Learning goals literature
How have mobile communication technology changed the way we experience the
boundaries between our work and nonwork (i.e., family, private, home) domain?
o What is boundary theory?
o What are individual differences in managing the boundaries between work and
nonwork domains?
o What are potential consequences of work (facilitated by the use of mobile
devices) spilling over to the nonwork domain?
Artikel 1:
ALL IN A DAY'S WORK: BOUNDARIES AND MICRO ROLE TRANSITIONS
BLAKE E. ASHFORTH GLEN E. KREINER MEL FUGATE
The authors are talking about the everyday changes we make when we switch between
different parts of our lives, like moving from being at home to being at work, or to other
places. These changes are like crossing invisible lines, where we stop doing one thing and
start doing another.
Imagine a line that shows how separate or mixed together these different parts of your life
are:
On one end of the line, everything is kept very separate (like home and work are
completely different and don't mix). This makes it easier to keep things clear, but
when you switch from one role to another, it feels like a big change, which can make
it harder to switch.
On the other end, everything is more blended together (like work and home life are
mixed up). This makes it easier to switch between roles because the change isn’t as
big, but it can be hard to keep clear boundaries, so you have to work harder to keep
them separate.
When roles are very separate, it might feel like crossing a big gap when you move from one
role to another, and you might use special routines or rituals (like changing clothes after
work) to help with that. When roles are more blended, the change isn't as big, but you might
struggle more to keep things from getting mixed up, so you have to do extra work to maintain
those boundaries.
Thus, our central question is how do individuals engage in daily role transitions as part of
their organizational life?
To make this clearer, we separate this into the position someone holds ("role") and the
expectations tied to that position ("role identity"). Since these expectations often depend
on who is giving them (the "role sender"), changing the role sender can lead to a change
in role identity. For example, a manager might take on the role of boss with her team, the
role of subordinate with her own boss, and the role of coworker with her peers. Our model of
role transitions includes changes in both roles and subroles.
Four assumptions:
1. First, we assume that roles are mostly stable, meaning their boundaries and what they
involve don’t change much.
, 2. Second, we believe that people differ in how many roles they like to take on and that
they have some control over which roles they choose.
3. Third, since there are pros and cons to keeping roles separate (segmentation) or
blending them together (integration), we assume that people have different
preferences for separating or combining their roles, though few people want complete
separation or complete blending. They also have some control over how much they
separate or combine their roles.
4. Fourth, we assume that, no matter their preference, people generally try to (1) make
role transitions easier, where "easier" means less effort is needed to switch mentally
and physically between roles, and (2) minimize the number of unwanted interruptions
between roles.
Our focus is on how people make these transitions easier and limit unwanted
interruptions.
"Boundary theory" suggests that people create and maintain boundaries to make their
environment easier to understand and manage. These boundaries act like "mental fences"
around different parts of life, such as areas, events, people, and ideas, that seem related or
connected in some way. For instance, the boundaries between "home," "work," and "church"
help people organize their lives into meaningful areas.
Although these boundaries are real to the people who create them, they can vary from person
to person. For example, one person might blend their home and work life, while another
keeps them strictly separate.
The act of creating and maintaining bound- aries, however, complicates the act of crossing
from one domain into another. When reality is partitioned into discrete domains, differences
between the domains tend to emerge or become exaggerated (Ashforth & Humphrey, 1995).
For example, a geographical region may be subdi- vided by a border such that people north of
the border are labeled as one group (e.g., nation, county) and people south of the border are
labeled as another.
Role boundaries
A role boundary is what defines the limits and scope of a role. For roles related to work,
home, and other places, these boundaries are usually set by both space and time. This means
that roles are often specific to certain locations and times of day or week.
Two important ideas that affect how people switch between roles
are flexibility and permeability of role boundaries.
Flexibility refers to how easily the limits of a role can change. A role with flexible
boundaries can be performed in different places and at various times. For example,
someone working in the family business might switch between being a worker and a
family member at any time or place during the day. On the other hand, a role with
rigid boundaries, like a security guard, has strict limits on when and where it can be
performed.
