Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity among Respiratory Care Managers

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The health occupations and management literature does not specifically address role stress among technical directors of respiratory care departments. We undertook an analysis of role conflict, role ambiguity, and job satisfaction among technical directors of respiratory care departments in Texas. METHODS & MATERIALS: We distributed a questionnaire designed to measure role conflict and ambiguity and a questionnaire to elicit demographic and organization data to 283 technical directors in all Texas hospitals with more than 75 beds. Organization characteristics and demographic factors were studied as moderators. RESULTS: Analysis of the 199 responses received revealed that both role conflict (mean [SD] 3.86 [0.97] on 7.0 scale) and role ambiguity (2.64 [0.93] on 7.0 scale) scores were low compared to the neutral point of measure. Role overload, a component of role conflict, was found to be above the neutral point (4.64 [1.85]). One-way analysis of variance revealed no significant differences between the role conflict or the role ambiguity measures based on age, race, gender, number of employees supervised, size of institution, and position to which the respondent reported. Role conflict and role overload were each found to have significant negative correlations with job satisfaction (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: We are encouraged by the low role-conflict and ambiguity scores observed but concerned about the elevated role-overload scores. We believe that an in-depth study of role overload among respiratory care managers is warranted.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Drucker

Management. New York: Harper & Row, 1974:4.

White

, Wisdom

Stress and the hospital administrator. Hosp Health Serv Adm 1985;30:112–119.

Rawlins

. Attrition in respiratory care: the role of stress versus the role of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Respir Care 1987;32:325–331.

Neiman

, Hughes

. The problem of the concept of role: a resurvey of the literature. Soc Forces 1951;30:141–149.

Gross

, Mason

, McEachern

. Explorations in role analysis: studies of the school superintendent. New York: Wiley, 1958:60–67.

Biddle

Role theory: expectations, identities, and behaviors. New York: Academic Press, 1979:5–13.

Burke

, Scalzi

Role stress in hospital executives and nursing executives. Health Care Manage Rev 1988;13:67–72.

Rizzo JR , House

, Lirtzman

. Role conflict and ambiguity in complex organizations. Admin Sci Q 1970;15:150–163.

Kahn

, Wolfe

, Quinn

, Snoek

. Organi-zational stress: studies in role conflict and ambiguity. New York: Wiley, 1964:20.

10.

Graen

Role-making processes within complex organizations. In: Dunnette

, ed. Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1976:1201–1245.

11.

Beehr

, Walsh

, Taber

Relationship of stress to individually and organizationally valued states: higher order needs as a moderator. J Appl Psychol 1976;61:41–47.

12.

Brief

, Aldag

Correlates of role indices. J Appl Psychol 1976;61:468–472.

13.

Brief

, Aldag

, Van Sell

, Melone

Anticipatory socialization and role stress among registered nurses. J Health Soc Behav 1979;20(August):161–166.

14.

House

, Rizzo JR . Role conflict and ambiguity as critical variables in a model of organizational behavior. Organizational Behav Human Performance 1972;7(June):467–505.

15.

Miles

A comparison of the relative impacts of role perceptions of ambiguity and conflict by role. Academy of Management J 1976;19(March):25–35.

16.

Oliver

, Brief

Determinants and consequences of role conflict and ambiguity among retail sales managers. J Retailing 1977-78;53(Winter):47–58,90.

17.

French

, Caplan

Organizational stress and individual strain. In: Marrow

, ed. The failure of success. New York: AMACON, 1972:30–65.

18.

Liddell

, Solcum

The effects of individual-role compatibility upon group performance: an extension of Schultz's FIRO theory. Academy of Management J 1976;19(September):413–426.

19.

Baird

A study of the role relations of graduate students. J Educ Psychol 1969;60(February):15–21.

20.

Haas

. Role conception and group consensus. In: Van Sell

, Brief

, Schuler

, eds. Role conflict and role ambiguity: integration of the literature and directions for future research. Human Relations 1981;34(1):43–71.

21.

Scalzi

An exploratory study of the relationship between role conflict and ambiguity and depressive symptoms in top level nursing administrators. Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1984.

22.

Floreani

, Burke

. Role stress and job satisfaction among directors of medical record departments. J Am Med Record Assoc 1989;60:34–39.

23.

Burke

. Understanding the dynamic role of the hospital executive: the view is better from the top. Hosp Health Serv Adm 1988;34:99–112.

24.

Johnson

, Graen

Organizational assimilation and role rejection. Organizational Behav Human Performance 1973;10:72–87.

25.

Caplan

, Jones

Effects of work load, role ambiguity, and Type A personality on anxiety, depression, and heart rate. J Appl Psychol 1975;60(December):713–719.

26.

Greene

Relationships among role accuracy, com-pliance, performance evaluation and satisfaction within managerial dyads. Acad Management J 1972;15:205–215.

27.

Prewitt

. Role expectations of the respiratory care practitioner as reported by the role incumbent and other health care professionals. Respir Care 1984;29:900–904.

28.

Hmelo

, Axton

. Job satisfaction and task complexity among respiratory care practitioners. Respir Care 1989;34:1129–1134.

29.

Van Sell

, Brief

, Schuler

Role conflict and role ambiguity: integration of the literature and directions for future research. Human Relations 1981;34(1):43–71.

30.

Schuler

. Role perceptions, satisfaction, and perfor-mance moderated by organizational level and participation in decision making. Acad Management J 1977;20:159–165.