Perceptions Of Role Conflict Research Articles

Role conflict, need frustration and supervisor support: a moderated-mediation model of employee voice and silence

PurposeDrawing on the conservation of resources theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether role conflict is associated with frustration of employees’ basic needs and whether need frustration is associated with withdrawal in the form of reduced voice and increased silence. This paper also investigates if supervisor support mitigates potential detrimental outcomes of need frustration.Design/methodology/approachIn this survey-based study, 201 full-time employees participated. Self-reports regarding voice and silence behaviors at work were collected as were perceptions of role conflict, need frustration and supervisor support.FindingsThe results of this study support the proposed moderated mediation relationships for both employee voice and silence behaviors. Specifically, need frustration mediates the relationship between role conflict and the two outcome variables. Perceived supervisor support moderates the path between need frustration and both voice and silence behaviors.Practical implicationsEmployees are an organization’s first line of defense against potential accidents, inefficiencies and other organizational crises. When they perceive their needs are not met and they are not supported by their supervisors, employees are likely to seek to protect themselves from further resource loss by withholding feedback even if such feedback may enhance organizational effectiveness and prevent organizational crises.Originality/valueGiven that voice and silence are not opposites of each other, it is important to study both in a single study, as this study does. This study proposes and tests a heretofore untested explanation for the relationship between role conflict and voice and silence. The authors identify a buffer with potential to mitigate the negative effects of need frustration.

The Comparison of Role Conflict Among Registered Nurses and Registered Practical Nurses Working in Acute Care Hospitals in Ontario Canada.

ObjectivesThe study aimed to describe and compare nurses’ perceptions of role conflict by professional designation [registered nurse (RN) vs registered practical nurse (RPN)] in three primary areas of practice (emergency department, medical unit, and surgical unit).MethodsThis analysis used data (n = 1,981) from a large cross-sectional survey of a random sample of RNs and RPNs working as staff nurses in acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Role conflict was measured by the Role Conflict Scale.ResultsA total of 1,981 participants (RN = 1,427, RPN = 554) met this study’s eligibility criteria and provided complete data. In general, RN and RPN mean total scale scores on role conflict hovered around the scale’s mid-point (2.72 to 3.22); however, RNs reported a higher mean score than RPNs in the emergency department (3.22 vs. 2.81), medical unit (2.95 vs 2.81) and surgical unit (2.90 vs 2.72). Where statistically significant differences were found, the effect sizes were negligible to medium in magnitude with the largest differences noted between RNs and RPNs working in the emergency department.ConclusionsThe results suggest the need to implement strategies that diminish role conflict for both RNs and RPNs.

Multiple teams, multiple roles, multiple consequences: are polychronics the better multiteamers?

I investigate how fragmentation of time across multiple teams influences the perception of role conflict at different levels of individual polychronic orientation (IPO; Bluedorn, Kaufman, & Lane, 1992). Rooted in multiple perspectives of role theory (i.e., role strain, role accumulation, and role transition), I propose two mechanisms leading from fragmentation of time to perception of role conflict (i.e., inter-role conflict and person-role conflict). Building on this, I argue that monochronics perceive increased levels of role conflict in multiteaming situations. Meanwhile, their polychronic counterparts are predicted to even report reduced perceptions of role conflict at an increasing fragmentation of time across multiple teams. Finally, I also examine conditional indirect effects on distal outcomes, such as job performance, job satisfaction, and well-being. The proposed model is tested in a longitudinal sample of 341 German employees. Multiple regression and bootstrapping analyses strongly support the hypothesized relationships. I believe that my work holds intriguing implications for research on multiple team membership (MTM), role theory, and polychronicity. Moreover, I discuss implications for organizational practice and propose several directions for future research.

The socialisation of new graduate nurses during a preceptorship programme: strategies for recruitment and support.

The purpose of this study is to gain greater understanding of new graduate nurses' organisational socialisation and to help inform recruitment and support strategies for this population. To this end, it uses Van Maneen and Schein's theory of organisational socialisation to explore new graduate nurses' perceptions of role conflict, role ambiguity, job satisfaction and turnover intent at the end of their preceptorship programme. The literature on new graduate nurses reflects concerns with high turnover rates during early work experiences. Under-preparation of and lack of support for new graduate nurses are often-reported reasons for these high turnover rates. Preceptorship programmes have been implemented to specifically address these challenges. This study uses a cross-sectional multisite design with a survey. A sample of 45 new graduate nurses completed a quantitative survey at the end of their preceptorship programme. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation analyses were conducted to explore the relationships. New graduate nurses in this study experienced low role ambiguity, role conflict and turnover intent and high job satisfaction. Their job satisfaction was associated with low role conflict and role ambiguity. Working in their first job of choice was related to less role conflict and role ambiguity. Having previous experience on the unit was not a meaningful variable. New graduate nurses who reported a greater understanding of their work roles and less role conflict and were working in their first job of choice were generally more satisfied with their job. Previous experience on the unit was not related to any of the socialisation outcomes in this study. However, the transition experienced during clinical placements and early work experiences may be different. The results of this study provide managers and educators with greater insight into the socialisation of new graduate nurses, as well as concrete strategies for recruitment and support.

