The purpose of this article is to present and evaluate a blended couple coaching for smallbusiness owners and their spouses (copreneurs) to help them psychologically detach from work, which is a particularly powerful recovery experience, and ameliorate emotional exhaustion, which is the core dimension of burnout. Blended couple coaching was chosen because of the high workload of small-business owners, the frequent involvement of their spouses in their entrepreneurial venture, and the influence of spouses on behavior change, recovery, and wellbeing. The coaching was based on the neuroscientific Zurich Resource Model (ZRM). We combined realist evaluation with a quasi-experimental design and process evaluation using mixed methods. Copreneurs of small craft businesses (N = 32) were approached through trade guilds in their regional networks. Compared to the control group and after controlling for pretest scores, ANCOVAs showed an effect on detachment of h 2 = .28 (p = .004) 3 weeks after the final coaching session, and effects of h 2 = .13 on detachment (p = .061) and h 2 = .12 on exhaustion (p = .072) 4 months later among the intervention participants. Spousal social support during coaching was the mechanism of change that predicted both coaching satisfaction 3 weeks after the final coaching session (p = .004) and goal attainment 4 months later (p = .007). Somatic markers also predicted goal attainment (p = .004). Working alliance between the coach and client did not play the expected role in this coaching format. What's It Mean? Implications for Consulting PsychologyGiven the growing attention to entrepreneurs' well-being in both research and practice, this paper presents an innovative coaching intervention to foster recovery and ameliorate burnout, and it identifies some elements likely to contribute

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand how experienced copreneurs of small family business (SFB), as the smallest unit and heart of their family business (FB), may create work-life balance (WLB). Copreneurs evince highly intertwined life-domains and often struggle to respite while managing their high business demands.Design/methodology/approachIn this couple interview study with 18 experienced copreneurial couples of SFBs (N = 36), we investigated strategies copreneurs use to create their WLB by merging a resource perspective (Hobfoll, 1989) with the concept of WLB crafting (Sturges, 2012).FindingsA key strategy in copreneurial couples was the structural establishment of microdomains, such as periods of personal resource recreation within a macrodomain (e.g. work) via individual physical and cognitive WLB crafting. Copreneurs used relational WLB crafting with a strong emphasis on seeking support and mainly to protect their microdomains by relying on their spouses as boundary keepers. Women more often expressed the importance of health and time for respite, as cognitive WLB crafting, and they were more active in creating (joint) recovery opportunities. Dyadic WLB crafting strategies were used when goal congruency for work or private activities was high.Originality/valueThis research applies WLB crafting research to the smallest unit of SFBs, namely copreneurs. The study provides in-depth insights into the strategies copreneurs of SFB use to create a satisfying WLB.

No abstract

Small business owners often work together with their spouses in their business. They blur work-life boundaries and find it difficult to psychologically detach from work, which both jeopardize a satisfying work-life balance (WLB). This paper aims to investigate the mechanisms and outcomes of a coaching intervention for couples to foster their detachment and WLB. We study the role of coaches’ intervention fidelity and empathy. A blended coaching format was chosen, i.e., we combined face-to-face with tele-sessions and online courses, thereby using digitalization to keep the coaching flexible to the couples’ life situations and for digital support between sessions.Coaches’ behavior in regard to intervention fidelity was observed. Based on these ratings, the clients’ sample (N = 42) was partitioned into two intervention groups (“high intervention fidelity” vs. “low intervention fidelity”) using the adapted study design approach. We also observed coaches’ empathy and assessed clients’ self-reports at different times up to 4 months after the coaching intervention ended regarding the hypothesized mechanisms of change of the coaching concept and coaching outcomes. We also assessed clients’ affinity for technology (ATI) because of the blended format of the coaching.Two-factor ANOVAs with repeated measures showed large effects (d = 1) for detachment (p = .002) and middle effects (d = 0.7) for WLB (p = .042) up to 4 months after the intervention ended without any interaction effect. Only in the “high intervention fidelity” group did the mechanisms of change and ATI (p = .000 to p = .036) predict general coaching outcomes 4 months after the coaching ceased. Coaches’ empathy predicted goal attainment (p = .004) in the “high intervention fidelity” group.The couple coaching was highly effective in boosting clients’ detachment and WLB independent of coaches’ intervention fidelity. The assumed change mechanisms of the coaching concept and the ATI were only effective when there was a high degree of intervention fidelity. Coaches should be aware of the conceptual foundations and the core components of their coaching approach.

No abstract