Empirical Evidence on Knowledge Transfer Between Younger and Older Employees. The State of the Art and Outlook for Future Research

Knowledge transfer between younger and older employees is vital because it contributes to the long-term success of companies and is a cornerstone of employees' personal and professional development. This overview article presents the current empirical research on the topic. On the one hand, we identify key theories and situate current research findings in an input-process-output (IPO) model; on the other hand, we reveal prevailing research foci and gaps. To this end, we conducted a systematic literature review, identifying N = 30 relevant papers regarding social identity theory, intergroup contact theory, the socialization-externalization combination-internalization model, and lifespan development theories as the four dominant theoretical perspectives. We discovered that previous literature placed a clear focus on input factors, whereas the outputs have been less well studied. In addition to the IPO factors, we also report on the boundary conditions of knowledge transfer between younger and older employees found in the literature. We conclude with a discussion of previous research priorities and an outlook for future research.