Non-conventional Organizational Practices for Managing Youth at Work: A Case from Textile Industry in Sri Lanka

Atypical patterns of work behaviour and changing expectations of young generations at workplace have exhibited the need of deviating from traditional practices for achieving better performance through managing youth. This study explores and unveils such practices in a Sri Lankan organization in the labour-intensive textile industry. Using the case study strategy and adopting a qualitative theory development approach, it reveals five non-conventional organizational practices: protecting and caring, exposing the reality, respecting worker values, facilitating self-organization and promoting self-development. The study proposes that these practices lead to several intrinsic outcomes for young workers while creating their sense of security, generic knowledge, individual image building, self-efficacy and enhancing employability. The study elaborates some insights and implications drawn from the changing dimensions of the youth workforce.