Erhalt der Arbeitsfähigkeit von Generationen. Die Bedeutung von Führung

Against the background of demographic and digital change, maintaining work ability within a company’s workforce is a crucial challenge. In this conceptually based article a novel understanding of leadership is presented which deals with the potential of emerging diversity by considering each individual’s psychological employment contract and organisational commitment to offers of support. The innovative starting point for strategic human resource management is idiosyncratic contracts (I-deals), individual and personal agreements which generate advantages for both managers and employees and complement collective bargaining agreements. Therefore, I-deals introduce possibilities for the experimental testing of “Arbeit 4.0” (Work 4.0) or “Bundesteilhabegesetz” (Federal Participation Act) or “Flexirentengesetz” (law on flexible transitions into retirement) in Germany. First empirical studies have shown that special arrangements of given tasks and areas of responsibility as well as those that have an effect on the time perspective to remain in employment are well suited to elderly workers. Due to the lack of empirical evidence, the need for further empirical research is necessary in order to examine effects - as well as possible unintended interdependencies - of I-deals in practice.