The Effect of Social Support on Reactions to Role Ambiguity and Conflict

Abstract

The moderating effects of perceived peer and leader support on the relations between role ambiguity and role conflict and job satisfaction and job performance respectively were examined in a sample of 90 black and 93 white clerks in South Africa. Subgroup analysis indicated that peer and leader support moderated the job stress-performance and job stress-satisfaction relationships among the black clerks, but not among the white clerks. It is argued that this is because blacks attach much more importance to social support in the work situation that do whites in South Africa because of their different background and position in South African society. This points to the need for further cross-cultural research if the reactions of people to different aspects of the work situation are to be fully understood.

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