Balancing Borders and Bridges: Negotiating the Work-Home Interface via Boundary Work Tactics - Research Paper Example

Description of the Methodology Kreiner, Hollensbe and Sheep (2009) investigated how people balance borders and bridges while negotiating the demands between work life and home life. In the methodology, the most prominent points are those related to the research questions. The points are work and home interface and the boundary theory, which centers on the way individuals make, uphold, or alter borders with the aim of simplifying and classifying the world around them. In addition is incongruence between individual and environment (heart of the boundary conflicts). These prominent points helped the authors to generate the four research questions, which focus on unexplored areas on boundaries between home and work life. The research questions are under the different prominent points; for instance, the first two research questions are under the incongruence between individual and environment whereas the other two research questions are under the boundary work. The four research questions are: 1. “What are the dimensions of work-home boundary incongruence?” (Kreiner, Hollensbe & Sheep, 2009, p. 706) 2. “What are the consequences of work-home boundary incongruence beyond work-home conflict?” (Kreiner, Hollensbe & Sheep,2009, p. 706) b. “How do these questions interrelate?” (Kreiner, Hollensbe & Sheep, 2009, p. 706) 3. “What boundary work tactics do individuals employ to ameliorate the negative consequences of work-home boundary incongruence?” (Kreiner, Hollensbe & Sheep, 2009, p. 707) 4. “What discernible patterns in these tactics can be observed and used to create a boundary work framework?” (Kreiner, Hollensbe & Sheep, 2009, p. 707) The authors discuss the problem statement by first establishing the limitation of other studies in covering the study area. For instance, they state that the previous work home research at the individual level examined steady and /or hard to –alter variable like demographic and that an apparent limitation of most approaches that studied conflict failed to offer actionable guidance or knowledge to either managers or persons seeking to ameliorate stress and improve work-home balance. Kreiner, Hollensbe and Sheep (2009) noted that despite previous studies being fruitful, the literature lacked a solid means to comprehending the manner people go through and try to avoid conflict. These weaknesses are used to establish the following purpose statements, “ to better understand the challenges associated with balancing work and home and to explore what steps individuals take to improve their work-home balance, even amid less than- ideal working conditions” (Kreiner, Hollensbe & Sheep, 2009). The purpose statement serves as a guide for the entire study. Evaluation of Methodology The research questions are aligned with the objective of the study. The authors sought to establish the way people negotiate the work-home boundary using the boundary work approach. The research questions are in line with this objective. They identify the objectives of the study and address the different dimensions to be covered by the research. Zikmund and Babin (2007) argue that research questions express research objectives in terms of question that can be addressed by a research. In support of the main objective of the study, the first research objective seeks to establish the aspects of the incongruence, of the work-home border; in doing so, the research focuses on the heart of boundary conflicts. The second research question covers the consequences of the incongruence beyond the work-home conflict and the way the question interrelate. In doing so, these questions are using the boundary work approaches to cover the work-home boundary and hence in line with the main objective. The third and fourth research questions sum up the main objective of understanding the problem at hand better and the means that people navigate the work-home boundary effectively. The research questions relate to the statement of the problem, as they address areas not covered by previous research on work-home boundary. They also relate to the purpose statement, as they will help to bring about better understanding of the challenges associated with balancing home and work. They are also important, as they have shown steps taken by persons to improve work-home balance in less ideal conditions by focusing on boundary work tactics used by individuals in ameliorating the consequences of the work-home boundary incongruence. The research questions are in line with the methodological approach and the research design. Primarily, the authors have chosen a population (Episcopal priests), which faces ongoing challenging boundary work. This population was thus able to provide reliable responses to the research questions. Open-ended questionnaires were used to collect data from 220 Episcopal priests in the first qualitative study. The research questions were covered in the questionnaires and hence they were in line with the study methodology, particularly on sensitizing the authors on the work-family issues that the priest population faces. The second part of the study was also qualitative- an hour telephone semi-structured interviews with sixty Episcopal priests. The interviews covered about fifteen questions on work-home balance as well as career background. Questionnaires and interviews were the best research methods for answering the four research questions. The study sample had typical characteristics, which promoted transferability of research results obtained from the interviews and the questions. Transferability implies generalizability of research findings. Mackey and Gass (2005) argue that for transferability in qualitative research, the research situation is regarded as fundamental. The extent to which findings may be transferred depends on the context similarity. The most important method of determining similarity of context is thick description: process of using multiple perspectives to explain the insights gained from a study and taking into consideration the actors interpretation of their actions as well as the speakers’ interpretation of thick description (Mackey & Gass, 2005). To ensure transferability of results, most of the Episcopal priests in the research sample were married and lived in what is considered as traditional family lives; as a result, they experience almost similar work-home demands like persons in other occupations. The researchers reported findings with adequate details for the readers to understand the characteristics of the participants and the research context, and this enables the audience to compare the research situation with their own. For instance, the authors noted that parish priests engage in most prototypical managerial tasks; for instance, firing, budgeting, hiring, managing volunteer and paid staff, and conducting meetings with the stakeholders (Kreiner, Hollensbe & Sheep, 2009, p. 707). The authors augmented the transferability of research results by showing many similarities between the work of the priests and that of other common occupations, such as lawyer, physician, and businesspersons including the occupation that they held before becoming priests. To increase the effectiveness of the study, the authors included a member in the research team who had a number of years’ research practice with Episcopal clergies hence offering them profound information about the study population, which served as foundation of the research. This member served the same role as a key informant in the study although he was part of the research team. Key informants in research usually provide expert and in-depth information on elements of a society, culture of a social scene (Lewis-Beck, Bryman & Liao, 2004). The research team also used participant observation at various training sessions and conference for Episcopal clergies offered background context for the study. Limb and Dwyer (2001) argue that participant observation normally provides an opportunity for carrying out informal interviews and talking about issues as they take place: turning conversations to certain topics of interest. The research team read many articles and books on the careers and lives of clergy and priests of various denominations, which further sensitized them on the Episcopal priests. This was document review, which enabled an in-depth learning process. Law