Date of Award

5-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Department

Bisk College of Business

First Advisor

Nick Daher

Second Advisor

Emily Martinez-Vogt

Third Advisor

Denise Siegfeldt

Fourth Advisor

Deborah Carstens

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the business practices which have the greatest influence on retention as it relates to wired boomers (born 1956-1964) in the aerospace industry in Huntsville, Alabama, and was directed toward maintaining technical expertise, job skills, experience, and knowledge within the organization. Baby boomers (born in 1946-1964) represent the largest generation in U.S. history to reach the traditional age of retirement and prepare to leave the workforce, vacating approximately 152 million jobs by 2030. Researchers have suggested the baby boomer cohort is actually two separate groups, with the second half (1956-1964, presently 53-61) being called the wired boomers because they were the first generation to be introduced to computers and related technology. The changing demographics of the United States (U.S.) shows the population is aging. Competition in the future for all organizations will rest on the productivity and performance of an aging workforce. The business practices identified within this study which incentivize wired boomers to remain in the workplace longer than individuals from prior generations are working from a remote location, working flexible hours, and offering age-specific benefits (grandparent leave, job-sharing, phased approach to retirement and sabbaticals are a few examples). Those individuals who desire to continue working past the traditional retirement age are identified as ralliers and the definition of this cohort is a direct result of this study.

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