Work-Family Triangle Synchronization: Employee, manager, and spouse

"I need to check with my partner" is a common response of an employee to his manager, emphasizing the tug of war between the employee’s spouse and the workplace.

The challenges in the fields of work and family have been the focus of researchers for decades. Frameworks for work–family conflict, work–family enrichment, and work–family balance have been put forth in light of the complexity of the interface. Yet the relationship between the three stakeholders managing the interface (manager, employee, and spouse), has not received the attention it deserves.

Work–Family Triangle Synchronization takes a holistic look into the triangle of forces involved in the conflict: the manager, the employee, and the employee’s spouse at home. Using the therapeutic triangle relationship framework, it elaborates on the dynamic of work–family triangles and offers a structured process for designing a psychological contract among the three players. This process is termed work–family triangle synchronization (WFTS).

Based on the authors’ 20 years of academic research and field experience in the organizational and family domains this book introduces a novel synchronization model, methodology, and compelling tools. Personal anecdotes and stories make the text accessible and understandable, accompanying the reader step by step in the task of developing a synchronized work–family triangle psychological contract, as both a diagnostic and a management tool.

Dr. Anat Garti is a social psychologist, couples and family therapist, management consultant, and coach. For the past decade, she has been training consultants and therapists for professional certification. She is a researcher and lecturer in three main fields: work–family conflict; stress, burnout, and resilience; and managing by values. She is the chief psychologist of the Israel Values Center and part of the clinical staff and teaching staff at Shinui Institute.

Prof. Shay Tzafrir focuses his research on people management and especially the interface among trust, human capital, and stakeholder behavior. He has been involved in training and development since 1989. Between 2016 and 2021, he served as the head of the Haifa School of Business Administration and director of the Center for Organizational Research and Human Resource Management. In 2016, he co-founded the Quarterly for Organizational Research and Human Resource Management, a journal dedicated to the contributions of academic research to the business and public community of Israel.