Older workers, on the other hand, received their original education and training under a different, more hierarchical decision-making system. He or she may be out of sync with current organizational practices. These beliefs could be held by managers, younger workers or by older workers themselves. No matter who holds these beliefs, they could pose a problem for the integration of older workers. Older workers are not used to working in teams except in competitive situations.
Older workers believe that informal teams are generally cliques and are to be avoided.
For older employees, work on the job has usually been organized for individual contribution so that group activity was not possible or at least was discouraged. Older workers do not know very much about working cooperatively. The idea of cooperation in the past was seen largely as meaning not making waves, not getting in someone else's way, and giving help only when it was asked for. Older workers view volunteering help as taboo, an insult, or something to be treated with suspicion. Older workers have often been raised in the autocratic model of management and see asking for or accepting help as a sign of weakness or dependent status.