Organizational Behavior
Age, race and gender are the key biographical characteristics.
The relationship between age and job performance is likely to be an issue increasing importance during the next decade for at least three reasons. Firstly, there is a widespread belief that job performance declines with increasing age. Regardless of whether this is true, a lot of people believe it and act on it. Secondly, the workforce is aging. The third reason is U.S. legislation that, for all intents and purposes, outlaws mandatory retirement. Most U.S. workers today no longer have to retire at age 70. There are some positive reasons to keep older workers to their jobs, such as experience, judgment, a strong work ethic, and commitment to quality. But older workers are also perceived as lacking flexibility and as being resistant to new technology. Age effects productivity. There is a widespread belief that productivity declines with age. Most studies indicate a positive association between age and satisfaction, at least up to age 60.
Gender is one of the key biographical characteristic. There are many misconceptions, unsupported opinion about this characteristic. Many organizations think that there are few, if any, important differences between men and women that will affect their job performance. Psychological studies have found that women are more willing to conform authority and that men are more aggressive and more likely than women to have expectations of success, but those differences are minor. Working mothers are more likely to prefer part-time work, flexible work schedules, and telecommuting in order to accommodate their family responsibilities. The historical role of the woman in caring for children and as secondary breadwinner has definitely changed in the past generation, and a large proportion of men nowadays are as interested in day care and the problems