Organisational age cultures: The interplay of chief executive officers age and attitudes toward younger and older employees

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This article investigates the interactive effects of chief executive officer (CEO) age and CEO attitudes toward younger and older employees on organisational age cultures. Data was collected from 66 CEOs of small and medium-sized businesses and 274 employees. Results were consistent with expectations based on organisational culture and upper echelons theories. The relationship between CEO age and organisational age culture for younger employees was negative for CEOs with a less positive attitude toward younger employees and positive for those with a more positive attitude toward younger employees. The relationship between CEO age and organisational age culture for older employees was positive for CEOs with a more positive attitude toward older employees and non-significant for those with a less positive attitude toward older employees. The findings provide initial support for the existence of organisational age cultures, suggesting that these cultures can be predicted by the interplay of CEO age and age-related attitudes.
Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Small Business Journal
Volume32
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)327-349
Number of pages23
ISSN0266-2426
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 05.2014

DOI