Family Demands Diversity, Team Work–Family Conflict, and Team Effort: A Moderated Mediation Model

ABSTRACT Most research on family demands has been conducted at the individual level, showing that they can negatively influence employees' abilities to manage the work‐family interface. We challenge this existing paradigm by arguing that at the team level, family demands diversity (i.e., differences among members of the same team with respect to their family demands) can enable the entire team to better manage the work‐family interface. Drawing on the categorization‐elaboration model and social exchange theory, we found that family demands diversity was indirectly and positively related to team effort through team backup behavior and team work‐to‐family conflict, and these effects were stronger when team family identity was low and supervisor family support was high. We discuss the theoretical implications of our findings and the practical implications for HR policies and practices.