How Millennial Mentors Can Help Upskill, Reskill, and Retain Mature Workers

Author(s):  
Marie-Line Germain

As the global workforce ages, organizations are seeking strategies to retain talent and encourage commitment and engagement from older employees while providing younger workers opportunities for professional development. Workplace mentoring, which has been an effective learning and development intervention for several decades, could help achieve this strategic objective. Although mentoring practice assumes that senior workers mentor junior ones, recent research has shown that mature workers may benefit from reverse mentoring where they are on the receiving end of a mentoring relationship. This chapter explores how millennial mentors may help with the retention, upskilling, and reskilling of mature employees and presents recommendations for optimal success when matching generationally different mentoring pairs. The author concludes by presenting theoretical and practical implications and suggestions for future research.

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anselmo Ferreira Vasconcelos

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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noha M. El-Bassiouny ◽  
Jonathan A.J. Wilson ◽  
Suzan Esmat

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a new conceptualization of sustainability. The authors adopt a macromarketing perspective based on Islamic traditions while delving into divine attributes (Asmaa’ Allah-ul-Husna) as an extension to the foundational principle of God-consciousness that lies at the heart of Islamic theology and jurisprudence. Design/methodology/approach This approach relies on identifying and extending the conceptual overlaps between the literature domains of sustainability, Islamic macromarketing and Islamic theology. Findings Through adopting an Islamic lens, the authors identify that relating to divinity empowers the Muslim faithful to mediate between the transient and transcendent, and to make judgments according to the attributes of their creator Allah (the Abrahamic monotheistic God). Research limitations/implications The paper adopts a conceptual approach that expands the concept of sustainability from an Islamic perspective to take on a holistic systems approach. Practical implications By making these links, the implications are fivefold: the imperative to strive for sustainable activities has greater resonance; the remit of sustainability is wider; the time horizon for accountability is extended; greater risk-tasking is encouraged; and, finally, sustainability is embedded and diffused throughout business activities – as opposed to being an upstream strategic objective. Social implications The merge in conceptualization between sustainability and Islamic macromarketing can prove relevant to scholars delving into the new realm of Islamic macromarketing, as well as to both Muslim and non-Muslim communities in their quest for sustainable development. Originality/value The paper is original in identifying an unprecedented perspective on sustainability, namely, “Islamic-macromarketing sustainability”, which warrants further future research related to the different stakeholders involved in the Islamic macromarketing system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-185
Author(s):  
Daniela Moza ◽  
Laurențiu Maricuțoiu ◽  
Alin Gavreliuc

Abstract. Previous research established that an independent construal of the self is associated with higher self-esteem, which, in turn, is associated with increased happiness. Regarding the directionality of these relationships, theoretical arguments have suggested that self-construal precedes self-esteem and that self-esteem precedes happiness. However, most research in this area is cross-sectional, thus limiting any conclusions about directionality. The present study tested these relationships in 101 Romanian undergraduates using a 3-wave cross-lagged design with a 6-month time lag between every two waves. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that self-esteem is an antecedent of both happiness and dimensions of independent self-construal (i.e., consistency vs. variability and self-expression vs. harmony). In other words, one’s positive evaluation of self-worth precedes one’s self-perception as being a happy and independent person. The findings are discussed with respect to the theoretical and practical implications, along with limitations and suggestions for future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-111
Author(s):  
Fong-Yi Lai ◽  
Szu-Chi Lu ◽  
Cheng-Chen Lin ◽  
Yu-Chin Lee

Abstract. The present study proposed that, unlike prior leader–member exchange (LMX) research which often implicitly assumed that each leader develops equal-quality relationships with their supervisors (leader’s LMX; LLX), every leader develops different relationships with their supervisors and, in turn, receive different amounts of resources. Moreover, these differentiated relationships with superiors will influence how leader–member relationship quality affects team members’ voice and creativity. We adopted a multi-temporal (three wave) and multi-source (leaders and employees) research design. Hypotheses were tested on a sample of 227 bank employees working in 52 departments. Results of the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis showed that LLX moderates the relationship between LMX and team members’ voice behavior and creative performance. Strengths, limitations, practical implications, and directions for future research are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽  
Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽  
Janne Härkönen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Robyn Mason ◽  
David Brougham

Abstract In rapidly changing work environments, individuals need a willingness and ability to learn new skills and knowledge to contribute to their organization's goals and their own employability. As the baby-boomer generation begins to exit the workplace, organizations need to pay attention to developing the capability of younger, novice workers who will increasingly comprise the core workforce of the future. The present study, grounded in social cognitive theory, develops and examines a model of learning and development for younger workers. In total, 1,732 employees in New Zealand aged 16–24 years completed a survey relating to their perceptions, beliefs, and intentions regarding learning and development. The results from structural equation modeling show that individual and work-environment factors both influence younger workers' developmental intentions but affect this through different pathways. The study contributes to a better understanding of the development process for younger workers and offers implications for management based on these findings.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105960112098729
Author(s):  
Quinetta Roberson ◽  
Narda R. Quigley ◽  
Kamil Vickers ◽  
Isabella Bruck

