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Old and Wise? Linking Age, Intrapreneurship, Social Capital and Production

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Advances in Human Factors, Business Management and Society (AHFE 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 783))

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Abstract

In the current study, we examine the connections linking employee age and intrapreneurial behaviors (entrepreneurs inside the firm), and their effect on employee performance. We also investigate whether intra-personal social capital (ISC) and personal social capital (PSC) mediate the connection between age and intrapreneurial activities. A paper-based survey was conducted among 539 participants. The findings show that while age had a positive direct connection with employee performance, age also moderated the connection between intrapreneurial activities and performance, i.e., older workers who engage in intrapreneurship evaluate their performance higher than younger employees. However, workers with low intrapreneurial behaviors evaluate their performance lower compared to younger employees. We also found that intrapreneurial activities was negatively connected to age, but was mediated by both ISC and PSC. The results have both theoretical and practical implications, which can aid HR managers in their attempt to establish a positive age-diversity climate.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Age was divided into younger (below 38 = 0) and older (over 38 = 1) employees. A low level of intrapreneurial behavior was calculated as lower than 2.77 (0); a high level of intrapreneurial behavior was calculated as higher than 2.78 (1).

  2. 2.

    We also conducted a mediation analysis for social capital, age and performance, but the results did not indicate a mediation effect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economic and Business Administration, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel

    Galit Klein & Batia Ben Hador

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  1. Galit Klein
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  2. Batia Ben Hador
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Correspondence to Galit Klein .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Technology and Innovations, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland

    Jussi Ilari Kantola

  2. Institute of Maritime Operations, University College of Southeast Norway, Borre, Norway

    Salman Nazir

  3. Hungarian-Netherlands School of Educational Management, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

    Tibor Barath

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Klein, G., Ben Hador, B. (2019). Old and Wise? Linking Age, Intrapreneurship, Social Capital and Production. In: Kantola, J.I., Nazir, S., Barath, T. (eds) Advances in Human Factors, Business Management and Society. AHFE 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 783. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94709-9_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94709-9_31

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