Humane orientation, work-family conflict, and positive spillover across cultures

Author(s)
Barbara Beham, Ariane Ollier-Malaterre, Tammy D Allen, Andreas Baierl, Matilda Alexandrova, Artiawati, T Alexandra Beauregard, Vânia Sofia Carvalho, Maria José Chambel, Eunae Cho, Bruna Coden da Silva, Sarah Dawkins, Pablo I Escribano, Konjit Hailu Gudeta, Ting-Pang Huang, Ameeta Jaga, Dominique Kost, Anna Kurowska, Emmanuelle Leon, Suzan Lewis, Chang-Qin Lu, Angela Martin, Gabriele Morandin, Fabrizio Noboa, Shira Offer, Eugene Ohu, Pascale Peters, Ujvala Rajadhyaksha, Marcello Russo, Young Woo Sohn, Caroline Straub, Mia Tammelin, Leila Triki, Marloes L van Engen, Ronit Waismel-Manor
Abstract

Although cross-national work–family research has made great strides in recent decades, knowledge accumulation on the impact of culture on the work–family interface has been hampered by a limited geographical and cultural scope that has excluded countries where cultural expectations regarding work, family, and support may differ. We advance this literature by investigating work–family relationships in a broad range of cultures, including understudied regions of the world (i.e., Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia). We focus on humane orientation (HO), an overlooked cultural dimension that is however central to the study of social support and higher in those regions. We explore its moderating effect on relationships between work and family social support, work–family conflict, and work–family positive spillover. Building on the congruence and compensation perspectives of fit theory, we test alternative hypotheses on a sample of 10,307 participants from 30 countries/territories.We find HO has mostly a compensatory role in the relationships between workplace support and work-to-family conflict. Specifically, supervisor and coworker supports were most strongly and negatively related to conflict in cultures in which support is most needed (i.e., lower HO cultures). Regarding positive spillover, HO has mostly an amplifying role. Coworker (but not supervisor) support was most strongly and positively related to work-to-family positive spillover in higherHO cultures, where providing social support at work is consistent with the societal practice of providing support to one another. Likewise, instrumental (but not emotional) family support was most strongly and positively related to family-to-work positive spillover in higher HO cultures.

Organisation(s)
Project: Family Studies in Austria
External organisation(s)
Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin, University of Montreal, University of South Florida, Russian Academy of Sciences, University of Surabaya, University of London, Universidade do Porto, National Chengchi University, Nortus, University of Tasmania, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Addis Ababa University, Soochow University, University of Cape Town, BI Norwegian Business School, University of Warsaw, ESCP Europe Business School, Middlesex University, Peking University, University of Bologna, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Bar-Ilan University (BIU), Pan-Atlantic University, Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Governors State University, Bern University of Applied Sciences, University of Tampere, South Mediterranean University, Radboud University, Open University of Israel, Yonsei University
Journal
Journal of Applied Psychology
Volume
108
Pages
1573-1597
No. of pages
25
ISSN
0021-9010
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001093
Publication date
06-2023
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
509013 Social statistics, 501015 Organisational psychology
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Applied Psychology
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/humane-orientation-workfamily-conflict-and-positive-spillover-across-cultures(d578511b-9370-4130-820c-230017d8090e).html