72 Chapter III Research Methodology III.1 Introduction In Chapter II, an extensive literature review was presented, covering topics such as behavioral leadership, experiential learning, and leadership transitions. This chapter elaborates on the methodology employed in this study. The discussion begins by outlining the research philosophy guiding this study, followed by detailed discussions on the research method, strategy, research choices, research model, time horizons, variable constructs, validity and reliability checks, and research ethics. To provide an overview of this chapter's content, Figure III.1.1 below presents the research onion for this study. The research philosophy adopted is pragmatism, with an abductive approach, also known as inference to the best explanation. The primary research strategy was a case study, supplemented by a follow-up survey to validate the model developed in the initial stage. Consequently, this study employed a mixed-methods approach, beginning with qualitative methodology followed by quantitative methodology. 73 Figure III.1 Research Onion of This Study (Saunders et al., 2009). To operationalize this mixed-methods approach, the research methodology diagram, as illustrated in Figure III.2, outlines the sequential and iterative process undertaken in this study. The methodology consists of two distinct yet interconnected phases. Phase 1 focuses on qualitative research, involving in-depth interviews with representatives from seven companies. This phase emphasizes identifying key leadership factors through coding, thematization, and pattern analysis, ultimately leading to the development of an initial leadership development model. Building on the qualitative insights, Phase 2 transitions to quantitative research. This phase involves the development and validation of a survey instrument designed to test the initial model. Key steps include expert reviews, pilot testing to ensure content validity, and statistical analyses such as multiple linear regression to assess model robustness. An iterative refinement process is applied to ensure that the data and model meet 74 reliability and validity standards, culminating in a validated leadership development framework tailored to millennials. Figure III.2 Research Methodology Diagram The integration of these two phases allows the study to explore leadership dynamics in depth while ensuring that the findings are empirically grounded and actionable. Given the focus on the current phenomenon, the study's time horizon is cross-sectional. Detailed explanations of the research methodology are provided in the subsequent subchapters. III.2 Research Philosophies As discussed in the previous subchapter, research philosophy guides researchers' perspectives on every aspect of a study, including their worldview and the issue under investigation. It also influences the practical implications of the research strategy and data collection methods. This study adopts a pragmatism philosophy, positing that an ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily. According to pragmatism, the meaning of a Leadership 402 75 proposition is found in its practical consequences, and any impractical idea is rejected (Saunders et al., 2009). This approach allows the researchers' standpoint to shift depending on the study’s context. Both positivist and interpretivist views were employed alternately, depending on which best served the research objectives (Maarouf, 2019). The study utilized a mixed approach, combining deductive and inductive methods. The literature review provided preliminary information and initial supporting theories to form the foundation of this research. However, given the lack of existing theory on the specific issue addressed in this study, empirical insights were gathered through the data collection process to build new knowledge, contributing to the theory of millennial leadership within a leadership development model. This model was subsequently validated through a survey of various companies in Indonesia to ensure its relevance and applicability. III.3 Data and Research Methods This section addresses the research strategies, including case study and survey methods, the choice of a mixed-methods approach, research models, cross-sectional time horizons, dependent and independent variables, reliability and validity tests, and the ethical considerations of the study. The study employed purposive sampling to select seven prominent Indonesian companies from diverse industries such as FMCG, e-commerce, banking, and education, focusing on market leadership, organizational size, and commitment to leadership development. The research commenced with a preliminary interview stage involving two leaders from each company, 76 ensuring insights from both senior and millennial leaders. This approach enabled the identification of the most influential factors in millennial leadership development while capturing varied perspectives based on industry influence and organizational dynamics. Figure III.3. below illustrates the process of this study. Figure III.3 Research Design III.3.1 Research Strategies The study began with case studies focusing on leadership development within leading organizations to identify the most effective methods of developing the millennial workforce in Indonesian companies, preparing them for future leadership roles. Seven Indonesian companies were selected for the study: Tokopedia, Unilever, BRI, Prudential, Samsung, Bogor Agricultural University, and 3M Indonesia. These companies are leaders in their respective industry sectors and have diverse shareholder cultures, making them well-suited to the objectives of this study. Purposive sampling, a non-probability sampling technique commonly used in qualitative research, was used to select respondents (Etikan, 2016). From each company, two people were selected: one member of senior management responsible for designing the leadership development program and one 77 member of middle management who participated in and implemented the program. The case study method was chosen for its ability to explain contemporary circumstances in breadth and depth (Yin, 2018). This approach is particularly relevant for researching the phenomenon of emerging millennial leaders who require preparation for top management positions. Case studies are commonly used to understand complex social phenomena. The main objective of this research is to study the processes required to develop millennial leaders across organizations globally, with a particular focus on companies in Indonesia. This focus is particularly important as the current leaders in these companies are mostly from previous generations, limiting opportunities for millennials. Along with generational shifts in the workforce, millennials have become the largest demographic in the global workforce. In addition, leadership development programs in many companies have not been developed to accommodate the needs of the new generation or still use standards designed for the previous generation. Therefore, comprehensive