Arriving at 'employee archetypes' in the Indian workforce

The issue of ‘diversity’ in the organizational context has been understood primarily by relying on the western model that looks at age as a significant filter through which generational differences could be explored.

In India however, we have reason to believe that apart from age there could be other variables (differences in ethnicity, personal values, family values, exposure during formative years etc.) that could influence the way employees think and behave. Differences in these variables could create generational clusters that may not be necessarily age defined.

SHRM India in conjunction with Vasanthi Srinivasan from IIM Bangalore undertook a large-scale research carried out in organizations across India to test some of these hypotheses.  

illume conducted the qualitative research to get a nuanced understanding of the Rockeach Values (that formed the basis of the quantitative research) from employees and to identify whether any or all of these values are instrumental in influencing generational clusters amongst employees within organisations.

The research was carried out in organisations ranging from – IT / BPO, telecom services, retail representing new industries on one hand to the more traditional industries like pharmaceutical, manufacturing and finance. The distribution had a range of medium and large organizations. These organizations also varied in their organizational culture and represented - family run enterprises, large organizations with native Indian values and some others with a predominantly western management approach.We conducted 50 focus group discussions pan India, besides interviewing senior business and HR leaders in these organisations. 

What we found

"The research providedinsights about the impact of socio-economic variables on work values. We were able to arrive at the archetypes of the three generations that currently exist in the Indian workforce. Archetypes have been dened as universal, archaicpatterns and images that derive from the collective unconscious. The three archetypes that were identied in this studyare the “Silver Spoon” generation, the “Gemini Twins” generation, and the “Rooted in the Past” generation."

The archetypes of generations amongst employees

·    In the last two decades (post liberalization and urbanization) – the social fabric of India itself has seen changes (the emergence of nuclear families that celebrate individualism as a value). It is not surprising then that, besides differences between the individual and the organization, this has also led to intra-personal conflict – amongst a generation of employees caught between two value systems  - the residual and the emerging. Thus the Gemini Twins

·     The other generational cluster that emerged was a set of people who have seen life in India only through the period of its hope and buoyancy. This coupled with the fact that most such people grew up in nuclear families with a relatively large disposable income being spent on meeting the demands of the kids had led to a situation where virtually all their demands have always been met and they have not seen a down side to life. They are a generation born with a silver spoon.

·    Indian is not one but many countries living in as one is what one often hears in the context of diversity. What is also true is several time periods (each with their value systems intact) co-exist in this country all at the same time. A third kind of employee cluster that emerged is one that is rooted in tradition and in the past – with their collectivistic values (respect for elders, celebrating hard work) still alive. The 'Rooted in past' archetype.

Read the complete report on 'Employee generations in the Indian Workplace' on the SHRM website