Explaining organizational responsiveness to work-life balance issues: The role of business strategy and high-performance work systems
Human Resource Management · 2012 · Volume 51 · Issue 3
Abstract
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.
Keywords
work-life balance, strategic HR
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