Family Ties: Managers Can Benefit from Personal Lives

represent an individual’s resources. If

one or more slices are taken away for

activities and obligations outside of

work, fewer resources are available

for work. Conflict occurs as individu-

als struggle to allocate portions of the

pie to family and work. The process

of depleting resources and generating

conflict is known as interference

between family and work.

Interference can have negative effects

on psychological well-being and sat-

isfaction with one’s life and job.

Increased globalization and

advanced technology have only exac-

erbated workplace demands on man-

agers, who are expected to work long

hours, to make themselves available

around the clock, and often to take

extended business trips. Such expec-

tations leave little room for family

and other personal concerns in man-

agers’ lives. Although some compa-

nies offer programs designed to help

managers integrate their work and

personal lives, managers are unlikely

to take advantage of such initiatives.

They fear that doing so would jeop-

ardize their careers. After all, man-

agers’ ability to integrate their work

and personal lives is rarely a consid-

eration when deciding who will

receive promotions.

As a result, workplace norms

make it difficult for managers to inte-

grate family and work and increase

the potential for interference.

Interference can manifest itself in a

number of ways—managers may feel

guilty or torn because they can’t do it

all. They may experience psychologi-

cal stress or feel dissatisfied with

their lives and jobs.

QUESTIONS ARISE

Recently, the view that paying atten-

tion to family and other aspects of

life outside of work inherently dimin-

ishes commitment to work has been

increasingly questioned. Female man-

agers in particular have expressed

skepticism about the view that com-

plete devotion to the organization is

necessary for managers to perform

effectively.

Issues relating to the integration of

work and personal-life activities and to

the role of family in the context of

work are not new; in the United States

they first began to be recognized and

addressed in the 1960s, when women

with child-rearing responsibilities

began to enter the workforce in larger

numbers. In 1962, the federal govern-

ment started the first program to pro-

vide mothers receiving welfare with

access to child care while they worked

or received job training. But evolving

family roles, increasing globalization,

and advances in technology have made

issues of work-life integration more

prominent, and these concerns are no

longer considered confined to

women—the interface of fatherhood

and work is a growing topic of discus-

sion. There is also an increasing recog-

nition that personal lives encompass

more than traditional family roles.

An alternative to Goode’s scarcity

hypothesis was first put forth in the

mid-1970s, in separate American

Sociological Review articles by Sam

D. Sieber and Stephen R. Marks.

These sociologists suggested that

individuals’ psychological and physi-

cal resources are expandable, not

fixed—in other words, individuals can

expand their resource “pies,” engag-

ing in what is called role accumula-

tion. This view posits that investing

time and energy in activities outside

of work can produce resources, such

as psychological vitality, skills, and

support from others. These resources

are then transferred to the work set-

ting, strengthening managerial skills,

problem-solving abilities, and overall

work performance. Ultimately, the

transfer of resources from personal

experiences to work—known as

enhancement—can strengthen man-

agers’ skills and abilities at work and

make them better-rounded leaders.

Later research evidence, including

the results of a new CCL study pub-

lished in the January 2007 issue of the

Journal of Applied Psychology (see the

sidebar on page 10), supports the idea

that work and family roles can build

on each other, creating a synergy that

can actually enhance and strengthen

managers’ performance at work.

A NEW VIEW

In today’s global and increasingly

competitive business environment,

the relationship between family and

work roles is a critical issue for

organizations. If they are to be suc-

cessful, organizations can no longer

limit their employee pools to workers

who can keep personal concerns from

affecting their work lives. There have

been numerous recent predictions

that a shortage of talent is on the

horizon (if it has not already arrived)

and that this lack of talent may have

a serious negative effect on organiza-

LIA • VOLUME 26, NUMBER 6 • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007

9

Marian N. Ruderman is

director of CCL’s Global

Leadership and Diversity

research group. She holds a

Ph.D. degree from the

University of Michigan.

Laura M. Graves is an asso-

ciate professor of manage-

ment at Clark University. She

holds a Ph.D. degree from

the University of

Connecticut.

Patricia J. Ohlott, a senior

project manager at the OMG

Center for Collaborative

Learning, was previously a

senior associate at CCL. She

holds a B.A. degree from

Yale University and has com-

pleted graduate work at

Duke University.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS