Abstract
Emerging economies of the world are experiencing changes in the fabric of society as well as the work place. Employees working in a high intensity, always connected, multi-cultural, team-based and interdependent work environment are experiencing increasing work-family conflict. There is an urgent need to explore the response mechanisms to this conflict in an attempt to categorize the more effective mechanisms from the ineffective. This study aims to understand how employees in a high-pressure work environment have coped and developed mechanisms to manage this conflict. In-depth interviews were conducted with the respondents to gain detailed insights. The findings suggested that there is a passive acceptance of the conflict by most respondents, despite psychological strain reported by most of them, and adjustments in the family domain are more common than in the work domain. The study adds to the existing pool of literature on work-family conflict by exploring individual response and adjustment mechanisms.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adams, G. A., King, L. A., & King, D. W. (1996). Relationships of job and family involvement, family social support and work-family conflict with job and life satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(4), 411–420.
Allen, T. D. (2001). Family-supportive work environments: The role of organisational perceptions. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 58(3), 414–435.
Allen, T. D., Herst, D., Bruck, C. S., & Sutton, M. (2000). Consequences associated with work-to-family conflict: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 5(2), 278–308.
Aryee, S., Luk, V., Leung, A., & Lo, S. (1999). Role stressors, inter-role conflict and well-being: The moderating influence of spousal support and coping behaviours among employed parents in Hong Kong. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 54, 259–278.
Ashforth, B. E., Kreiner, G. E., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in a day’s work: Boundaries and micro-role transitions. The Academy of Management Review, 25(3), 472–491.
Aycan, Z. (2008). Cross-cultural approaches to work-family conflict. In K. Korabik & D. Lero (Eds.), Handbook of work-family conflict (pp. 359–371). London: Cambridge University Press.
Aycan, Z., & Eskin, M. (2005). Relative contributions of child-care, spousal support and organisational support in reducing work-family conflict for men and women: The case of Turkey. Sex Roles, 53(7), 453–471.
Bailyn, L., & Harrington, M. (2004). Rededigning work for work-family integration. Community, Work and Family, 7(2), 197–208.
Burke, R. J., & Greenglass, E. R. (1999). Work-family conflict, spousal support and nursing staff well-being during organisational re-structuring. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 4(4), 327–336.
Carlson, D. S., & Kacmar, K. M. (2000). Work-family conflict in organisations: Do life roles make a difference. Journal of Management, 26(5), 1031–1054.
Chiaburu, D. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2008). Do peers make the place? Conceptual synthesis and meta-analysis of co-worker effects on perceptions, attitudes, OCBs and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), 1082–1103.
Cobb, S. (1976). Social support as a moderator of life stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 38(5), 300–314.
Fierman, J. (1994). Are companies less family-friendly. Fortune Journal, 129(6), 64–67.
Frone, M. R., Yardley, J. K., & Markel, K. S. (1997). Developing and testing an integrative model of the work-family interface. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 50, 145–167.
Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76–88.
Greenhaus, J. H., Parasuraman, S., & Granrose, C. S. (1989). Sources of work-family conflict among two-career couples. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 34, 133–153.
Haar, J. M., Russo, M., Sune, A., & Ollier-Malaterre, A. (2014). Outcomes of work-life balance on job satisfaction, life satisfaction and mental health: A study across seven cultures. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 85, 361–373.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualising stress. American Psychologist, 44, 513–524.
Hobfoll, S. E., & Stokes, J. P. (1988). The process and mechanics of social support. In S. Duck, D. F. Hay, S. E. Hobfoll, W. Ickes, & B. M. Montgomery (Eds.), Handbook of personal relationships: Theory, research and interventions (pp. 497–517). Oxford, England: John Wiley & Sons.
Kahn, R. L., Wolfe, D. M., Quinn, R. P., Snoek, J. D., & Rosenthal, R. A. (1964). Organizational stress: Studies in role conflict and ambiguity. Oxford, England: John Wiley.
Kinnunen, U., & Mauno, S. (1998). Antecedents and outcomes of work-family conflict among employed women and men in Finland. Human Relations Journal, 51(2), 157–177.
Kram, K. E. (1985). Improving the mentoring process. Training and Development Journal, 39(4), 40–43.
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
Lyness, K. S., & Judiesch, M. K. (2008). Can managers have a life and a career? International and multi-source perspectives on work-life balance and career advancement potential. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(4), 789–805.
Maitland, A. (1998, May 7). When the culture is to stay late. The Financial Times.
Mathews, R. A., & Wayne, J. H. (2014). A longitudinal examination of role overload and work-family conflict: The mediating role of inter-domain transitions. Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 35, 72–91.
Morris, B. (1997). Is your family wrecking your career? Fortune, 135(5), 70–76.
Muchinsky, P. M., Kriek, H. J., & Schreuder, A. M. G. (1998). Personnel psychology. Johannesburg: Thomson.
Nissen, B. T., Vuuren, L. V., & Visser, D. (2003). Communication of job-related information and work-family conflict in dual-career couples. Journal of Industrial Psychology, 29(1), 18–25.
Parasuraman, S., Purohit, Y. S., Godshalk, V. M., & Beutell, N. J. (1996). Work and family variables, entrepreneurial career success, and psychological well-being. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 48, 275–300.
Pleck, J. S., Staines, G. L., & Lang, L. (1980). Conflicts between work and family life. Monthly Labour Review, 103(3), 29–32.
Rapoport, R., & Rapoport, R. N. (1969). The dual-career family: A variant pattern and social change. Human Relations Journal, 22(1), 3–30.
Reid, E., & Ramarajan, L. (2016, June). Managing high-intensity workplace. Harvard Business Review.
Spector, P. E., & Allen, T. D. (2007). Cross-national differences in relationships of work demands, job satisfaction and turnover intentions with work-family conflict. Personnel Psychology, 60(4), 805–835.
Thomas, L. T., & Ganster, D. C. (1995). Impact of family-supportive work behaviours on work-family conflict and strain: A control perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(1), 6–15.
Yang, N., Chen, C. C., Choi, J., & Zou, Y. (2007). Sources of work-family conflict: A Sino-US comparison of the effects of work and family demands. Academy of Management Journal, 43(1), 113–123.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Anand, A., Vohra, V. (2019). A Qualitative Study on Work-Family Conflict, Social Support and Response Mechanisms of Individuals Working in Multi-National Corporations. In: Rajagopal, Behl, R. (eds) Business Governance and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94613-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94613-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94612-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94613-9
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)