Applying social cognitive career theory to the work-family domain: A lifespan approach to studying work-family balance among family business owners

摘要

Work and family play dominant, but often conflicting roles in most people's lives. Although work-family balance is both practically and theoretically important, we know little about the psychological processes that motivate individuals to seek balance, and even less about how these processes affect family business owners.;Accordingly, this study sought to illuminate the processes that motivate family business owners to seek and achieve work family balance. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), an established theory of career motivation (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), was applied to the work-family domain. SCCT is uniquely situated to inform the work-family literature because it explains the psychological mechanisms that mediate relationships between environmental and individual factors and desired outcomes.;An SCCT model of work-family balance was tested using a web-based survey of 1,499 family business owners. Using structural equation modeling with measures validated in a separate study, the model explained the processes underlying work-family balance and psychological well-being outcomes (life satisfaction, emotional wellness and psychological health).;Aligned with SCCT predictions, respondents who were committed to specific and challenging plans for balance reported more balance than those lacking plans. Respondents were more likely to develop plans when they believed they could attain balance and expected positive outcomes from balance.;A key environmental factor was respondents' reports of their parent's ability to balance work and family. The presence of parental role models predicted respondent's belief in their own ability to balance, the strength of their balance plans, their current and past ability to balance, and their psychological well-being. This suggests that work-family balance may be a generational phenomenon.;Social support was critical; those receiving support from a constellation of relationships exhibited stronger motivational processes than those lacking support. Support also moderated relationships between plans and reports of balance. Social support is recognized as an important predictor of balance, and this study uncovered the psychological processes underlying this relationship.;Finally, the key meditational mechanism underlying these relationships was self-efficacy, suggesting that the motivation and ability to attain balance may be driven by the belief that one can achieve work-family balance. Implications for theory, research and practice are presented.