When older employees’ self-view is at stake: responses to age discrimination through the lens of self-verification theory

As the workforce ages, instances of age discrimination against older employees persist. Prior research has focused on the adverse consequences and adverse responses to age discrimination experienced by individuals. However, there is a paucity of research that explores whether older employees exhibit more positive behaviors in response to age discrimination from others. Therefore, this study examines when age discrimination influences older employees’ knowledge sharing with and knowledge seeking from younger colleagues. Specifically, it explores the moderating roles of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and subjective age in shaping these responses. Using 349 dyadic data from older employees and their younger colleague, this study conducted hierarchical regression analysis to examine the interactive effects of OBSE, subjective age and age discrimination on positive intergenerational knowledge transfer behaviors. The hierarchical regression analysis revealed two key findings. Firstly, older employees’ OBSE significantly moderated the effect of age discrimination on knowledge sharing with and knowledge seeking from younger colleagues. When older employees’ OBSE was high, age discrimination was positively related to their knowledge sharing but not significantly related to their knowledge seeking. However, when their OBSE was low, the above relationships were reversed. Furthermore, the three-way interactive effect of age discrimination, OBSE, and subjective age on older employees’ knowledge transfer with younger colleagues was significant. When OBSE was high and subjective age was younger, age discrimination was significantly positively related to their knowledge sharing. However, when OBSE was low and subjective age was older, age discrimination was significantly negatively related to both their knowledge sharing and knowledge seeking. This study contributes to the extant literature on the conditional mechanisms linking age discrimination to intergenerational knowledge transfer, thereby challenging the prevailing monolithic perspective of negative responses to age discrimination. It underscores the synergistic effect of high OBSE and youth self-perception, which maximizes knowledge sharing under the context of age discrimination. These contingent mechanisms suggest that organizations must address age discrimination, while simultaneously bolster OBSE and foster younger subjective age perceptions among older employees.