“A social implication of our research is that individuals should appreciate the positive connections between their work and family pursuits and learn how to leverage their participation in each role for the betterment of the other role.”

After many years of domination by a conflict or interference perspective, work-family researchers had begun to recognize the positive effects that work and family roles can have on one another. However, there was no broad theoretical framework to explain these positive interdependencies. Our article filled this gap by providing a theoretical model that integrated the emerging findings and suggested areas for future research.

Our article’s primary contribution is synthesizing and integrating existing findings within a theoretical framework. We did not discover the positive interdependencies between work and family roles but rather provided a conceptual model of these interdependencies to guide future research.

The theoretical model presented in our article explained how an individual’s experiences in one role (work or family) enhance performance and positive emotions in the other role (family or work).

We proposed that resources (e.g., skills, self-confidence) acquired in a role can be applied directly to the other role to promote high performance and positive emotions in the latter role (instrumental path).

In addition, resources can produce positive emotions in the same role, which can subsequently be transferred to the other role to enhance performance and positive emotions in the latter role (affective path).

We had conducted research on the negative side of the work-family interface (i.e., work-family conflict) for many years. Many scholars had begun to call for research on the positive side of the work-family interface and we saw an opportunity to help stimulate and guide this research by proposing a theory of work-family enrichment. Because the field was ready to consider these positive effects, we did not experience obstacles to presenting our views.

We have collected data on work-family enrichment and are currently examining the factors that promote high levels of enrichment. We are also trying to understand how individuals’ decisions in everyday life affect the relationship between their work and family roles.

Our theory indicates that employees’ work experiences have the capacity to strengthen their family lives just as their experiences in the family domain have the potential to strengthen their work lives.

A social implication of our research is that individuals should appreciate the positive connections between their work and family pursuits and learn how to leverage their participation in each role for the betterment of the other role.