The Grandmother Hypothesis
Post-peak-productivity employees create more value through teaching than direct production.
Organizations that see post-peak-productivity workers as inefficient miss the grandmother hypothesis. The value isn't current reproduction - it's knowledge that increases next generation's success.
Human females live decades beyond menopause. This is evolutionarily unusual - most species reproduce until death. Why do humans invest resources in post-reproductive individuals? The grandmother hypothesis: older women who no longer have children themselves increase survival of their daughters' children. Grandmothers provide childcare, food gathering, and critically: knowledge. They remember the 1958 drought. They know which plants are edible. They've survived childbirth complications. This knowledge increases grandchildren's survival, spreading grandmother's genes indirectly. Mathematical models show: grandmother's knowledge can provide as much genetic advantage as direct reproduction. Their value comes from information, not reproduction.
Business Application of The Grandmother Hypothesis
Post-peak-productivity employees create more value through teaching than direct production. Hermès master craftspeople spend 30-50% of time teaching, producing fewer bags themselves but training artisans who'll produce for 30+ years. The value isn't current output - it's knowledge that increases next generation's success.
Discovery
Kristen Hawkes (1997)
Demonstrated that post-reproductive value through knowledge transfer provides genetic advantage equivalent to direct reproduction