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International Work-Family Research (Project 3535)
Work-family (W-F) conflict is a serious problem for Canadians, especially parents and those with eldercare responsibilities (e.g., Duxbury & Higgins, 2001). Because it has a number of harmful effects on the health and well-being of individuals and their families (Frone, 2002), it is detrimental to productivity and service provision and to the bottom line of organizations (Duxbury & Higgins, 2001; Greenhaus & Parasuraman, 1999). A better understanding of the individual, organizational, and socio-cultural variables; workplace policies; and mechanisms of support that can ease W-F conflict is needed to guide the formulation of public policies and organizational practices aimed at reducing these negative outcomes.
The international work-family research project is a collaborative effort spanning 9 countries:
- Australia
- Canada
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- United States
The specific objectives of this project are: 1) to achieve a comprehensive understanding of W-F conflict, its antecedents, and its outcomes, 2) to test and extend current theory on the W-F interface in an international context, and 3) to provide guidance to individuals, organizations, and policy makers regarding how to best alleviate the negative consequences of W-F conflict.
This research consists of three components: 1) a qualitative analysis of focus group discussions, 2) a quantitative two-wave survey, and 3) a social policy analysis. It is based on the extension of a comprehensive, theoretical model (Frone, Yardley, & Markle, 1997) that includes a large number of antecedents and outcomes in the work, family, and well-being domains, as well as important socio-cultural and moderating variables. It employs multiple methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative (Greenhaus & Parasuraman, 1999) and both emic (culture specific) and etic (pancultural) (Gelfand, Raver, & Erhart, 2002). Moreover, it utilizes both micro- and macro-level approaches. It also makes use of a multicultural and interdisciplinary team of international researchers so as to assure a deep understanding of the issues being studied and how they apply in different cultural contexts (Ayman, 1994; Gelfand et al., 2002). Furthermore, these expert researchers represent a wide number of cultures, selected based on theoretically important dimensions (Gelfand et al., 2002). Lastly, we have tried to respond to Greenhaus and Parasuraman's (1999) call for more studies of W-F balance that use short-term longitudinal approaches and that examine gender differences and to Frone's (2002) desire that more emphasis be placed on the role of positive spillover, personal coping initiatives, and organizational W-F policies.
This investigation should advance theory about the W-F interface by illuminating how cultural, social, and public policy contexts affect the way workplaces respond to working parents, and how work and family demands and supports are experienced by individual workers. It also will permit an examination of the universality of and boundary conditions for Frone et al's (1997) theory. Moreover, this research should have practical and policy implications. In addition to the opportunity to learn about the effects of alternative approaches to the alleviation of W-F conflict, a cross-cultural examination of workplace and government policies can provide critical learning points for policy makers and corporate executives who must increasingly be aware of the need to find culturally appropriate ways to diminish the harmful effects of high levels of W-F conflict. We anticipate that the results of our research will contribute to further discussion among academics, business leaders, and government representatives about the kinds of changes that are required to improve the health and well-being of workers and their families, sustain high levels of productivity in a changing workforce, and enhance competitiveness in a global economy.
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Photo courtesy University of Guelph
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