Married with children: How family role identification shapes leadership behaviors at work

In this paper we explore the question of how an employee's family role identification, as driven by family structure (marital and parental status combined), affects their leadership behaviors at work. Using survey data from working professionals and executives pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA), we found that, as expected, those respondents who were both married and had children reported higher levels of family role identification relative to other respondents. The effect of family structure on family role identification was moderated by sex such that the positive effect of being married with children was stronger for women than for men. Further, we found evidence of an indirect effect of family structure on leadership behaviors such that being married with children was indirectly associated with higher supervisor ratings of the respondents’ leadership behaviors via family role identification and the transfer of resources from the family role to the work role. Contrary to traditional expectations, and consistent with enrichment theorizing, our findings suggest that investment in the family role can enhance employees’ display of valuable leadership behaviors in the workplace. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved