Prasha Saggu

Military plays an imperative role in establishing peace and security in a country and in its overall development. In critical times of disasters, military serves as the first point of contact to provide aid and assistance search and rescue missions. The motivation to hold a job profile of an armed force personnel is largely intrinsic. However, with burgeoning advancements in the nation’s economic structures, the opportunities in other avenues become more rewarding and enticing for the newer generations. With capitalism and consumerism enveloping the younger generations, materialistic perks delivered by an organization become a major driving factor for choosing a career. This is witnessed by a shortfall in the number of people choosing military as their first career option amidst corporate placements. Limited literature exists on the reasons for the slump in the aspirations of youngsters to join the armed forces. The current study aims understand the aforementioned by exploring the shifts in the motivational factors to join military as career option between Generation X, Y and Z. Involving a mixed-method inquiry, the study uses semi-structured interviews and survey to find the underlying motivational aspects of officers (n=45) to join the military across three different generations. Statistical method of t-test is used for interpreting the survey data along with thematic analysis of the interviews to ascertain changing needs and motivations of the newer generations. This research holds potential to identify and fill the gaps between the expectancies of the incoming officers and the organizational dynamics at interplay. The study has implications for organizational and Human resources management realm.

Keywords: Military, economic development, motivation, change