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Article
Publication date: 8 November 2013

Donald Ropes

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of intergenerational learning as a way for organizations to deal with an ageing worker population in a positive and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of intergenerational learning as a way for organizations to deal with an ageing worker population in a positive and constructive way.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a thematic synthesis of qualitative literature and considers all types of sources including quantitative scientific reports, reports on case studies, practitioner reports, social program evaluations and White Papers.

Findings

The paper points out that intergenerational learning is an effective way to organize learning at the workplace as it appeals to older worker motivations and learning styles, benefiting both worker and organization.

Research limitations/implications

The paper leads to several testable hypotheses concerning intergenerational learning. There also needs to be more work on how cognitive differences might affect interactive processes in intergenerational learning groups.

Practical implications

This paper can give managers ideas on organizing intergenerational learning as a strategy for dealing with an ageing worker population.

Originality/value

This paper opens up new possibilities for both researchers and practitioners of workplace learning by using age and other concepts of diversity as a building block for organizing learning environments.

Details

European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 37 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-9012

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 March 2020

Soner Polat and Yılmazer Yılmaz

The purpose of this study is to determine barriers to intergenerational learning.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine barriers to intergenerational learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design is phenomenological, which is a qualitative research method. The study was carried out in a large-scale production facility in the Central District of Kocaeli, Turkey, and the study group of the research consists of 61 participants determined using the maximum diversity technique, one of the purposeful sampling techniques. Significant attention was paid to the examination of employees from all levels and every generation within the hierarchical structure of the company while selecting the working groups for the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and content analysis method was applied in the analysis of the data. Participants were questioned about barriers to their prejudices.

Findings

As a result of the research, it was observed that barriers “to being a leader for intergenerational learning” were gathered under three distinct themes: personal factors, relational factors and managerial factors. The most frequently stated subthemes of these were: “seeing knowledge and experience as a power” and “lack of job commitment and motivation” under personal factors, “communication problems” under relational factors and “insufficient support or not being supported or encouraged by management” under managerial factors.

Originality/value

This study should be of interest to researchers interested in educational organization use of barriers to intergenerational learning: a case of a workplace in Turkey, use of intergenerational learning by organization and management.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 41 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2015

Donald Ropes

The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the challenges organizations face in regards to an ageing workforce and to present the results of an European Union project…

1678

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the challenges organizations face in regards to an ageing workforce and to present the results of an European Union project called SILVER (see www.intergenerationallearning.eu) that developed a toolkit to help management in knowledge-intensive organizations deal with older personnel in a positive and effective manner by organizing intergenerational learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This study involved interviews with 32 international human resource managers and a local survey of more than 1,100 mid and upper-level managers. Testing and evaluation of the toolkit was done in 43 organizations.

Findings

Older workers bring several challenges with them, namely, ensuring continuous learning, social issues and diversity. The toolkit helps to deal with these challenges in a flexible and constructive way.

Originality/value

This article gives insights into how older workers can positively contribute to learning in organizations.

Details

Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7282

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 June 2023

Ramona-Diana Leon

This research aims to identify the most suitable intergenerational learning strategies for the private higher education institutions, using the analytic network process.

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to identify the most suitable intergenerational learning strategies for the private higher education institutions, using the analytic network process.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve this goal, two private higher education institutions from Curacao and Spain are analyzed. Data are collected based on a systematic literature review and Delphi studies and processed using the analytic network process.

Findings

The results show that teachers also learn at the workplace not only through the formal educational system but also through volunteering activities, mixed-aged teams, and mentoring, which are the most appropriate strategies for fostering intergenerational learning in the private higher education institutions. Besides, their selection is strongly influenced by institution's structural capital (namely, institutional policy, organizational culture, organizational memory) and by employees' psychological profile (such as interpersonal trust, knowledge self-efficiency, motivation).

Originality/value

This research helps the policymakers to prepare for the upcoming aging society by providing them with a viable tool for selecting the most suitable IGL strategy. Furthermore, it supports strategic thinking and scenario development by emphasizing how the situation could change if the importance of the individual and organizational factors varies.

Details

Journal of Professional Capital and Community, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-9548

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2015

Constantin Bratianu and Ramona Diana Leon

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the main strategies used in organizations to enhance intergenerational learning (IGL) and reduce knowledge loss. The emphasis…

1424

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the main strategies used in organizations to enhance intergenerational learning (IGL) and reduce knowledge loss. The emphasis is on universities that have an age layered or nested structure.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on an integrated approach of literature search, content analysis, survey based on interviews and questionnaires and the analytic hierarchy process method. The research questions are as follows: What is the level of awareness in organizations about knowledge loss and the role of IGL in reducing its consequences? What kind of organizational structure is adequate for promoting IGL? What are the most suitable strategies for enhancing IGL and reducing knowledge loss?

Findings

Universities have a nested generational structure, which makes them adequate for IGL. The most used strategies for enhancing IGL are mentoring, intergenerational research teams and intergenerational creativity workshops.

Research limitations/implications

Empirical investigations covered only four universities. Research should be extended to a larger number of universities and also to companies.

Practical implications

Findings are valuable for organizations having an aging workforce and which want to reduce knowledge loss through the IGL process.