and McDErmid (2008) argue that the purpose of document review is to learn how prevent events and intentions were related due to their value and meaning. The documents are reviewed considering the context within which they were created. The articles and books reviewed in this study were specifically on Episcopal priests. The multi-method research design was effective in answering the four research questions and increasing the reliability of the results. According to Alvesson (2003), a multi method approach in a project is important in assuaging the weaknesses, which researchers obtain from depending on a single data sources. These research methods were consistent with the research question as they provided responses from the Episcopal Priest. The authors highlighted the main points of the research using the responses to four research questions. They discovered and categorized four kinds of boundary work approaches (physical, temporal, communicative, as well as behavioral), which people used in helping to reach their best level as well as approach of work-home integration or segregation. This was in response to the first research question. In response to the second question on the consequence of work-home border incongruence, Kreiner, Hollensbe and Sheep (2009) discovered work-home conflict and boundary violation. Third, the researchers identified various boundary tactics in response to the third research questions. These tactics were behavioral, temporal, physical, and communicative. The authors used these tactics to identify discernible patterns and to create a boundary work model consisting of aspects such as individual work- environmental work-home boundary influences, home boundary preferences, boundary work tactics, work home (in) congruence aspects, work-home conflict and work-home boundary violations (Kreiner, Hollensbe & Sheep, 2009). This was in response to the fourth research question. They also found significant differences between boundary violations and the general state of work-home conflict. These results were acquired from the research questions asked during the interview, from the questionnaires and participant observation. Research questions seeking to investigate the different work-home boundary incongruence dimensions, the incongruence consequences, the way Episcopal priests negotiate the work home boundaries and the way boundary approaches should be effectively classified were well covered by the research design. Author-identified Limitations, Implications, And Recommendations Kreiner, Hollensbe and Sheep (2009) identified implications and recommendations of the study in the final section of the paper. They identified implications for theory and implications of practice. The study contributed an additionally comprehensive and holistic perspective of work-home border work, which incorporates tactics, precursors, as well as important outcomes (theoretical implication). One of the implications noted is that work-home boundary violations construct as very promising. They introduced and defined boundary violations as events or episodes, which go against individual work-home boundary preferences and recommended that separate particular events be separated from the comprehensive situation. This generates chances for investigating the different functions of every construct in work-home links and presents a potential for accounting for extra variance in the work-home balance connection. The authors argued that work-home boundary events should be studies in their own right layer upon layer. In addition, the authors recommend separation of punctuated events from a generalized state as it can reframe and extend more focused questions in work-family research. The second implication was the identification of various particular boundary work approaches, which filled a key gap in literature. The third implication presented was that understanding diversity’s boundary work tactics could enable people to further explore and appreciate the individuals’ ability to ameliorate work-home conflicts. The third implication was that the authors went further than previous research, which conceptualize and operationalize work-home analogy through categorizing various dimensions within the home, work and occupation whereby incongruence occurs. Concerning implications for practice, the author noted that the tactics present were important to employees in most contexts. Second, they noted that boundary work approaches characterize practical knowledge, which can be educated to other people for improved effective personal-management. They summed up the implication sections by stating that comprehending boundary work approaches may take persons and organizations nearer to effective negotiation of the intangible however often required balance between home and work. The authors presented four specific suggestions for future research on the study area. First, they recommended that future research examine various group and individual differences that influence boundary work more closely. Second, that future research examines occupations that are less challenging in order to compare them with these study findings. Third, that it focuses on additional research questions on the tactics interplay and the way tactics may change over time. Fourth, they note that the researchers would obtain considerable payoffs from investigating the function of work-family improvement in the model presented in this study. They should examine the way that work-home boundary congruence may cause work-home improvement as well as facilitation. These recommendations for future research have identified other areas, which can help to understand the work-home interface further. The author presented a model, which was founded on two qualitative studies, which showed that boundary work approaches trim down the unconstructive impacts of work-home challenges. Application of Methodology The methodology used by the authors to examine the study subject was very effective and effective lessons can be derived and applied in research. The first section of the dissertation should present the problem to be investigated and the importance of the investigation. The rationale and relevance of the study to the existing conditions and possible improvements or problems should also be identified. This can be done through showing that other studies have not covered this area like in this study or showing that there is limited coverage of the topic. Different scholarly references should be used while presenting the problem. After establishing the importance of the study, a purpose statement should follows stating in some detail what one seeks to learn about in the research study. This statement should act as a guide in the study and facilitate the study to remain in focus. The other important lesson is that the research questions should relate to the statement of the problem as they address areas not covered by previous research on the research subject matter. It should also relate to the purpose statement. The questions should define the entire process and guide the research inquiry and arguments. They should thus be aligned with the objectives of the study and show the different dimensions to be covered by the research. The other important point is that the research design should be well chosen in order to give reliable and effective results. The population should allow the transferability of results in case of a qualitative study. Adequate details should be provided for the readers in order to understand the characteristics of the participants and the research context and this enables the audience to compare the research situation with their own in qualitative research. The best research method- qualitative or quantitative should be chosen to ensure that the research questions are well answered. A multi-method research design can be used to increase the reliability of responses from the research questions. When it comes to presentation of the results, the study should answer all the research questions. The implications for theory and practice should demonstrate areas where the research results can be applied and where they can bridge gaps in research. The recommendations for future research should pinpoint areas where the study can be expanded and possible methodological gaps in the study. References Kreiner, G., Hollensbem, E., & Sheep, M. (2009). 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