scholarly journals Include, Individualize, and Integrate: Organizational Meta-strategies for Mature Workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon K Parker ◽  
Daniela M Andrei
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Aging Workforce ◽  
Diverse Workforce ◽  
Work Redesign ◽  
Age Diversity ◽  
Optimal Distinctiveness ◽  
Optimal Distinctiveness Theory ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Mature Workers

Abstract In this commentary, we synthesize the literature on mature workers in organizations to support the development of an intervention-focused research program. We identify 3 broad approaches, or “meta-strategies,” which theory and research suggest organizations can use to reap the benefits associated with a mature and age-diverse workforce. “Include” involves strategies to create an inclusive climate in which mature workers are welcomed and fairly treated and is based on theories such as optimal distinctiveness theory. “Individualize” involves strategies to adapt the work to meet the individual needs and preferences of an aging workforce, such as work redesign and is based on theories about how people change over the life span. “Integrate” involves strategies to address the greater age diversity that comes with an aging workforce, such as how mentoring schemes enable younger and older workers to better learn from each other, and is based on theories such as those concerned with team diversity. We believe that this framework will help organizational decision makers to think more broadly and more proactively about how to manage, and harness the benefits of, an aging workforce. Our framework also challenges researchers to give more attention to intervention studies, including considering what configurations of strategies might be most helpful, as well as whether sequencing of strategies is important.

Aging Workforce Issues from a Multilevel Approach

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lale M. Yaldiz ◽  
Franco Fraccaroli ◽  
Donald M. Truxillo
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Baby Boom ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Health Attitudes ◽  
Aging Workforce ◽  
Age Diversity ◽  
Personality Changes ◽  
Diversity Issues

The proportion of older people in the industrialized workforce is increasing owing to the aging of the baby-boom generation, improved health in industrialized countries, changing retirement laws, need for additional income by older workers, and entry of fewer younger people into the workforce in some countries. This “graying” trend of the workforce raises a number of issues such as the needs, motivation, job attitudes, and behaviors of older workers; how to manage age diversity issues at work; late career issues; and preparing the worker and the organization for retirement. Specifically, older worker issues as a research topic includes work-relevant changes taking place within individuals as they age (e.g., physical, cognitive, and personality changes); how older workers are affected by their physical and social environments; the sources of age stereotyping and discrimination and how to combat them; and how these factors affect outcomes such as older workers’ well-being, health, attitudes, motivation, performance, and desire to continue working.

The impact of age on innovation

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Human Resource Department ◽  
Age Diversity ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to develop a model of individual innovation based on an employee’s innate propensity to innovate and the specific costs and benefits expected to the individual from the innovation. This model is then used to study the way an employees’ age will impact innovation. Design/methodology/approach – This paper proposes variables which drive an individual’s innovative behavior based on a literature review. This theoretical model is then maximized to show how age drives an employees’ innovation output in three ways. A small survey is used to substantiate the theory. Findings – In this model, the age of the employee becomes an important independent variable with negative elements associated with both the cost and benefit the employee will receive from their innovation efforts. However, age will be positively associated with an employee’s ability to implement and capitalize on their innovation. Practical implications – Firm’s must pay attention to the career life cycle of their employees. The human resource department must take on the task of focusing on delivering the programs needed to support older employees’ particular needs relative to producing innovation. Social implications – As the Western workforce ages, considerations for dealing with older workers and age diversity will become more important. Models such as the one developed in this paper will be important for understanding and managing the changing workforce. Originality/value – This model develops a theory of how age can impact an employee’s innovation in three specific ways that have not previously been addressed in the literature. This model also proposes an explanation for surprising results found in several prior studies.

scholarly journals Ageism at Work

Psychology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Pytlovany
Keyword(s):  
Generation X ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Aging Workforce ◽  
Demographic Shift ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Age Bias ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Age Diversity ◽  
Generation Z

A demographic shift has been occurring in the workforce and is expected to continue in most industrialized nations across the globe. The popular press calls it “the graying of the workforce,” or “the silver tsunami,” reflecting a trend of an aging workforce. Older employees are remaining at their jobs longer and consequently age diversity within organizations has increased. Five different generations (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z) are working together more than ever before. Increased age diversity has important implications for organizational processes and can have positive and negative consequences. As this trend continues, businesses must adapt to effectively manage age-diverse employees. If left unchecked, ageism at work can lead to numerous detrimental outcomes for organizations (e.g., reduced firm performance, employee turnover), teams (e.g., intergroup conflict), and individuals (e.g., selection discrimination, poor health). Research on this topic seeks to understand the content and process of age-based stereotyping, accuracy of stereotypes, outcomes of age bias, and conditions under which stereotypes are most likely to result in discrimination. Most of the work to date has focused on older workers; however, attention to younger worker age bias is increasing. Developing research streams strive to understand personal and contextual factors impacting ageism at work, and strategies for mitigating the negative effects of age diversity while fostering positive outcomes.

