Examining organizational culture through a generational lens: Millennial workers in community colleges

Abstract

Millennials make up nearly half of California’s workforce yet represent only 25% of employees in the California Community College (CCC) system. This underrepresentation raises concerns about long-term staffing, leadership pipelines, and organizational sustainability. This mixed-methods study explored millennial employees’ perspectives of organizational culture across two community colleges, guided by Schein’s (2017) organizational culture and subculture framework. The study examined (a) the alignment between millennial employees’ values and institutional espoused values, (b) perceptions of how well those values are enacted, and (c) the workplace motivators that influence attraction and retention. Survey results (n = 99) showed strong value congruence, with all institutional values rated as highly important. However, participants reported substantial gaps between importance and enactment, particularly for integrity, quality, collegiality, and opportunities for professional growth. Interviews (n = 12) reinforced these findings, highlighting inconsistencies in leadership transparency, supervisory support, and access to advancement. Millennials identified work–life balance, feeling valued, flexible work options, and clear promotional pathways as key motivators not consistently demonstrated in practice. Findings suggest that community colleges must strengthen value enactment, modernize workplace practices, and create structured growth pathways to better attract and retain millennial employees.