Permeability describes how much a role allows you to be involved in another role
while you are physically present in the first role. For instance, if an employee can
regularly take personal calls and visitors at work, their work role has high
, permeability. In contrast, if an employee has no chance to focus on other roles due to
their job's demands, their work role has low permeability.
Flexible and permeable role boundaries can help reduce role conflict by making it easier to
switch roles when needed. For example, an employee might leave work early to handle a
problem at their church.
However, if the boundaries are too loose, it can create confusion about which role is most
important. For instance, a man working in the family business might struggle with whether to
act as a supportive son or a critical colleague when discussing his parents' decisions.
Role identities
When a role comes with specific expectations about goals, values, and behavior, it forms
a role-based identity or role identity. This is how someone defines themselves within that
role.
Role identities are made up of:
Core Features: These are the key characteristics that are crucial for the role and
define it the most. For example, a typical manager might be expected to be self-
reliant, emotionally stable, aggressive, and objective.
Peripheral Features: These are less central traits that are also part of the role but are
not as defining. For example, intelligence and charisma might be seen as additional
traits for a manager.
Role identities also involve the context, such as where the role takes place, who else is
involved, and the status of the role.
Role identities become important during role transitions because of the concept of "contrast."
This means the difference in core and peripheral features between two roles, with core
features being more important.
For example, a manager might have core traits like self-reliance and emotional stability,
while at home, their family might expect them to be warm and emotional. The bigger the
difference between these roles, the harder it is to switch from one to the other.
The challenge is "switching cognitive gears," which means mentally shifting from the
identity required by one role to the different identity needed for another role. For instance, a
manager might find it difficult to shift from being authoritative at work to being nurturing at
home.
Imagine you're switching from one role to another, like from being a manager at work to
spending time with family.
High-magnitude transition: This means a big shift where many things change. For
example, you might have to change how you act, communicate, and handle
responsibilities, which can be a lot to adjust to.
Low-magnitude transition: This is a smaller shift where only a few things change.
For instance, moving from one project to another at work might only require minor
adjustments.
Sometimes, the transition might be somewhere in the middle. For example, if you switch
from being a team leader to a team member, you might face a few big changes or many small
ones.
THE ROLE SEGMENTATION-ROLE INTEGRATION CONTINUUM
how role boundaries (flexibility and permeability) and role identity (contrast) can be used
to understand how different roles relate to each other. We can place roles on
, a continuum from high segmentation (very separate roles) to high integration (very blended
roles).
High segmentation means
roles are very separate. For
example, keeping work and
home life completely separate.
High integration means roles
are mixed together. For
example, blending work and
home life more.
Research by Nippert-Eng and
Hartmann shows that people differ in
how they separate or blend their roles.
Some have "thick" boundaries (more
separation), while others have "thin"
boundaries (more blending).
The figure in the text shows how
flexibility, permeability, and contrast
define whether roles are segmented or
integrated. We will discuss the pros
and cons of having either high
segmentation or high integration in
terms of managing role boundaries.
In summary, Figure 1 shows that
when different roles in a person's life are kept very separate, they have clear boundaries. This
means each role—like work and home life—feels completely different, and there’s little
mixing between them. People switch between these roles only at specific times or places, and
sometimes they keep these roles so separate that they don’t let them overlap at all.
Role Segmentation
Role Boundaries and Identity Separation: When you have strict rules that keep different
parts of your life (like school and home) separate, the way you act and think in one part won’t
mix with the other. For example, if you have clear rules not to talk about school while
hanging out with friends, your school life and social life stay distinct.
Lack of Interaction: if your work and home roles are kept apart, the way you think and
behave in one setting won’t easily affect the other.
Divergence Over Time: Over time, these separate roles might start to develop differently
because they don’t influence each other. For example, you might become more focused on
school while your social life evolves in its own way.
Institutionalization of Boundaries: As these roles become more different, people might
start to follow stricter rules to keep them apart. For instance, a group of friends might make a
rule not to discuss school while hanging out to make sure their time together stays fun and
focused on their friendship.This is like setting up a "mental fence" around each role’s identity
so that each remains strong and clearly defined.
Proposition 1: Role contrast tends to be negatively associated with role flexi- bility and role
permeability.
