The impact of formalization, role conflict, role ambiguity, and communication quality on perceived organizational innovativeness in the Cancer Information Service.

Abstract

Organizational members' levels of perceived innovativeness represent an insider's viewpoint of the organization's overall approach to innovation. This study tested a model of the impact of formalization, role ambiguity, role conflict, and communication quality on perceived organizational innovativeness in the Cancer Information Service. Data were gathered from self-report questionnaires completed by organizational members (n = 86) within the Cancer Information Service, a geographically dispersed federal government health information program that was implementing innovative intervention strategies related to disseminating health information to the public. Results indicated that although the predicted model provided a good overall fit to the data, there were some problematic paths. A revised model is offered to reconceptualize the relationships among role conflict, role ambiguity, and communication quality. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for managers and scholars who hope to understand the factors that contribute to perceptions of innovativeness in the new organizational forms emerging in the health service arena. These data suggest that formalization makes an important contribution to innovation in the highly uncertain world of new organizational forms.