Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility
Autor(a) principal: | |
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Data de Publicação: | 2020 |
Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | eng |
Título da fonte: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
Texto Completo: | https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i4.2969 |
Resumo: | This article analyses the agency freedom of manager fathers in Hungary to claim work–family balance through corporate flexible working arrangements. Hobson’s interpretation of Sen’s capability approach (Hobson, Fahlén, & Takács, 2011) is applied to appraise the effect of individual resources and organizational and national context on managers’ work–family balance, as well as their influence on organizational culture. An interview-based case study was undertaken at the Hungarian subsidiary of a Scandinavian multinational company, wherein 43 personal interviews were conducted with fathers in managerial positions. The interviews were analysed according to structuring qualitative content analysis. Managers benefitted from corporate flexibility (home office and flexible schedule), but experienced power asymmetries in terms of access to and use of the former according to hierarchy and department. Even though the men in these positions are assumed to be change agents, the majority of them perceived limited agency freedom to convert flexible working into work–family balance, or to influence organizational culture. The privileged position of managers was detected at the level of their individual agency. Most managers could economically afford to maintain a male breadwinner model. Therefore, limitations related to securing parental and flexibility rights were due to traditional gender norms, and the strong sense of entitlement to work. Consequently, the extent and means of use of flexibility did not challenge deeply rooted assumptions about ideal employee norms. |
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Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibilityagency; capabilities; fatherhood; flexibility; managers; work–family balanceThis article analyses the agency freedom of manager fathers in Hungary to claim work–family balance through corporate flexible working arrangements. Hobson’s interpretation of Sen’s capability approach (Hobson, Fahlén, & Takács, 2011) is applied to appraise the effect of individual resources and organizational and national context on managers’ work–family balance, as well as their influence on organizational culture. An interview-based case study was undertaken at the Hungarian subsidiary of a Scandinavian multinational company, wherein 43 personal interviews were conducted with fathers in managerial positions. The interviews were analysed according to structuring qualitative content analysis. Managers benefitted from corporate flexibility (home office and flexible schedule), but experienced power asymmetries in terms of access to and use of the former according to hierarchy and department. Even though the men in these positions are assumed to be change agents, the majority of them perceived limited agency freedom to convert flexible working into work–family balance, or to influence organizational culture. The privileged position of managers was detected at the level of their individual agency. Most managers could economically afford to maintain a male breadwinner model. Therefore, limitations related to securing parental and flexibility rights were due to traditional gender norms, and the strong sense of entitlement to work. Consequently, the extent and means of use of flexibility did not challenge deeply rooted assumptions about ideal employee norms.Cogitatio2020-10-09info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i4.2969oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2969Social Inclusion; Vol 8, No 4 (2020): Division of Labour within Families, Work–Life Conflict and Family Policy; 61-712183-2803reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAPenghttps://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2969https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i4.2969https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2969/2969Copyright (c) 2020 Nikolett Geszlerhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessGeszler, Nikolett2022-12-20T10:59:13Zoai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2969Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T16:21:19.649633Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility |
title |
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility |
spellingShingle |
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility Geszler, Nikolett agency; capabilities; fatherhood; flexibility; managers; work–family balance |
title_short |
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility |
title_full |
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility |
title_fullStr |
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility |
title_full_unstemmed |
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility |
title_sort |
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers’ Use of Workplace Flexibility |
author |
Geszler, Nikolett |
author_facet |
Geszler, Nikolett |
author_role |
author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Geszler, Nikolett |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
agency; capabilities; fatherhood; flexibility; managers; work–family balance |
topic |
agency; capabilities; fatherhood; flexibility; managers; work–family balance |
description |
This article analyses the agency freedom of manager fathers in Hungary to claim work–family balance through corporate flexible working arrangements. Hobson’s interpretation of Sen’s capability approach (Hobson, Fahlén, & Takács, 2011) is applied to appraise the effect of individual resources and organizational and national context on managers’ work–family balance, as well as their influence on organizational culture. An interview-based case study was undertaken at the Hungarian subsidiary of a Scandinavian multinational company, wherein 43 personal interviews were conducted with fathers in managerial positions. The interviews were analysed according to structuring qualitative content analysis. Managers benefitted from corporate flexibility (home office and flexible schedule), but experienced power asymmetries in terms of access to and use of the former according to hierarchy and department. Even though the men in these positions are assumed to be change agents, the majority of them perceived limited agency freedom to convert flexible working into work–family balance, or to influence organizational culture. The privileged position of managers was detected at the level of their individual agency. Most managers could economically afford to maintain a male breadwinner model. Therefore, limitations related to securing parental and flexibility rights were due to traditional gender norms, and the strong sense of entitlement to work. Consequently, the extent and means of use of flexibility did not challenge deeply rooted assumptions about ideal employee norms. |
publishDate |
2020 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2020-10-09 |
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i4.2969 oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2969 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i4.2969 |
identifier_str_mv |
oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2969 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2969 https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v8i4.2969 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2969/2969 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2020 Nikolett Geszler http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2020 Nikolett Geszler http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Cogitatio |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Cogitatio |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Social Inclusion; Vol 8, No 4 (2020): Division of Labour within Families, Work–Life Conflict and Family Policy; 61-71 2183-2803 reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação instacron:RCAAP |
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Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
instacron_str |
RCAAP |
institution |
RCAAP |
reponame_str |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
collection |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
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1799130660276797440 |