The purpose of this paper is to lay the groundwork for a large-scale prescriptive research project on organizing intergenerational communities of practice as a way to help organizations deal with some of the problems an ageing worker population brings with it. After a definition of the problem, a review of four seminal works on communities of practice was done to see if organizing intergenerational communities of practice might in fact be a viable solution to the problems of an ageing organizational population. Results are encouraging and lead to the conclusion that management might start to consider organizing these communities as a way to shed new light on older workers.
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The workforce in the EU is ageing, and this requires investment in older workers so that the organisations in which they work remain competitive and viable. One such investment takes the form of organising and facilitating intergenerational learning: learning between and among generations that can lead to lifelong learning, innovation and organisational development. However, successfully implementing intergenerational learning is complex and depends on various factors at different levels within the organisation. This multidisciplinary literature review encompasses work from the fields of cognitive psychology, occupational health, educational science, human resource development and organisational science and results in a framework that organisations can use to understand how they can create the conditions needed to ensure that the potential of their ageing workforce is tapped effectively and efficiently. Although not a comprehensive review, this chapter serves as a basis for further empirical research and gives practitioners an insight into solving a growing problem.
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This paper lays the groundwork for a research program on the topic of how intergenerational learning can contribute to the effectiveness of organizations by capitalizing on the capacities of the ageing worker. According to innumerable studies published by policy research centers in the EU and other developed countries, the pool of available workers is diminishing at an alarming rate due to retirement and an ageing population (Bartels, 2010; Commision, 2009; Stam, 2009). Although there is quite some work on the problem of an ageing population, reports in scientific journals and practitioner, or grey, literature fail to present much empirical work on the specific topic of how organizations can capitalize on the knowledge and innovative capacities of an older worker (INNO-Grips, 2008). Mostly one finds reports and studies that further define the problem and speculate about future consequences. This latter aspect is especially evident in the grey literature.
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This literature review explores ways older workers might continue to make waves and impact their work organization. The topic of the paper is grounded in the problem of an ageing organizational population looming in the near future. The work presented here is a start to helping management in knowledge-intensive organizations to understand how to effectively utilize the capacities of older knowledge workers by stimulating intergenerational learning as a means to retain critical organizational knowledge, encourage innovation and promote organizational learning through knowledge building. First, the concept of intergenerational learning is developed followed by a discussion of the organizational factors important for it to take place. The last section presents ideas on how to design and implement intergenerational learning as an organizational development program.
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Intergenerational learning (IGL) has been identified as a viable way to help organizations deal with the problems an ageing worker population brings with it. Information and communications technology (ICT) in its many forms can be utilized to support IGL. This paper investigates the requirements for a game that would help raise stakeholder awareness for IGL, and allow individuals to practice skills related to it. By interviewing members of the European Union (EU)-funded SILVER-project we aim to find out suitable contexts, interventions and mechanisms that allow us to design such a game. Based on the interviews we found out that the game should be easily contextualized so that it works in—or is easily adapted to—different countries and cultures. For example sports or nature could be such contexts. As for mechanisms and interventions we found out that there are many possibilities. We conclude that such a logical combination of mechanisms and interventions that support the selected context must be chosen.
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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.
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Purpose Generations Uniting through Sport (GUS) stimulates mutual understanding between youngsters and elderly people with sports activities. The project aims to promote intergenerational relations and increased physical activity by setting up an innovative and sustainable program. The concept for the GUS program is to identify, recruit, train and support a cohort of experienced practitioners. These professionals and volunteers will facilitate local-scale collaboration projects between youngsters and elderly people to increase their participation in physical activity and sport. The program will bring together young and old beneficiaries, through trained practitioners. The aim of the current research was to generate a state of the art overview of available evidence and practices that facilitate the development and implementation of intergenerational programs. Methods The literature search consists of two parts. One part focuses on identifying scientific literature on working principles within intergenerational programs. The search will be performed in Google Scholar, Pubmed and PROSPERO and is restricted to literature from the year 2000 onwards and languages used within the consortium. Main search terms are ‘adolescent’, ‘elderly’, ‘intergenerational’, ‘activity’/’program’ and synonyms of these terms. The second part of the search is performed within the project consortium and focuses on good practices from national and local settings. Searches will be performed in grey literature and through personal networks in France, Spain, Bulgaria, United Kingdom and Slovenia. Literature analysis focuses on activities, target groups, involved stakeholders, behavioral change models, barriers and outcomes/impact. Results The literature search results in a set of principles for programs and activities tailored towards generations uniting through sport/movement in Europe. More specific, it synthesizes behavioral change models incorporating methodologies that motivate youngsters and elderly people to exercise together and reduces some of the motivational and structural barriers to intergenerational programs. Conclusions The final results and conclusions will be presented at the conference.
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Aim: There is often a gap between the ideal of involving older persons iteratively throughout the design process of digital technology, and actual practice. Until now, the lens of ageism has not been applied to address this gap. The goals of this study were: to voice the perspectives and experiences of older persons who participated in co-designing regarding the design process; their perceived role in co-designing and intergenerational interaction with the designers; and apparent manifestations of ageism that potentially influence the design of digital technology. Methods: Twenty-one older persons participated in three focus groups. Five themes were identified using thematic analysis which combined a critical ageism ‘lens’ deductive approach and an inductive approach. Results: Ageism was experienced by participants in their daily lives and interactions with the designers during the design process. Negative images of ageing were pointed out as a potential influencing factor on design decisions. Nevertheless, positive experiences of inclusive design pointed out the importance of “partnership” in the design process. Participants defined the “ultimate partnership” in co-designing as processes in which they were involved from the beginning, iteratively, in a participatory approach. Such processes were perceived as leading to successful design outcomes, which they would like to use, and reduced intergenerational tension. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential role of ageism as a detrimental factor in how digital technologies are designed. Viewing older persons as partners in co-designing and aspiring to more inclusive design processes may promote designing technologies that are needed, wanted and used.
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Dit EU gesubsidieerd onderzoek was een 2 jaar EU-breed initiatief en resulteerde in een reeks instrumenten om organisaties te helpen met het organiseren van leren tussen generaties. In een vergrijzende maatschappij is het belangrijk dat organisaties de capaciteiten van oudere medewerkers beter benutten, in plaats van hun uit de organisatie zo snel mogelijk zien te krijgen. Het organiseren van leren tussen de generaties is een manier om dit probleem van onderbenutting en anderen te helpen. Voordelen van het gebruik van intergeneratie-leren zijn: het vermijden van kennisverlies en vaardigheden, het verbeteren van mobiliteit door oudere medewerkers, het vergroten van competenties van oudere en jongere medewerkers en het stimuleren van duurzame innovatie
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Presentation given at CEDEFOP, Thessaloniki, Greece. October, 2014
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