Aging workforce management in the automobile industry : defining the concept and its constituting elements

This paper presents the results of a grounded theory study on the automobile industry aimed at developing a concept of aging workforce management by identifying and constructing its constituting elements. Through an in-depth research investigation, it answers the question of how the challenge of an aging workforce can be defined, and the related broader managerial issues that arise in the context of one specific industry. Our findings suggest that the quest for ‘competitiveness’ is the major constituting element of the concept of aging workforce management. Interdependent with this are two secondary elements that encompass the actual challenge: measures that drive competitiveness and symptoms of the aging workforce. Three further ‘residual elements’ making up the six constituting elements of the construct are then outlined. Issues for future research are suggested, including extending such studies across other industries, and operationalizing the construct of aging workforce management by explicating the dynamics among its constituting elements.