ArticlePDF Available

Work Processes, Role Conflict, and Role Overload: The Case of Nurses and Engineers in the Public Sector

Authors:
Samuel Bacharach at Cornell College
Samuel Bacharach
Peter A. Bamberger at Tel Aviv University
Peter A. Bamberger
Sharon Conley at University of California, Santa Barbara
Sharon Conley
Download full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract

This study examined five sets of work process variables with respect to their relationship with role conflict and role overload among samples of public sector nurses and engineers. The findings suggest that managerial strategies appropriate for minimizing role conflict are not necessarily appropriate for minimizing role overload. The findings also suggest that, in the context of public sector employment, some work process predictors of role conflict and overload may be similar across professions. Finally, in contrast with some of the assumptions of recent job design theory, the findings indicate that for public sector professionals, managerial strategies that reflect professional ethos may not reduce role conflict and role overload.
Content uploaded by Peter A. Bamberger
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Peter A. Bamberger on Dec 01, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
http://wox.sagepub.com
Work and Occupations
DOI: 10.1177/0730888490017002004
1990; 17; 199 Work and Occupations
CONLEY
SAMUEL B. BACHARACH, PETER BAMBERGER and SHARON C.
Nurses and Engineers in the Public Sector
Work Processes, Role Conflict, and Role Overload: The Case of
http://wox.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/2/199
The online version of this article can be found at:
Published by:
http://www.sagepublications.com
can be found at:Work and Occupations Additional services and information for
http://wox.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Email Alerts:
http://wox.sagepub.com/subscriptions Subscriptions:
http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.navReprints:
http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.navPermissions:
http://wox.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/17/2/199 Citations
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
from the SAGE Social Science Collections. All Rights Reserved.
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
at Technion Israel Inst of Tech on March 12, 2009 http://wox.sagepub.comDownloaded from
... Although standardization is a top-down process, is not necessarily experienced as burdensome or hurting performance, nor is it limited to administrative aspects of work, making it distinct from 'red-tape' (Rainey et al., 1995). Although standardization and routinization are similar constructs and may have similar consequences, they are also distinct: routinization requires that automatic behavior develops because of habit (Ohly et al., 2006;Weiss & Ilgen, 1985), whereas standardization implies automatic behavior because of a formal or informal rule (Bacharach et al., 1990). It is important to note that we do not focus on the standardization of innovation processes (Evanschitzky et al., 2012;Storey et al., 2016), but rather on standardization of work procedures that are related to the core, habitual tasks of groups. ...
... Team members assessed how much standardization was present in daily work, using a pervasiveness of rules scale (Bacharach et al., 1990). Although the label "pervasiveness of rules" may have a negative connotation (e.g., an association with "red tape"), the scale measures the degree to which there are rules for different situations and the adherence to these rules (i.e., standardization); it does not specify rules as an administrative burden. ...
... We included a seven-item scale that captured how individuals in the team perceived the availability of procedures and task specialization (α = 0.73). The scale was constructed for this project, but the items were based on both the scale used in study 1 (Bacharach et al., 1990), and complemented with items based on the team structure scale from Bunderson and Boumgarden (2010). Respondents used a five-point scale to reply (1 = "definitely false" to 5 = "definitely true"). ...
Following the Rules to Drive Innovation: A Resource Conservation and Allocation Model of Work Standardization and Innovation
Article
Full-text available
Despite the established benefits of standardization, such as safety, reliability, and efficiency, its impact on creativity and innovation remains contentious, with existing research showing both detrimental and beneficial effects. This study proposes that the relationship between standardization of work and team innovation depends on the distinction between the generation and implementation of creative ideas. This study argues that standardization's benefits, through resource conservation, will mainly benefit the implementation of ideas. Further, it proposes that these beneficial effects of standardization hinge on the organization's explicit valuation and reward of innovation, shaping the allocation of conserved resources. The investigation utilizes a multilevel field data set (N = 119 teams) and an experimental approach (N = 81 teams) to examine how standardization and rewards for innovation moderate the relationship between team creativity and innovation outcomes. The findings contribute to understanding the multifaceted role of standard work procedures and rewards in fostering team innovation, arguing that these effects should be considered within the context of resource conservation and allocation.
