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Working and ageing
114 Guidance and counselling for mature learners

learning considers that learning processes occurring at group, organisational
and individual levels should lead to new organisational capabilities.
Learning at individual level is distinct from training in that it is not necessarily
focused on becoming capable, or more capable, for a specific task or function,
but rather is a part of the daily work of the knowledge worker. In this sense it
is also more situated in the context of the work organisation than typical
training programmes. Again, the logic is that if actors in the organisation
become more capable, then so will the organisation.
Another form of organisational learning considers outputs of the learning
processes, such as innovation. In this sense, learning is directly linked to
innovation (Thölke, 2007). Most learning in organisations where knowledge
workers operate is in the service of innovation, be that either radical or
incremental in nature (Stam, 2007).
The first theme was essentially about how organisational structures can be
developed to reduce stress for older workers. The second theme was about
how organisations try to retain critical knowledge in different ways. The third
theme differs in its perspective. Here the idea is to understand ways
organisations can actually conduce improved productivity of older employees
through learning-based organisational interventions. What literature there is
on this theme focuses generally on questions such as: how work organisations
can be developed that lead to more effective ageing workers in regard to
learning and innovation (Jones and Hayden, 2009; Sprenger, 2007).
Learning in organisations is often seen as a cyclical process in which
different levels within the organisation interact and consequently learn and
develop new knowledge (Crossen et al., 1999). However, much literature
regards the individual as a main catalyst for organisational learning and
building capacity. This important point is especially true for knowledge
intensive organisations and sets the stage of this research, which is how
organisations can develop capacity by using the relationships between older
and younger colleagues. The learning that occurs within this relationship can
be called intergenerational learning.

6.4.1. Conceptualising intergenerational learning
While one standard definition of intergenerational learning does not seem to
exist, it has been conceptualised similarly in different fields as an interactive
process between groups of people from non-adjacent generations engaged
in a relationship where one or both parties learn. However, from a learning-
as-outcome perspective, different fields understand intergenerational learning
differently. For example, sociology typifies traditional intergenerational learning