Transformed by the family: An episodic, attachment theory perspective on family–work enrichment and transformational leadership

Abstract

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 107(8) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2022-80671-001 ). In the article (https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000869), Figure 3 incorrectly graphically depicted the interaction pattern between daily family–work enrichment and attachment anxiety for Study 1. Although the slope values presented in the original figure were correct, the graphical depiction of this interaction incorrectly replicated that of Figure 2. The online version of this article has been corrected.] While transformational leadership is foundational to individual, team, and organizational success, many managers struggle to consistently exhibit the behaviors captured in transformational leadership. Unfortunately, relatively little is known about what factors explain this day-to-day variation on transformational leadership. Drawing upon and extending attachment theory, we assert that one answer is found at home: managers need daily family support to ensure that they consistently display transformational leader behaviors at work. We thus develop a model suggesting that family–work enrichment (FWE) acts as a within-person prime of promotion focus, which in turn enables supervisors to engage in transformational behaviors on a daily basis. In so doing, we explore a pair of theoretically derived boundary conditions of this effect—supervisor attachment styles. The results from two experience-sampling studies support our model. Specifically, daily FWE was positively associated with transformational leadership through daily promotion focus, with the positive effects being weaker for those higher on attachment avoidance and stronger for those higher on attachment anxiety. This article thus expands our understanding of the link between positive family experiences and leader behaviors, suggesting that while the family is a daily source of positive inspiration for supervisors, these positive results are not universal across all supervisors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)