Abstract
Despite disparities in the conceptualization of work–life balance (WLB) and work–life harmony (WLH) in the literature, there remains no evidence till date to validate these differences. Furthermore, there are currently no insights that shed light on the relationship between work–life initiatives and key business strategies of contemporary organizations. Hence, the current study investigated the differences between the constructs of WLB and WLH using a cognitive dissonance approach and assessed the impact of work–life interventions, based on these approaches, on individual creativity at work. Hundred participants, age ranging from 18 to 32 years ( M = 23.94, SD = 3.87), with at least 6 months of working experience were recruited. Using an online questionnaire, participants were randomly assigned into WLB ( n = 55) or WLH ( n = 45) conditions. Participants were tasked to complete pre- and post-intervention measures of individual creativity, as well as a manipulation check using a cognitive dissonance scale. Results showed that participants in the WLB condition elicit higher levels of cognitive dissonance compared with participants in the WLH condition. This indicates an implicit difference in the constructs of WLB and harmony. Second, findings also suggest that work–life interventions adopting a WLH approach will have a more positive impact on individuals’ creativity at work compared with interventions targeted at achieving balance. Research, practical, and cultural implications of the findings are discussed in the article.
Highlights
Employees in contemporary societies are constantly faced with challenges associated with conflicts between work and life roles
Participants in the work– life balance (WLB) condition (M = 4.75, SD = 1.04) appear to have higher levels of cognitive dissonance compared with participants in the work–life harmony (WLH) condition (M = 3.23, SD = 1.34)
Results of the study indicated that work–life initiatives adopting a WLH approach have greater facilitative impact on participants’ creative self-efficacy (CSE) and creative personal-identity (CPI) compared with initiatives adopting a WLB approach
Summary
Employees in contemporary societies are constantly faced with challenges associated with conflicts between work and life roles. Stress resulting from work– life conflicts affects employees’ general well-being (Grzywacz & Bass, 2003) and impedes individual job performance (Allen, Herst, Bruck, & Sutton, 2000; McMillan et al, 2011; Pitt-Catsouphes, Matz-Costa, & MacDermid, 2007). By combining the prominent emphases on equality (Clark, 2000; Kirchmeyer, 2000; Marks & MacDermid, 1996) and engagement (Marks & MacDermid, 1996) in the WLB literature, Greenhaus et al (2003) proposed three components of WLB They posited that to achieve WLB, individuals need to commit equivalent amounts of time and psychological involvement, as well as attain identical levels of role-related satisfaction in both work and life roles. The concept of balancing work and life, is a zero-sum game where committing resources to one domain is seen as taking away resources from the other, resulting in constant contention between the domains (Hill et al, 2007)
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