Older Professionals’ Adaptation to New Information Technologies: A Study in the Context of Non-Standard Employment

Abstract

Modern workplaces are increasingly reliant on information technologies (IT), which have begun to profoundly affect the technological adaptation behaviors of older workers. Despite globally increasing levels of professional older adult workforce participation and workplace technology use, research in this space is only emerging, particularly in the context of non-standard employment (NSE), work falling outside traditional labor agreements, increasingly adopted by older workers. Using the Self Determination Theory, this qualitative work aims to understand the factors that contribute to professional older workers adaptation to new ITs in NSE. We propose a theoretical framework to explain our findings, suggesting that older professionals’ adaptation to new ITs in NSE are motivated by competence, relatedness and autonomy and moderated by perceived occupational value, IT support, IT-based frustration and generational differences. Our findings offer a comprehensive understanding of motivational dynamics in our research phenomena.