We are all familiar with the notion of a mid-life crisis - some of us may even have experienced our very own. Our relationship to our work is often at the heart of such crises. So what are the implications for us as individuals? What do these crises mean for organisations and what can be done to respond to them?

Each transition is a time of reappraisal and the formation of a value system and structure on which to build the next phase of our lives. So, for example, in mid-life, we are re-thinking ourselves in terms of whether we are young or old, whether we are coming to the end of our most productive period or whether we are embarking on a whole new way of being creative and "generative".

We are also re-evaluating our perceptions about masculine and feminine roles - what once seemed very clear-cut in terms of what was appropriate for the different sexes may now seem to be much more blurred.

In addition, we are re-thinking our levels of engagement and distance from the different components of our life structure - our family, work, leisure, friends, and community.

It is not surprising, therefore, that some people have a mid-life crisis.

For most people, this is an adaptive crisis where they seek to absorb the stress of this reappraisal and to integrate changes into their lives over a number of years.

For others, the changes may push them into a development crisis where the integration of changes seems too difficult and so the changes themselves may be denied, or the person may be unable to build a life structure to accommodate the way they now see themselves.

Work is a major feature in our lives - whether paid employment or otherwise. It contributes in a large part to our sense of meaning as well as at the monetary level. Changes in our sense of self affect who and how we are at work and the choices we make for ourselves during mid-life have a significant impact on the contribution and commitment we make in our professional roles.

Each transition is a time of termination and of initiation - a time of letting go certain roles, aspirations, relationships and routines, and also of of building new ones. For a manager, the key issues might be:

What personal dreams and aspirations do I now see as being no longer relevant or unrealisable? What new ones are emerging?

How can I renew myself in my management contribution? How can I generate value now? What meaning can I find in work for the future? What would success look like in the "afternoon" of my career? Is work the only place where I can play a meaningful part?

What relationships are going to help me to move into the next stage of my life? Are there relationships that I have outgrown, others that I need to grow for my future success/ contentment?

How do I want to be seen by others in the company? Am I tired of playing a particular role, of feeling like I have to adopt a particular persona to be of value? Would it be useful, and how comfortable would I be, in developing the "feminine" or "masculine" side to myself (roughly speaking, the people-oriented, interdependent and intuitive side versus the task-oriented, competitive and "facts and stats" side)?

How much of my self-worth is tied up with this organisation (or division/department) and its success or failure? How can I continue to move toward self-actualisation?

To some extent, how an individual copes with mid-life transition is beyond the control of that manager's organisation (the answers must, as Carl Jung said, ultimately come from within). Companies can facilitate this personal evolution in their staff and managers and, in the process, ensure the continuing and renewed commitment of these key people. The management practices which can help are:

Regular performance appraisal at an informal level at least - this can prevent an individual from discovering at age 45 that the contribution he or she has made has been less than was required or than imagined.

In addition, organisations often impose not just (necessary) performance requirements but also (unnecessary) personality requirements on their managers, and punish nonconformity. Rigidity of this sort will constrain people in the choices they make for how they want to be in the middle stage of their adulthood and could lead to the departure of less-conformist managers.

Structures can allow for managers to "wear different hats" from time to time - this can help them to try out different roles and to build new ways of making a meaningful contribution. Supporting roles can often be easily rotated, such as membership of in-house think-tanks, representing the organisation to the outside, chairing meetings and project-managing different change initiatives, etc..

Allowing mid-lifers to participate in - or at least have access to - the strategic direction-setting and management of the organisation or division/department - this is where their experience, judgment and intuition can pay dividends.

Ensuring that the company culture is not "ageist" - some organisations operate on the assumptions that "only young (or older) people can do this job" or, worse, that people who are over fifty are "past it" or beyond making any meaningful contribution.

Introducing development initiatives which benefit both junior and senior managers - one of the huge benefits of in-house mentoring schemes is the contribution and added-value it allows the experienced partner to make.

Allowing mid-life managers and staff to engage in more open-ended development opportunities, such as coaching or learning sets. Development initiatives and employee assistance programmes which allow the individual manager to develop insight and to tolerate uncertainty and take psychological risks are of much greater value to someone in crisis.

Hilary Maher is principal consultant with Penna HR Consulting, Dublin