Showing papers in "Human Relations in 2010"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the apparent paradox of high job satisfaction and organizational commitment alongside work intensification can be explained by employees trading flexibility for effort, in order to return benefit to their employer, and they identify three means by which this intensification occurs -imposed intensification, enabled intensification and intensification as an act of reciprocation or exchange.
Abstract: This article examines an unanticipated consequence of adopting flexible working practices - that of work intensification. Based on a study of professional workers and in line with other studies, we present evidence showing that flexible workers record higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment than their non-flexible counterparts. However, we also report evidence of work intensification being experienced by both those who work reduced hours and those who work remotely. We identify three means by which this intensification occurs - imposed intensification, enabled intensification and intensification as an act of reciprocation or exchange. We argue that the apparent paradox of high job satisfaction and organizational commitment, alongside work intensification can be explained by employees trading flexibility for effort. Using social exchange theory we propose that employees respond to the ability to work flexibly by exerting additional effort, in order to return benefit to their employer.
723 citations
TL;DR: Work-life initiatives address two main organizational challenges: structural (flexible job design, human resource policies) and cultural (supportive supervisors, climate) factors as mentioned in this paper, but they usually are marginalized rather than mainstreamed into organizational systems.
Abstract: This article examines perspectives on employer work—life initiatives as potential organizational change phenomena. Work—life initiatives address two main organizational challenges: structural (flexible job design, human resource policies) and cultural (supportive supervisors, climate) factors. While work—life initiatives serve a purpose in highlighting the need for organizational adaptation to changing relationships between work, family, and personal life, we argue they usually are marginalized rather than mainstreamed into organizational systems. We note mixed consequences of work—life initiatives for individuals and organizations. While they may enable employees to manage work and caregiving, they can increase work intensification and perpetuate stereotypes of ideal workers. In order to advance the field, organizations and scholars need to frame both structural and cultural work—life changes as part of the core employment systems to enhance organizational effectiveness and not just as strategies to supp...
393 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined relationships among transformational leadership, employee identification with leader, innovative climate, and employee creativity in a diverse sample of 212 employees and their immediate supervisors from 71 workgroups representing 55 organizations.
Abstract: We examined relationships among transformational leadership, employee identification with leader, innovative climate, and employee creativity in a diverse sample of 212 employees and their immediate supervisors from 71 workgroups representing 55 organizations. Results from multi-level linear modeling analyses indicated that transformational leadership was not significantly related with employee creativity, nor were the two way interactions of transformational leadership × identification with leader and transformation leadership × innovative climate. However, the three-way interaction of transformational leadership, employee identification with leader, and innovative climate was associated with employee creativity. We discuss the implications of these findings for practice and theory.
336 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce a social exchange perspective to the study of workplace bullying by applying the social exchange theory based concepts of justice, psychological contract breach, and perceived organizational support.
Abstract: The aim of this article is to introduce a social exchange perspective to the study of workplace bullying. Much of the existing research on bullying has had a strong empirical focus, leaving the concept relatively under-theoretized. By applying the social exchange theory based concepts of justice, psychological contract breach, and perceived organizational support, we aim to shed light on a number of aspects of bullying that to date have remained poorly understood. First, drawing on the concepts of justice and contract breach, we highlight the perceptual and subjective element in workplace bullying. Second, the concepts of justice and contract breach allow us to provide insights into how bullying is experienced and the mechanisms through which bullying leads to negative outcomes for both targets and bystanders. Third, the concept of perceived organizational support highlights the importance of appropriate and timely responses to workplace bullying. Finally, we discuss implications for both research and pra...
291 citations
TL;DR: The authors provide an overview of the key images of identity in organizations found in the research literature, including self-doubters, strugglers, surfers, storytellers, strategists, stencils and soldiers.
Abstract: This article provides an overview of the key images of identity in organizations found in the research literature. Image refers to the overall idea or conceptualization, capturing how researchers relate to — and shape — a phenomenon. Seven images are suggested: self-doubters, strugglers, surfers, storytellers, strategists, stencils and soldiers. These refer to how the individual is metaphorically understood in terms of identity, that is, how the researcher (research text) captures the individual producing a sense of self. The article aims to facilitate orientation — or encourage productive confusion — within the field, encourage reflexivity and sharpen analytic choices through awareness of options for how to conceptualize self-identity constructions.