View
... Alongside the spillover effect, empirical evidence indicates another phenomenon, where stress crosses from one marital partner to the other. It is called the "crossover" effect [11,12]. Both processes, spillover and crossover, are co-related as they both start with one partner experiencing work-related stress that spills over into their private lives, leading to an increase of their general stress, which then leads to the crossover process, when the stress crosses over to the other partner, and then back and forth between them, in a continuous spiral process [13][14][15]. ...
... Role conflict was measured using a 7-item scale developed by Bacharach, Bamberger and Conley [11]. Sample item: "I often receive an assignment without adequate resources and materials to execute it". ...
The impact of spillover and crossover effects of job stressors on pregnancy rates in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2025
  • J ASSIST REPROD GEN
Purpose Studies have shown mixed findings regarding the impact of stress on the success of fertility treatments. To the best of our knowledge, stress in the context of the workplace has not been investigated to date in relation to the success of fertility treatments. This research investigates the impact of work-related stress and emotional exhaustion experienced by both partners on in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment outcomes. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 44 heterosexual couples (N = 88) in which both partners filled out the research questionnaire. The couples were recruited in a hospital IVF unit in the center of Israel. Results Women’s job-related stress and emotional exhaustion lowered their chances of achieving pregnancy when undergoing IVF treatments. Moreover, when partners’ emotional exhaustion was relatively low, the job-related stress of women did not affect pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion This is the first study to explore whether job-related stressors of both partners may have an impact on success rates of IVF treatments. We propose some practical implications as to how to eradicate their negative impact on IVF outcomes.
View
... H1: Role overload is positively related to CWB Relationship between Role Overload and Job Stress: Role overload occurs when individuals are faced with high demands of roles, obligations, or tasks within a specific timeframe, surpassing their capacity to perform (Rizzo et al., 1970;Cooper et al., 2001). Task completion within a limited timeframe is the defining characteristic of role overload, as described by Bacharach et al. (1990). Parker and DeCotiis (1983) identified job stress as the perception of personal incapacity caused by events in the work environment. ...
... Measuring Instrument: 1) Role Overload: This independent variable questionnaire has been developed by Bacharach et al. (1990), which has been adopted and adapted in this research study wherein sample item is "I don't have time to finish my job." 2) Perceived Injustice: This moderator questionnaire has been developed by Hodson et al. (1994), which has been adopted and adapted in this research study wherein sample item is "Some people at my workplace receive special treatment because they are friendly with supervisors." 3) Job Stress: This mediator questionnaire has been developed by Kahn et al. (1964), which has been adopted and adapted in this research study wherein sample item is "How frequently do you feel bothered by each of these?" 4) Counter-productive Work Behaviors: This dependent variable questionnaire has been developed by Fox, S., & Spector, P. E. (1999), which has been adopted and adapted in this research study wherein, the sample item is "Daydreamed rather than did your work." ...
Migration Letters Counterproductive Work Behaviors In Healthcare Workers: Uncovering The Role Of Perceived Injustice
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2022
Purpose: This study examines the relationship of work overload, job stress and the moderating role of perceived injustice, resulting in counterproductive work behavior of healthcare workers in the public sector hospitals of Pakistan, analysed through the lens of equity theory, which states, "Employee motivation at work is driven largely by their 1 sense of fairness." Methodology and Design: The middle level employees of public sector hospitals of Pakistan were targeted through purposive sampling technique and questionnaires were applied to collect data. Analysis was done through statistical software, SPSS & Smart PLS. Findings: The result of the analysis showed that work overload and job stress adversely affect the behavior of healthcare workers towards work under the moderation of perceived injustice. Novelty: An in-depth analysis of the root causes and their interplay, i.e., work overload, causing job stress and the moderating effect of perceived injustice, all leading to employee counterproductive work behaviors among healthcare workers provides an insight to the reader for better understanding of the relationship of these variables with the outcome of interest. Implications: This research study provides policy guidelines for the policy makers and human resource managers of public sector hospitals to maintain equity among the healthcare workers in order to create a stress-free work environment resulting in positive work behavior of the employees, which ultimately benefits the patients and contributes towards a healthier population.
