Abstract
Population aging across the globe has focused increasing attention on work motivation and employment goals among older adults. This chapter examines the psychological foundations of work motivation and lifespan theories of motivation as they affect older adults. Measurement issues, motives, and the psychological mechanisms by which older adults address age-related changes in competencies and life circumstances are reviewed, and a distinction is made between determinants of motivation at work (job engagement) and motivational factors and processes that contribute to employment decision-making (to continue to work, to retire, to seek post-retirement work). Organizational strategies to enhance motivation at work and future research directions are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Armstrong-Stassen, M., Schlosser, F., & Zinni, D. (2012). Seeking resources: Predicting retirees’ return to their workplace. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 27(6), 615–635. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941211252455
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Bakker, A. B., Hakanen, J. J., Demerouti, E., & Xanthopoulou, D. (2007). Job resources boost work engagement, particularly when job demands are high. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(2), 274–284. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.2.274
Bal, P. M., De Jong, S. B., Jansen, P. G., & Bakker, A. B. (2012). Motivating employees to work beyond retirement: A multi-level study of the role of I-deals and unit climate. Journal of Management Studies, 49(2), 306–331. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2011.01026.x
Baltes, P. B., Rudolph, C., & Zacher, H. (Eds.). (2018). Work across the lifespan. New York: Elsevier.
Bayl-Smith, P. H., & Griffin, B. (2014). Age discrimination in the workplace: Identifying as a late-career worker and its relationship with engagement and intended retirement age. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 44(9), 588–599. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12251
Beier, M. E., LoPilato, A. C., & Kanfer, R. (2018). Successful motivational aging at work: Antecedents and retirement-related outcomes. Work, Aging and Retirement, 4(2), 213–224. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/wax034
Borawski, T. J. (2016). Health factors and the to-work, at-work, and to-retire goals of older workers. Unpublished master’s thesis. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1308&context=etd
Carstensen, L. L. (1987). Age-related changes in social activity. In L. L. Carstensen & B. A. Edelstein (Eds.), Handbook of clinical gerontology (pp. 222–237). Elmsford, NY: Pergamon Press.
Carstensen, L. L. (1991). Socioemotional selectivity theory: Social activity in life-span context. Annual Review of Gerontology & Geriatrics, 11, 195–217.
Carstensen, L. L. (1995). Evidence for a life-span theory of socioemotional selectivity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4(5), 151-156. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.ep11512261
Coile, C. C., & Levine, P. B. (2011). Recessions, retirement, and social security. American Economic Review, 101(3), 23–28. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.3.23
de Lange, A. H., Van Yperen, N. W., Van der Heijden, B. I., & Bal, P. M. (2010). Dominant achievement goals of older workers and their relationship with motivation-related outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77(1), 118–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.02.013
de Wind, A., Leijten, F. R., Hoekstra, T., Geuskens, G. A., Burdorf, A., & Van Der Beek, A. J. (2017). “Mental retirement?” trajectories of work engagement preceding retirement among older workers. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 43(1), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3604
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination of human behavior. New York: Plenum.
Dendinger, V. M., Adams, G. A., & Jacobson, J. D. (2005). Reasons for working and their relationship to retirement attitudes, job satisfaction and occupational self-efficacy of bridge employees. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 61(1), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.2190/k8ku-46lh-dtw5-44tu
Desmette, D., & Gaillard, M. (2008). When a “worker” becomes an “older worker.” The effects of age-related social identity on attitudes towards retirement and work. Career Development International, 13(2), 168–185. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430810860567
Diefendorff, J. M., Brown, D. J., Kamin, A. M., & Lord, R. G. (2002). Examining the roles of job involvement and work centrality in predicting organizational citizenship behaviors and job performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(1), 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.123
Freund, A. M., & Baltes, P. B. (1998). Selection, optimization, and compensation as strategies of life management: Correlations with subjective indicators of successful aging. Psychology and Aging, 13(4), 531. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.13.4.531
Gegenfurtner, A., & Vauras, M. (2012). Age-related differences in the relation between motivation to learn and transfer and training in adult continuing education. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 37(1), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.09.003
Goda, G. S., Shoven, J. B., & Slavov, S. N. (2011). What explains changes in retirement plans during the great recession? American Economic Review, 101(3), 29–34. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.3.29
Grant, A. M. (2008). The significance of task significance: Job performance effects, relational mechanisms, and boundary conditions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(1), 108–124. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.1.108
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1980). Work redesign (Vol. 72). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Heckhausen, J., & Schulz, R. (1995). A life-span theory of control. Psychological Review, 102(2), 284–304. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.102.2.284
Heckhausen, J., Wrosch, C., & Schultz, R. (2010). A motivational theory of life-span development. Psychological Review, 117(1), 32–60. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017668
Hennekam, S., & Herrbach, O. (2015). The influence of age-awareness versus general HRM practices on the retirement decision of older workers. Personnel Review, 44(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-01-2014-0031
Hofstetter, H., & Cohen, A. (2014). The mediating role of job content plateau on the relationship between work experience characteristics and early retirement and turnover intentions. Personnel Review, 43(3), 350–376. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-03-2012-0054
Horn, J. L., & Cattell, R. B. (1967). Age differences in fluid and crystallized intelligence. Acta Psychologica, 26, 107–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-6918(67)90011-x
Inceoglu, I., Segers, J., & Bartram, D. (2012). Age-related differences in work motivation. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 85(2), 300–329. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.2011.02035.x
James, J. B., McKechnie, S., & Swanberg, J. (2011). Predicting employee engagement in an age-diverse retail workforce. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(2), 173–196. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.681
Kanfer, R., & Ackerman, P. L. (2004). Aging, adult development, and work motivation. Academy of Management Review, 29(3), 440–458. https://doi.org/10.2307/20159053
Kanfer, R., Beier, M. E., & Ackerman, P. L. (2013). Goals and motivation related to work in later adulthood: An organizing framework. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(3), 253–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2012.734298
Kanfer, R., Frese, M., & Johnson, R. E. (2017). Motivation related to work: A century of progress. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 338–355. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000133
Kooij, D. T., De Lange, A. H., Jansen, P. G., Kanfer, R., & Dikkers, J. S. (2011). Age and work-related motives: Results of a meta-analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(2), 197–225. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.665
Kooij, D. T. A. M., & Kanfer, R. (2019). Lifespan perspectives on work motivation. In B. Baltes, C. W. Rudolph, & H. Zacher (Eds.), Work across the lifespan (pp. 475-493). London: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812756-8.00020-7
Leiter, M. P., & Bakker, A. B. (2010). Work engagement: A handbook of essential theory and research. London: Psychology Press.
Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2008). The relationship of age to ten dimensions of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 392–423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.392
Parker, S. K., Morgeson, F. P., & Johns, G. (2017). One hundred years of work design research: Looking back and looking forward. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 403–420. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000106
Platts, L., & Glaser, K. (2017). Predictors of returns to work following retirement: A prospective analysis of Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YVB82
Rau, B. L., & Adams, G. A. (2005). Attracting retirees to apply: Desired organizational characteristics of bridge employment. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(6), 649–660. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.330
Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A., & Crawford, E. R. (2010). Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 617–635. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.51468988
Rudolph, C. W. (2016). Lifespan developmental perspectives on working: A literature review of motivational theories. Work, Aging, and Retirement, 2(2), 130–158. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/waw012
Rudolph, C. W., & Zacher, H. (in press). Managing employees across the working lifespan. In B. Hoffman, M. Shoss, & L. Wegman (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of the changing nature of work. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schmidt, J. A., & Lee, K. (2008). Voluntary retirement and organizational turnover intentions: The differential associations with work and non-work commitment constructs. Journal of Business and Psychology, 22(4), 297–309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-008-9068-y
Schlosser, F., Zinni, D., & Armstrong-Stassen, M. (2012). Intention to unretire: HR and the boomerang effect. Career Development International, 17(2), 149–167. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431211225331
Sibbald, B., Bojke, C., & Gravelle, H. (2003). National survey of job satisfaction and retirement intentions among general practitioners in England. British Medical Journal, 326(7379), 22. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7379.22
Staubli, S., & Zweimüller, J. (2013). Does raising the early retirement age increase employment of older workers? Journal of Public Economics, 108, 17–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2013.09.003
Talevich, J. R., Read, S. J., Walsh, D. A., Iyer, R., & Chopra, G. (2017). Toward a comprehensive taxonomy of human motives. PLoS One, 12(2), e0172279. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172279
Taylor, A. W., Pilkington, R., Feist, H., Dal Grande, E., & Hugo, G. (2014). A survey of retirement intentions of baby boomers: An overview of health, social and economic determinants. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 355. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-355
Templer, A., Armstrong-Stassen, M., & Cattaneo, J. (2010). Antecedents of older workers’ motives for continuing to work. Career Development International, 15(5), 479–500. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431011075349
Timmons, J. C., Hall, A. C., Fesko, S. L., & Migliore, A. (2011). Retaining the older workforce: Social policy considerations for the universally designed workplace. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 23(2), 119–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2011.551623
Tims, M., Derks, D., & Bakker, A. B. (2016). Job crafting and its relationships with person–job fit and meaningfulness: A three-wave study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 92, 44–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.11.007
Toossi, M. (2013). Labor force projections to 2022: The labor force participation rate continues to fall. Monthly Labor Review, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://doi.org/10.21916/mlr.2013.40.
Wanberg, C. R., Kanfer, R., Hamann, D. J., & Zhang, Z. (2016). Age and reemployment success after job loss: An integrative model and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 142(4), 400–426. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000019
Wang, M., & Shultz, K. S. (2010). Employee retirement: A review and recommendations for future investigation. Journal of Management, 36(1), 172–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309347957
Watanabe-Muraoka, A. M., Kawasaki, T., & Sato, S. I. (1998). Vocational behavior of the Japanese in late adulthood: Focusing on those in the retirement process. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 52(3), 300–311. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1997.1632
Zacher, H. (2015). Successful aging at work. Work, Aging and Retirement, 1(1), 4–25. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/wau006
Zaniboni, S., Truxillo, D. M., & Fraccaroli, F. (2013). Differential effects of task variety and skill variety on burnout and turnover intentions for older and younger workers. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(3), 306–317. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2013.782288
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kanfer, R., Fletcher, K.A. (2020). Work Motivation and Employment Goals in Later Adulthood. In: Czaja, S., Sharit, J., James, J. (eds) Current and Emerging Trends in Aging and Work. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24135-3_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24135-3_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24134-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-24135-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)