289 citations
TL;DR: The authors discuss three mechanisms for enhancing employability in this context: identity work, training and networking, and laboring in unpaid and marginal paid positions, and show how everyday actions build and reinforce new economic structures.
Abstract: Turbulence and unpredictability in 21st-century labor markets arguably magnify the importance of maintaining employability. Drawing on recent research, I discuss three mechanisms for enhancing employability in this context: identity work, training and networking, and laboring in unpaid and marginal paid positions. Few of these activities are counted as ‘work’ because they are mostly unpaid and they often take place outside formal job structures. By specifying how a range of employment-related activities are essential to and even constitute work, this article contributes to debates about the scope and boundaries of employment and shows how everyday actions build and reinforce new economic structures — how individual actions make the new economy possible. It also provides greater specification of the concept of employability.
264 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the current debate, focused on the permeability of organizational boundaries, fails fully to address the complexity of contemporary careers and integrate contributions from labour economics on job stability.
Abstract: The idea the boundaryless career has recently permeated the careers literature. However, critics have claimed that the concept is fuzzy and difficult to operationalize. Moreover, one of the core assumptions, namely the collapse of traditional organizational careers allied to increasing mobility across organizational boundaries, has rarely been seriously analysed in the careers literature. This article aims to take forward the analysis of the boundaryless career concept in two ways. First, we discuss its conceptual and operational problems. We argue that the current debate, focused on the permeability of organizational boundaries, fails fully to address the complexity of contemporary careers. Second, we integrate contributions from labour economics on job stability to argue that the assumption of the collapse of the traditional career model is not supported by the evidence. In our conclusions, we draw on boundary theory to outline the potential of a different approach to the conceptualization of career bou...
241 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the impact of empowering leadership behaviors (ELBs), psychological empowerment, and individual-level power values on a broad range of employee behaviors, and found that psychological empowerment was more strongly related to challenging behaviors.
Abstract: In this research we examined the impact of empowering leadership behaviors (ELBs), psychological empowerment, and individual-level power values on a broad range of employee behaviors. Drawing on self-determination theory (Gagne and Deci, 2005), we hypothesized that ELBs would have direct effects on in-role and affiliative extra-role behaviors, but that the impact of ELBs on challenging extra-role behaviors would be mediated by psychological empowerment. Further, we hypothesized that individual-level power values (Schwartz, 1992) would moderate the mediated effect of ELBs on challenging behaviors. Responses to questionnaires from 541 employees and their supervisors were obtained from 16 hotel properties located in 11 Middle Eastern and Asian countries. Results supported our hypotheses of direct and mediated effects of ELBs on employee behaviors, and supported moderated mediation involving psychological empowerment and power values such that psychological empowerment was more strongly related to challenging...
220 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that instrumentality beliefs (perceived usefulness) and organizational expectations (psychological climate) were positively related to TASW, while time management (setting goals and priorities) moderated the relationship such that people who apply certain time management strategies may reduce the negative influence of technology-assisted supplemental work on their lives at home.
Abstract: People engage in technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW) when they perform role-prescribed tasks at home after regular work hours with the aid of technological tools such as laptops, cell phones, BlackBerries®, and PDAs. Drawing from the technology acceptance model, we hypothesized and found that instrumentality beliefs (perceived usefulness) and organizational expectations (psychological climate) were positively related to TASW. In addition, we hypothesized and found that TASW was positively related to work-to-family conflict. However, time management (setting goals and priorities) moderated the relationship such that people who apply certain time management strategies may reduce the negative influence of TASW on their lives at home.
220 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative case study of New Product Design (NPD) consultancies was conducted to investigate the potential management of identity tensions among creative workers in the context of identity regulation.
Abstract: Creative workers often experience identity tensions On the one hand, ‘creatives’ desire to see themselves as distinctive in their artistry, passion, and self-expression, nurturing an identity that energizes their innovative efforts Yet daily pressures to meet budgets, deadlines and market demands encourage a more business-like identity that supports firm performance Through a comparative case study of New Product Design (NPD) consultancies, we explicate the potential management of such identity tensions Case evidence illustrates overarching, paradoxical approaches to identity regulation as the firms emphasized both differentiation and integration strategies Differentiation practices promoted disparate identities by segregating related roles in time and space, while integration efforts encouraged a more synergistic meta-identity as ‘practical artists’ Leveraging paradox literature, we discuss how these strategies may accommodate creative workers’ needs to cope with multiple identities, as well as their aversion to sanctioned subjectivities
200 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the independent and combined effects of organizational social capital and structure on the performance of over 100 organizations between 2002 and 2005, using panel data, and found that cognitive and relational dimensions of social capital are positively related to performance.
