Clergy Role Stress: Interactive Effects of Role Ambiguity and Role Conflict on Intrinsic Job Satisfaction

The present study examined relationships between role conflict, role ambiguity, and three facets of clergy job satisfaction: Relationships and Support, Denominational Involvement, and Intrinsic Aspects. Web survey data from 179 United Methodist clergy indicated that role ambiguity and role conflict had negative relationships with each of the three facets of job satisfaction, as well as with overall job satisfaction. Interactions between role conflict and ambiguity were not significant for overall job satisfaction or for two of the three facets, suggesting that the effects of role conflict and role ambiguity on these aspects of job satisfaction were linear and cumulative. However, the effects of role ambiguity and role conflict considered together were nonlinear and interactive for the Intrinsic Aspects facet of job satisfaction, indicating that when role ambiguity was low, the relationship between role conflict and intrinsic job satisfaction was not significant, whereas when role ambiguity was high, there was a significant negative relationship between role conflict and intrinsic job satisfaction.     

A META-ANALYSIS OF WORK DEMAND STRESSORS AND JOB PERFORMANCE: EXAMINING MAIN AND MODERATING EFFECTS

We quantitatively integrated 169 samples ( N = 35,265 employees) that have been used to investigate the relationships of the following 7 work-related stressors with job performance: role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, job insecurity, work–family conflict, environmental uncertainty, and situational constraints. Overall, we obtained a negative mean correlation between each job performance measure and each stressor included in our analyses. As hypothesized, role ambiguity and situational constraints were most strongly negatively related to performance, relative to the other work-related stressors. Analysis of moderators revealed that (a) the negative correlation of role overload and performance was higher among managers relative to nonmanagers; (b) publication year moderated the relation of role ambiguity and role overload with performance, although in opposite directions; (c) the correlations obtained for published versus unpublished studies were not significantly different; and (d) using the Rizzo et al. scale of role ambiguity and role conflict decreased the magnitude of the correlations of these stressors with performance, relative to other scales. Theoretical contributions, future research directions, and practical implications are discussed.     

Effects of Organizational Perspective on Implicit Trait Policies About Correctional Officers' Job Performance

This study tests the general idea that people in different organizational positions can have different perspectives on what performance means in a particular job and that these different perspectives are reflected in their implicit trait policies (ITPs) about performance in that job. We test the hypothesis that prison inmates harbor ITPs about the importance of agreeableness and conscientiousness in correctional officers' performance that are different from the ITPs harbored by officers and supervisors. Our results show that critical incidents of officers' performance that are generated by inmates emphasize agreeableness more and conscientiousness less than critical incidents generated by officers and supervisors. Our results also show that inmates' ratings of the effectiveness of officers' behavior described in critical incidents are more strongly associated with the agreeableness of the behavior and less strongly associated with the conscientiousness of the behavior than are officers' and supervisors' ratings.     

Antecedents and Consequences of Job Stressors: A Study in a Third World Setting

The present study investigates the antecedents and consequences of job stressors, especially role conflict and role ambiguity, in an environment where multiculturalism is a dominant feature of the workforce. This study used a sample of 397 employees in various manufacturing and service organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Path analysis revealed that age is negatively related to role conflict and positively to role ambiguity, and that nationality is positively related to role ambiguity. Results further indicate that role conflict directly and negatively influences job satisfaction, whereas role ambiguity directly and indirectly influences job satisfaction. Role conflict (directly), role ambiguity (directly and indirectly) and positively influence absenteeism. Both role conflict and role ambiguity negatively influence affective and behavioral tendency dimensions of attitudes toward organizational change, while role ambiguity directly and negatively influences cognitive attitude toward organizational change. Implications, limitations, lines of future research, and contributions were discussed.     

