Examining the mediating role of work-family balance in the core self-evaluations – organizational performance relationship: a multilevel study

Abstract

Purpose

The relationship between core self-evaluations (CSEs) and organizational performance is yet to be explained. The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of work-family enrichment (WFE), family-work enrichment (FWE) and work-family balance (WFB) in the relationship between CSE and organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from a sample of 2,312 employees working within 188 public and private organizations operating in the current context of the post-2008 economic and financial crises that lasted until up to 2019 in Greece. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) analyses were used due to the nested nature of data.

Findings

The results showed that (1) WFE and WFB serially and positively mediate the relationship between CSE and organizational performance; (2) FWE and WFB serially and positively mediate the relationship between CSE and organizational performance; (3) the constructs of the operating framework depend on factors such as gender, working hours, level of education and position of employees in the organizational hierarchy.

Research limitations/implications

Data were collected at a short period in 2019, thus, restricting dynamic causal inferences into instant changes. The findings suggest that organizations will benefit from developing WFB policies and practices that can improve organizational performance.

Originality/value

Only a handful of studies have previously examined the relations between CSEs, WFE, WFB and organizational performance in an economic and financial crises environment.

Citation

Katou, A. (2022), "Examining the mediating role of work-family balance in the core self-evaluations – organizational performance relationship: a multilevel study", Employee Relations, Vol. 44 No. 1, pp. 136-155. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2020-0265