4 An exploration of managers' flexible working arrangements

279 Pages·2009·0.82 MB·English

Cranfield University
Deirdre Anderson
An investigation into the experiences of managers who work
flexibly
School of Management
PhD

Cranfield University
School of Management
PhD Thesis
2007-2008
Deirdre Anderson
An investigation into the experiences of managers who work flexibly
Supervisor: DrVal Singh
September2008
©CranfieldUniversity, 2008.All rights reserved. Nopart ofthis publicationmaybe
reproducedwithout the writtenpermissionofthe copyright holder.

ABSTRACT
This thesis explores the experiences of managers who work flexibly. Flexible working
policies are prevalent in all organizations in the UK because of the legislation giving
specific groups of parents and carers the right to request flexible working. Many
organizations extend the policies to all employees, yet the take-up is not as high as
expected, particularly among staff at managerial levels. This thesis explores how
managers construe and experience flexible working arrangements while successfully
fulfillingtheirroles as managers ofpeople.
The exploratory study consisted of interviews with eight managers with unique flexible
working patterns. Analysis of the interview transcripts identified concepts of
consistency and adaptability. Consistency refers to meeting fixed needs from the work
and non-work domains, and adaptability refers to the adjustment of schedules to meet
the changing demands from those domains. The concepts of consistency and
adaptability were further explored in the main study which is based on interviews with
24 women and 10 men who held managerial positions and had a flexible working
arrangement whichreducedtheirfacetimeinthe workplace.
The research offers three main contributions to the literature. At a theoretical level, I
propose a model which demonstrates how individuals use consistency and adaptability
to meet the fixed and changing demands from the work and non-work domains. This
model extends understanding of the complexity of the segmentation/integration
continuum of boundary theory, explaining how and why managers use flexible working
arrangements as a means of managing boundaries and achieving desired goals in both
domains. Four distinct clusters emerged among the managerial participants in terms of
the type and direction of adaptability, indicating the range of strategies used by
managers to ensure the success of their flexible working arrangements. A detailed
description of managers’ flexible working experiences is provided, adding to what is
known about the role of manager through the exploration of the enactment of that role
whenworkingflexibly.
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Keywords: Consistency and adaptability; segmentation; integration; boundary
management; promotion; worklifebalance
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My doctoral journey has been a “long and winding road” and the completion of this
thesis has only been possible with the help and support of the many colleagues, friends
andfamilymembers who haveoffered encouragement andpatience overthe years.
Iwouldliketogivespecial thanks to:
Val Singh, my supervisor, and Sue Vinnicombe for giving me this opportunity and
encouragingme everystepoftheway, especiallywhen Idoubtedmyself.
The members of my review panel, Clare Kelliher and David Partington, for ideas and
challenges andsteeringmeintheright direction.
Judy Greevy and Claire Green who helped to arrange the data gathering phases of the
study, the participants who gave up their time in their flexible but busy schedules, and
theHR staffinthevarious organizations whohelpedcoordinatetheinterviews.
Mycolleagues andfriends, bothpast andpresent,inthe International CentreforWomen
Leaders, especially Ruth Sealy, Elena Doldor and James Collins, for the many
conversations, questions andideas, as well as sharedlaughter,and atouch ofinsanity!
My friends, Peter Craig and Judith Meighan, whose quiet comments gave me the push I
needed, and colleagues Clare Bradshaw, Mary Cover and Sheila McAlpine for their
support andcontinuedfriendship.
Andmost ofall Iwouldliketothankmyfamily.
My mother and my late father (Pat and Kevin Fitzgerald) both left school as young
teenagers without any formal qualifications, but with a love of learning and a belief in
the value of education. They worked hard to ensure that my siblings and I had the
opportunities theywould have loved, and have always been so proud of our educational
(andother) achievements. Ithinkthis onesurpasses theirdreams.
My sister Eithne Fitzgerald began her MA as I began my PhD and we have had many
long phone conversations about the intricacies of grounded theory, literature reviews
and coding structures, when nobody else would have been interested. She has also
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helped with proof reading and still remained interested (and successfully completed her
MAlongago!).
My three children were 14, 12 and 10 when I began this undertaking, and have grown
into wonderful young adults. Clare, Declan and Paul have had their own learning while
I have been busy pursuing my doctoral studies. Aside from school and the assortment
of A levels, AS levels and GCSEs they have passed between them in recent years, they
have also had some “life lessons” in cooking their own tea, becoming adept with the
washing machine and the iron, and generally becoming more self-sufficient as I spent
more time on my PhD and less with them. They all have demanding academic
challenges in the immediate future and I hope to give them the love, patience and
support theyhave given me.
My husband Rob has been my greatest supporter throughout my studies and I simply
couldn’t havedoneit without his loveandenduringencouragement.
This thesis is dedicatedtomyfamily,withloveandthanks.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT......................................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................iii
TABLEOF FIGURES ....................................................................................................ix
TABLEOFTABLES.......................................................................................................x
1 Introduction..............................................................................................................1
1.1 Aim oftheresearch...........................................................................................1
1.1.1 Personal interest........................................................................................1
1.1.2 Backgroundtotheresearch......................................................................2
1.1.3 Research gap.............................................................................................3
1.1.4 Theresearchquestions..............................................................................5
1.2 Outlineofthesis................................................................................................5
1.3 Conclusion........................................................................................................7
2 LiteratureReview...................................................................................................11
2.1 Flexibleworking.............................................................................................11
2.1.1 Formal andinformal flexibleworking....................................................14
2.1.2 Caserelevant definition..........................................................................15
2.2 Organizational reasons fortheintroductionofflexibleworking...................16
2.2.1 Abusiness case forflexibleworking......................................................17
2.2.2 ImplementationofFlexibleWorkingPolicies........................................18
2.3 Theroleofmanager........................................................................................21
2.4 Managers whoworkflexibly..........................................................................26
2.4.1 Reducedloador reduced hours..............................................................28
2.4.2 Genderdifferences inmanagers workingflexibly.................................32
2.4.3 Summaryofknowledge ofmanagers workingflexibly.........................34
2.5 Flexibleworkingand worklifeintegration....................................................34
2.6 Management oftheboundarybetweenhomeand work.................................37
2.6.1Boundarytheory............................................................................................39
2.7 Conclusion......................................................................................................41
3 Methodology...........................................................................................................47
3.1 Introduction....................................................................................................47
3.2 Theoryandresearch........................................................................................47
3.3 Philosophical approach...................................................................................48
3.4 Positivism versus interpretivism.....................................................................51
3.4.1 Positivism...............................................................................................51
3.4.2 Epistemological stances forqualitativeenquiry.....................................52
3.4.3 Social constructionism............................................................................54
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3.5 Researchstrategyanddesign..........................................................................56
3.5.1 Reflexivity..............................................................................................58
3.5.2 Validityandreliability............................................................................59
3.5.3 Choiceofsemi-structuredinterviews.....................................................60
3.6 Fieldwork........................................................................................................62
3.6.1 Rationaleforincludingwomenandmen................................................62
3.6.2 Phaseone–thepilot study.....................................................................63
3.6.3 Phaseone: Selectionofparticipants.......................................................64
3.6.4 Phaseone: Data collection......................................................................65
3.7 Fieldwork–phasetwo....................................................................................66
3.7.1 Phasetwo: Selectionofparticipants.......................................................66
3.7.2 Phasetwo: Datacollection.....................................................................67
3.8 Dataanalysis...................................................................................................68
3.8.1 Transcription,codingandanalysis.........................................................68
3.8.2 Templateanalysis...................................................................................68
3.8.3 UseofNVivosoftware...........................................................................71
3.8.4 Presentationofthefindings....................................................................71
4 Anexplorationofmanagers’flexibleworkingarrangements (FWAs)..................75
4.1 Demographicdetails.......................................................................................76
4.1.1 Consistencyand adaptability..................................................................78
4.2 Worklifebalance (WLB)...............................................................................82
4.2.1 Boundarymanagement...........................................................................85
4.2.2 Reciprocal exchange...............................................................................89
4.3 Career..............................................................................................................91
4.3.1 Desireforfurtherprogression................................................................92
4.3.2 Performancemeasurement.....................................................................93
4.3.3 Visibility/invisibility...............................................................................94
4.4 Supervisoryresponsibilities............................................................................96
4.5 Discussion.......................................................................................................99
4.6 Directions for researchin mainstudy...........................................................103
5 Findings (part 1)...................................................................................................107
5.1 Demographics...............................................................................................108
5.1.1 Uniqueflexibleworkingpatterns.........................................................112
5.2 Strategies formaintainingflexibleworkingarrangements...........................116
5.2.1 Consistencyand adaptabilityin FWAs................................................116
5.2.2 Coordinationandsupport.....................................................................120
5.2.3 Changes to FWAs overtime.................................................................123
5.3 Flexibleworkingandthe integrationofworkandlife.................................126
5.3.1 Timewithfamily..................................................................................127
5.3.2 Worklifebalance..................................................................................130
5.3.3 Boundarymanagement.........................................................................133
5.4 Discussion.....................................................................................................135
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