Retrospective reports of organizational commitment after Russian military downsizing

This paper assesses the accuracy of people's memories of attitudes and explores sources of errors in the recollection. We did a secondary analysis on a panel survey of the Russian Army's officer corps, conducted before and after its downsizing. The dependent measure was the discrepancy between Army officers' prospective and retrospective organizational commitment ratings made 18 months apart. We linked this discrepancy to the officers' sense of mastery and evaluations of job prospects across the two waves. In general, officers tended to overestimate their prior commitment to the Army. The amount of overestimation was positively related to both officers' initial level and the subsequent increase in mastery, but was negatively related to their perceived immediate job prospects. Possible mechanisms for the distortion and conceptual implications are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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The research goal was to identify potential “contextual” predictors of job performance for military officers. Exploratory factor analysis of job component ratings by military officers (n = 105) in the Irish Defence Forces revealed two “contextual” and two task-related factors. There were no differences in the extent to which contextual job components were a part of the jobs across four military units, but for one contextual factor, contextual components were a significant part of some jobs. Other research shows contextual components increment validity beyond both g and task-related job components. In this first reported study using a sample of military officers to examine contextual job behaviors, the findings suggest contextual components may also increment validity in officer selection models.     

Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity of Employment Counselors

The relationship of role conflict and role ambiguity to job satisfaction and other variables was examined in a national sample of 506 employment counselors. A survey was mailed to USES counselors in ten states. Regression analysis showed that the 11 personal and organizational variables included in the study accounted for only a small amount of the variance in role conflict or role ambiguity. On the other hand, role conflict and role ambiguity were negatively and significantly related to job satisfaction of the counselors. These stress variables were related positively and significantly to counselors' propensity to leave the agency. Privacy of counseling facilities and time spent in counseling activities were two variables contributing most to explaining variance in role stress. Both related negatively and significantly to role conflict and role ambiguity.     

Where does work stress come from? A generalizability analysis of stress in police officers

Differences among workers and workplace stressors both contribute to perceiving work as stressful. However, the relative importance of these sources to work stress is not well delineated. Moreover, the extent to which work stress additionally reflects unique matches between specific workers and particular job stressors is also unclear. In this study, we use generalizability theory to specify and compare sources of variance in stress associated with police work. US police officers (N?=?115) provided ratings of 60 stressors commonly associated with policing duties. Primary and secondary stress appraisal ratings reflected differences among officers in tendencies to generally perceive work stressors as stressful (14–15% officer effect), and also agreement among officers in viewing some stressors as more stressful than others (18–19% stressor effect). However, ratings especially reflected distinct pairings of officers and stressors (38–41% interaction effect). Additional analyses revealed individual differences and stressor characteristics associated with each variance component, including an officer?×?stressor interaction – compared to officers low in neuroticism, highly neurotic officers provided lower primary appraisal ratings of stressors generally seen as not serious, and also higher primary appraisal ratings of stressors that were seen as serious. We discuss implications of the current approach for the continued study of stress at work.     

EMPLOYEE AFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO ORGANIZATIONAL STRESS: MODERATING EFFECTS OF JOB CHARACTERISTICS

This research examines (a) the relative importance of each of three role variables—role conflict, ambiguity, and overload—as sources of stress and dissatisfaction among managerial-level personnel, and (b) the moderating effects of job enrichment characteristics on the relationships between role stressors and intrinsic job satisfaction, involvement, and anxiety. Data were collected from a sample of 89 managerial personnel of a large, heavy-equipment manufacturing company in the Midwest. Results show that role ambiguity has the strongest relationships with role responses in the predicted directions. Further, significant interactions are obtained between each of role ambiguity and role overload, but not role conflict, and job characteristics. The two role stressors tend to be more aversive for individuals on low-enriched rather than high-enriched jobs. Implications of the findings for work design and the management of stress are discussed.     

The determinants of employee absenteeism: An empirical test of a causal model*

LISREL estimates of the parameters of a causal model of absenteeism are reported for a sample of 425 full-time employees of a 327-bed medical centre. The model modifies and extends the conceptual framework of Steers & Rhodes (1978) and includes routinization, centralization, pay, distributive justice, work involvement, role ambiguity, conflict and overload, kinship responsibility, organizational permissiveness, job satisfaction, job involvement, organizational commitment, health status and alcohol involvement as the determinants of absenteeism. Based on self-report measures of absence frequency, significant positive direct effects of kinship responsibility, organizational permissiveness, role ambiguity and alcohol involvement, and negative direct effects of centralization, pay and job satisfaction yielded an R² for absenteeism of 21.6. Job satisfaction completely mediated the effects of routinization and work involvement, and partially mediated the effects of centralization and role ambiguity.     

