Managing the Mission and the Home: Examining Boundary Strategies, Occupational Role, and Work-Family Outcomes in the Armed Forces
(A2025-130362)

AUTHORS

Chih-Huang Lin, National Formosa University

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the influence of boundary management strategies, job role, and military rank on work-family satisfaction among active-duty military personnel. Drawing on boundary theory, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to examine the main and interaction effects of these variables on combined measures of work and family satisfaction. The results revealed significant main effects for boundary management strategies (F = 2.467, p = .007) and job role (F = 4.045, p = .003), indicating that service members who actively manage their role boundaries and those in administrative or support roles report higher levels of satisfaction across both domains. In contrast, military rank did not significantly predict work-family satisfaction, nor were any two-way or three-way interactions found to be significant. These findings suggest that individual-level boundary management behaviours and occupational context may be more influential than hierarchical status in shaping work-life outcomes within the military. Theoretical implications highlight the utility of boundary theory in structured organizational environments, while practical implications point to the value of boundary management training and job-role-sensitive policies to support work-family balance. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.