Z Kuşağının Liderlik Gelişimini Şekillendiren Yaşam Mücadeleleri: Nitel Bir Araştırma

Year 2026, Issue: 89 , 396 - 415 , 30.04.2026

Muhammet Hamdi Mücevher

https://izlik.org/JA43ML28PF

Abstract

Liderlik gelişimi, bilgi ve teknik yeterliliğin yanında yaşanan zorlukları anlamlandırma, zorluklardan öğrenme ve dönüşüm oluşturabilme kapasitesi ile de biçimlenen bir süreçtir. Sosyal, ekonomik ve kültürel gelişmelerin çok hızlı yaşandığı bir zamanda büyüyen z kuşağı, değişik yaşam mücadeleleriyle erken yaşlarda yüz yüze gelmektedir. Bu mücadeleler, Z Kuşağının bireysel gelişim süreçlerini fazlasıyla şekillendirmektedir. Bu araştırmanın ana amacı, Z Kuşağına üye bireylerin yaşam mücadelelerinin niteliğini inceleyerek liderlik becerilerinin gelişimine nasıl katkı sunduğunu tespit etmektir.
Araştırmada, nitel araştırma yöntemi benimsenmiş olup 345 Z Kuşağına mensup bireyden yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu vasıtasıyla toplanan veriler, tematik analiz tekniği ile değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular, Z Kuşağı bireylerinin yaşam mücadelelerini beş temel temada tanımladıklarını göstermektedir: “Ailevi ve erken yaşam yükümlülükleri”, “Ekonomik güçlükler ve çalışma mücadeleleri”, “Akademik ve performans baskıları”, “Sağlık ve psikolojik sorunlar” ile “Toplumsal kriz, göç ve uyum deneyimleri”.
İlave olarak, Z Kuşağının yaşam mücadelelerinin liderlik gelişimine yansımaları değerlendirildiğinde; “Duygusal dayanıklılık ve öz denetim gelişimi”, “Sosyal yeterlik ve empati becerisi gelişimi”, “Kendini gerçekleştirme ve öz farkındalık gelişimi”, “Motivasyon ve gelecek odaklılık” ve “Krizlerde Liderlik Deneyimi ve Problem Çözme Yeteneği” konularında belirgin bir nitelik kazandıkları anlaşılmaktadır.

Keywords

Z Kuşağı , Yaşam mücadeleleri , Yaşam zorlukları , Liderlik gelişimi , Liderlik becerisi

Life Challenges Shaping the Leadership Development of Generation Z: A Qualitative Study

https://izlik.org/JA43ML28PF

Abstract

Leadership development is shaped not only by knowledge and technical competence but also by the ability to interpret challenges and learn from adversity. Growing up amid rapid social, economic, and cultural change, Generation Z encounters diverse life struggles at an early age, which significantly influence individual development. This study aims to examine the nature of these life struggles and to determine how they contribute to the development of leadership skills among Generation Z individuals.
A qualitative research design was employed. Data were collected from 345 Generation Z participants through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings show that life struggles are categorized into five main themes: family-related and early-life responsibilities; economic difficulties and work-related challenges; academic and performance pressures; health and psychological problems; and experiences of social crises, migration, and adaptation.
Moreover, these life struggles contribute to leadership development by fostering emotional resilience and self-regulation, social competence and empathy, self-awareness and self-actualization, motivation and future orientation, as well as leadership experience and problem-solving capacity in crisis situations.

Keywords

Generation Z , Life struggles , Life challenges , Leadership development , Leadership skills