Abstract: Organization theorists suggest that the social capital within organizations is a potentially powerful resource for improving organizational performance. In addition, organizational structures may strengthen or weaken the effects of social capital, by furnishing greater or fewer opportunities for its growth. This article explores the independent and combined effects of organizational social capital and structure on the performance of over 100 organizations between 2002 and 2005, using panel data. The statistical results suggest that cognitive and relational dimensions of social capital are positively related to performance, but that the structural dimension of social capital is unrelated to service outcomes. Further analysis revealed that organizational structure has complex and contradictory effects on the impact of each dimension of social capital.
TL;DR: In this article, the relation between personality and three dimensions of job performance (in-role performance, creativity, and citizenship behavior) under differing levels of job scope was examined and some support was found for the predicted interactions between Big Five personality traits and job scope in predicting various aspects of performance.
Abstract: This study examined the relation between personality and three dimensions of job performance (in-role performance, creativity, and citizenship behavior) under differing levels of job scope. The basic premise was that higher job scope would facilitate performance for those who were dispositionally inclined toward a particular dimension of performance and damage the performance of those who were dispositionally disinclined. Among 383 work-unit dyads in 11 organizations, some support was found for the predicted interactions between Big Five personality traits and job scope in predicting various aspects of performance.
TL;DR: It is found that the use of boundary objects at transitions involving definitional control and the subsequent redistribution of power/authority may inhibit knowledge sharing, as cross-cultural differences emerged as problematic for team dynamics.
Abstract: This article examines the evolving use of boundary objects in cross-cultural software teams. Our field study of a Jamaican-Indian team examines the use of software specifications and project management tools as boundary objects in facilitating sharing across knowledge boundaries. We examine how and why the role and use of boundary objects may facilitate collaboration across knowledge boundaries at one time and contribute to conflict at other times. We unpack the interacting elements that both facilitate and constrain knowledge sharing, and trigger conflicts at different stages of the software team development. Specifically, we found that the use of boundary objects at transitions involving definitional control and the subsequent redistribution of power/authority may inhibit knowledge sharing. The subsequent reifying of cultural boundaries along with negative stereotyping led to relational conflict, through a process we call culturizing , as cross-cultural differences emerged as problematic for team dynamics.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce a symposium that extends our knowledge of employee voice and participation in terms of new organizational forms, practices and processes that affect the nature, structure and conditions of work and organizations.
Abstract: While the history of employee voice and participation is longstanding, there has been a sharp increase in interest in these topics among academics, practitioners, and policy-makers in recent years. The research on employee voice and participation has therefore significantly broadened, expanding from an earlier institutional focus to also include significant behavioural and strategic streams. This article introduces a symposium that extends our knowledge of employee voice and participation in terms of new organizational forms, practices and processes that affect the nature, structure and conditions of work and organizations by showcasing the breadth of contemporary research on voice and participation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of team voice and worker representative voice, as well as their interaction, on labor productivity were explored. But neither type of voice bears a significant relationship to labor productivity when examined solely but that team voice significantly contributes to enhanced worker efficiency when considered in conjunction with representative voice.
Abstract: This article explores the effects of team voice and worker representative voice, as well as their interaction, on labor productivity. We examine team voice in terms of team influence on key work-related issues and representative voice via the degree of worker representatives’ influence on multiple collective voice issues. We thus build on the European tradition of examining both direct and indirect voice and their implications for valued organizational outcomes. We find that neither type of voice bears a significant relationship to labor productivity when examined solely but that team voice significantly contributes to enhanced worker efficiency when considered in conjunction with representative voice. In examining the interaction of the two types of voice, we find that a combination of low team and low representative voice leads to inferior labor efficiency compared to other conditions. We also find a negative interaction between team voice and worker representative voice, supporting an interpretation th...
