Dr. Franz Josef Gellert
Abstract: One of the most significant discussions in organizations is the management of older workers since they will become more present in organizations. In 2050, more than forty percent of the working population will be above 50. As a result, concerns have been raised by management who may face difficulties in managing work teams with an increasing number of older employees. This prospect leads to questions such as how do younger and older leaders feel or think about their relationship with ageing followers? Is the relationship between younger team leaders and their older followers a relationship of co-operation or of resistance (Smith & Harrington, 1994)?
My research studies examine the influences of age on processes and outcomes in work teams. Data were collected in a Swedish automotive plant (1.500 employees or 150 teams) as well as in a German residential home for the elderly (98 employees or 6 teams). Questionnaires were used as research instrument. Analyses of gathered data were conducted by running SPSS software by step-by-step hierarchical regressions and factor analyses. The overall results indicate that not (old) age itself but an increasing average age in work teams is a major factor for the quality of processes and outcomes. Findings also suggest that an appropriate leadership-style such as LMX (leader-member-exchange) is a strong moderator in work settings. Findings and implications for theory and practice are discussed in various papers. Articles about my research studies are published either in journals or as book chapters. Presentations at conferences were held in the Netherlands, in UK and in Germany. Various papers and presentations are in progress for upcoming conferences and workshops in 2009.
Brief video about doing a PhD.
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Einleitung Generationen gemeinsam korrigiert
Generationen gemeinsam im Betrieb
PhD Candidate
Prof. Dr. René Schalk
Human Resource Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences
Tilburg University
Embedded in the Curriculum
Teacher at: International Business and Management Studies (BBA), Betriebswirtschaft (BW)
Subjects taught:
- Marketing
- International Sales Management
- Research Methods
- SPSS
Embedded in Longitudinal Cluster(s): Management
Embedded in Modules: HRM, Management
Module Details:
HRM – Guest lecture IBS: Aging workers
HRM – Guest lecture Hanze-SOM: Aging workers and nomad workers
Curriculum Vitae
CV Franz Josef Gellert (includes list of publications)
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