Stephan A. Boehm

Age, resistance to change, and job performance

Purpose – In light of the increasingly aging workforce, it is interesting from both a theoretical and practical perspective to investigate empirically the commonly held stereotype that older workers are more resistant to change (RTC). Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to investigate the age/RTC relationship, considering tenure and occupational status (blue/white collar employees) as additional boundary conditions. Furthermore, the paper investigates the relationship between RTC and individual performance, thereby introducing RTC as a mediator in the age/job performance relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Study hypotheses are tested among a sample of 2,981 employees from diverse companies. Structural equation modeling with bootstrapping procedures is applied to investigate the moderated-indirect model. Findings – Contrary to common stereotypes, employee age is negatively related to RTC. Tenure and occupational status are further identified as boundary conditions for this relationship. Moreove...

Age diversity, age discrimination, and performance consequences - A cross organizational study

The article presents the results of research on the relationship between age diversity in the workplace and corporate performance. It focuses on perceptions of ageism in the workplace. An overview of related previous studies is provided, along with details of the research protocol, which involved a survey of over 18,000 employees and executives. It was found that increased age diversity correlated with higher levels of perceived age-based discrimination. Perceived age discrimination was also negatively correlated with performance.

How to empower employees: using training to enhance work units’ collective empowerment

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to examine, theoretically and empirically, whether an employee training program can enhance the collective perception of empowerment of work units within an organization. The authors hypothesized that training participation relates to empowerment by enhancing the potency, meaningfulness, impact, and autonomy of the employees. Design/methodology/approach - – The authors collected data at two time points, before and after the training intervention. Over the two periods, the sample consisted of an average of 2,383 employees nested in 36 work units of a large multinational company. Findings - – The results indicated a positive relationship between training participation and increased levels of collective psychological empowerment, with differential effects on the dimensions of empowerment. Practical implications - – This study provides evidence of the positive relationship between training and empowerment, suggesting training effects across levels of analysis. The results indicated dimensions of empowerment that are more and such that are less prone to training. Such knowledge may help to inform organizations in developing training strategies. The authors provide recommendations for a respective training program. Originality/value - – This is one of the first studies to investigate the relationship between training participation of individual employees and shared empowerment perceptions within their work units, adding an important antecedent to the research on empowerment. In addition, the authors propose ways of how individual employees can affect shared perceptions among work-unit members. The study offers insights into the development of empowered work units, the vertical transfer of training across levels of analysis and implications for training programs.

The role of transformational leadership in the mental health and job performance of employees with disabilities

With the present study, we aim to advance the understanding of the role of leadership in the vocational inclusion of employees with disabilities. We argue that transformational leadership (TFL) can be an important approach that fits particularly the requirements of people with disabilities, because it positively influences their self-concept and consequentially heightens their job performance while it prevents emotional exhaustion. Applying a mixed-methods approach, both qualitative interview and quantitative survey data from employees of an Israeli call center were gathered and analyzed. The interview results indicated that all facets of TFL could be observed in the present context. Moreover, it provides evidence for the assumption that a lack of self-esteem is a key problem with which employees with disabilities deal in daily work. The survey results support the view that TFL can enhance employees’ organization-based self-esteem and prevent their emotional exhaustion, thereby also affecting job performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Age Diversity and Age Climate in the Workplace

Raising levels of age diversity are a corporate reality in most organizations today. Unfortunately, the effects of age diversity on various organizational outcomes including its effect on the employment relationship are not yet fully understood. This chapter strives to provide a theoretical and empirical synopsis of relevant literature in this field. First, various theoretical frameworks are discussed to explain both positive and negative effects of age diversity. These include cognitive resource models of variation as well as processes related to similarity-attraction, social identity, career timetables and prototype matching, as well as age-based faultlines. Second, a structured review is conducted which summarizes empirical findings on the effects of age diversity at different organization levels and with regard to various outcomes including performance, innovation, communication, discrimination, conflict, and turnover. Third, potential moderators of the age diversity-outcome relationship are discussed which include demographic and task characteristics, team processes, leadership behavior, age stereotypes, HR and diversity management practices, as well as diversity mindsets and age-diversity climate. The chapter concludes with an outline for future research in this important area of organizational behavior.