The impact of role stress on workers' behaviour through job satisfaction and organizational commitment

Dysfunctions in role performance have been associated with a large number of consequences, almost always negative, which affect the well-being of workers and the functioning of organizations. An individual's experience of receiving incompatible or conflicting requests (role conflict) and/or the lack of enough information to carry out his/her job (role ambiguity) are causes of role stress. According to previous theory, role ambiguity and conflict decrease workers' performance and are positively related to the probability of workers leaving the organization. Job satisfaction refers to a positive evaluation of a job, while organizational commitment refers to an employee's attachment to the organization. The affective dimensions of organizational commitment and job satisfaction are considered to be important predictors of turnover intention, absenteeism, and job performance. In the literature, role conflict and ambiguity have been proposed as determining factors of workers' job satisfaction and their commitment towards the organization. The role of job satisfaction and organizational commitment were analysed as variables that should mediate between role ambiguity and conflict and employees' behaviour. The hypotheses were confirmed by means of path analysis carried out with data obtained from a sample of Spanish blue-collar workers employed by a bus company and a water supply company. Role stressors were negatively related to affective commitment mediated through job satisfaction. Affective commitment to the organization exerted a positive influence on performance and reduces the withdrawal behaviour analysed— intention to leave and absenteeism—although the strongest predictor of intention to leave was, in this study, job satisfaction.     

The Interactive Effects of Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity on Job Satisfaction and Attitudes Toward Organizational Change: A Moderated Multiple Regression Approach

This study investigates the joint effects of both role conflict and role ambiguity on job satisfaction and three dimensions of attitudes toward organizational change, namely affective, cognitive, and behavioral tendency in a multicultural work setting. The study used a sample of 397 employees from several manufacturing and service organizations in the United Arab Emirates. Results of the moderated regression analysis revealed that role conflict and role ambiguity have no interactive effects on job satisfaction and the three dimensions of attitudes toward organizational change. Results of the moderated regression analysis revealed that role conflict and role ambiguity independently and negatively affect job satisfaction, cognitive attitudes, and behavioral tendency attitudes toward organizational change. Results further pointed out that role ambiguity affected attitude toward organizational change independently and negatively. Implications, limitations, and lines of future research were discussed.     

Confirmatory Test of a Turnover Model Utilizing Multiple Data Sources

In recent years, there have been several confirmatory tests of turnover models, based almost exclusively on subject self-reports for all but the measurement of turnover itself. A test of a subset of the Mobley, Griffeth, Hand, and Meglino (1979) model was conducted using data from three sources. It was proposed that autonomy, workload, constraints, role ambiguity, and interper- sonal conflict (assessed by supervisor reports) would lead to job satisfaction (assessed by subject reports), which would lead to intention of quitting (as- sessed by subject reports), which would lead to turnover (from organization records). A trimmed version of the model (with role ambiguity and interper- sonal conflict deleted) yielded good overall fit, but job conditions accounted for a very small amount of job satisfaction variance, and workload related in a direction opposite to predictions.     

工作家庭两不误为何这么难？基于工作家庭边界理论的探讨

为探讨工作家庭冲突对员工工作态度和行为倾向的影响, 以国内某大型制造企业集团位于北京、杭州、西安等地7家分公司的545名员工为样本, 采取问卷调查法在两个不同时段获取数据, 考察了角色压力(角色冲突、角色模糊和角色超载)在工作干涉家庭和家庭干涉工作这两种对偶冲突模式与员工工作满意度和离职意向之间的中介作用机制。结果显示：角色压力在工作家庭冲突与工作满意度和离职意向之间起到完全中介作用, 工作满意度在角色压力和离职意向之间起到部分中介作用。结论有助于分析工作家庭冲突的深层原因并采取恰当的干预策略, 降低工作家庭冲突对员工工作态度和行为倾向的负面影响。     

Career stage as a moderator of performance relationships with facets of job satisfaction and role perceptions

The relationship between performance indices and facets of job satisfaction, role ambiguity, and role conflict was studied among 102 full-time faculty members across three career stages. Results indicate that an individual's career stage within a profession has an important moderating effect on facets of job satisfaction and role perception relationships with role-related performance.     