Originality/value

The study provides an insight look of how organizations experiencing a workforce aging phenomenon can enhance IGL to reduce knowledge loss.

Article
Publication date: 28 January 2014

Donald Ropes

– To illustrate the possibilities of implementing intergenerational learning as a strategy for promoting older worker learning and development.

2228

Abstract

Purpose

To illustrate the possibilities of implementing intergenerational learning as a strategy for promoting older worker learning and development.

Design/methodology/approach

Review of literature.

Findings

Intergenerational learning is theoretically a natural and effective way for organizations to maintain competitive advantage in an ageing society.

Research limitations/implications

There needs to be empirical work that actually tests the theoretical propositions.

Originality/value

While intergenerational learning is not a new concept, using it as a strategy for assuring older worker learning is a new application.

Details

Development and Learning in Organizations, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7282

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2014

– This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

901

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

You cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Or so they say, but if the “old dogs” reference is a euphemism for the older working person, the saying had better not be true. The older workers – particularly the baby boomer generation born between 1946 and 1964 – are likely to be part of the workforce for a while longer than might have been expected as falling birth rates after the post-war “boom” and later retirement ages caused by the economic needs of the person concerned and the economy as a whole, combine to create a higher average age of the workforce.

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format.

Details

Development and Learning in Organizations, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7282

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 December 2014

J. Joseph Hoey, David Mills Chase and Jill L. Ferguson

By asking questions and presenting creative problems for students to solve, faculty nurture critical thinking and creativity. This type of inquiry-based teaching and learning is…

Abstract

By asking questions and presenting creative problems for students to solve, faculty nurture critical thinking and creativity. This type of inquiry-based teaching and learning is at the core of design curricula and provides the backbone of student charrettes and competitions, rooted in the professional realities of the disciplines. This chapter provides a guide for faculty members through the steps of how to do assessment of inquiry-based education within an artistic discipline. It provides a path to improve both content and form: to integrate what is known about inquiry-based learning in the arts with assessment practices that have emerged over the past three decades, and to use that as a basis for discussing how using reflective and inquiry-based practices coupled with well-designed assessment practices can serve to improve teaching practice, student learning, and further the development of inquiry-based environments at the individual, program, and even institutional levels.

Details

Inquiry-Based Learning for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: A Conceptual and Practical Resource for Educators
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-236-4

Article
Publication date: 28 December 2021

M. Saleem Ullah Khan Sumbal, Irfan Irfan, Susanne Durst, Umar Farooq Sahibzada, Muhammad Adnan Waseem and Eric Tsui

The purpose of this article is to investigate how organization retain the knowledge of Contract Workforce (CWF) and to understand the associated challenges in this regard.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to investigate how organization retain the knowledge of Contract Workforce (CWF) and to understand the associated challenges in this regard.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting an inductive approach, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers, project heads and consultants working in leading oil and gas companies across eight countries (USA, Australia, UAE, KSA, Pakistan, UK, Thailand and Russia). Thematic analysis was carried out to analyze the data collected.

Findings

CWF appears to be a significant source of knowledge attrition and even knowledge loss in the oil and gas sector. There are various risks associated with hiring of CWF, such as hallowing of organizational memory, repeated training of contractors, no knowledge base, workforce shortage among others which can impede the knowledge retention capability of O&G companies in the context of contract workforce. Various knowledge retention strategies for CWF have been revealed, however, there is interplay of various factors such as proportion of CWF deployed, proper resource utilization, cross-functional multi-level teams' involvement and strength of transactional ties. Maintaining strong relationships (Transactional ties) is crucial to maintain a virtual organizational memory (partial knowledge retention) and to follow a adopting a rehired when required policy.

Originality/value

The knowledge retention issue in the context of CWF has not be addressed in past researches. This article attempts to fill this gap.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 52 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 August 2012

Isabel Raemdonck, Rien van der Leeden, Martin Valcke, Mien Segers and Jo Thijssen

This study aims to examine which variables at the level of the individual employee and at the company level are predictors of self‐directed learning in low‐qualified employees.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine which variables at the level of the individual employee and at the company level are predictors of self‐directed learning in low‐qualified employees.

Methodology

Results were obtained from a sample of 408 low‐qualified employees from 35 different companies. The companies were selected from the energy sector, the chemical industry and the food industry. Multilevel analysis was applied to examine which variables are significant predictors of perceived self‐directed learning.

Findings

At the company level, the economic sector in which the employee is employed in particular played a striking role in the prediction of self‐directedness, as did presence of a participatory staff policy. At the level of the individual employee, a proactive personality (a disposition to take personal initiative in a broad range of activities and situations), striving for knowledge work, past learning initiative, task variety and the growth potential of the job were significant predictors of self‐directed learning.

Originality/value

Research on the predictors of self‐directed learning has primarily focused on correlational studies examining the relation between individual variables and level of self‐directedness. There is little research available that systematically traces the extent to which individual as well as company factors play a role in level of self‐directed learning. Nor is it clear which category of variables should be considered as the most critical. In addition, earlier research on this subject has mainly focused on a higher‐qualified group of workers (employees with at least a diploma of secondary education). Factors that are predictors of self‐directed learning and their relative weight might differ for certain groups of employees. This issue has hardly been addressed up to now.

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