Mid and Late Career Issues: An Integrative Perspective(Applied Psychology Series)

This new book looks at the unique career issues faced by those workers in their mid and late career stages, particularly with regard to the psychosocial dynamics of mid and late careers. With the growth in aging workers worldwide, we need a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and issues as well as the practical implications related to the shifting demographics to an older workforce, particularly the aging of the baby boom generation. This book reviews, summarizes and integrates the literature on a wide variety of issues and organizational realities related to these workers. Numerous case studies based on one-on-one interviews with older workers and recent retirees provides illustrative examples of the key concepts discussed in each chapter. Students, researchers, and professionals in industrial organizational psychology, human resource management, developmental psychology, vocational psychology and gerontology will find this authoritative book of interest.

Part 1: Introduction 1. Understanding Mid and Late Career: Transformations and Challenges 2. The Evolution of Career Theory 3. The Changing Nature of Work, Workers, the Workforce, and Organizations Part 2: Career Issues Unique to Mid and Late Careers 4. Career Issues Unique to Mid and Late Careers – Individual Level Factors 5. Career Issues Unique to Mid and Late Careers – Job Level Factors 6. Career Issues Unique to Mid and Late Careers – Organizational Level Factors Part 3: Topical Issues Related to Mid and Late Careers 7. Mid and Late Career Renewal: Opportunities and Challenges 8. Performance Management: Issues and Challenges 9. Training, Development, and Mentoring 10. Work and Nonwork Issues for Individuals in Their Mid and Late Career 11. The Transition to Retirement Part 4: Conclusion 12. A Resource Based Dynamic Perspective on Mid and Late Careers

Mo Wang, PhD, earned his MA and PhD degrees in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology and Developmental Psychology from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. He is currently a tenured Associate Professor at University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business Administration, specializing in research and applications in the areas of retirement and older worker employment, occupational health psychology, cross-cultural HR management, leadership, and advanced quantitative methodologies. He has received numerous research awards for his research in these areas, including the Early Career Achievement Awards from Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP (2012), Academy of Management’s Human Resources Division (2011) and Research Methods Division (2011), and Society for Occupational Health Psychology (co-sponsored by the APA and NIOSH, 2009). He currently serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Psychology and the Editor for the Oxford Handbook of Retirement.

Deborah A. Olson, PhD, earned her MA and PhD degrees in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She is currently an Associate Professor of Management and Leadership at the University of La Verne (ULV) in La Verne, California. Prior to joining ULV, she was a leadership development management consultant for over 25 years. She was the Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness and Management Development for Hay McBer and she owned her own consultancy. During her time as a consultant, she worked with over 350 organizations, from both public and private sectors across North America. Her current research focuses on the areas of career development, leadership and team development, human resource management practices, positive organizational behavior, and the use of talents to optimize the effectiveness of older workers. In fall of 2011, she received the McElwee Excellence in Research Award from the College of Business and Public Management at the University of La Verne for her track record of research since completing her PhD in 1986.

Kenneth S. Shultz, PhD, earned his MA and PhD degrees in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He also completed a year long National Institute on Aging (NIA) funded post-doctoral research fellowship in social gerontology at the University of Southern California (USC). Ken has been a professor in the Psychology Department at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) for over 20 years. He has presented over 100 papers at regional, national, and international conferences, and also published more than 50 refereed journal articles and book chapters focusing on aging and work related topics, including bridge employment and the transition to retirement. He has also published two other books, including Aging and Work in the 21st Century edited with Gary A. Adams.

“There are many reasons why a text regarding mid and late career issues would be welcome in the context of today’s job market climate in Western countries. . . . The authors set out to ‘review, summarize, and integrate the extant literature’ in the field. They have accomplished this challenge in a structured, well-organized work with substantial implications for the real world. . . . This volume, a welcome recent addition to Routledge’s Series in Applied Psychology, targets a readership in a broad spectrum of academic and applied professionals.”—From Personnel Psychology

“This is just what we need – an integration of research into the aging workforce with career theories and practices. The emphasis on mid-career talents can help both individuals and organizations.” -Peter Warr, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Work Psychology, University of Sheffield

"The aging workforce is a topic of great societal importance, with increasing numbers of people deciding to work longer. This book, written by leaders in this field, should provide valuable insights to a large number of readers. It’s a "must read" for students, researchers, organizational practitioners, and policymakers alike." -Donald M. Truxillo, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Portland State University, USA

"Researchers and practitioners often pay more attention to early career decisions and development than to mid and late career. This book corrects this problem by providing an in-depth examination of these critical areas of the career trajectory. The book examines central issues around continuous learning, mid-career change (including accompanying crises and angst), mentoring and being mentored, and preparation for late career and late-in-life conundrums. Human resource practitioners and students will gain a better understanding of interventions that can increase mid and late career employees' performance and engagement and preparation for retirement." -Manuel London, Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA

"With the aging of the workforce unfolding in Western Countries, this book provides a welcome, unique and comprehensive overview of emerging theoretical and empirical issues in the mid and late career. This book is of eminent importance for all who are interested in the aging work force, and will serve an international readership from scholars to practitioners from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds." - Kène Henkens, Professor of Sociology of Retirement, Tilburg University, also Head of the Social demography Department , Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)

“There are many reasons why a text regarding mid and late career issues would be welcome in the context of today’s job market climate in Western countries. . . . The authors set out to ‘review, summarize, and integrate the extant literature’ in the field. They have accomplished this challenge in a structured, well-organized work with substantial implications for the real world. . . . This volume, a welcome recent addition to Routledge’s Series in Applied Psychology, targets a readership in a broad spectrum of academic and applied professionals.”—From Personnel Psychology