Is More Commitment Always Better? A Study on the Side Effects of Excessive Organizational Commitment on Work-Family Conflict

Despite the growing interest in and efforts for work-family balance, actual improvements in work-family balance have not been that significant in South Korea (e.g., increase in karoshi). This study considers an overly organization-oriented perspective as one of the reasons for this, and focuses on the side effects of excessive organizational commitment (OC) on work-family conflict (WFC), unlike most previous studies focusing on the positive effects of OC. Using the Korean Civil Service Survey, we found that OC has a significant U-shaped relationship with WFC and this U-shaped relationship appeared only in dual-income families. The results showed that when OC is too high, a negative transfer of resources from work to family overwhelms a positive transfer, thereby encroaching upon individuals' personal lives. Therefore, organizational supports for employees to successfully perform their roles in the family while maintaining a high level of OC are needed.