Looking up to regulations, out at peers or down at the bottom line: : How institutional logics affect the prevalence of age-related HR practices

• Autores: Ariane Ollier-Malaterre, Tay K. McNamara, Christina Matz-Costa, Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Monique Valcour
• Localización: Human Relations, ISSN-e 1741-282X, Vol. 66, Nº. 10, 2013, págs. 1373-1395
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Drawing on new institutionalism theory, this study examines the influence of institutional logics, the belief systems that direct decision-makers� attention to particular sets of issues, on human resource (HR) adaptation to demographic changes. We argue that the prevalence of age-neutral HR management and of age-related HR practices such as age assessment and older worker-targeted practices, are shaped by the strength of the strategic (business case), benchmarking (comparing one�s set of policies with peers�) and compliance (laws and regulations) logics. In a sample of 420 US organizations, a strong strategic logic was associated only with greater prevalence of age-neutral HR management. A strong benchmarking logic was associated with greater prevalence of age-neutral HR management, of age assessment practices, and of older worker-targeted practices. A strong compliance logic was associated with greater prevalence of age-assessment and older worker-targeted practices. This article contributes to research on ageing and extends work on institutional logics by (1) focusing on organizations� differential enactment of institutional logics, reflecting the contextual embeddedness of HR practices, and (2) showing that the prevalence of age-neutral HR management and of age-related HR practices are associated with competitive as well as institutional isomorphism.