information gathering from all stakeholders is required before developing a leadership development model. In addition, testing is required to ensure the validity of the model, which requires case studies due to the complexity of the phenomenon. In-depth interviews were conducted with the leaders of each company to gather key information regarding the organization, the development of their millennial leaders, and their journey before assuming top management 78 positions. The results of these interviews were systematically transcribed and coded for analysis. The expected outcome of this first stage was to identify the factors that are most important to millennial leadership in these leading companies. These factors were then used as independent variables in the second stage. To ensure the robustness of qualitative findings, the criterion of data saturation was applied. Data saturation in this context refers to the point at which no new themes, insights, or perspectives emerge from the interviews, indicating sufficient depth and coverage of the phenomenon under study (Guest et al., 2006). Saturation was determined when responses from participants across different companies began to show a high degree of redundancy, and no additional concepts relevant to millennial leadership development were being introduced. This was particularly evident after analyzing the interviews from the final set of companies, where recurring patterns confirmed the adequacy of the sample size and the comprehensiveness of the data collected. Following the first stage, a survey of millennial leadership development stakeholders in Indonesia was conducted to confirm the significance of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The HR community was accessed through established networks within Indonesian professional HR organizations, industry conferences, and online professional groups. Participants were selected based on their experience in leadership development programs, with a focus on HR professionals involved in designing and implementing leadership initiatives for millennial 79 employees. Respondents from multinational, private-owned, and state- owned companies were included to ensure a representative sample across different organizational types. Individuals with no direct involvement in leadership development were excluded from the survey. This stage employed a quantitative methodology, using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) to analyze the questionnaire results, which contributed to the mixed-methods approach in this study. Survey results from millennial leadership development users and participants helped refine the model to generalize the findings. MLR was used to detail the results in the next subchapter (Reliability and Validity subchapter). This stage is crucial to formulate and validate a comprehensive model for millennial leadership development. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) was selected due to its capability to examine the relationship between multiple independent variables— identified during the qualitative phase—and a single dependent variable, Millennial Leadership Quality. MLR is appropriate for this study because it allows researchers to quantify the contribution of each factor, providing empirical validation for the proposed model. Before conducting MLR, several statistical tests were performed to ensure key assumptions such as linearity, normality, multicollinearity, and homoscedasticity were satisfied. The sampling strategy also reflects methodological rigor, including purposive sampling in the qualitative phase followed by the targeted selection of HR professionals in the quantitative phase. The respondents were selected based on their direct involvement in designing or 80 implementing millennial leadership development programs to ensure the relevance and quality of responses. To mitigate potential biases, clear inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and participant backgrounds were verified through professional networks. These methodological choices support the reliability and validity of the findings and enhance the overall robustness of the mixed-methods design. III.3.2 Research Choices Based on the literature review matrix presented in Table II.1 and Table II.2, the analysis of methodological approaches shows an interesting distribution among previous studies. Of the 32 studies documented, around 13 employed quantitative methodologies, including studies by Nicholas (2008), Smith & Galbraith (2012), and Price (2012) that focused on millennials in the education sector. Meanwhile, around 19 studies applied qualitative approaches, such as the works of Archbald (2013), Nolan (2015), and Heslin & Keating (2017) that used in-depth interviews, case studies, and narrative analysis to understand the dynamics of millennial leadership. It is noteworthy that very few previous studies have explicitly adopted a mixed methods approach, with only a few studies such as Stewart et al. (2017) and Bennett (2020) that appear to integrate qualitative and quantitative elements. The integration of these two phases allows research to explore leadership dynamics in depth while ensuring that the findings are empirically grounded and actionable. This methodological choice seems to be influenced by limitations identified in previous research, where quantitative studies often fail to capture contextual nuances, while qualitative studies may lack generalizability. Building upon these insights 81 from past research, the current study adopts a comprehensive methodological framework to address these limitations. As briefly explained in the previous subchapter, this study applied a mixed- method approach using a sequential qualitative-quantitative-qualitative process for the research choices. Initially, a thorough literature review was conducted, providing a solid foundation to jumpstart the study and form an interview guide. This guide was used in interviews with millennial leaders from seven distinctive, prominent Indonesian companies. The development of the interview guide was based on insights gleaned from the literature review. The details of the interview guide are shown in Table III.3.1 below. Table III.1 Interview Topics/Questions No. Interview Topics/Questions General Question (Dewanto et al., 2024; Warrick, 2017) 1. Is there any minimum age or minimal working experience regulation for the director or top management level in your respective industry. 2. The general culture of your organization: - What is it like to be working here. - Is it common for millennials to be at the top management level. Millennials at Work (Hee & Rhung, 2019; Nicholas, 2008; Stewart et al., 2017; Harrison et al., 2017) 3. How many millennial leaders does your organization have. How many of your organization’s top management leaders are millennials. 4. How is your experience in leading and handling millennials. - How are they generally like. - What do they do better than the previous generations. - What do they lack from the previous generations.