While scholarship has increased on the topic of neurodiversity in organizations, which refers to individuals with pervasive developmental disorders in the workforce, leadership theory and research has not yet integrated this perspective. Consistent with conventional conceptualizations of disability as an impairment, the few relevant leadership studies tend to approach these differences as special cases, rather than as a population to which theory may be generalized. As a result, management scholars have yet to develop theories and models that are inclusive of neurodiversity. Using the critical disability theory as a lens for reframing assumptions about leadership behavior as described in existing theory and research, we postulate that neurodiversity may serve as a cognitive strength from which leadership derives. We offer a conceptual model that articulates how cognitive characteristics associated with neurodiversity may lead to task-based leadership behavior, and we trace the influence of such behaviors on leader and follower outcomes. The model also includes enabling conditions that may positively influence the emergence and recognition of neurodiverse individuals as leaders. We conclude by proposing directions for future research to better integrate the neurodiversity and leadership literatures and reflecting on the associated practical implications.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Gradín ◽  
Olga Cantó ◽  
Coral del Río

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different dynamic characteristics of unemployment in a selected group of European Union countries during the current Great Recession, which had unequal consequences on employment depending on the country considered. Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows Shorrocks’s proposal of a duration-sensitive measure of unemployment, and uses cross-sectional data reported by Eurostat coming from European Labour Force Surveys. Findings – The results add some evidence on the relevance of incorporating spells’ duration in measuring unemployment, finding remarkable differences in unemployment patterns in time among European countries. Research limitations/implications – In this paper unemployment is analyzed for all the labor force. Future research should investigate patterns across specific groups such as young people, women, immigrants or the low skilled. Practical implications – It is generally accepted that the negative impact of unemployment on individual welfare can be very different depending on its duration. However, conventional statistics on unemployment do not adequately capture to what extent the recession is not only increasing the incidence of unemployment but also its severity in terms of duration in time of ongoing unemployment spells. The paper shows an easy and practical way to do it in order to improve the understanding of the unemployment phenomenon, using information usually reported by statistical offices. Originality/value – First, the paper provides a tool for dynamic analysis of unemployment based on reported cross-sectional data. Second, the paper demonstrates the empirical relevance of considering spells’ duration when assessing differences in unemployment across countries or in unemployment trends. This is usually neglected or only partially addressed by most conventional measures of unemployment.


2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeev Winstok ◽  
Zvi Eisikovits ◽  
Richard Gelles

Most theories dealing with the escalation of intimate violence have examined the components of escalation, rather than the dynamic processes involved. This paper develops a theoretical model addressing the structure and dynamics of escalation. To develop the model, we studied the transition between nonviolent and violent realities of cohabitant couples from the male partner's perspective. A sample of 25 interviews was selected from a database consisting of 120 in-depth qualitative interviews that were collected for a larger study dealing with the experience of violence among cohabiting couples that remained together in spite of the violence. Sampling, data collection, and data analysis followed the principles of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Findings indicate that the men interviewed perceive themselves as entitled and obligated to defend their dyadic existential frameworks, while recognizing the costs and benefits involved in the use of violence to achieve this end. These men tend to create the rules, judge when the rules are being infringed upon, and take steps to enforce the rules. Their evaluation of the extent of their control over their own actions and the related cost–benefit considerations are highly influential in their attempts to reestablish the lost balance in their dyadic life. The process of constructing a reaction to their partner's behavior consists of two distinctive but interrelated phases: (a) identifying an action by the partner and constructing it into being worthy of reaction; (b) constructing an appropriate reaction. Men's construction of the escalation process is not random or situational, but rather constructed within a set of personal, interpersonal, and socially recognized scripts that delineate the boundaries of the entire process. Theoretical and practical implications for assessing the risk of violence and subsequent societal reaction are suggested, as well as directions for future research.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Upton-McLaughlin

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to explore the Chinese concept of suzhi and how it relates to behavioral standards within mainland Chinese society and the workplace. The article provides a general discussion of suzhi and its inherent elements to act as a foundation for the education of expatriate managers and executives and for future research by Chinese human resource management (HRM) scholars. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on the author's first-hand experience and observations from five years of living and working abroad in mainland China with Chinese companies and executives. Findings – The concept of suzhi in China is a reflection of multiple behavioral standards throughout China. And while suzhi's roots are in ancient Chinese culture and Confucianism, it is also subject to influence and change. Practical implications – The paper may serve as a foundation both for expatriate managers seeking to improve HRM practices in foreign companies in China and future scholars who wish to conduct further research on suzhi and Chinese behavioral standards as they can be applied to the workplace. Originality/value – This is an attempt to enlighten expatriate managers and executives in China on the concept of suzhi and its implication for HRM in China.


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