Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an updated and theory-driven meta-analysis of work–family conflict (WFC). The authors quantitatively review the relationships between WFC and three pairs of antecedents and several consequences. Design/methodology/approach A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the research model. Specifically, the authors adopt a resource-based perspective (i.e. conservation of resources (COR) theory) to investigate the relationships between three pairs of antecedents (demand/control, autonomy/hours spent at both work and family domains and role overload/flexibility) and WFC. While COR theory argues that resource loss perceptions would generate much more influential impact on individuals comparing to that of resource gain, both favourable and unfavourable antecedents, representing resource gain and resource loss, respectively, are incorporated in each pair of antecedents. This inclusion of contrary antecedents allows the authors to investigate the comparison of the relationships between the favourable antecedents – WFC relationships and the unfavourable factors – WFC relationships. In addition, the authors analyse how and to what extent WFC influences employees’ attitudes (i.e. commitment), behaviours (i.e. performance) towards both work and family, and their career consequences. Findings The meta-analytical findings generally support the hypotheses. Work and family demands are found positively related to WFC, while having a control at either work or family would be negatively related to WFC. Perceiving a high level of autonomy at work is negatively related to WFC, and hours spend at work has a positive relation with WFC. Role overload at both work and family are associated with WFC, while having flexibility from work schedule would be negatively related to WFC. In addition, WFC is negatively related to employee career development outcomes. Originality/value First, the authors adopt a resource-based view to organise both favourable and unfavourable antecedents of WFC. Second, this paper aims at extending the investigation on WFC consequences to performance at both work and family, commitment to both work and family, and employee career outcomes, because all of them are critical consequences but not fully explored in previous meta-analyses. Third, this paper has incorporated newly explored correlates of WFC (e.g. employee career development-related outcomes) and quantitatively reviewed their relationships with WFC.

The effects of two coaching styles, one guidance and one facilitation, on the performance of coached and transfer tasks were examined in an experimental study. With the aim of improving and enhancing individual performance, guidance coaching entails the coach as a role model, delivering clear expectations and feedback about how to improve in a directive manner, while facilitation coaching involves the coach's helping the individual to explore and evaluate the task and self‐developing the correct responses for improving performance. Tests of the mediating effects of self‐set goals, which are defined as desired levels of performance to be attained on a task, and subjective task complexity, which is defined as an individual's perception of the complexity of a task, on the coaching style–performance relationship were also conducted. Participants (n = 127) were coached in the use of two software programs, PowerPoint and Excel 2007. The results showed that guidance coaching is more effective for improving coached task performance than facilitation coaching, while facilitation coaching is more effective for improving transfer task performance than guidance coaching. Subjective task complexity and self‐set performance goals mediated the effects of coaching style on the performance of both coached and transfer tasks. Implications for theory and managerial practice are discussed.

Summary Variations in the coaching style used by supervisors and/or managers (n = 51) at a variety of businesses in mainland China were examined for their impact on a range of subordinates' (n = 373) work outcomes. The data, collected in four waves over several months, showed as hypothesized that style variations reflected by guidance versus facilitation‐based coaching had differential effects on subordinates' adaptive performance (AP), task performance, and job‐related feelings of anxiety. Guidance coaching, for example, was negatively related to AP, whereas facilitation was positively associated; this pattern was reversed for task performance. Also, as expected, AP partially mediated both the positive relationship between guidance coaching and task performance, as well as the negative association between facilitation and task performance. Finally, a post hoc study revealed that subordinates' job‐related anxiety partially mediated the negative relationship between guidance coaching and AP, as well as the positive association involving facilitation and AP.

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