Psychometric properties of an adapted work-family boundary management tactics scale

Abstract

Orientation: Current workplace trends are characterised by the continuous integration of technology and the seamless traversal between work and home domains. This has complicated the work–life interface, resulting in boundary management challenges.

Research purpose: The purpose of this article was to validate the 12-item work–family boundary management tactics scale (WFBMT) within the South African context.

Motivation for the study: Owing to the increased interest in boundary management behaviours, there is a critical need to validate measurement scales that can be used to operationalise such behaviours. Very few scales currently exist in this regard, with limited empirical evidence.

Research approach/design and method: The study used a quantitative cross-sectional research design. A non-probability sample (N = 521) was drawn from five higher education institutions representing typical knowledge workers. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the psychometric properties of the scale.

Main findings: The results demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit for the proposed factor structure. Adequate convergent and discriminant validity were achieved. A moderately dominant general factor emerged, although more than half (51.27%) of the explained common variance was attributed to the first-order factors. Scalar invariance was obtained between male and female respondents and between designated and non-designated group employees.

Practical/managerial implications: The WFBMT represents a reliable and valid measurement to operationalise boundary enactment behaviours in the South African context.

Contribution/value-add: As far as could be ascertained, the study provides the first empirical evidence of the validity and measurement invariance of the WFBMT scale on a South African sample.