Millennial Communication Professionals Study Published in International Journal

This article was originally published by the Plank Center at the University of Alabama. 

Juan Meng, associate professor of public relations for Grady College, recently had a collaborative study published in the International Journal of Strategic Communication.

The co-sponsored millennial generation study was done by Meng and the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations and the Institute for Public Relations

Titled, “Maximizing the Potential of Millennial Communication Professionals in the Workplace: A Talent Management Approach in the Field of Strategic Communication,” the article provides a deeper understanding of millennial communication professionals’ (MCPs) generational attributes as related to their workplace values, and how such values affect key phases such as recruitment, engagement, development and retention in talent management in strategic communication.

Meng and Bruce K. Berger, professor emeritus at The University of Alabama, recruited two national panels to run comparative analyses with one panel consisting of MCPs and the other panel consisting of communication managers and executives who have direct working and/or supervising experience with MCPs.

“We must recognize these generational differences,” Meng said. “At the same time, it is more important for us to draw from these differences to build an effective talent management system that brings the best qualities out of MCPs to enhance our profession to be more diverse and inclusive.”

To download and read this journal article, please visit the International Journal of Strategic Communication. For more findings related to this 2017 project, please visit the Plank Center’s website.