Intergenerational Collaboration in Organizations: A Three-Dimensional Analysis of Generations Across Three Behavioral Levels Using a Meta-Synthesis Approach

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze intergenerational collaboration in organizations and develop a three-dimensional model of interactions among Generations X, Y, and Z across individual, group, and organizational levels of behavior. This developmental-applied study employed a qualitative meta-synthesis design. A systematic search of studies published from 2000 to 2025 was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Emerald Insight, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar, SID, Magiran, Noormags, and Civilica. The initial search identified 684 records, of which 196 duplicates were removed, leaving 488 studies for title and abstract screening. Following relevance assessment and full-text evaluation, 38 eligible studies were included in the final meta-synthesis. Data were extracted using a researcher-developed form and analyzed through open coding, constant comparison, integration of conceptually similar codes, development of descriptive themes, and generation of higher-order analytical themes. Analysis of the 38 included studies yielded 612 initial meaning units, which were reduced through removal of duplication and conceptual integration to 186 initial codes, 45 sub-concepts, and 15 major components. At the individual level, five components emerged: work values and attitudes, motivation and reward, attitudes toward technology, learning and development, and communication preferences. At the group level, intergenerational trust, group communication, knowledge transfer and sharing, teamwork and role complementarity, and intergenerational conflict management were identified. At the organizational level, the components comprised inclusive and adaptive leadership, flexible human resource policies, a culture of collaboration and generational inclusion, intergenerational knowledge management, and digital infrastructure and work design. The most frequently identified components were a culture of collaboration and generational inclusion in 36 studies, intergenerational knowledge transfer and management in 35 studies, and trust and inclusive leadership in 34 studies. Intergenerational collaboration is a multilevel and interactive organizational phenomenon whose outcomes depend not merely on generational membership but on the interaction among individual characteristics, group processes, and organizational mechanisms; therefore, strengthening trust, reciprocal learning, knowledge exchange, inclusive leadership, and flexible organizational policies can transform generational diversity from a potential source of conflict into a strategic resource for innovation, knowledge continuity, and organizational development.