This thesis examines the capacity and desire of older workers to provide discretionary
effort and skilled contributions in what some researchers consider to be the predominant
form of new career, the 'boundaryless career'. Features of the 'boundaryless career'
include multiple employers, and the demise of the organisational loyalty that was
embodied within the image of the 'company man'. The research is justified by the fall
in Australia's fertility rates and the simultaneous ageing of Australia's population.
In combination, these are predicted to produce significant shortfalls in skilled labour,
which experts believe will require organisations to better manage and utilise its older
workers.
The case study and pattern matching methodology involved interviews with forty
volunteer older workers who worked in the headquarters of Australia Post, which enjoys
a formidable local and international reputation. 'Career plateau' was a term used by
many to describe their perception of their current career position and prospects.
Their descriptions of their work situation and their ambitions, at work and in retirement,
were analysed for patterns which were then compared with literature on career plateaus,
motivation and job design, and the 'boundaryless career'. This analysis was overlaid
onto a foundation of contemporary management practice with regard to older workers,
current business environments and issues, and views on the skill sets needed for the
future. This foundation emerged from a review of academic literature, business and
government reports and from an ongoing review of the Australian Financial Review
over the six years of the study.
Contributions to theory and practice are claimed in the parent theories of career plateau,
and older worker motivation; together with the focus theory of boundaryless careers.
Although there are legitimate organisational constraints on optimising the older worker
contribution, older workers do not contribute to capacity, and organisations do little to
optimise their contribution. Joint organisational and individual worker attention to
skills maintenance and career management over an entire working life will likely be 'boundaryless' for both organisations and the older workforce.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/216643 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | McCarthy, Patrick Bernard, n/a |
| Publisher | Swinburne University of Technology. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.swin.edu.au/), Copyright Patrick Bernard McCarthy |
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