Tolerance for Role Ambiguity among Executive Teams of Voluntary Organizations: A Nomological Network and Some Prescriptive Interventions

Research on the ability to tolerate role ambiguity has not kept pace with the studies of role ambiguity in general. There have been very few studies that focused on the ability of people to adapt to jobs that are naturally ambiguous. This field study examined a population of executive teams from voluntary organizations where role ambiguity is endemic. The study included 202 executive directors, program directors, and members of boards of directors from intact voluntary and nonprofit organizations. Perceived role ambiguity at work was measured with a new scale designed for this project. The study also tested a second new scale designed to measure tolerance for role ambiguity at work. The scores from these two scales were regressed on a series of situational and personality variables. The five-factor personality model, work formalization, social support, and several demographic variables were tested as predictors of perceived ambiguity at work and the ability of workers to tolerate ambiguity at work. The researchers expected to find that situational variables such s work formalization and social support explained most of the variance in perception and tolerance scores. The analyses showed that perceived ambiguity at work is inversely related to social support, conscientiousness, extraversion and having a written job description. Tolerance for role ambiguity is predicted by low neuroticism, openness, and social support. The results were used to create a diagram (nomological model) of the network of constructs around tolerance for ambiguity. The study also included some interventions that could be made by organizations to manage the phenomenon.