View
... Role overload has been demonstrated to be detrimental to job performance (Jones et al., 2007). More importantly, employees who experience higher role overload might have stronger feelings of loss of resources (Bacharach et al., 1990;Matthews et al., 2014). ...
... Second, when organizations attempt to improve employee work engagement through CSE and ESU, reducing employees' perceptions of role overload is conductive to enhancing the effectiveness of CSE and ESU in eliciting work engagement. Previous research has found that relatedjob feedback, task identity, formal communication, and realistic job preview are effective in lowering role overload (Bacharach et al., 1990). The work of Gurbuz et al. (2013) also showed that perceived organizational support is conductive to decreased role overload. ...
Core self-evaluation and work engagement: employee strengths use as a mediator and role overload as a moderator
Article
Full-text available
  • Feb 2024
  • CURR PSYCHOL
Although core self-evaluation (CSE) has been found to be positively linked with work engagement, we have little knowledge about why and when this relationship occurs. This study sought to investigate the mediating effect of employee strengths use (ESU) and the moderating effect of role overload on the relationship of CSE with work engagement. A two-wave design was applied to collect data from a sample of 344 employees from one energy company in China. Results showed that ESU acts as a mediator between CSE and work engagement, and role overload lessens the direct linkage between ESU and work engagement and the indirect association between CSE and work engagement via ESU. This study advances our understanding of the process mechanisms underlying the relationship between CSE and work engagement, and reveals the boundary condition under which CSE has a stronger association with work engagement via ESU.
View
... Second, by considering the mediating effect of thriving at work, this paper deepens the understanding of the potential emotional and cognitive mechanisms between empowering leadership and individual work reflection. According to the resource spiral growth in COR theory, empowering by designing and implementing high-performance work systems (Jensen et al., 2013), or decrease employees' perception of role overload by increasing performance rewards (Bacharach et al., 1990). ...
How and when does empowering leadership contribute to followers’ individual work reflection? The roles of thriving at work and role overload
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2025
  • CURR PSYCHOL
Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, this study aims to explore the relationship between empowering leadership and followers’ individual work reflection. Additionally, this study tested the mediating effect of followers’ thriving at work and the moderating role of role overload on the relationship between thriving at work and individual work reflection. The data were collected from followers in various Chinese organizations at two time points, with a time lag of two weeks. We used a latent variable-based structural equation modeling approach to conduct a moderated mediation analysis to test our hypotheses. As hypothesized, empowering leadership was a statistically significant predictor of followers’ individual work reflection, with followers’ thriving at work mediating the relationship between empowering leadership and individual work reflection. Furthermore, we found that followers’ role overload negatively moderates the direct impact of thriving at work on individual work reflection as well as the indirect impact of empowering leadership on individual work reflection through thriving at work. This study is the first empirical examination of the link between empowering leadership and followers’ individual work reflection, advancing the theory and research on leadership and followers’ work reflection, and offers valuable strategies for organizations and leaders to promote followers’ individual work reflection more effectively.
View
... We also controlled for the remote employee's work overload using a three-item scale (α = .82) developed by Bacharach et al. (1990). ...
Love on the rocks: unraveling effects of remote Employees' work–family conflict on Couples' divorce intentions
Article
  • Mar 2024
This research examines the detrimental impact of remote employees' work‐to‐family conflict (WFC) on divorce intentions for both the remote employee and spouse. Building upon the spillover‐crossover framework and relative deprivation theory, we examine the paths of spillover to the remote employee's divorce intentions, crossover influences of a remote employee's WFC on divorce intentions through the spouse (i.e., relative deprivation, resentment toward the employee's remote work, and relationship tension), and crossback of the remote employee's WFC through the spouse and back to their own divorce intentions. Surveying 311 remote employees and their spouses at two‐time points, we find that remote employee WFC predicts divorce intentions for the remote employee through the spillover path. Further, the remote employee WFC crosses over to the spouse through two different paths to impact spouse divorce intentions. Taken together, our research extends the existing WFC literature and broadens our understanding of the spillover and crossover effects through which remote employees' WFC could undermine both partners' perceptions of the marital relationship.
