RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SOCIO-CULTURAL VALUES, WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT AND WORK ATTITUDES: A STUDY OF BANK MANAGERS IN GHANA.

ABSTRACT The study investigated the relationships between socio-cultural values, work-family conflict and work attitudes among managers in the financial services sector. Although previous studies have investigated work-family conflict and other types of work attitudes, little is known regarding how an individual‟s socio-cultural values, together with their experience of work-family conflict influence their work attitude (job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job involvement). The study also examined social support and socio-cultural values as moderating variables of the relationship between work-family conflict and work attitudes. The research strategy employed was a crosssectional survey which is considered to be one of the best techniques available for the study of attitudes, values, beliefs and motives. Specifically, the explanatory sequential mixed method was used. The research involved three studies. Study one focused on development and validation of socio-cultural values at work scale. A total of 30 employees were interviewed and 608 were given questionnaires. Analysis was done using thematic content analysis and principal components analysis. Five main factors emerged: moral values, attitude toward others, family values, religious values and communalism. The scale reported a Cronbach alpha of .71 and was then used in study two. Study two investigated the relationships that exist between Work-Family Conflict, Socio-cultural Values and Work Attitudes - (job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job involvement as well as the moderating effect of Socio-cultural values and Social Support on the relationship between work-family conflict and work attitude. A total of 211 Bank Managers were purposively selected from three capital cities in Ghana, namely: Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi. Subsamples of 12 Bank Managers were further recruited for qualitative enquiry. Partial Least Squares, a version of structural equation modeling and independent sample t-test were used to analyze the study two data. The results indicate no significant negative effect of work-family conflict on job satisfaction, organization commitment and job involvement. Contrary to expectation, family interference with work had a positive effect on job satisfaction, organization commitment and job involvement; while work interference with family had no significant negative effect on job satisfaction, organization commitment except job involvement. Socio-cultural values had a significant positive effect on work-family conflict as a composite while it had a positive but weak effect on work interference with family and a negative effect on family interference with work when assessed individually. Socio-cultural values and social support did not moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and job satisfaction as well as organizational commitment; however, it moderated the relationship between work-family conflict and job involvement. The results further revealed no significant gender difference in the experience of work-family conflict among the bank managers. Study three was a qualitative study conducted to explore the coping strategies used by Bank Managers in minimizing the effect of work interfering with family conflict and family interfering with work conflict on work attitudes. Five main typologies were identified: temporal adjustment, situational urgency, utilization of technology, social support and finally, adaptation. In conclusion, Bank Managers generally experience work-family conflict; however, the experience of the conflict did not have any negative effect on their job satisfaction and organizational commitment except job involvement. Additionally, their adherence to socio-cultural values had a positive effect on their work attitude (job satisfaction, organization commitment and job involvement). Finally, their receipt of social support and adherence to socio-cultural values did not moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and (job satisfaction, organization commitment) except job involvement. The study provides useful coping strategies in managing work-family conflict which is applicable to the Ghanaian culture. Implications and detailed discussion of the findings and recommendations for future research are presented in the main work