The perception of role conflict in sexual assault nursing and its effects on care delivery

The role of the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) combines two once-distinct roles--nursing and forensic science. Therefore, there is a potential for role conflict that may impact SANEs as well as the care they deliver. In this qualitative study, 14 SANEs were interviewed regarding their roles. Most participants did not endorse role conflict; however, most also provided examples of conflict between their roles as nurses and their roles as evidence collectors. Participants differed in their opinions of whether they were advocates or not in this capacity. SANEs talked about breaking the rules and caring about some patients even when they believed they were not supposed to. Several SANEs also talked about relying on the victim advocate to take the caring role-in effect, using advocates as proxy for the caring role SANEs would take in other nursing settings. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Job Concessions, Role Conflict and Work Satisfaction in Gender-Typical and -Atypical Occupation: The Case of Israel

Studies in the last decades show that perception of role conflict has changed in advanced societies so that (1) multiple roles may be beneficial rather than conflictual and (2) men, too, are subject to incompatible role demands. This study examines whether the same shift may be observed in a less developed society (Israel), and how perceptions of role combination and work satisfaction influence the work concessions made by women and men who work in occupations that are typical or atypical for their gender. The main assumption is that multiple roles lead to role conflict only if individuals fail to make concessions that allow them to regulate time and energy in both spheres. The findings show that women still make more concessions than men; work satisfactions strengthens the perception that combining family and work is possible; and only for women, the perception that combining family and work is possible reduces the number of concessions they make.

A Study on Women's Perception of Glass Ceiling in the Private Organizations, Pokhara

The study is intended to explore women’s perception of glass ceiling in the private organizations of Pokhara. Hundred women with different age groups working in different private organizations of Pokhara were taken as the sample. Their perception on the disparate treatment of women in organizations, behavior of their male colleagues towards them, the role of their family members in their professional growth, perception of role conflict and their aspiration towards their career advancements were asked and have been analyzed to find out if women perceive the existence of glass ceiling. In this regard, viewpoints of their male counterparts have also been taken into consideration.
 
 The Journal of Nepalese Business Studies Vol. IV, No. 1(2007) pp. 83-87

The Propensity of Community College Chief Academy Officers to Leave an Institution

The study described in this report was designed to measure the propensity of community college chief academic officers (CAOs) to leave their current position and college, the levels of satisfaction they feel with their jobs, and their perceptions of role conflict and ambiguity. For the purposes of this study, a chief academic officer (CAO) is defined as the administrative head with responsibility for all academic affairs at the institution. At most community colleges the chief academic officer is the second highest-ranking administrative officer and reports to the president. Although there are numerous titles in use, the most common titles used by community colleges for the chief academic officer include academic dean, academic vice-president, vice-president for instruction, instructional dean, dean of the college, . . . . In addition, community colleges often use the title to designate the head of a campus in multi-campus or multi-college operations; in many cases, the provost also serves as the chief academic officer for the campus. Definitions aside, however, each institution recognizes its chief academic officer as the person responsible for the institution's academic programs, the academic leader who works directly with the faculty. (Vaughan, 1990, p. 6) Recently the executive vice president has become an increasingly popular title for those performing the duties of the CAO at community colleges. Despite the nearly universal existence of job descriptions for this position at community colleges, the responsibilities of the chief academic officer are often ill-defined (Wolverton, Wolverton, & Gmelch, 1999). Vaughan (1990) notes that researchers have documented from 48 to 168 separate duties for CAOs at community colleges. Although not all duties carry the same degree of urgency, the CAO is accountable for performing or supervising the performance of all of them. Because CAOs are the direct link between the administration and faculty, they may have a greater effect on the internal affairs of an institution than even the president (Birnbaum, 1992; Mech, 1997; Vaughan, 1990). Despite its potential for effectiveness, this position often means being caught between the administration and the faculty, which is a significant source of role conflict and role ambiguity for CAOs. Role conflict occurs when individuals find it necessary to handle duties that appear to be inconsistent or in conflict with their self-perception of their role or roles within the organizational structure. For example, for CAOs this might occur when (in their administrative role) they have to carry out a personnel action having a negative effect on a faculty member who (in their faculty leader role) they consider a colleague. Role ambiguity, on the other hand, occurs when a CAO is uncertain about the functional boundaries of his or her organizational role. For example, a CAO who believes he or she needs to seek higher-level approval for what to others is a routine decision may be experiencing role ambiguity. Suppose, for example, a CAO believes that a faculty member's willingness to develop an Internet-based course justifies reducing or redistributing his or his workload. If the CAO is uncertain, about whether he or she needs to seek presidential approval before offering the faculty member a reduced load this would be role ambiguity. Several researchers who have focused on institutions of higher education have concluded that there is a direct connection between job satisfaction and stress resulting from role conflict or role ambiguity (McBride, Munday, & Tunnell, 1992; Milosheff, 1990; Simpson, 1984). Researchers have also established that job dissatisfaction and voluntary job turnover are strongly correlated (Cano & Miller, 1992; Glick, 1992; McBride, Munday, & Tunnell, 1992). Job satisfaction represents the individual workers subjective evaluation of the degree to which his or her requirements are met by the work environment. …