Generalizability of Job Performance Measurements: Marine Corps Rifleman

The purpose of this research was to identify personality constructs to be assessed in the selection of officers in the Turkish Armed Forces by using a personality-oriented job analysis approach. Personality-oriented job analytic interviews were conducted with currently employed and former officers (N = 78). Content analysis of the interviews led to the identification of a list of attributes presumed to be relevant. The attributes were then rated by a group of officers (N = 447) for relevance and importance. Principal component analysis of the weighted ratings (i.e., Relevance × Importance) resulted in 5 personality dimensions considered to be relevant to the job of military officer: Conscientiousness–Self-Discipline, Military Factor, Self-Confidence, Agreeableness–Extraversion, and Leadership. Finally, using a confirmatory approach, we tested the 5-factor structure against 1-factor and 2-factor solutions. Results suggest that the 5-factor solution has significantly better fit than the alternative models, providing some initial evidence for construct validity.     

Justice and politics: mechanisms for the underlying relationships of role demands to employees' satisfaction and turnover intentions

The present study examines the influence of ambiguity and conflict surrounding employees' job specifications on their dissatisfaction and withdrawal intentions in the workplace. A model is proposed, which introduces perceptions of organizational politics and procedural justice as key mediators in the relationship between role ambiguity and conflict, and the resulting supervisor satisfaction, pay satisfaction, and intention to quit. The model is tested using a sample of 782 full‐time employees of a national retail organization. Results supported the mediating role of procedural justice and perception of politics in the relationship between role ambiguity and conflict and the three outcome measures. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.     

Relationships of role stressors with organizational citizenship behavior: a meta-analysis

Several quantitative reviews have documented the negative relationships that role stressors have with task performance. Surprisingly, much less attention has been directed at the impact of role stressors on other aspects of job performance, such as organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The goal of this study was to therefore estimate the overall relationships of role stressors (i.e., role ambiguity, conflict, and overload) with OCB. A meta-analysis of 42 existing studies indicated that role ambiguity and role conflict were negatively related to OCB and that these relationships were moderated by the target of OCB, type of organization, OCB rating source, and publication status. As expected, role conflict had a stronger negative relationship with OCB than it did with task performance. Finally, we found support for a path model in which job satisfaction mediated relationships of role stressors with OCB and for a positive direct relationship between role overload and OCB.     

JOB ANALYSIS: THE COMPOSITION OF SME SAMPLES

It is common for job analysts to solicit information from incumbents and supervisors (Subject Matter Experts or SMEs) when conducting a job analysis. These SMEs are asked to provide ratings on salient dimensions (e.g., frequency and importance of tasks that comprise the job). In constructing samples of SMEs for this purpose, it is reasonable to consider any possible influences that might bias or systematically influence the task ratings. The present paper considers the possible influence of SME demographic characteristics on task ratings of frequency. The tasks comprising the job of patrol officer in a large city were rated for frequency by approximately 700 incumbents. These ratings were gathered in two different years, 1982 and 1984. The total data set was used to conduct a components analysis of the 444-item task inventory. The first eight principal components were considered the dependent variables and four demographic characteristics the independent variables in an analysis of the 1982 data set. Analysis of variance and follow-up tests indicated that incumbent experience had a substantial influence on task ratings. Educational level and race had minimal effects on ratings. The sex factor was confounded by the experience factor, making interpretation of the sex effect equivocal. Mechanisms that might account for the experience effect are discussed. It was concluded that incumbent experience is a salient issue in job analysis using SME groups.     

Moderating effects of perceived control and need for clarity on the relationship between role stressors and employee affective reactions

The authors examined the salience of perceived control and need for clarity as "buffers" of the adverse consequences of role stressors by using hierarchical regressions on role ambiguity and role conflict, with job satisfaction and psychological strain as the criterion variables. In a sample of U.S. and New Zealand employees, perceived control was directly associated with higher satisfaction and reduced strain but displayed no moderating effect on stressor-outcome relationships. Need for clarity, on the other hand, was a significant moderator of the relationship of role ambiguity and conflict to both satisfaction and strain; that finding suggests that researchers could give more attention to dispositional variables in examining the correlates of role stressors.