The ‘ripple effect’ of schedule control: a social network approach

Abstract

This study extends research on workplace flexibility by integrating insights from literature on social networks. This approach adds to our understanding of the meso-level social context in which workplace flexibility is enacted and highlights the importance of coworkers. Drawing on social information processing theory and literature on flexibility inequity and inducement effects, I investigate whether an individual's schedule control is associated not only with his or her own job attitudes, as has been established in past literature, but also with the job attitudes of his or her coworkers. Using a network data set comprised of 337 individuals from one firm and employing a network effects model, I examine four types of possible coworker effects and ultimately find evidence of an effect among job network peers, such that individuals whose job network peers have greater schedule control report lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment. I conclude with implications for research and practice that deepen our understanding of the social context of flexibility.

Este estudio contribuye a la investigación sobre la flexibilidad laboral al integrar ideas de las redes sociales. Este enfoque contribuye a entender el contexto social a nivel meso (intermedio), nivel en el cual ocurre la flexibilidad laboral y resalta la importancia de los compañeros de trabajo. Aplicando teoría sobre el procesamiento de información social y de la literatura sobre la flexibilidad como incentivo, investigo si el control del horario de un individuo está asociado no sólo con sus propias actitudes laborales, a como se ha demostrado en literatura anterior, sino también con las actitudes de sus compañeros de trabajo. Utilizando un red social que incluye a 337 individuos de una empresa y utilizando un modelo de red, examino cuatro posibles tipos de efectos sobre los compañeros de trabajo y encuentro evidencia de un efecto entre los compañeros de red social laboral, de tal forma que los individuos que tienen compañeros de trabajo con mayor control del horario reportan menor satisfacción laboral y compromiso organizacional. Concluyo con implicaciones del estudio para la investigación y la práctica, implicaciones que avanzan el conocimiento actual sobre contexto social de la flexibilidad.

Keywords:

• workplace flexibility
• schedule control
• social network analysis

Palabras claves:

• flexibilidad laboral
• control del horario
• análisis de redes sociales

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Brian Rubineau for his valuable feedback and mentorship throughout the process of completing the Master's thesis from which this work is drawn. I would also like to thank David Dwertmann for his engaged discussion and helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the constructive guidance provided by Ellen Kossek and two anonymous reviewers.

Notes on contributors

Kristie L. McAlpine is a Ph.D. student at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Her research focuses on flexible work policies and practices, decision-making among dual career couples, and the experiences of employees with disabilities.

Notes

1. Although this larger data collection project yielded several publications (Fernandez, 1994, 2001, 2008), none of the publications includes an overlap with the focal variables used in this study.

2. The term full network does not refer to responses rates, but rather the fact that every worker in the facility (n = 337 workers) was included in the study. In cases in which a worker did not complete the survey, he or she would still be represented in the network as a result of other workers naming him or her as a network connection.

3. In addition to testing the hypothesized main effects of the four network variables, I also conducted post-hoc analyses that investigated the interaction of schedule control with each of the network variables, but found no evidence that the network effects were contingent on an individual's schedule control for any of the four variables. Moreover, I conducted a supplemental test of the effects of job position by splitting the sample into salaried and hourly workers and testing the models within each. Results indicated stronger relationships for salaried workers, but in the same pattern and direction as the full sample.