The Impact of Role Ambiguity on Team Performance Inside a Startup

Abstract

The pet industry in Indonesia is a massive emerging industry with lots of target markets to serve. A study estimated that around 67% of Indonesians have pets in 2022, and the number is increasing annually. The phenomenon drove a new startup, Catalogy, to connect pet owners to pet care businesses. However, as a first time business founder, job assignment can be trickier than it seems. A job description is essential to ease job assignment processes inside an organization, yet not every role can receive desirable job assignments. As role ambiguity arises, it is crucial to examine why role ambiguity occurs and how it influences a startup. The research uses a qualitative approach with a case study method to gain insights from various startups. Four startups and Catalogy team members were interviewed to answer the research objectives. From the analysis, there are five factors which trigger role ambiguity: (1) Organizational size, (2) Employee capabilities, (3) Team composition, (4) Job division, and (5) Team management. Furthermore, these five qualities of role ambiguity significantly affect on the overall team performance of the mentioned startups.