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Explaining organizational responsiveness to work‐life balance issues: The role of business strategy and high‐performance work systems
Author(s) -
Wang Jing,
Verma Anil
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
human resource management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.888
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-050X
pISSN - 0090-4848
DOI - 10.1002/hrm.21474
Subject(s) - work (physics) , balance (ability) , work–life balance , business , human resource management , product (mathematics) , organizational performance , resource (disambiguation) , human resources , marketing , knowledge management , public relations , management , economics , psychology , computer science , political science , mechanical engineering , computer network , geometry , mathematics , neuroscience , engineering
This article applies new insights into business strategies and high‐performance work systems (HPWSs) to examine why organizations adopt work‐life balance programs (WLBPs). Results indicate that a product leadership business strategy is positively related to the likelihood of adopting WLBPs, whereas a cost leadership business strategy is negatively related to the adoption of these programs. Moreover, our analyses establish a mediating role of HPWSs in the relationship between business strategies and the adoption of WLBPs. Our results also demonstrate that different industries vary in adoption of work‐life balance programs. This supports the institutional theory of organizational responsiveness to work‐life balance issues. We tested our hypotheses with two waves of the nationally representative Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey. Implications and specific suggestions for human resource practitioners are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.