Leadership Styles and Polychronicity: Impact on Work-Home Boundaries and Life Satisfaction

Building upon leadership literature and boundary theory, this study examined how the transformational and transactional leadership behaviors and polychronicity impact the boundaries we maintain around our work and home domains. Polychronicity refers to an individual’s preference for doing several things at a time. Survey data was collected from 419 participants and analyzed through PLS-SEM modeling. Results showed that employees who were high in polychronicity, as well those whose supervisors exhibited transactional leadership, had relatively weak boundaries around their work and home. Individuals high in polychronicity were seen to have higher life satisfaction. Transformational leadership of the supervisor was found to be positively associated with life satisfaction of the employee. Further, weak boundaries at work were positively associated with life satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.