TL;DR: Examination of results from a sample of Chinese firms indicated that HPWS—firm performance linkage was partially mediated by adaptive capability, and the effect of HPWS on adaptive capability was stronger for firms in an institutional environment with location advantage than firms in other environments.
Abstract: High performance work systems (HPWS) represent a systematic and integrated approach of managing human resources toward the alignment of HR functions and the achievement of firm strategy. The relationship of HPWS with firm performance has been extensively examined, though the mechanism underlying HPWS—performance relationship is not well researched, especially at the organizational level. Based on the dynamic capabilities perspective, this study examines a model with adaptive capability as the mediator in the relationship between HPWS and firm performance, aiming to understand how HPWS is positively associated with organizational outcomes. Institutional environment as a contextual factor that influences the relationship between adaptive capability and performance is also examined. Empirical results from a sample of Chinese firms indicated that HPWS—firm performance linkage was partially mediated by adaptive capability. In addition, the effect of HPWS on adaptive capability was stronger for firms in an inst...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how individuals across six family life stages (before children, transition to parenthood, youngest child preschool-age, young child school-age and youngest child adolescent, and empty nest) differ in their experience of the work-family interface.
Abstract: This study explores how individuals across six family life stages (before children, transition to parenthood, youngest child preschool-age, youngest child school-age, youngest child adolescent, and empty nest) differ in their experience of the work—family interface. Data come from a global IBM work and life issues survey (N = 41,769). Structural equation modeling was used to compare employees from six family life stages on work role factors (job hours, job responsibility, job flexibility) and family role factors (household work hours, marital status), and their relationships to work—family conflict, family—work conflict, work—family fit and four personal success measures. Meaningful differences in the means and size of the relationships among variables across family life stages provided empirical evidence of a ‘life course’ for the work—family interface influenced by differential exposure and differential effects of work and family role demands.
TL;DR: This paper examined how strategic ambiguity is used as a discursive resource by different organizational constituents and how that is associated with collective action around the strategic goal, and found that the different constituents maintained these four rhetorical positions simultaneously over time, enabling them to shift between their own and other's interests rather than converging upon a common interest.
Abstract: The literature on ambiguity reflects contradictory views on its value as a resource or a problem for organizational action. In this longitudinal empirical study of ambiguity about a strategic goal, we examined how strategic ambiguity is used as a discursive resource by different organizational constituents and how that is associated with collective action around the strategic goal. We found four rhetorical positions, each of which drew upon strategic ambiguity to construct the strategic goal differently according to whether the various constituents were asserting their own interests or accommodating wider organizational interests. However, we also found that the different constituents maintained these four rhetorical positions simultaneously over time, enabling them to shift between their own and other’s interests rather than converging upon a common interest. These findings are used to develop a conceptual framework that explains how strategic ambiguity might serve as a resource for different organizational constituents to assert their own interests whilst also enabling collective organizational action, at least of a temporary nature.
TL;DR: The authors found that performance outcome orientation (degree to which objective criteria are used in employee evaluation) moderates the curvilinear relation between extent of telecommuting and job satisfaction, with worker type (defined by work drive and work enjoyment) moderating that relation.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine factors that are related to employee satisfaction with telecommuting. Recent research supports the notion of a curvilinear relation between extent of telecommuting and job satisfaction. Drawing on control theory, we find that performance outcome orientation (degree to which objective criteria are used in employee evaluation) moderates the curvilinear relation between extent of telecommuting and job satisfaction. We also find support for a curvilinear (inverted U) relation between extent of telecommuting and life satisfaction, with worker type (defined by work drive and work enjoyment) moderating that relation.
TL;DR: In this article, negative reciprocity was used to suggest that mistreatment at work, in the form of abusive supervision and lack of organizational support, may undermine the normative influence of perceived ethical values.
Abstract: Perceived organizational ethical values refer to employees’ beliefs concerning what practices are acceptable or appropriate in their organization (Trevino, 1990). Previous work suggests that these perceptions can be a significant factor in employee behavior, with normative influence often assumed to be the underlying mechanism (Peterson, 2002). The current article incorporates another theoretical lens, namely social exchange theory (Blau, 1964), and, in particular, negative reciprocity, to suggest that mistreatment at work — in the form of abusive supervision and lack of organizational support — may undermine the normative influence of perceived ethical values. The results indicate a negative association between perceived organizational ethical values and organizational deviance. This generally negative association was countered by abusive supervision and strengthened by organizational support, with both moderators suggesting an overt effect of negative reciprocity on employee behavior, especially when th...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated two behavioral outcomes of psychological entitlement (political behavior and co-worker abuse) and the mediating role of job-related frustration, concluding that relatively high levels of supervisor communication reduced job frustration for less-entitled employees but exacerbated the frustration reported by those with stronger entitlement perceptions.
