Perceived Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity of Personnel and Industrial Relations Staff in New Zealand Business Organisations

Abstract

The overall aim of this study was to identify the antecedents, behavioural outcomes and intentions relating to the role ambiguity and role conflict perceived to be experienced by those who are responsible for conducting personnel and/or industrial relations functions in New Zealand companies. Essentially the study sought to investigate the following: 1. The extent to which specified organisational, interpersonal and personal variables were related to New Zealand personnel and industrial relations staffs’ perceptions of role ambiguity and role conflict. 2. Whether or not the role perceptions experienced by New Zealand personnel and industrial relations staff were related to specified behavioural outcomes and intentions. 3. Whether or not those engaged in personnel and industrial relations work utilised coping mechanisms and, if so, which were used to handle role ambiguity and/or role conflict. 4. The attributes of those engaged in personnel and industrial relations work and their organisations and an assessment of the activities on which these staff spend their time. The above issues were addressed from an organisational behaviour perspective and the theoretical model developed by Kahn et al. (1964) formed the conceptual. basis for the enquiry. In response to an initial mail survey usable responses were obtained from eighty-four percent of the total population of the New Zealand F register. The New Zealand F register is a list of all private sector organisations with one hundred or more employees. Altogether 777 organisations were listed in the Register at the time of this enquiry. A total response rate of eighty-two percent and a usable rate of seventy-four percent was achieved for the main survey questionnaire. Results obtained showed that no organisational, six ecological, eight interpersonal and five personal antecedent variables were found to be significantly correlated with role ambiguity. One organisational, four ecological, five interpersonal and three personal variables were found to be significantly correlated with role conflict. The same six behavioural outcomes and intentions were significantly correlated with both role ambiguity and role conflict. Also it was found that personnel and industrial relations staff use several coping mechanisms to handle both role ambiguity and role confict. In the final section of the study the implications of the research findings for both individual managers and their firms are discussed.