Identify work roles and family roles.

Identification should include

  • evaluating work systems and family systems (i.e., structures)
  • assessing the characteristics of strong work and family organizations
  • examining the evolution of the workforce
  • identifying the rewards of work within and outside the family
  • describing the roles and responsibilities of employees and family members
  • determining the effects of interdependence on each member of the family
  • evaluating ways the evolution of the family life cycle affects choices and decisions
  • examining personal and family values.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

  • What factors should we consider when analyzing work and family structures?
  • What criteria should we use to assess work and family systems?
  • How are the roles and responsibilities of employed workers and family members alike, and how are they different?
  • How is the role of management in the workplace like or unlike the role of management in the family?

Communication

  • How can the workplace be respectful of the family and individuals?
  • How can we communicate to others the importance of being aware of the values of work and family?
  • How can family members at different stages of the family life cycle communicate their values and choices?

Leadership

  • What leadership techniques do we need to develop workplace strategies for change?
  • How can the family and the employer develop leadership skills in individuals?
  • What leadership techniques do we need to develop family strategies for change?
  • How can leadership skills be integrated into the family and the workplace?

Management

  • How can we develop a life plan that reflects family values?
  • How can an individual’s management skills be integrated into the family? Into the workplace?
  • What resources can help us determine our work and family values?