European top managers' support for work-life arrangements

191 Pages·2015·0.92 MB·English

European top managers’ support for work-life arrangements
Wike Been
Manuscript committee:
Prof. dr. B. Derks
Prof. dr. J. Schippers
Prof dr. A.J. Steijn
Prof. dr. J. Treas
Dr. R. Batenburg
The research presented in this book has been funded by The Netherlands Organisation for
Scientific Research (grant number 461-04-780).
Cover Jeroen Jager
Lay-out Nikki Vermeulen - Ridderprint BV
Printing Ridderprint BV - www.ridderprint.nl
ISBN 978-90-393-6451-2
© 2015 Wike Been
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or
any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission from
the author. The copyright of the articles that have already been published, has been
transferred to the respective journals.
European top managers’ support for work-life arrangements
Steun van Europese topmanagers voor werk-privébeleid
(met een samenvatting in het Nederlands)

PROEFSCHRIFT
ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor
aan de Universiteit Utrecht
op gezag van de rector magnificus,
prof. dr. G.J. van der Zwaan,
ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties
in het openbaar te verdedigen op
vrijdag 18 december 2015 des middags te 12.45 uur
door
Wike Myriam Been
geboren op 13 oktober 1983
te Groningen
Promotor: Prof.dr.ir. A.G. van der Lippe
Copromotor: Dr. L. den Dulk
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 9
1.1 Research problem 11
1.1.1 Managers’ support for work-life arrangements 12
1.1.2 Work-life arrangements 13
1.1.3 The national context 14
1.2 Theoretical background 16
1.2.1 Institutional/neo-institutional theory 16
1.2.2 Business case argumentation and neo-institutional theory 17
1.2.3 Managerial interpretation perspective and neo-institutional theory 18
1.3 Overarching research question and empirical approach 19
1.4 Overview of the empirical chapters 20
1.4.1 Chapter 3: When HR managers’ attitudes matter for work-life arrangements 21
1.4.2 Chapter 4: Top managers’ support for work-life arrangements in Europe 22
1.4.3 Chapter 5: Understanding national differences in top managers’ support 22
1.4.4 Chapter 6: Changes in top managers’ considerations during a time of 23
economic crisis
1.5 Contributions 23
2. DATA COLLECTION 25
2.1 Design of the data collection 27
2.2 Getting respondents 28
2.2.1 Selection of countries 28
2.2.2 Selection of top managers 28
2.3 Designing the instruments 30
2.3.1 Development of the questionnaire with vignette experiment 30
2.3.2 Development of the semi-structured interviews 31
2.4 The data collection 32
3. WHEN HR MANAGERS’ ATTITUDES MATTER FOR 35
WORK-LIFE ARRANGEMENTS
3.1 Introduction 37
3.2 Theory 38
3.2.1 The organizational context 39
3.2.2 The country context 41
3.3 Data, operationalization and methodology 42
3.3.1 Data 42
3.3.2 Operationalization 43
3.3.3 Method of analysis 47
3.4 Results 48
3.4.1 Descriptive statistics 48
3.4.2 Models 49
3.5 Conclusion and discussion 51
4. EUROPEAN TOP MANAGERS’ SUPPORT FOR WORK-LIFE ARRANGEMENTS 55
4.1 Introduction 57
4.2 Theory 59
4.2.2 Conditions decisive for top managers’ support for work-life arrangements 60
4.2.2 Organizational and national variations in conditions decisive for 63
top managers’ support
4.3 Data, operationalization and methodology 65
4.3.1 Data 65
4.3.2 The vignette study 65
4.3.3 Method of analysis 68
4.4 Results 69
4.4.1 Descriptive statistics 69
4.4.2 Models 71
4.5 Conclusion and discussion 74
5. A BUSINESS CASE OR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY? 79
HOW TOP MANAGERS’ SUPPORT FOR WORK-LIFE
ARRANGEMENTS RELATES TO THE NATIONAL CONTEXT
5.1 Introduction 81
5.2 Theoretical approach 83
5.3 Description of countries 84
5.3.1 Legislative leave and public child care 84
5.3.2 Working hours culture 85
5.3.3 Flexibility 85
5.4 Data and methodology 88
5.4.1 Data 88
5.4.2 Design of the vignette study 89
5.4.3 Design of the semi-structured interviews 90
5.4.4 Methods of analyses 90
5.5 Results 91
5.5.1 Vignette study 91
5.5.2 Semi-structured interviews 92
5.5.3 Understanding national similarities and differences 95
5.6 Conclusion and discussion 99
6. CHANGING CONSIDERATIONS OF DUTCH TOP MANAGERS IN TIMES 103
OF ECONOMIC CRISIS
6.1 Introduction 105
6.2 Theoretical approach 107
6.3 Data and methodology 110
6.3.1 Data 110
6.3.2 Method of analysis 112
6.4 Results 113
6.4.1 Considerations of top managers 113
6.4.2 Shifting considerations of top managers 2008-2011 119
6.5 Conclusion 122
7. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION 127
7.1 Summary of the research findings 129
7.1.1 HR managers’ attitudes 129
7.1.2 Conditions under which top managers support work-life arrangements 130
7.1.3 Understanding national differences in top managers’ considerations 131
7.1.4 Changing considerations over time 132
7.2 General conclusions 133
7.3 Theoretical and methodological implications 135
7.5 Unanswered questions and suggestions for further research 137
7.4 Practical implications 138
NEDERLANDSE SAMENVATTING 141
REFERENCES 155
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 165
CURRICULUM VITAE 171
ICS DISSERTATION SERIES 175
TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 1.1: Overview of the empirical chapters
Table 2.1: Characteristics of the top managers included in this study
Table 3.1: Work-life arrangements of organizations in Europe
Table 3.2: Characteristics of the countries included in this chapter
Table 3.3: Descriptive statistics of dependent, independent and control variables
Table 3.4: Hierarchical models for the provision of work-life arrangements
Table 4.1: Vignette factors and factor levels
Table 4.2: Number of vignettes and top managers per country
Table 4.3: Descriptive statistics of dependent, independent and control variables
Table 4.4: Hierarchical models for top managers’ support for work-life arrangement
Table 5.1: Overview of statutory policies around leave for young parents,
part-time work and public child care as in place during
the time of data collection (2011-2013)
Table 5.2: Number of participants
Table 5.3: Separate hierarchical logistic models by country for top managers’
support for work-life arrangements log odds (S.E.)
Table 5.4: National differences and similarities in top managers’ considerations
regarding their support for work-life arrangements
Table 6.1: Governmental regulations concerning work-life arrangements
in the Netherlands
Table 6.2: Characteristics of the participants and their organizations
C
Introduction
h
a
p
t
e
r
1