Keeping balance between commitment and control: the effect of a hybrid HRM system on work-family interface

Purpose How to reduce role conflicts between work and family and achieve role balance through organizational management systems holds significant theoretical and practical implications. Drawing on organizational ambidexterity perspective, this study introduces a hybrid human resource management (HRM) system (both commitment-based and control-based HRM) to examine its differential impact on employees' work-family conflict and work-family enrichment. Besides, this study introduces a specialized management practice aimed at work-life balance, i.e. work-family balance practices (WFBPs) to examine the synergistic interaction between WFBPs and the hybrid HRM system. Design/methodology/approach This study surveys 1,612 employees, along with HR and general managers from 150 companies in China. Multi-level regression analyses were employed to test the hypotheses. Findings We found that commitment-based and control-based HRM interacted significantly in predicting work-family conflict, which was lowest when both systems were high. WFBPs further moderated this interaction in predicting work-family enrichment: when both control-based HRM and WFBPs were high, commitment-based HRM had the strongest positive effect on employees' work-family enrichment. Originality/value First, this study extends the research on antecedents of work-family relationships from the perspective of HRM systems instead of focusing on individual factors. Second, unlike past research that focused on horizontal alignment between different HRM practices within a system, or vertical alignment between HRM systems and organizational characteristics, this study delves deeper into the organizational HRM system by exploring the differentiation and synergistic effects of different HRM systems (practices) on work-family conflict and enrichment, based on the types of resources they provide. Third, this study reveals the differentiated ways in which organizational management influences work-family conflict and work-family enrichment.