Role Clarity and Organizational Level

Abstract

Role clarity was examined in terms of its relationships with personal outcomes and organizational effectiveness. Organizational level as a moderator of such relationships was also investigated. Using 490 underwriting personnel from 4 levels in 20 insurance offices, hypotheses based on prior research were generally confirmed. Role clarity was positively related to perceptions of job satisfaction, personal influence, organizational effectiveness, and task-oriented leadership. Role clarity was higher at higher organizational levels, where relationships with perceived organizational effectiveness were not significant. An independent measure of effectiveness showed members in high-performing offices had greater role clarity than members in low-performing offices. Role clarity and organizational level are important variables in organizational behavior research and warrant continued study.