Building Your Own Approach to Boundary Management

Your approach to managing work-life boundaries is based on your combined behavior type, identity, and perceived boundary control. For example, you may be a Work Firster who is Work-Focused and has Midlevel Boundary Control. Or you could be an Integrator with a Dual-Focused Identity who has High Boundary Control. There are 60 possible combinations. All styles of behaviors and identities can potentially be associated with positive outcomes. However, only mid and high levels of boundary control are consistently associated with positive outcomes. Having low control creates obstacles to achieving positive outcomes because you may feel that the situation you are in cannot be adjusted.

Consider the following examples. Pat is Work-Focused, has High Boundary Control, and chooses to be a Work Firster in order to meet her career goals. John is Family-Focused, has Low Boundary Control, and is required to be a Work Firster because of the unusual demands of his supervisor. In this scenario, it is likely that Pat would be more satisfied with her life (both at work and at home) as compared to John. Perhaps John would be much happier if he had more boundary control and was able to use a different behavioral style (Family Firster or Separator) that would enable him to better meet his personal needs and goals. Both Pat and John could make some changes to improve their situations. Pat, however, has more options because she has a high degree of boundary control and can change the time and place she works. John has fewer options because he has little control over his work schedule.