1st Edition
Work and Life Integration Organizational, Cultural, and Individual Perspectives
Work-family researchers have had much success in encouraging both organizations and individuals to recognize the importance of achieving greater balance in life. Work and Life Integration addresses the intersect between work, life, and family in new and interesting ways. It discusses current challenges in dealing with work-life integration issues and sets the stage for future research agendas. The book enlightens the research community and informs the public debates on how workplaces can be made more family sensitive by providing contributions from psychologists, sociologists, and economists who have not shied away from asserting the policy implications of their findings.
This text appeals to both practitioners and academics interested in seeking ways to create meaningful lives.
Biography
Ellen Ernst Kossek, Susan J. Lambert
"In sum, this book meets many of its ambitious goals It focuses on the work-side of work life issues, and emphasizes, balance, coping and enrichment in addition to work family conflict.. The volume offers a strong collection of studies that will help scholars stay current in a rapidly growing field."
—Administrative Science Quarterly, December, 2005"Lambert hopes that Work and Life Integration will add to the debate on balancing the two, and perhaps inform government decisions. 'It highlights a need for social policy'...arguing that too much responsibility is left to the employers."
—CHICAGO Magazine"There is much more in the book that is new, important, and deserving of attention....Great work...congrats to editors for an outstanding job!"
—Work and Family Connection"...this volume immediately serves two useful purposes for academic researchers. First, the editors' introductory and final chapters provide a critical review of a large portion of the work-life area. Second, the individual contributions function as an encyclopedia of primarily U.S.-based research. This volume offers a strong collection of studies that will help scholars stay current in a rapidly growing field."
—Administration Science Quarterly"...editors Ellen Kossek and Susan Lambert bring together individual, cultural, and organizational perspectives, crafting a framework to anchor a rich and varied range of interpretations of the work-family nexus. Indeed, 'Work and Life Integration: Organizational, Cultural and Individual Perspectives' offers academicians and practitioners an array of ideas, theories, and strategies more diverse and extensive than those typically found in books of this genre. Thus, the collection should advance scholarship and practice in work-family field."
—Social Science"The past, present, and future are brilliantly captured in Kossek and Lambert's far-reaching volume on work-life integration. A remarkable array of chapters by outstanding scholars examines the impact of technological, global and organizational changes on work-life issues. The editors have provided readers with an unprecedented opportunity to understand how the intersection of work and personal life is affected by a rich assortment of individual, organizational, and societal factors. Researchers and practitioners alike should emerge from this timely and significant book energized and inspired to face the challenges that lie ahead."
—Jeffery H. Greenhaus
Drexel University"Focusing on the 'work-side of work-life,' Kossek and Lambert's volume brings fresh perspectives to the work-life arena. Crafted to inspire researchers, practitioners and policy makers, this work advances the work-life agenda by advocating a new business case steeped in social responsibility. Sure to be a catalyst for major advancements in the work-life field, this book is a must read for work-life scholars of every discipline."
—Debra A. Major
Old Dominion University"The volume makes a substantial contribution to work and family research by moving away from outdated theories and by tackling the field's toughest issues. The authors bring much needed clarity by defining this sphere of study as an examination of relationships across both work and personal life, and, at the same time, expanding the context of this research to include missing areas, such as the labor market on one end of the spectrum and personality on the other."
—Ellen Galinsky
President, Families and Work Institute"Work and Life Integration makes a significant contribution to the work-life literature by addressing the intersections among organizational structure, job design, organizational culture, and individual differences. The authors reveal the complexities involved in understanding the conditions under which employer policies and practices enhance the ability of individuals to coordinate their work and personal lives effectively. The insights provided by the book will enrich the efforts of scholars, work-life professionals, and organizational leaders and members as they address work-life issues from their multiple perspectives."
—Patricia Voydanoff
University of Dayton