How have mobile communication technology changed the way we experience the
boundaries between our work and nonwork (i.e., family, private, home) domain?
o What is boundary theory?
o What are individual differences in managing the boundaries between work and
nonwork domains?
o What are potential consequences of work (facilitated by the use of mobile
devices) spilling over to the nonwork domain?
Artikel 1:
ALL IN A DAY'S WORK: BOUNDARIES AND MICRO ROLE TRANSITIONS
BLAKE E. ASHFORTH GLEN E. KREINER MEL FUGATE
The authors are talking about the everyday changes we make when we switch between
different parts of our lives, like moving from being at home to being at work, or to other
places. These changes are like crossing invisible lines, where we stop doing one thing and
start doing another.
Imagine a line that shows how separate or mixed together these different parts of your life
are:
On one end of the line, everything is kept very separate (like home and work are
completely different and don't mix). This makes it easier to keep things clear, but
when you switch from one role to another, it feels like a big change, which can make
it harder to switch.
On the other end, everything is more blended together (like work and home life are
mixed up). This makes it easier to switch between roles because the change isn’t as
big, but it can be hard to keep clear boundaries, so you have to work harder to keep
them separate.
When roles are very separate, it might feel like crossing a big gap when you move from one
role to another, and you might use special routines or rituals (like changing clothes after
work) to help with that. When roles are more blended, the change isn't as big, but you might
struggle more to keep things from getting mixed up, so you have to do extra work to maintain
those boundaries.
Thus, our central question is how do individuals engage in daily role transitions as part of
their organizational life?
To make this clearer, we separate this into the position someone holds ("role") and the
expectations tied to that position ("role identity"). Since these expectations often depend
on who is giving them (the "role sender"), changing the role sender can lead to a change
in role identity. For example, a manager might take on the role of boss with her team, the
role of subordinate with her own boss, and the role of coworker with her peers. Our model of
role transitions includes changes in both roles and subroles.
Four assumptions:
1. First, we assume that roles are mostly stable, meaning their boundaries and what they
involve don’t change much.
, 2. Second, we believe that people differ in how many roles they like to take on and that
they have some control over which roles they choose.
3. Third, since there are pros and cons to keeping roles separate (segmentation) or
blending them together (integration), we assume that people have different
preferences for separating or combining their roles, though few people want complete
separation or complete blending. They also have some control over how much they
separate or combine their roles.
4. Fourth, we assume that, no matter their preference, people generally try to (1) make
role transitions easier, where "easier" means less effort is needed to switch mentally
and physically between roles, and (2) minimize the number of unwanted interruptions
between roles.
Our focus is on how people make these transitions easier and limit unwanted
interruptions.
"Boundary theory" suggests that people create and maintain boundaries to make their
environment easier to understand and manage. These boundaries act like "mental fences"
around different parts of life, such as areas, events, people, and ideas, that seem related or
connected in some way. For instance, the boundaries between "home," "work," and "church"
help people organize their lives into meaningful areas.
Although these boundaries are real to the people who create them, they can vary from person
to person. For example, one person might blend their home and work life, while another
keeps them strictly separate.
The act of creating and maintaining bound- aries, however, complicates the act of crossing
from one domain into another. When reality is partitioned into discrete domains, differences
between the domains tend to emerge or become exaggerated (Ashforth & Humphrey, 1995).
For example, a geographical region may be subdi- vided by a border such that people north of
the border are labeled as one group (e.g., nation, county) and people south of the border are
labeled as another.
Role boundaries
A role boundary is what defines the limits and scope of a role. For roles related to work,
home, and other places, these boundaries are usually set by both space and time. This means
that roles are often specific to certain locations and times of day or week.
Two important ideas that affect how people switch between roles
are flexibility and permeability of role boundaries.
Flexibility refers to how easily the limits of a role can change. A role with flexible
boundaries can be performed in different places and at various times. For example,
someone working in the family business might switch between being a worker and a
family member at any time or place during the day. On the other hand, a role with
rigid boundaries, like a security guard, has strict limits on when and where it can be
performed.
