to engage in service) had high levels of engagement in their work, regardless of their levels of narcissism.  Our research indicates that organizations that want to reduce the negative effects of narcissism on work engagement amongst millennials should increase opportunities for company-backed community service.

Given the importance of community service and activism to millennials, these results are especially interesting.  Just as generations before them, millennials employees demonstrate their own, unique, relationships with the workplace.  While generalizations about individuals are dangerous, it is important to take broader patterns into context, especially when dealing with management and employees of different generations.  As demonstrated by this research, exploring complex relationships, knowing when to question stereotypes, and knowing when to embrace these differences is essential to creating a workplace that remains relevant and engaged.

Works Cited:

Credo, K. R., Lanier, P. A., Matherne III, C. F., & Cox, S. S. (2016). Narcissism and entitlement in millennials: The mediating influence of community service self efficacy on engagement. Personality and Individual Differences, 101, 192-195.

Dalton, R. J. (2008). Citizenship norms and the expansion of political participation. Political studies, 56(1), 76-98.

Judge, T. A., LePine, J. A., & Rich, B. L. (2006). Loving yourself abundantly: relationship of the narcissistic personality to self-and other perceptions of workplace deviance, leadership, and task and contextual performance. Journal of applied psychology, 91(4), 762.

Tulgan, B. (2009). Not everyone gets a trophy: How to manage generation Y. John Wiley & Sons.

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, S. M. (2008). Generational differences in psychological traits and their impact on the workplace. Journal of managerial psychology, 23(8), 862-877.