Spousal Support and Work—Family Balance in Launching a Family Business

Abstract

This study examines whether emotional spousal support contributes to business owners' perceived work-family balance while launching a family business. Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources theory of stress is applied to 109 family business owners and their spouses. Results from structural equation models support several hypotheses. First, reports of spousal support given are strongly related to reports of support received, suggesting genuine interpersonal transactions of support. Second, the effects of spousal support are confounded until a satisfaction-with-business-communication variable is introduced, revealing competing direct and indirect effects on work-family balance. Finally, business owner work hours have an additive negative effect on work-family balance, suggesting multiple means for maintaining work-family balance.

Emotional Spousal Support Can Have Unintended Organizational Outcomes

“…financial, time, etc.) management (Bruck, Allen, & Spector, 2002;Carlson & Perrewé, 1999;Carr, Boyar, & Gregory, 2007;Danco, 1981;Gudmunson et al, 2009;Poza & Messer, 2001;Rowe & Hong, 2000;Danes & Olsen, 2003;Jimenez, 2009). …”

“…Inconsistent and inconclusive findings (i.e. Gudmunson et al, 2009;Parasurman, Greenhaus, & Granrose, 1992) have led researchers to post-hoc discuss the possibility that not all emotional spousal support is the same. Untimely or factually incorrect spousal support, even if it is based on good intentions, might harm more than help improve cooperation within the work environment.…”

“…In an emotional support interaction it is not only the "giver" that makes an investment (time and taking up psychological load), but the "receiver" also invests resources and expects a return (Hobfoll, 2001). Emotional support requires energy in the form of time and personal attention of the receiver to participate in this interaction and an ill-fitted support would mean a diminished net gain of personal resources (Gudmunson et al, 2009). Hence, depending on the circumstances, emotional spousal support may lead to a satisfying boost in communication about matters that the business owner faces at work; however, it could also serve as a nagging reminder of the challenges and detract the individual from the time that is needed to meet those challenges (Gudmunson et al, 2009).…”

“…Emotional support requires energy in the form of time and personal attention of the receiver to participate in this interaction and an ill-fitted support would mean a diminished net gain of personal resources (Gudmunson et al, 2009). Hence, depending on the circumstances, emotional spousal support may lead to a satisfying boost in communication about matters that the business owner faces at work; however, it could also serve as a nagging reminder of the challenges and detract the individual from the time that is needed to meet those challenges (Gudmunson et al, 2009). Similarly, Gudmunson and his colleagues (2009) leaves it to future researchers to explore under what circumstances emotional spousal support can be a detraction, and whether their explanation holds up in more established organizations and not just in new family business ventures.…”

“…Due to the unique nature of spousal relationship (Gudmunson, et al, 2009), the emotional support spouses provide to their partners is very important and difficult to replicate (Bahr, 2002). Gundry and Welsch (1994) argue that the significance of spouses as stakeholders is higher in new ventures than in other more established firms.…”