Presented at the Mature Workers in Organisations (MWOS) Virtual Symposium Series, hosted by CEPAR's Organisations and the Mature Workforce research stream, based at the Centre's Curtin University and University of Sydney nodes.
Topic: How do I get organisations to take part in my intervention research (and what happens if they say yes)? Learnings from two studies on intergenerational learning
Speaker: Professor Fabiola Gerpott, CEPAR Associate Investigator, WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany
Date: Wednesday, 30 June 2021
Time: 2-3 PM (AWST) (click here for other time zones)
Abstract: To establish work practice and policies that promote mature workers’ successful ageing and foster intergenerational knowledge learning in organisations, scholars often want to directly test interventions such as implementing age-specific HR practices, conducting training programs, changing work design, or adapting recruitment practices. At least theoretically, organisations have become increasingly interested in evidence-based management approaches. However, practically scholars often experience a large gap between the rigorous design they want to implement to study the effectiveness of interventions and the expectations and requirements of organisations. In this talk, I present findings from two studies on intergenerational learning in which we collected data by training an age-diverse group of employees. In addition to presenting our results, I also share strategies we used to get organisations on board and discuss challenges that scholars may face when collecting data “in the wild”.
Before working fulltime in academia, she was employed in the strategic HR department of Daimler AG, an automotive company. During that time, she evaluated pilot interventions to foster intergenerational learning and age-specific HR accommodation practices. Fabiola then graduated from a Double PhD program in Organizational Psychology and Business Administration. She continued her career as an assistant professor in Amsterdam and Berlin. In 2019, she became a tenured professor at WHU. Today, Fabiola studies knowledge exchange between age-diverse co-workers and diversity management initiatives. Her work is published in outlets such as the Academy of Management Journal or the Journal of Applied Psychology. She is highly passionate to make her research accessible to practice and constantly engages in collaborations with organisations.