Role Ambiguity

Role ambiguity occurs when people are unclear or uncertain about their expectations within a certain role, typically their role in the job or workplace. Role ambiguity arises when the definition of the person's job is vague or ill defined. Workers may be unclear regarding the goals, expectations, or responsibilities associated with the performance of their positions. Unclear roles may involve expectations for behavior or performance levels. In order to be proficient in their role, people should be made aware of the responsibilities and obligations of that role, the actions necessary to fulfill the role, and the effects that the role has on various constituents, including the workers themselves, their coworkers, and the organization itself. If employees are unaware of the expectations surrounding their responsibilities or performance, then they may not be working on the things necessary to accomplish what is expected of them.

Role ambiguity has been studied in four dimensions: (1) goal/expectation/responsibility ambiguity, (2) process ambiguity, (3) priority ambiguity, and (4) behavior ambiguity. With goal/expectation/responsibility ambiguity, people are unsure of what they should actually be doing within a particular role; they are unclear as to what expectations are included for fulfilling the position's requirements. Process ambiguity involves a lack of clarity regarding how a job or task should be accomplished or how certain organizational objectives can be met. Priority ambiguity implies that a person does not know when tasks should be completed or which tasks are more important than others. Behavior ambiguity occurs when people are unaware of how they should act in specific situations or what behaviors are required in order to achieve personal or organizational outcomes. Each dimension focuses on the lack of clarity or understanding people experience regarding their ability to be successful in a given role.

Persistent or ongoing role ambiguity can result in a number of problems for an employee. For example, role ambiguity has been associated with issues that include job tension, anxiety, frustration, and burnout. Low levels of job satisfaction have also been associated with role ambiguity. In fact, job satisfaction and job performance have both been found to have an inverse relationship with role ambiguity, meaning that as ambiguity increases, job satisfaction and performance actually decrease.

Role ambiguity can be reduced or avoided in many instances by a clear articulation of the expected behaviors and outcomes associated with a particular role. With its negative relationships to job satisfaction and job performance, role ambiguity should be avoided whenever possible. Interventions to alleviate role ambiguity are often effective, more so than with other role stresses, which indicates that the identification of role ambiguity and its causes in the workplace at an early stage is critical to the development of a healthy organization and a productive worker.