Abstract: Psychological entitlement is a relatively stable tendency toward inflated self-perceptions and unrealistic expectations concerning praise and rewards. This study investigates two behavioral outcomes of entitlement — political behavior and co-worker abuse — and the mediating role of job-related frustration. We also examine the impact of supervisor communication (i.e. evaluative and informative communication) on the relationship between psychological entitlement and frustration. Results of a study of 223 employees suggested that entitlement was positively associated with both political behavior and co-worker abuse, and that frustration partially or fully mediated both relationships. Additionally, results suggested that relatively high levels of supervisor communication reduced job frustration for less-entitled employees but exacerbated the frustration reported by those with stronger entitlement perceptions.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate how power relates to the production of creative identities and outcomes and report on an in-depth case study of an award-winning creative architecture firm.
Abstract: In this article we investigate how power relates to the production of creative identities and outcomes. We report on an in-depth case study of an award-winning creative architecture firm. Our data show how talk about creativity and the creative identities of architects can be analysed as effects of power. Theoretically, our study represents an investigation into the disciplining of professional architects’ discourse about their selves, their organization, and their work. This article adds to debates on creative industries, demonstrating that creativity is deeply embedded in organizationally based relations of power.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the effect of office redesign on organizational culture and work-related attitudes within a financial services organization and found that employees assigned to the redesigned office environment report less workspace and more distractions than those who remained in a cubicle environment, but that this finding was moderated by age generation.
Abstract: Outcomes associated with an office redesign aimed at decreasing workspace while enhancing perceptions of organizational culture and work-related attitudes are examined within a financial services organization. Findings show that employees assigned to the redesigned office environment report less workspace and more distractions than those who remained in a cubicle environment, but that this finding was moderated by age generation. Employees moved to the newly redesigned space reported more favorable perceptions of culture and work-related attitudes, with no age moderating effects. Taken together, results provide support for the theory that office redesign is an effective strategy for implementing organizational change.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors looked at factors that moderate responses to violence, bullying, and other stressors among public school teachers in the US, and emphasized the relevance of specific forms of control and support to specific stressors in analyzing moderation effects.
Abstract: This study looked at factors that moderate responses to violence, bullying, and other stressors among public school teachers in the US. Grounded in stressor-emotion-control/ support (SEC/S) theory, the study emphasized the relevance of specific forms of control and support to specific stressors in analyzing moderation effects. A total of 779 teachers completed an online survey of their perceptions of their work environments. Pervasive bullying and violent acts were associated with strains in zero-order correlations, but when regressed, pervasive bullying rather than violence was associated with strains. Relations between violent acts and strains were moderated by satisfaction with the administrations’ handling of violent acts.This has important implications for the development of public and educational policy. Finally, co-worker social support interacted with supervisory/principal bullying, but, contrary to expectations, showed a reverse buffering effect.
TL;DR: The article analyses the discursive practices involved in a month of telecardiological consultancies in order to understand the effects of this new practice in a Western health care context.
Abstract: Telecardiological consultancy, enabling distant consultation between cardiologist and the general practitioner in the presence of the patient and relying on a technological infrastructure, is a new medical working practice. This article proposes a practice-based approach in order to study it as an object emerging from a local ecology of human and non-human. An analytical framework proposes three interpretative lines: a reading of practice ‘from outside’ (as a patterned set of activities), a reading ‘from inside’ (as knowing-in-practice) and a reading as a social practice (as a ‘doing’ of society). The article analyses the discursive practices involved in a month of telecardiological consultancies in order to understand the effects of this new practice in a Western health care context. One of these meanings is that, as telecardiology comes into use, it is inscribed more in the social practice of reassurance than in the medical one of preventing and dealing with emergencies.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationships between distributive, procedural, informational, and interpersonal justice, and perceived organizational support (POS), leader-member exchange (LMX), and organization-and supervisor-directed deviance.
