The Relation Between Family-Supportive Work Environment and Work–Family Conflict: Does Leader Support Act as a Moderator of This Relation in the Portuguese Navy?

• Author: Miguel Pereira Lopes,Sandra Veigas Campaniço Cavaleiro,Catarina Gomes
• Published date: 01 April 2019
• Date: 01 April 2019
• DOI: 10.1177/0095327X17746608
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

The Relation Between

Family-Supportive Work

Environment and

Work–Family Conflict: Does

Leader Support Act as a

Moderator of This Relation in

the Portuguese Navy?

Sandra Veigas Campanic¸o Cavaleiro

1,2

,

Catarina Gomes

2,3

and Miguel Pereira Lopes

2

Abstract

This study tested the moderation effect that leader support had on the relation

between a family-supportive work environment (FSWE) and work–family conflict

(WFC) in the Portuguese Navy. Data were collected through the application of a

questionnaire to 260 career Navy junior and senior officers. Results indicated that a

positive relation existed between the FSWE and WFC, being so that more FSWE

related to more WFC. When bringing leader’s support to the subject, the only

relation found was between leader support and WFC in which less leader support

related to more WFC. The results didn’t back up the hypothesis that leader support

had a positive moderating impact on the relationship between an FSWE and WFC.

Given this, the results are discussed considering the theory on WFC and possible

implications for future research and practice are presented for the Portuguese Navy.

1

CINAV—PO Navy Research Centre, Almada, Portugal

2

Centro de Administrac¸a

˜oePolı

´ticas Pu

´blicas, Instituto Superior de Cie

ˆncias Sociais e Polı

´ticas,

Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

3

CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, Lisboa, Portugal

Corresponding Author:

Sandra Veigas Campanic¸o Cavaleiro, Centro de Administrac¸a

˜o e Polı

´ticas Pu

´blicas, Instituto Superior de

Cie

ˆncias Sociais e Polı

´ticas, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua Almerindo Lessa, 1300-663 Lisboa, Portugal.

Email: sandra.patricia.campanico@marinha.pt

Armed Forces & Society

2019, Vol. 45(2) 291-309

ªThe Author(s) 2017

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/0095327X17746608

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Keywords

work–family conflict, family-supportive work environment, leader support, family-

supportive practices, Portuguese Navy

The work–family conflict (WFC), defined by Greenhaus and Beutell ( 1985, p.

77) as “a form of conflict between roles in which the pressures associated with

the family or work domains are mutually incompatible in some aspect,” has

been acknowledged as a critical factor that can have a negative impact on an

individual’s work and family (Rothausen, 1999), ultimately affecting his well-

being (Carvalho & Chambel, 2016). Also, since it can change employee’s atti-

tudes and career development goals as well as the relationships they build up

with their peers and leaders inside an organization, its understanding becomes

crucial (Bourg & Segal, 1999; Burrell, Adams, Durand, & Castro, 2006; Car-

valho & Chambel, 2017).

When individuals perceive that their organization has a family-supportive work

environment (FSWE) toward them, it can influence the way they feel about the WFC

(Thompson, Beauvais, & Lyness, 1999). An FSWE is defined as the global percep-

tions that employees form regarding the extent in which the organization is family

supportive (Allen, 2001). This concept is grounded on organizational policies and

managers who support their workers responsibilities toward their families (Thomas

& Ganster, 1995). Studies have shown that leaders play an important role regarding

an employee’s perception of his FSWE (Gillet, Fouquereau, Forest, Brunault, &

Colombat, 2012). This perception is influenced by the leader’s role on the worker’s

appraisal, approval, income, professional enrichment, and influence in the organiza-

tional policies (e.g., Allen, Cho, & Meier, 2014; Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutch-

ison, & Dowa, 1986; Kelly et al., 2014).

In particular, studying WFC among military pers onnel gains relevance when

considering the demands of their careers (Bourg & Segal, 1999; Burrell et al.,

2006; Carvalho & Chambel, 2017). This study intends to explore the relation

between FSWE and WFC considering the moderating role that leader support may

have on this relationship in the Portuguese Navy, which to our knowledge has not

been studied until now. The importance of understanding the relation between these

variables has been previously acknowledged (Carvalho & Chambel, 2017; Rothau-

sen, 1999; Sachau, Gertz, Matsch, Palmer, & Englert, 2012) due to its relation to the

well-being of the military and their families (Wright, Foran, & Wood, 2014) and to

the arousal of family tensions resulting from both psychologic al and behavioral

pressures from work among the military (Wadsworth & Southwell, 2011). With that

being said, this article is structured as follows.

First, we review the literature on the WFC, FSWE s, and leader support in a

critical manner. We then build a theoretical model resulting in research hypotheses

that are statistically tested. Finally, we discuss the results and describe the main

conclusions of the study and their implications for theory and practice.

292 Armed Forces & Society 45(2)