TY - JOUR

T1 - Worlds Apart: Does Perceptual Congruence Between Leaders and Older Employees Regarding Age-Friendly Organizational Climate, Management, and Work Design Matter?

AU - Finsel, Julia

AU - Venz, Laura

AU - Wöhrmann, Anne Marit

AU - Wilckens, Max Reinhard

AU - Deller, Jürgen

N1 - © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.

PY - 2024/4/13

Y1 - 2024/4/13

N2 - Research on the effectiveness of age-friendly organizational practices tends to focus on older employees’ perceptions of these. Drawing on perceptual congruence and psychological contract theory, we hypothesize that leaders’ perceptions of these organizational practices are relevant as well. Specifically, we argue that (dis)agreement between leaders’ and older employees’ perceptions (i.e., perceptual (in)congruence) of organizational practices related to age-friendly organizational climate, management, and work design plays a role in older employees’ well-being. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were applied to a dyadic sample of 484 older employees and their leaders from 100 diverse organizations. Results reveal that leader-employee perceptual congruence on high levels of perceived age-friendly work design was related to higher employee well-being. By contrast, older employees’ well-being was lower when leaders evaluated the three age-friendly organizational practices higher than their older employees. Our findings suggest that further theoretical consideration of the role of leader-employee perceptual (in)congruence for aging workforces is needed, and that scholars and organizations should acknowledge the relevance and interplay of different stakeholders’ perceptions within an organization.

AB - Research on the effectiveness of age-friendly organizational practices tends to focus on older employees’ perceptions of these. Drawing on perceptual congruence and psychological contract theory, we hypothesize that leaders’ perceptions of these organizational practices are relevant as well. Specifically, we argue that (dis)agreement between leaders’ and older employees’ perceptions (i.e., perceptual (in)congruence) of organizational practices related to age-friendly organizational climate, management, and work design plays a role in older employees’ well-being. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were applied to a dyadic sample of 484 older employees and their leaders from 100 diverse organizations. Results reveal that leader-employee perceptual congruence on high levels of perceived age-friendly work design was related to higher employee well-being. By contrast, older employees’ well-being was lower when leaders evaluated the three age-friendly organizational practices higher than their older employees. Our findings suggest that further theoretical consideration of the role of leader-employee perceptual (in)congruence for aging workforces is needed, and that scholars and organizations should acknowledge the relevance and interplay of different stakeholders’ perceptions within an organization.

KW - Management studies

KW - Business psychology

KW - human

KW - human resource management

KW - leadership

KW - psychological contracts

KW - work design

UR - https://academic.oup.com/workar/article/10/2/123/7111320?login=true

U2 - 10.1093/workar/waad009

DO - 10.1093/workar/waad009

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 10

SP - 123

EP - 137

JO - Work, Aging and Retirement

JF - Work, Aging and Retirement

SN - 2054-4642

IS - 2

ER -