Work–family facilitation: A theoretical explanation and model of primary antecedents and consequences

Researchers have begun to test the idea that work and family can benefit, rather than just conflict with one another; yet, theoretical development is lacking. In this paper, we define work–family facilitation — or the positive influence of an individual's engagement in a domain on functioning of another life system. We merge and extend ideas from Positive Organizational Scholarship [Cameron, K. S., Dutton, J. E., & Quinn, R. E. (2003). Foundations of Positive Organizational Scholarship. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn, (Eds.), Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a new discipline. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler], Ecological Systems Theory [Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press] and Conservation of Resources Theory [Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. The American Psychologist, 44, 513–524] to develop the Resource–Gain–Development perspective. Using this perspective, we explain why and how facilitation occurs, what contributes to it, and why it relates to domain outcomes. We use this perspective to draw broad constructs representing predictors, moderators, and consequences of facilitation. To illustrate how one might test these theoretical propositions and to provide an agenda for research, we provide specific exemplars of the work-to-family direction. Implications for human resource research and practice are discussed.