Another important research finding presented in this study, is that negative aging meta- and self-stereotypes contribute differently to the dimensions of OEpE. Based on this result, it could be stated that negative aging meta- and self-stereotypes differently influence OEpE and that negative aging meta- and self-stereotypes are determinants of OEpE. Since they only influence some of the dimensions of OEpE,
they are relatively less important determinants of OEpE than older employees‘
perceived ability to learn. Negative aging meta- and self-stereotypes influence respectively three and two dimensions of OEpE. Therefore, negative aging meta- stereotypes, motivation and support to learn contribute to the same extent to OEpE and negative aging self-stereotypes to a lesser extent. Below, the found relationships between negative aging meta- and self-stereotypes, on the one hand, and OEpE, on the other hand, are explained in more detail. Subsequently, explanations of these findings are given.
Negative Aging Meta-Stereotypes and Older Employees‟ Perceived Employability
This study found partial support that negative aging meta-stereotypes are negatively related to OEpE (hypothesis 2d). Regarding the five dimensions of OEpE evidence is only found for occupational expertise, personal flexibility and corporate sense. This indicates that the more older employees belief that they are negatively stereotyped by members of the ‗out-group‘ (e.g., colleagues), the worse they perceive their occupational expertise, personal flexibility and corporate sense. In other words, when older employees perceive more negative aging meta-stereotypes, they perceive to have less knowledge and skills about their professional domain (occupational expertise). Moreover, the more older employees perceive negative aging meta-stereotypes, the less they perceive themselves to be capable of easily adapting to all kinds of changes in their function, department or organization (personal flexibility). Finally, the results of this study imply that older employees who
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perceive more negative aging meta-stereotypes, perceive themselves also as being
less capable of participating and performing in different work groups (corporate
sense).
Negative Aging Self-Stereotypes and Older Employees‟ Perceived Employability
Partial support is found that negative aging self-stereotypes are negatively related to OEpE (hypothesis 2d). Regarding the five dimensions of OEpE evidence is only found for personal flexibility and balance. This indicates that the more previously held negative aging stereotypes employees apply to themselves as they become older, the worse they perceive their personal flexibility and balance. In other words, when older employees perceive more negative aging self-stereotypes, the less they perceive themselves to be capable of easily adapting to all kinds of changes in their function, department or organization (personal flexibility). Finally, the results of this study imply that the more older employees perceive negative aging self-stereotypes, the less they perceive themselves to be capable of compromising between opposing employers‘ interests as well as their own opposing interest and between employers‘ and employees‘ interests.
Results regarding Negative Aging Meta- and Self-Stereotypes and Older Employees‟ Perceived Employability Explained
That negative aging meta-stereotypes negatively influence the OEpE dimensions occupational expertise and personal flexibility could be explained as follows. Prior research has shown that older employees are perceived as being less mental capable than younger employees (Van Dalen et al., 2010). In addition, research has shown that older employees are perceived as less flexible (Van Dalen et al., 2010) and more resistant and less willing to change (Ng & Feldman, 2012) than younger employees. From this, it could be inferred that older employees are respectively perceived as having less occupational expertise and personal flexibility in comparison to younger employees. In other words, older employees might be perceived as having less knowledge and skills about their professional domain (occupational expertise) and being less capable of easily adapting to all kinds of changes in the labor market (personal flexibility). When older employees belief that their colleagues perceive them in negative terms, it might be the case that they belief that their colleagues perceive them negatively regarding the employability
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dimensions occupational expertise and personal flexibility. Since research has shown that employees apply negative meta-stereotypes to themselves (Klein et al., (2007), it is also expected that older employees might apply the negative beliefs about their occupational expertise and personal flexibility to themselves. This in turn might have caused the negative relationship between negative aging meta-stereotypes and the OEpE dimensions occupational expertise and personal flexibility.
That older employees are perceived as less flexible (Van Dalen et al., 2010) and more resistant and less willing to change (Ng & Feldman, 2012) and that evidence is found that older employees apply previously held negative aging stereotypes to themselves (e.g., Kornadt & Rothermund, 2012; Rothermund & Brandtstädter, 2003) could explain the negative relationship found between negative aging self- stereotypes and personal flexibility. However, based on this reasoning, it is also expected that negative aging self-stereotypes negatively influence occupational expertise. This study did however not found evidence that the more negative aging self-stereotypes people hold, the less they perceive the OEpE dimension occupational expertise. Older employees did not apply the previous negative stereotype that older employees are less mental capable in comparison to younger employees to themselves. This could be explained in that older employees do not belief that these beliefs apply to the employees employed in their professional domain. That negative aging meta-stereotypes influence the OEpE dimension occupational expertise negatively might, therefore, be explained in that older employees belief that the negative aging stereotype about occupational expertise
held by their colleagues apply to them.
Van Dalen et al. (2010) found also evidence that older employees are perceived as having more social skills and as being more vulnerable to work-family balance in comparison to younger employees. From this, it could be inferred that older employees are perceived to be capable of participating and performing in different
work groups (corporate sense) and to be less capable of compromising between
opposing employers‘ interests as well as their own opposing interest and between
employers‘ and employees‘ interests (balance). Based on the reasoning from above,
it is expected that older employees also perceive themselves as having more corporate sense and less balance in comparison to younger employees. In line with this reasoning, support is found for a negative relationship between negative aging self-stereotypes and the OEpE dimension balance. However, no relationship
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between negative aging meta-stereotypes and the OEpE dimension balance is found. Older employees might perceive the dimension no longer as something that others belief, but something that is really true.
In line with this reasoning, no support is found for the relationship between negative aging self-stereotypes and the OEpE dimension corporate sense. However, a negative relationship between negative aging meta-stereotypes and older employees‘ perceived corporate sense is found. A possible explanation may lie in that corporate sense differs not only per individual but also per organization. When older employees belief that colleagues perceive them in terms of negative beliefs, they could perceive themselves as being less capable to participate and perform in these work groups. While they might perceive themselves as being capable to participate and perform in other work groups in general. However, they might not have given answers in this way to the items of the OEpE dimension corporate sense. When this is the case, the relationship between older employees‘ perceived ability to learn and corporate sense might be explained by a halo effect. Moreover, the relationship between older employees‘ perceived motivation to learn and corporate sense might be explained in that older employees might perceive themselves to be more willing to invest in the organization due to their motivation to learn. In turn, that older employees‘ perceived support to learn positively influences the OEpE dimension corporate sense, could be explained in that because older employees perceive themselves to be supported by the organization, they think they are also able to participate and perform in their organization.
That no significant relationship is found between negative aging meta- and self- stereotypes and anticipation and optimization, could be explained in that prior research did not found any negative aging stereotypes about the OEpE dimension anticipation and optimization. Therefore, older employees might not perceive that others perceive them in these terms. In addition, they do not believe by themselves that when older employees become older that they also have less anticipation and optimization.
5.1.3. Negative Aging Meta- and Self- stereotypes and Older Employees‟ perceived