10.2190/WR.17.3-4.d A54X1TM625T47565 4 The Deployment of Enriched Capacities: The Rights of Older Workers 303 318 20141016 20141016 20141016 20141016 A54X1TM625T47565.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=A54X1TM625T47565 3 Joop Zinsmeister Martha G. M. Meerman Amsterdam University of Applied Science The basic assumption in this article is that growing older does not mean only, or even necessarily, a decline in one's labour capacities. Some capacities increase over the years, although this development is clearly not the same for each and every individual. The older workers' "enriched" capabilities are determined by certain aspects of job design. Older employees find, however, that their ability to learn and grow is hardly respected or addressed by their employer. Through action research in collaboration with a team of older female care workers with low educational levels, a new learning process was launched in a health care institution. The programme was designed in line with the team's own needs and experience. Thus, the initiative and learning demand lay with the participants. Their experiences and interests were key to the learning programme, which consisted of experimental and collective learning with the opportunity of self-direction. With the development of their capacities in the job and their improved performance, a change arose both in the employment relationship (the delegation of power and a more coaching oriented management style) and in the work content (the possibility of organising and cooperating in order to solve problems together). Due to new cutbacks and quality requirements in the standardisation of care processes, however, most of the changes have since disappeared.

Baltes, P. B. 1997. On the incomplete architecture of human ontogeny. American Psychologist, 52: 366-380.

de Lange, W. A. M. 2004. Bouwstenen van de duurzame arbeidsorganisatie—Over de keuze van een weg van weerstand [Building blocks of a sustainable employment relationship—On the choice of the way to resistance]. Tilburg, The Netherlands: Universiteit van Tilburg, IVA.

Freire, P. 1970. Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum.

Gould, R., Ilmarinen, J., Jrvisalo, J., & Koskinen, S. (Eds.). 2008. Dimensions of work ability: Results of the Health 2000 survey. Helsinki: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Henkens, K., & Schippers, J. 2008. Labour market policies regarding older workers in the Netherlands. In P. Taylor (Ed.), Aging labour forces: Promises and prospects: 141-157. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

lmarinen, J. 2006. Towards a longer worklife! Ageing and the quality of worklife in the European Union. Retrieved from <a target="_blank" href='http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=39503&name=DLFE-8602.pdf'>http://www.stm.fi/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=39503&name=DLFE-8602.pdf</a>

Janssens, M., & Steyaert, C. 2003. Theories of diversity within organisation studies: Debates and future trajectories. Milan: Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

Karasek, R., & Theorell, T. 1990. Healthy work: Stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. New York: Basic Books.

Kemmis, S., & McTaggert R. 1990. The action research planner. Geelong, Victoria, Australia: Deakin University Press.

Kluytmans, F., & Ott, M. 1999. Management of employability in the Netherlands. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8: 261-272.

Legge, K. 1995. Human resources management: Rhetorics and realities: Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan.

Loretto, W., Vickerstaff, S., & White, P. (Eds.). 2007. The future for older workers: New perspectives. Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

McCann, R., & Giles, H. 2003. Ageism in the workplace: A communication perspective. In T. D. Nelson (Ed.), Ageism, stereotyping and prejudice against older persons: 163-199. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Mok, A. L. 1990. In het zweet uws aanschijns: Inleiding in de arbeidssociologie [In the sweat of thy brow: Introduction to labour sociology]. Leiden, The Netherlands: Stenfert Kroese.

Mor Barak, M. 2000. Beyond affirmative action: Toward a model of diversity and organizational inclusion. Administration in Social Work, 23(3/4): 47-68.

Naegele, G., & Walker, A. 2006. A guide to good practice in age management. Retrieved from <a target="_blank" href='http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2005/137/en/1/ef05137en.pdf'>http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2005/137/en/1/ef05137en.pdf</a>

Nagelkerke, A. G., & de Nijs, W. F. 2007. Regels rond arbeid [Rules on labour]. Groningen, The Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff.

Nunes, A., & Kramer, A. F. 2009. Experience-based mitigation of age-related performance declines: Evidence from air traffic control. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 15: 12-24.

Onstenk, J., & Blokhuis, F. 2007. Apprenticeship in the Netherlands: Connecting school- and work-based learning. Education + Training, 49: 489-499.

Posthuma, R. A., & Campion, M. A. 2009. Age stereotypes in the workplace: Common stereotypes, moderators and future research directions. Journal of Management, 35: 158-188.

Powell, I. 2010. Ageism and abuse in the workplace: A new frontier. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53: 654-658.

Pruijt, H. 1997. Job design and technology: Taylorism vs. Anti-Taylorism. London: Routledge.

Roberts, I. 2006. Taking age out of the workplace: Putting older workers back in? Work, Employment and Society, 20: 67-86.

Roper, J., Ganesh, S., & Inkson, K. 2010. Neoliberalism and knowledge interests in career discourse. Work, Employment and Society, 24: 661-679.

Sennett, R. (2008). The craftsmen. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Holcombe Ehrhart, K., & Singh, G. 2011. Inclusion and diversity in work groups: a review and model for future research. Journal of Management, 37: 1262-1289.

Taylor, P. (Ed.). 2008. Aging labour forces: Promises and prospects. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

Thijssen, J. 1992. A model for adult training in flexible organizations: Towards an experience concentration theory. Journal of European Industrial Training, 16(9): 5-15.

Thijssen, J. G. L. & Rocco, T. S. 2010. Development of older workers: Revisiting policies. In J. van Loo & S. Bohlinger (Eds.)., Working and ageing: Emerging theories and empirical perspectives: 11-22. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

Thompson, J. D. 1967. Organizations in action. New York: McGraw-Hill.

van Dalen, H. P., Henkens, K., & Schippers, J. 2009. Dealing with older workers in Europe: A comparative survey of employers' attitudes and actions. Journal of European Social Policy, 19: 47-60.

van Dalen, H. P., Henkens, K., & Schippers, J. 2010. Productivity of older workers: Perceptions of employers and employees. Population and Development Review, 36: 309-330.

van Ruysseveldt, J., Huiskamp, R., & van Hoof, J. (Eds.). 1995. Comparative industrial & employment relations. London: Sage.

Zinsmeister, J. 2012. Oud is wijs genoeg. Een studie naar de inzet van de arbeidsvermogens van oudere werknemers [Old is wise enough: A study for how to deploy the labour capacities of older workers]. Retrieved from <a target="_blank" href='http://kennisbank.hva.nl/document/495322'>http://kennisbank.hva.nl/document/495322</a>

Zinsmeister, J., Meerman, M., & van Hoof, J. 2009. De betekenis van ouder worden in een arbeidsorganisatie. Ouder worden als sociale constructie van arbeid [The meaning of becoming old in the organisation: Becoming old as a social construction of age]. Tijdschrift voor HRM, 12(2): 54-76.