Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of intergenerational climate on co-creation, with the mediating role of intergenerational knowledge transfer, among secondary school teachers in Khorramabad.

Method: This research was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of data collection method, employing a structural equation modeling approach. The statistical population comprised 2,324 secondary school teachers in Khorramabad, of whom 330 were selected using relative stratified sampling. Research instruments included standard questionnaires on intergenerational climate, intergenerational knowledge transfer, and co-creation.

Findings: The results indicated that intergenerational climate had a positive and significant effect on intergenerational knowledge transfer (β = 0.327) and co-creation (β = 0.153). Intergenerational knowledge transfers also demonstrated the strongest direct effect on co-creation (β = 0.777). Furthermore, the mediating role of intergenerational knowledge transfer in the relationship between intergenerational climate and co-creation was confirmed (β = 0.254).

Conclusion: A positive intergenerational climate is an influential yet insufficient factor for co-creation, with intergenerational knowledge transfer serving as the primary mediating mechanism. In other words, an environment free of generational stereotypes, by facilitating the flow of both explicit and tacit knowledge across generations, leads to the creation of shared value and educational innovation. Based on the findings, policymaking in educational systems should focus on designing structural mechanisms for two-way knowledge transfer between generations, so that generational diversity is transformed from a potential threat into a valuable opportunity for co-creation.