New technologies, new work practices and the age structure of the workers

Schøne, Pål

doi:10.1007/s00148-007-0158-3

Cited by 18 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Workers aged 50 and above account for a lower share of the wage bill – and to a lower extent, of employment – in firms using new technologies and/or innovative workplace practices, whereas the opposite holds for workers below 40. The empirical strategy we propose here has been followed by Schöne (2004) and Beckmann (2004) in two recent papers. On Norwegian data, Schöne finds essentially no evidence of age bias in relation to innovation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Technologies, Organisation and Age: Firm‐Level Evidence

Aubert

Caroli

Roger³

2006

The Economic Journal

164

113

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We investigate the relationships between new technologies, innovative workplace practices and the age structure of the workforce in a sample of French firms. We find evidence that the wagebill share of older workers is lower in innovative firms and that the opposite holds for younger workers. This age bias affects both men and women. It is also evidenced within occupational groups. More detailed analysis of employment inflows and outflows shows that new technologies essentially affect older workers through reduced hiring opportunities. In contrast, organisational innovations mainly affect their probability of exit, which decreases much less than for younger workers following reorganisation.In response to increasing national and international competition, many American and European firms have invested in information technologies (IT) over the past three decades. Along with the introduction of computer systems and network technologies, most firms have reorganised their workplace in order to introduce more flexible organisational devices. These include self-managed teams, multitasking, just-in-time production and delivery, total-quality management and some decentralisation of decision making. They are often referred to as Ôhigh performanceÕ workplace practices.One important question regarding technological and organisational innovations has to do with their labour-market consequences: do they affect the structure of employment and, as a consequence, do they hurt the employment prospects of particular types of workers? Evidence in the literature suggests that both technological and organisational innovations are biased against unskilled labour. As regards technological change, there is a general agreement that the development of IT has reduced the employment opportunities of less skilled workers; see Chennells and Van Reenen (2002) for a review. The literature on organisational change is more recent, but several works suggest that innovative workplace practices have also been detrimental to lower skilled employment in various countries; see Caroli and Van Reenen (2001) and Bresnahan et al. (2002).One related issue we tackle here is: are new technologies and workplace practices biased against age? In other words, do they hurt the employment prospects of older workers, relative to younger ones? This question is of particular relevance in Europe given that the population is ageing fast and that the employment rate of older workers is particularly low: no more than 40% of the population aged above 55 is employed in Europe, as compared to 58% in the US and 62% in Japan. From * We are indebted to Andrea Bassanini, Sandra Black, Lex Borghans, Bruno Crépon, Annie Jolivet, Richard Murnane, Sébastien Roux, Bas ter Weel, John Van Reenen and an anonymous referee for most valuable suggestions. We also thank participants to the INSEE Division ÔMarchés et Stratégies d'EntreprisesÕ, DEEE and ÔRechercheÕ seminars, to the MERIT Workshop on ÔInformation Technology and New Industry and Labour Market DynamicsÕ, to the 2004 EALE conferenc...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Technologies, Organisation and Age: Firm‐Level Evidence

Aubert

Caroli

Roger³

2006

The Economic Journal

164

113

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“…Journal of Management in Engineering,31(3), 04014045. (Rosholm, Røed, & Schøne, 2013); (Schøne, 2009) NWP12 Total Quality Management ; (Osterman, 1994); (Askenazy & Caroli, 2010) NWP13 Quality Circles (Osterman, 1994); (Askenazy & Caroli, 2010) NWP14 Staff density ; (Blok et al, 2012) NWP15 Selective hiring (Cristini, Gaj, Labory, & Leoni, 2002); (Bean & Hamilton, 2006) NWP16 Activity-based working (Rolfö, 2018); (Fincke, Harth, & Mache, 2018); NWP17 Knowledge workers (Bean & Hamilton, 2006); (Johnson et al, 2011) NWP18 Ad-hoc task-forces (Eriksson, 2003); (Cristini et al, 2002) NWP19 Outsourcing ; (Lockwood & Guerrier, 1989) NWP20 Profit sharing, or pay-forperformance…”

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confidence: 99%

Evaluating the effect of new working practices on office space usage in Hong Kong

Jayantha¹,

Oladinrin

2019

JCRE

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Purpose Many organizations in Hong Kong have witnessed a reduction in average space usage due to high occupancy costs. New working practices (NWPs) are viewed as a reform tool to manage expensive real estate around the world. However, it is unclear whether NWPs influence office space usage in business organizations in Hong Kong. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate if the average space reduction in office firms is caused by the NWPs in the finance, insurance, real estate and business (FIREB) firms. Design/methodology/approach A total of 20 NWPs were initially derived from the extant literature. A questionnaire survey was conducted with listed FIREB firms in Hong Kong to assess the impact of the identified NWPs on space usage. The data collected from the questionnaire survey were analysed using descriptive, explorative factor analysis (EFA) and partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the effects of NWPs on average space usage. Findings Results revealed that four major NWP factors influence average space usage. Three of these factors, namely, “flexible arrangement”, “multitasking knowledge workers” and “teamwork and communication”, influence space usage positively. Even though the effect of the fourth factor “training and networking” was significant, it does not reflect a positive influence on space usage. Business organizations can focus more on the implementation of NWPs to cushion the effects of the high cost of occupancy. Originality/value The research provides new knowledge to the limited literature on the effect of NWPs in FIREB firms and enriches the growing body of international literature on how today’s competitive global business organizations should revisit their workplace strategies to accommodate the rising agile workforce and NWPs. The findings offer new insights into the ongoing debate on the impact of information and communication technology-enabled NWPs on space usage. From the real estate perspective, the findings should inform policymaking towards the better planning ahead of office properties to accommodate NWPs, helping Hong Kong to remain competitive as a key financial centre.

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“…We recognize that organizational age composition is often a factor of more than merely hiring preferences. For instance, older and more stable firms (i.e., those experiencing less growth) tend to employ greater proportions of older workers than younger and expanding firms, respectively (Schøne, 2009). Nevertheless, to the extent that organizations are able to attract otherwise qualified, older employees, our results suggest there may be benefits to doing so.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demography and disappearing merchandise: How older workforces influence retail shrinkage

2011

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SummaryPrior research on retail shrinkage has taken a largely individual-level approach to theorizing about why it occurs, showing that older employees are less prone to theft and more vigilant in preventing customer shoplifting than younger personnel. However, given the influence of organizational contexts on organizational behavior, theorizing about shrinkage may be enhanced by the consideration of business-unit level contextual variables. The present study addressed this concern by examining the relationship between storelevel age composition, whistle-blowing (WB) climate, and shrinkage in 726 retail stores. Results indicated that the negative mean age-shrinkage relationship was stronger when there was less age diversity or a climate more supportive of WB. Moreover, the negative WB climate-shrinkage linkage was stronger when the mean age was higher.

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New technologies, new work practices and the age structure of the workers

Abstract: Older workers, Technological change, New work practices, J23, L23, O33,

Cited by 18 publications

References 22 publications

New Technologies, Organisation and Age: Firm‐Level Evidence

New Technologies, Organisation and Age: Firm‐Level Evidence

Evaluating the effect of new working practices on office space usage in Hong Kong

Demography and disappearing merchandise: How older workforces influence retail shrinkage

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