How Do I-Deals Influence Client Satisfaction? The Role of Exhaustion, Collective Commitment, and Age Diversity

This paper introduces a multilevel perspective on the relationships of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) with organizational outcomes (i.e., client satisfaction) and investigates how and under which conditions these relationships manifest. On the basis of contagion theory, we proposed that the positive effects of i-deals will spill over within organizational units (indicated by reduced emotional exhaustion and enhanced collective commitment), which leads to increased customer satisfaction. Moreover, we postulated that the effects of i-deals would be more prominent in units with high age diversity, as i-deals are more important in units where people’s work-related needs are more heterogeneous due to the higher diversity in employee age. A study among 19,780 employees and 17,500 clients of a German public service organization showed support for the contagion model and that i-deals were negatively related to individual emotional exhaustion and subsequently positively related to collective commitment within units and client satisfaction measured 6 months later. Emotional exhaustion and collective commitment mediated the relationships between i-deals and client satisfaction. Finally, we found that the relationships between i-deals and emotional exhaustion / client satisfaction were more strongly negative in units with high age diversity, rather than in units with low age diversity, indicating the benefits of i-deals within units with high age diversity to reduce emotional exhaustion and enhance client satisfaction.

Age diversity and its performance implications – Analysing a major future workforce trend

Demographic change, increased retirement age, and efforts to shorten the duration of education will lead to a more age-diverse workforce in future. Age diversity’s successful management will therefore become an important business issue for company practitioners. Unfortunately, knowledge concerning the outcomes of diversity in general and age diversity in particular lacks consistency. On the basis of the similarity-attraction paradigm, social identity and self-categorisation theory, token status, and inequality, some scholars argue that diversity has negative effects. On the basis of the information/decision-making perspective, other scholars predict that diversity has positive outcomes.

An integrated framework for investigating the challenges and opportunities of demographic change

Demographic change is one of the most crucial issues of our time. Owing to its importance for companies, this topic has made it onto decision-makers’ agendas in recent years. This chapter – which serves as the introductory chapter – sets out to first establish a common understanding of the term demographic change. The motivation is that one must first understand the specific developments of demographic change if one is to effectively consider its various implications. Secondly, by taking the company stakeholder perspective, this chapter introduces an integrated framework for examining demographic change’s implications for companies. Thirdly, on the basis of the suggested framework, this chapter integrates and organises the individual book contributions.

Is There a Downside of Job Accommodations? An Employee Perspective on Individual Change Processes

By modifying the work environments, work routines, and work tasks of employees with health restrictions, organizations can effectively help them continue to perform their jobs successfully. As such, job accommodations are an effective tool to secure the continued employment of aging workers who develop disabilities across their life span. However, while accommodations tackle health-related performance problems, they might create new challenges on the part of the affected employee. Building on the organizational change and accommodations literatures, we propose a theoretical framework of negative experiences during accommodation processes and apply it to qualitative data from group interviews with 73 manufacturing workers at a German industrial company who were part of the companys job accommodation program. Although problems associated with health-related impairments were mostly solved by accommodation, affected employees with disabilities reported about interpersonal problems and conflicts similar to those that typically occur during organizational change. Lack of social support as well as poor communication and information were raised as criticisms. Furthermore, our findings indicate that discrimination, bullying, and maltreatment appear to be common during accommodation processes. To make accommodation processes more successful, we derive recommendations from the organizational change literature and apply it to the accommodation context. We also emphasize unique characteristics of the accommodation setting and translate these into practical implications.

Disability and Socialization at Work: Causal Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Approach

Persons with disabilities remain an underutilized resource in the labor market, a situation with important implications for their social inclusion at work and in society. Stigmatizing labels (“ment...