Permeability describes how much a role allows you to be involved in another role
while you are physically present in the first role. For instance, if an employee can
regularly take personal calls and visitors at work, their work role has high
, permeability. In contrast, if an employee has no chance to focus on other roles due to
their job's demands, their work role has low permeability.
Flexible and permeable role boundaries can help reduce role conflict by making it easier to
switch roles when needed. For example, an employee might leave work early to handle a
problem at their church.
However, if the boundaries are too loose, it can create confusion about which role is most
important. For instance, a man working in the family business might struggle with whether to
act as a supportive son or a critical colleague when discussing his parents' decisions.
Role identities
When a role comes with specific expectations about goals, values, and behavior, it forms
a role-based identity or role identity. This is how someone defines themselves within that
role.
Role identities are made up of:
Core Features: These are the key characteristics that are crucial for the role and
define it the most. For example, a typical manager might be expected to be self-
reliant, emotionally stable, aggressive, and objective.
Peripheral Features: These are less central traits that are also part of the role but are
not as defining. For example, intelligence and charisma might be seen as additional
traits for a manager.
Role identities also involve the context, such as where the role takes place, who else is
involved, and the status of the role.
Role identities become important during role transitions because of the concept of "contrast."
This means the difference in core and peripheral features between two roles, with core
features being more important.
For example, a manager might have core traits like self-reliance and emotional stability,
while at home, their family might expect them to be warm and emotional. The bigger the
difference between these roles, the harder it is to switch from one to the other.
The challenge is "switching cognitive gears," which means mentally shifting from the
identity required by one role to the different identity needed for another role. For instance, a
manager might find it difficult to shift from being authoritative at work to being nurturing at
home.
Imagine you're switching from one role to another, like from being a manager at work to
spending time with family.
High-magnitude transition: This means a big shift where many things change. For
example, you might have to change how you act, communicate, and handle
responsibilities, which can be a lot to adjust to.
Low-magnitude transition: This is a smaller shift where only a few things change.
For instance, moving from one project to another at work might only require minor
adjustments.
Sometimes, the transition might be somewhere in the middle. For example, if you switch
from being a team leader to a team member, you might face a few big changes or many small
ones.
THE ROLE SEGMENTATION-ROLE INTEGRATION CONTINUUM
how role boundaries (flexibility and permeability) and role identity (contrast) can be used
to understand how different roles relate to each other. We can place roles on
, a continuum from high segmentation (very separate roles) to high integration (very blended
roles).
High segmentation means
roles are very separate. For
example, keeping work and
home life completely separate.
High integration means roles
are mixed together. For
example, blending work and
home life more.
Research by Nippert-Eng and
Hartmann shows that people differ in
how they separate or blend their roles.
Some have "thick" boundaries (more
separation), while others have "thin"
boundaries (more blending).
The figure in the text shows how
flexibility, permeability, and contrast
define whether roles are segmented or
integrated. We will discuss the pros
and cons of having either high
segmentation or high integration in
terms of managing role boundaries.
In summary, Figure 1 shows that
when different roles in a person's life are kept very separate, they have clear boundaries. This
means each role—like work and home life—feels completely different, and there’s little
mixing between them. People switch between these roles only at specific times or places, and
sometimes they keep these roles so separate that they don’t let them overlap at all.
Role Segmentation
Role Boundaries and Identity Separation: When you have strict rules that keep different
parts of your life (like school and home) separate, the way you act and think in one part won’t
mix with the other. For example, if you have clear rules not to talk about school while
hanging out with friends, your school life and social life stay distinct.
Lack of Interaction: if your work and home roles are kept apart, the way you think and
behave in one setting won’t easily affect the other.
Divergence Over Time: Over time, these separate roles might start to develop differently
because they don’t influence each other. For example, you might become more focused on
school while your social life evolves in its own way.
Institutionalization of Boundaries: As these roles become more different, people might
start to follow stricter rules to keep them apart. For instance, a group of friends might make a
rule not to discuss school while hanging out to make sure their time together stays fun and
focused on their friendship.This is like setting up a "mental fence" around each role’s identity
so that each remains strong and clearly defined.
Proposition 1: Role contrast tends to be negatively associated with role flexi- bility and role
permeability.