Abstract: Using data collected on two occasions spaced apart by three months (N = 602), we examined the relationships between a) distributive, procedural, informational, and interpersonal justice (measured at Time 1) and b) perceived organizational support (POS), leader—member exchange (LMX), and organization- and supervisor-directed deviance (measured at Time 2). We found that POS fully mediated the relationship of procedural justice but not distributive justice to organization-directed deviance. In addition, LMX fully mediated the relationships of informational justice and interpersonal justice to both supervisor-directed deviance and organization-directed deviance. The implications of these findings for the study of justice and social exchange relationships as predictors of workplace deviance are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the processes of knowledge generation and translation in multidisciplinary teams and propose a case study that analyzes these processes in decisions about the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Abstract: The importance of translating knowledge across occupational boundaries is frequently identified as a means of generating innovation and improving performance. The creation of the multidisciplinary team is an institutional response to enable such translation and synergy, yet few studies examine the processes of knowledge generation and translation in such teams. This article offers a case study that analyses these processes in decisions about the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Polanyi’s concept of tacit integration is used to reveal how meaning is developed and manifest in team decisions and to examine how the discursive resources embedded in tacit knowledge shape clinical practice. We highlight the foundations and dynamics that privilege the knowledge of some team members to be reconstituted as multidisciplinary group practice. Privileged knowledge then becomes embedded in the practices of the group. We conclude that the creation of a multidisciplinary structure may support rather than challenge exi...
TL;DR: This article examined the influence of the institutional context on managers' attitude formation and found that managers' beliefs are more susceptible to mimetic pressures, while HR managers' attitudes towards telehomeworking are positively fed by pressures from their occupational community.
Abstract: Building on recent research that stresses the important role of managers in the adoption process of telehomeworking, or telecommuting, this study examines the influence of the institutional context on managers’ attitude formation. Drawing on large-scale survey data from 96 CEOs and 380 HR managers in Dutch organizations, we show that normative and mimetic pressures affect managers’ beliefs, which are reflected in their perceptions of the relative (dis)advantage of telehomeworking. We also find that the perceived improvements of work outcomes and perceived social costs/benefits vary among managers from different ‘occupational communities’. CEOs’ beliefs are more susceptible to mimetic pressures, while HR managers’ attitudes towards telehomeworking are positively fed by pressures from their occupational community. These findings support the view that current debates on work—life initiatives’ diffusion and organizational changes in relation to these initiatives should pay much more attention to the importanc...
TL;DR: This article examined the extent to which temporary agency workers are satisfied with their jobs and the differences in the satisfaction of agency and permanent workers, finding that temporary workers report lower levels of job satisfaction and are less satisfied with the work itself, hours worked and their job security.
Abstract: The temporary agency industry has experienced substantial growth in the past two decades. Although there is research on the quality of Australian agency work, most studies have emphasized economic disparities in outcomes for workers. Representative quantitative research using large-scale Australian data on non-economic outcomes, such as job satisfaction, has been scant. Using a nationally representative sample of Australian workers, I examine the extent to which temporary agency workers are satisfied with their jobs and the differences in the satisfaction of agency and permanent workers. I find that agency workers report lower levels of job satisfaction and that job security, control over the duration of work and autonomy are important mediating mechanisms. They are also less satisfied with the work itself, hours worked and their job security. I also find that women are more satisfied with temporary work than men and explore why. I end with implications for organizations and future research.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine implicit and explicit messages of work, life, and work-life balance support found on 24 websites of 10 different companies and study the cultural norms that can be distilled from these articulations, including the concepts of the ideal worker and the ideal parent.
Abstract: This article explores how employers portray themselves as supporters of work-life balance (WLB) in texts found on 24 websites of 10 different companies. With a theoretical framework based on a critical reflection on strategic HRM, feminist studies of organizational culture and hegemonic power processes, we examine implicit and explicit messages of work, life, and WLB support. We study the cultural norms that can be distilled from these articulations, including the concepts of the ideal worker and the ideal parent and discuss the possible (unintended) effects of the implicit and explicit messages. Our analysis shows the ambiguity of the different messages conveyed on WLB support. In contrast to the explicit supportive messages, implicit messages present WLB-arrangements as a privilege. The majority of websites reproduce traditional cultural norms regarding ideal workers and parents and the power of hegemony is not broken. Apparently, WLB support does not always signify support.