WORK-LIFE EVENTS THEORY: MAKING SENSE OF SHOCK EVENTS IN DUAL-EARNER COUPLES

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Crawford, Wayne S.; Thompson, Merideth J.; Ashforth, Blake E.
• 署名单位: University of Texas System; University of Texas Arlington; Utah System of Higher Education; Utah State University; Arizona State University; Arizona State University-Tempe
• 刊物名称: ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0363-7425
• DOI: 10.5465/amr.2016.0432
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 194-212
• 关键词: DECISION-MAKING POWER; FAMILY CONFLICT; UNFOLDING MODEL; ROLE SALIENCE; LINKING WORK; IDENTITY; career; GENDER; self; crossover

摘要

Dual-earner couples are increasingly prevalent and encounter demands arising from each partner's commitment to various work and life domains. Unfortunately, there has been little theoretical progress in explaining how dual-earner couples navigate work-life shock events, which we define as disruptive, novel, and critical events that require investment of a couple's resources. Drawing from identity and sensemaking theories, we develop a theory of work-life shock events to explain how dual-earner couples perceive and respond to these events. We theorize that partners initially make sense of the event as individuals and then engage in couple-level sensemaking. We argue that each individual's shock intensity perceptions are shaped by the shock event's characteristics and the identity factors of role salience hierarchy and future self. A subsequent couple-level process of sensemaking ensues, influenced by the salience of the originating domain and partner role, as well as relational identity factors. Couple-level shock intensity perceptions result in the couple's decision regarding resource investment in the shock event's originating domain. We discuss implications for future research and for organizations.