Negotiating the ‘Weak’ Label: How Indonesian Generation Z Responds to Workplace Stereotypes
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Abstract
Generation Z (Gen Z) is frequently portrayed in organizational discourse as “weak,” overly sensitive, or lacking resilience. While prior research has largely focused on how Gen Z is perceived, limited attention has been given to how Gen Z itself interprets and responds to such stereotypes. Addressing this gap, this study explores how Indonesian Gen Z individuals negotiate the “weakness” narrative in early work contexts. Using a qualitative exploratory approach, data were collected from 35 Gen Z respondents with internship or part-time work experience. Thematic analysis reveals that responses to the stereotype are neither uniform nor binary, but instead cluster into seven subthemes: (a) rejecting generalization, (b) negotiating ambivalence, (c) countering through proof, (d) reframing weakness as difference, (e) contextualizing through social change, (f) positive reinterpretation, and (g) disengagement. These subthemes are further organized into three broader meta-mechanisms: resistance (a–c), reinterpretation (d–f), and disengagement (g). The findings demonstrate that Gen Z actively negotiates generational labels rather than passively internalizing them. Through resistance, individuals challenge the validity of the stereotype; through reinterpretation, they reconstruct its meaning; and through disengagement, they minimize its relevance. Collectively, these strategies position the “weakness” narrative as a site of identity work, where young professionals actively construct and defend their emerging professional identities.
This study contributes to generational stereotype literature by shifting the focus from external perception to internal sensemaking, and by conceptualizing stereotype response as a spectrum of negotiation strategies. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of moving beyond generalized generational assumptions and recognizing the diversity and agency of Gen Z in contemporary workplaces.
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