Experience Stern | Faculty & Research

I came late to a career as a business-school professor—I’m now in my fourth year. When I first stepped into the classroom, I didn’t expect that my research would soon agitate nearly everyone.

It started innocently enough, with a class I created about how to find your purpose—which, I posited, lies at the intersection of your values, aptitudes and economically viable interests. Intrigued by what I was learning about Generation Z by teaching, I decided to conduct a study about generational values, and, because it seemed relevant in an M.B.A. environment, I thought it would be interesting to see how Gen Z’s values compared with the values most prized by hiring managers in today’s economy.

The analysis produced a number that startled my co-researchers and me. A mere 2% of Generation Z members hold the values that companies want most in new hires, namely achievement, learning and an unbridled desire to work.

Read the full The Wall Street Journal article.
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Suzy Welch is Professor of Management Practice at NYU Stern.