Role accumulation rewards: A phenomenological study of women high school athletic coaches in selected Kane and McHenry County, Illinois schools

A dynamic environment outside of work creates interest in the relationship between work and roles outside of work. This study explored the competing roles that women high school athletic coaches experience and the reward benefits women coaches receive from the transfers in benefits they experience between their personal and professional roles. The study assessed the resources gained through high school athletic coaching in terms of Sieber's (1974) four role accumulation rewards and how these resources are utilized in the participants' work role. In addition, the study investigated the participants' perception of the transfer of resources utilized in their coaching role to their primary occupation. Lastly, the study indicated role accumulation as beneficial to employees and a resource to promote organization facilitation. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 female high school athletic coaches and the qualitative data gathered was analyzed to provide a description of the phenomenon and identify major themes across the participants' experiences. The results of the study indicated that there are several benefits for women who are high school athletic coaches and that these benefits do positively spill over to their primary occupation. Organizations need to support their employees in roles outside of work because of the positive effects on employee well-being, motivation, and job performance, resulting in benefits to the organizations they work in.