The ‘ripple effect’ of schedule control: a social network approach

Abstract

This study extends research on workplace flexibility by integrating insights from literature on social networks. This approach adds to our understanding of the meso-level social context in which workplace flexibility is enacted and highlights the importance of coworkers. Drawing on social information processing theory and literature on flexibility inequity and inducement effects, I investigate whether an individual's schedule control is associated not only with his or her own job attitudes, as has been established in past literature, but also with the job attitudes of his or her coworkers. Using a network data set comprised of 337 individuals from one firm and employing a network effects model, I examine four types of possible coworker effects and ultimately find evidence of an effect among job network peers, such that individuals whose job network peers have greater schedule control report lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment. I conclude with implications for research and practice that deepen our understanding of the social context of flexibility.