This paper addresses the role of age diversity in relation to productive energy of work teams. In a second step, transformational leadership is tested as a moderator of this process. Based on social identity and similarity/attraction theory, age heterogeneous teams should show a lower level of productive energy than do homogeneous teams. In teams with high perceived transformational leadership, this effect should be reversed.
Study hypotheses were tested on a sample of 664 individuals in 72 teams from a multinational company. Study participants were from company sites in four countries. Results showed a negative relation between age diversity and teams' productive energy only in a marginally significant manner, which vanished when controls were included. In contrast, the moderation effect of transformational leadership was found to be significant as well as the association between transformational leadership and productive energy. In sum, these results point toward transformational leadership as a promising strategy to manage age heterogeneous teams productively. The paper concludes by discussing practical implications and limitations of the study as well as possible directions for future research.
This study investigates the situations in which productive organizational
energy (POE) and organizational performance increase through
customer passion, that is, perceived customers' affective commitment and
customers' positive word-of-mouth behavior. We integrate research on
POE with research on customer influences on employees. Based on
emotional contagion processes we develop hypotheses for the energizing
influences of customers at the organizational level. We test the hypotheses
using a dataset containing 495 board members and 8,299 employees
of 152 organizations. The results show that customer passion is positively
related to POE, which is in turn positively related to organizational performance.
Furthermore, the findings indicate that the effect of customer
passion on organizational performance through POE depends on top
management team's (TMT's) customer orientation. By providing first insights into the linkages and contingencies of customer passion, POE,
and organizational performance, this study puts forth a more holistic
understanding of the energizing effect of customers on organizations.
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 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 transformational leadership 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 transformational leadership 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.
Der demografische Wandel stellt Unternehmen vor grosse Herausforderungen. Sie müssen schon heute, und vermehrt in den nächsten Jahren, mit einer zunehmenden Alterung und Altersvielfalt ihrer Belegschaften zurechtkommen.
Dieser Beitrag skizziert drei Dimensionen eines Demografiemanagements, mit denen es gelingen kann, dieser Herausforderung erfolgreich zu begegnen. Erstens erscheint ein präventives Gesundheitsmanagement notwendig, um die physische und psychische Konstitution aller Altersgruppen zu bewahren.
Zweitens sollten Massnahmen ergriffen werden, um die Motivation und Qualifikation der Mitarbeitenden aller Altersgruppen zu fördern. Drittens sollte ein
Altersdiversitätsmanagement für die produktive Zusammenarbeit aller Generationen eingeführt werden. Die Wirksamkeit dieser Massnahmen wird in einer empirischen Studie mit 93 Unternehmen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse belegen deutlich die Notwendigkeit eines aktiven Demografiemanagements. Sowohl die generelle Unternehmensleistung als auch die Arbeitszufriedenheit und das Commitment der Mitarbeitenden hängen positiv mit den drei konzipierten Bausteinen des Demografiemanagements zusammen.
This paper addresses the role of age-based faultlines in relation to the perceived productive energy of work teams, and transformational leadership as a potential moderator of this relationship. Based on social identity and social categorization theory teams that have strong age-based faultline, defined as age subgroup formation that is reinforced by internal alignment with other demographic characteristics (tenure and sex ) should show a lower level of perceived productive energy than do teams that have weak faultlines. In teams with high levels of perceived transformational leadership, this effect should be reversed. Study hypotheses were tested on a sample of 664 individuals in 72 teams from a multinational company. Results showed a marginally significant negative relationship between age-based faultlines and teams' productive energy, while the moderation effect of transformational leadership was found to be significant. These results point toward transformational leadership as a promising strategy for overcoming the negative effects of age-based faultlines in team settings.
Haben die Digital Natives andere Wertvorstellungen und Präferenzen als die übrigen
generationalen Gruppen in der Arbeitswelt? Eine Befragung von Mitarbeitenden eines Automobilzulieferers liefert erste Antworten. Der Beitrag leitet daraus Empfehlungen für die Gestaltung von Führungs- und Anreizsystemen sowie die Führungsbeziehungen unterschiedlicher generationaler Gruppen am Arbeitsplatz ab.
Since the end of the Cold War the number of civil wars with following peaceand state-building attempts has significantly increased. In line with the third wave of democratization theory more and more states try to establish a market democracy after the end of domestic conflict. But is a rapid transition with immediate elections really the one best way to end domestic conflict? Recent examples of Afghanistan and Iraq show that elections are by no means an endpoint for domestic conflict within war-torn societies, but rather an accelerator for ethnic violence. Therefore to introduce primarily stable institutions, like rule of law and a functioning bureaucracy, before organizing democratic elections, seems to be a more promising strategy. The author Florian Kunze investigates this hypothesis, first through a quantitative analysis of 35 cases, and second through an in depth analysis of three case studies: Namibia, Liberia, and South Africa.
Der demographische Wandel ist eine der zentralen Herausforderungen für die öffentlichen Verwaltungen in Deutschland. Neben dem Durchschnittsalter steigt auch die Altersvielfalt in Arbeitsgruppen und Organisationseinheiten kontinuierlich an. Um aus der steigenden Altersvielfalt für alle Beteiligten einen grösstmöglichen Nutzen ziehen zu können, sind besondere Management- und Führungsmassnahmen notwendig.
