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Dissertation Information for Barbara S. Lawrence

NAME:
- Barbara S. Lawrence

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- [No Discipline Recorded]

SCHOOL:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) (1983)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: THE AGE GRADING OF MANAGERIAL CAREERS IN WORK ORGANIZATIONS

Abstract: "Previous research suggests that all social groups develop age assumptions and expectations. However, age grading, the shared system of such assumptions and expectations, has never been studied in work organizations. Because many people spend a large portion of their lives at work, age grading may have a significant impact on employees. This study examines whether the managerial career within a large corporation is age graded, and, if it is, describes it and determines how it affects employees.

A questionnaire was distributed to all exempt employees (N = 1043) of an electric utility. Respondents were asked to judge the actual ages of managers in each of eight career levels. Demographic information and responses to job satisfaction and work orientation items were also obtained. The sample of 488 (47%) employees is representative of the population in its age, tenure, and gender distributions. Data were analyzed using methods such as repeated measures tests and linear structural equation models.

The results show that the managerial career is age graded. There is variation in age judgments, but subjects agree that (1) managers in all career levels are different in age, (2) managers increase in age for each increase in career level, and (3) there is a standard, age-based rate of progress between career levels. The accuracy of age judgments was examined by comparing age judgments with the actual age distribution. Subjects make accurate judgments of the typical age of each career level, but overestimate the youngest manager's age and underestimate the oldest manager's age. Finally, the effect of age grading was examined. Managers who are ahead of or on schedule with shared age expectations have more positive work attitudes than managers who are behind schedule. Similar effects are observed when discrepancies from individual age judgments and the actual age distribution are examined.

A model of the age structure of organizations, which incorporates social, individual, and real age discrepancies, is described. This structure is critical for human resource planning because it outlines perceived and actual age-based career movement specific to an organization. It indicates when managers are likely to define themselves or their subordinates as behind schedule or plateaued."

MPACT Scores for Barbara S. Lawrence

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:30:56

Advisors and Advisees Graph