References

• Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480.
• Arnett, J. J. (2014). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties. Oxford University Press.
• Avolio, B. J. ve Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315–338.
• Avolio, B. J. ve Hannah, S. T. (2008). Developmental readiness: Accelerating leader development. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 60(4), 331–347.
• Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.
• Barsade, S. G. ve O’Neill, O. A. (2014). What’s love got to do with it? A longitudinal study of the culture of companionate love and employee and client outcomes in a long-term care setting. Administrative Science Quarterly, 59(4), 551–598.
• Bass, B. M. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18(3), 19–31.
• Bass, B. M. ve Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Bennis, W. ve Thomas, R. (2002). Geeks and geezers: How era, values, and defining moments shape leaders. Harvard Business School Press.
• Boin, A., ’t Hart, P., Stern, E. ve Sundelius, B. (2005). The politics of crisis management: Public leadership under pressure. Cambridge University Press.
• Braun, V., ve Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
• Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Sage.
• Creswell, J. W. (2016). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Day, D. V. (2000). Leadership development: A review in context. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 581–613.
• Day, D. V. ve Dragoni, L. (2015). Leadership development: An outcome-oriented review. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2, 133–156.
• Deci, E. L. ve Ryan, R. M. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
• Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D. ve Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101.
• Francis, T. ve Hoefel, F. (2018). ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies. McKinsey & Company Report.
• Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., Luthans, F., May, D. R. ve Walumbwa, F. O. (2005). Can you see the real me? A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 343–372.
• Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
• Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. ve McKee, A. (2013). Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press.
• Grusec, J. E. ve Davidov, M. (2010). Integrating different perspectives on socialization theory and research. Social Development, 19(2), 286–295.
• Hannah, S. T., Avolio, B. J. ve Walumbwa, F. O. (2011). Relationships between authentic leadership, moral courage, and ethical and pro-social behaviors. Business Ethics Quarterly, 21(4), 555–578.
• Heifetz, R. A. (1994). Leadership without easy answers. Harvard University Press.
• Heifetz, R. A., Grashow, A. ve Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Harvard Business Press.
• Heifetz, R. A. ve Linsky, M. (2017). Leadership on the line: Staying alive through the dangers of leading. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Iorgulescu, M. C. (2016). Generation Z and its perception of work. Cross-Cultural Management Journal, 18(1), 47–54.
• Kane, G. C., Phillips, A. N., Copulsky, J. R. ve Andrus, G. R. (2019). The technology fallacy: How people are the real key to digital transformation. MIT Press.
• Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
• Kolb, D. A. ve Kolb, A. Y. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(2), 193–212.
• Kouzes, J. M. ve Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
• Lazarus, R. S. ve Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
• Lincoln, Y. S. ve Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
• Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M. ve Avolio, B. J. (2007). Psychological capital: Developing the human competitive edge. Oxford University Press.
• Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D. ve Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71(3), 543–562.
• Maddi, S. R. (2002). The story of hardiness: Twenty years of theorizing, research, and practice. Consulting Psychology Journal, 54(3), 173–185.
• Masten, A. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227–238.
• Masten, A. S. (2014). Ordinary magic: Resilience in development. Guilford Press.
• Masten, A. S. (2018). Resilience theory and research on children and families: Past, present, and promise. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(1), 12–31.
• McCall, M. W., Lombardo, M. M. ve Morrison, A. M. (1988). The lessons of experience: How successful executives develop on the job. Lexington Books.
• McCall, M. W. (2010). Recasting leadership development. Center for Creative Leadership.
• McCauley, C. D. ve Van Velsor, E. (2004). The Center for creative leadership handbook of leadership development. Jossey-Bass.
• McCauley, C. D., DeRue, D. S., Yost, P. R. ve Taylor, S. (2010). Experience-driven leader development: Models, tools, best practices, and advice for on-the-job development. John Wiley & Sons.
• Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Sage Publications.
• Mumford, M. D., Zaccaro, S. J., Harding, F. D. ve Jacobs, T. O. (2000). Leadership skills for a changing world. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(1), 11–35.
• Ozkan, M. ve Solmaz, B. (2015). The changing face of the employees–Generation Z and their perceptions of work. Procedia Economics and Finance, 26, 476–483.
• Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
• Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.
• Schawbel, D. (2014). Promote yourself: The new rules for career success. St. Martin’s Press.
• Scholz, C. (2014). Generation Z: Wie sie tickt, was sie verändert und warum sie uns alle ansteckt. Wiley-VCH.
• Seemiller, C. ve Grace, M. (2016). Generation Z goes to college. John Wiley & Sons.
• Seemiller, C. ve Grace, M. (2019). Generation Z: A century in the making. Routledge.
• Singh, A. P. ve Dangmei, J. (2018). Understanding the generation Z: The future workforce. South-Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3(6), 1–5.
• Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249–275.
• Stillman, D. ve Stillman, J. (2017). Gen Z @ work: How the next generation is transforming the workplace. Harper Business.
• Stogdill, R. M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and research. Free Press.
• Tedeschi, R. G. ve Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18.
• Tugade, M. M. ve Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). Resilient individuals use positive emotions to bounce back. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 320–333.
• Twenge, J. M. (2017). iGen: Why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy—and completely unprepared for adulthood. Atria Books.
• Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S. ve Young, T. (2018). Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: Systematic analysis of qualitative health research. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), 1–18.
• Williams, K. C., Page, R. A., Petrosky, A. R. ve Hernandez, E. H. (2018). Multi-generational marketing: Descriptions, characteristics, lifestyles, and attitudes. The Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 20(8), 60–75.
• Yıldırım, A. ve Şimşek, H. (2011). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.