Older workers: some critical societal and organizational challenges

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anselmo Ferreira Vasconcelos
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
First Century ◽  
Aging Workforce ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Challenges ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Change Motivation ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Mature Workers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine some societal contemporary challenges that encompass both older workers and organizations likewise. Rather, it focusses especially on those ones related to ageist mindset, myths and misinformation about that cohort of workers. Design/methodology/approach – It draws on a literature review by first approaching the problem of ageism, given that it is a social phenomenon that, to a large extent, impairs mature workers by putting them aside, as well as disdains the value of their experience and knowledge. Second, it offers some counterarguments against such mindset by discussing positive aspects related to older workers in order to clarify the widespread myths and misinformation about them. Third, it depicts a conceptual framework composed of some challenging issues toward improving the workplaces for older workers. Findings – It reassures that the broader challenges of dignifying older workers may be better addressed through initiatives such as acknowledgment and sensitivity; diversity; learning and development; legislation; wise leadership and HR policies; change; motivation; accommodation of different generations; and ethical and moral principles. Practical implications – The majority of organizations have nowadays to handle with an aging workforce and, at the same time, keep their competitiveness. This scenario requires pertinent interventions and approaches in order to meet mature workers’ needs. Social implications – It argues that age discrimination can be regarded as a bizarre human creation that requires the involvement of all sectors of society so as to get rid of it. As a result, the first decades of twenty-first century likely will place the additional challenge (perhaps it may be regarded as an opportunity) for building more humanized and spiritual workplaces. Further, it is very clear that an ageist behavior does not fit in such a view. Originality/value – This paper examined some of the greatest problems related to aging workforce worldwide. In this sense, by reviewing the pertinent literature was possible to identify some challenges, integrate them into a conceptual frame and address their implications for organizations.

The Individual Within the Group: Balancing the Need to Belong With the Need to Be Different

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Hornsey ◽  
Jolanda Jetten
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Group Identification ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Need To Belong ◽  
The Social ◽  
Optimal Distinctiveness ◽  
Optimal Distinctiveness Theory ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Differentiation

Many theorists have wrestled with the notion of how people balance their need to be included in social groups with their need to be different and distinctive. This question is particularly salient to researchers from the social identity perspective, who have traditionally viewed individual differentiation within groups as being inimical to group identification. In this article we present a number of strategies that people can use to balance their need to belong and their need to be different, without violating social identity principles. First, drawing from optimal distinctiveness theory, we discuss 4 ways in which the need for belonging and the need to be different can be resolved by maximizing group distinctiveness. We then discuss 4 ways in which it is possible to achieve individual differentiation within a group at the same time demonstrating group identification. These strategies are discussed and integrated with reference to recent empirical research and to the social identity perspective.

Applications of Web-QFD and E-Delphi method in the higher education system

2004 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-256
Author(s):  
Shun-Hsing Chen ◽  
Ching-Chow Yang
Keyword(s):  
Education System ◽  
Delphi Method ◽  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
The Individual

Quality function deployment (QFD) is an essential tool in implementing total quality management (TQM). This study applies a Web-QFD approach using group decision-making analysis in the Web environment to reduce the complicated data collection, aggregation and analysis processes. A Web-based questionnaire is designed by using an active service pages (ASP) involving the Internet relay chat (IRC) technique and the Delphi method with Internet (E-Delphi) to determine the importance degree of the customers' requirements. However, the traditional Delphi method is time-consuming mission. This study applies the proposed Web-QFD approach to efficiently gather the individual opinions of each team member, the requirements that are critical for customers, and then enables decision makers to accurately assess the priorities of these requirements. An empirical example of an education system in Taiwan is employed to demonstrate the practicability of the proposed Web-QFD model. This real world example involves team members communicating easily and quickly with other experts in the team through the Internet to accelerate the reaching of a consensus among multiple decision makers regardless of where their location. Customers' requirements can be rapidly prioritized based on the assessment results.

ManAGEment: the challenges of global age diversity for corporations and governments

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Mahon ◽  
Carla C.J.M. Millar
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Aging Workforce ◽  
Corporate Policies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Age Diversity ◽  
Dependency Ratios ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Global Age ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges, worldwide of managing an aging workforce. The paper offers suggestions for public policy and for individual organizational approaches to developing, managing and motivating an aging workforce. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews in depth international literature, public policies and corporate policies that deal with an aging workforce. Findings – In virtually every nation in the world, society is aging and the costs to society – on multiple dimensions demand organizational action and changes in public policy. For the first time in recorded history the number of people aged 65+ will exceed those 15 and under starting in 2015. It is also predicted that those 80+ will be greater than those under 15 in Europe by 2060. Originality/value – This paper explores the impact of a worldwide aging society on the management of organizations and the demands that this aging will place on public policy. It addresses the profound impacts of changing dependency ratios on nations and on their future competitiveness.

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