Job Satisfaction and the Propensity to Leave an Institution among Two-Year College Division Chairpersons

The study described here was designed to investigate the propensity of division chairpersons to leave a community college, the levels of satisfaction they feel with their jobs, and their perceptions of role conflict and ambiguity. The researchers used a job satisfaction scale, a propensity-to-leave index, and a role perception questionnaire to collect data from 279 division chairs at community colleges. Over half of the respondents reported high levels of role ambiguity and medium levels of role conflict, and respondents indicated varying levels of satisfaction with 10 job factors. A stepwise regression analysis of the 10 factors, role conflict, and role ambiguity indicated that the following factors influenced the variance in a chair's propensity to leave an institution: role conflict and dissatisfaction with policies, administration, and salary.

Creative insubordination of school principals and the legitimacy of the justifiable

Viewing school principals as street‐level bureaucrats, creative insubordination is the implementation of policies and programmes at the school level in a way that fits the principal′s values, philosophy, and goals. Focuses on school principals′ use of creative insubordination in relationships with the central office, their professional beliefs about discretion, perceptions of role conflict, and their locus of control. Creative insubordination was most frequent among veteran principals who value on‐the‐job competence over completion of degrees and certificates and are thought to be instructional leaders by central office supervisors. Social protection from negative sanctions from central office seemed to be associated with principals′ ability to show that their insubordination was justifiable in terms of the needs of their school, teachers or students.

The Head Nurse Role in a Rural Hospital

The role of the head nurse in a rural hospital is examined to identify perceptions of role conflict and role ambiguity experienced by head nurses. Study results suggest that improving staffing patterns, increasing the number of registered nurses, eliminating non-nursing activities and management training are warranted. The director of nursing plans to enhance the head nurse role and to facilitate further decentralization of nursing services.

The Perception of Role Conflict, Role Ambiguity and Organisational Commitment: Differences Between Sexes

The determination of an employee's commitment to their organisation has many important managerial implications. Lack of commitment seems to be involved in high costs and poor service. Salancik Steers and Schein suggest that commitment is a useful indicator of organisational effectiveness as well as a key variable in shaping employee attitudes. There is evidence that organisational commitment is a better predictor of employee turnover than job satisfaction. Moreover, committed employees may perform better than uncommitted ones.

Perceptions of role conflict between obstetric nurses and nurse-midwives

The nurse-midwife assumes two professional roles: one of the registered nurse and one of the nurse-midwife. These roles may require different activities and may provoke different expectations. It may be assumed that role conflict exists both within the nurse-midwife (intrarole conflict) and between the nurse-midwife and the obstetric nurse (interrole conflict). Presented is a descriptive study of conflict within and between these two groups. The 100 studied nurse-midwives were randomly selected from the membership list of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). The 100 studied obstetric nurses were randomly selected from lists provided by hospitals that also employed nurse-midwives. Two mailed questionnaires were used to collect data from both groups. These questionnaires contained five sections: profile, content of care, attitudes and values, role definition, and critical incident report. An analysis of the data compared activities perceived as appropriate to the nurse-midwife by both groups, in addition to attitudes and values held by each group, perceptions of the nurse-midwife's role definition, and role conflict themes as reported through the critical incident report. Data indicate that although both groups have basically positive views of one another, interrole conflict is present to some degree. Data did not support conflict within the nurse-midwife.

Influence of Organization Structure on Role Conflict and Ambiguity for Three Occupational Groupings.

The impact of organization structure on perceptions of role conflict and ambiguity was examined within a multivariate framework and found to explain substantial portions of variation in both role p...

Influence of Organization Structure on Role Conflict and Ambiguity for Three Occupational Groupings

The impact of organization structure on perceptions of role conflict and ambiguity was examined within a multivariate framework and found to explain substantial portions of variation in both role p...

A Typology for Participation in Organizational Decision Making

In this study of faculty (n = 454) employed in two separate school districts the variable is conceptualized as the difference between the number of decisions in which an individual desires to participate and the number of decisions in which he actually participates. After identifying subjects characterized by conditions of decisional deprivation, equilibrium, and saturation, it is shown that individuals in each of these groups differ by age, sex, teaching level, employing organization, seniority, perceptions of administrative influence, perceptions of role conflict, and attitudinal militancy. These findings suggest that a global concept is useful in typifying conditions of decisional participation and that some traditional assumptions about the consequences of decisional participiation should be modified, particularly assumptions concerning the universal desirability of increased participation in decision making.