View
View
Principals' systems thinking and student outcomes: the intervening role of school structure
Article
  • Mar 2024
  • Int J Educ Manag
Purpose This study examines the relationship of principals’ systems thinking (PST) to student outcomes of academic achievement and school violence. The investigation relies on the contingency theory, according to which effective leadership is contingent on the nature of the situational influences to which managers are exposed. Specifically, the study investigates the influence of school structure – bureaucratic vs organic – on the relationship between PST and student outcomes of academic achievement and school violence after accounting for students’ socioeconomic backgrounds and principals' demographics. Design/methodology/approach A three-source survey design with self-reported and non-self-reported data was used, with a sample of 423 participants from 71 elementary schools in Israel. The sample included senior management team members and teachers. The data were aggregated at the school level of analysis. Findings Hierarchical regression analyses showed that organic school structure moderates the relationship between PST and student academic achievement, and bureaucratic school structure moderates the relationship between PST and school violence beyond the impact of students’ socioeconomic backgrounds. Originality/value This study provides important evidence for the benefits of aligning PST with school structure for improving student outcomes beyond the impact of students’ socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, the study suggests principal system thinking leadership to achieve effective student outcomes that circumvent the effects of inequality on disadvantaged student groups.
View
View
View
View
Professionalization and Bureaucratization
Article
  • Feb 1968
Analysis of structural and attitudinal aspects of professionalization, and of the organizational settings in which many professional occupations exist, suggests that there is generally an inverse relationship between professionalization and bureaucratization, although there is considerable variation within the relationship. The data further suggest that the structural and attitudinal aspects of professionalization do not necessarily vary together. The organizations in which professionals work also differ in their degrees of bureaucratization. It is suggested that the presence of professionals in an organization affects the structure of the organization, while at the same time, the organizational structure can affect the professionalization process.
View
Patterns of Organizational Conflict
Article
  • Dec 1969
Patterns of relationships were identified between indices of organizational conflict and several measures of each of five organizational variables: structural differentiation, participation in the authority system, regulating procedures, heterogeneity and stability of personnel, and interpersonal structure. The measures were adapted from 1500 questionnaires and 600 interviews in 28 public high schools. It was found that size, specialization, hierarchy, complexity, staff additions and heterogeneity were related to organizational conflict; participation in the authority system and cohesiveness of peer group relations seemed to be conducive variables facilitating conflict; while experience and close supervision seemed to be integrative variables. However, it was also found that the same variables were correlated with conflict in different ways, depending upon the bureaucratic and professional context and the type of conflict involved. It is suggested that further descriptive research on patterns of organizational conflict must precede the construction of models of organization that allow for conflict.
View
Relationship of Centralization to Other Structural Properties
Article
  • Jun 1967
This paper examines two different ways of measuring the distribution of power in sixteenth health and welfare organizations. Participation in decision making about the allocation of organizational resources and the determination of organizational policy was strongly related to the degree of complexity as measured by (1) the number of occupational specialities, (2) the amount of professional training, and (3) the amount of professional activity and was weakly related to the degree of formalization as measured by the degree of job codification and the amount of rule observation. Except for rule observation, hierarchy of authority or the reliance on the chain of command for work decisions was not as strongly related to each of these measures of organizational structure. A partial correlational analysis between each measure of the distribution of power and the five structural properties indicates that participation in decision making retains an association with the first two indicators of complexity and the first indicator of formalization even when the other five variables are controlled simultaneously. The hierarchy of authority retains an association with the amount of professional activity and the amount of rule observation. At the same time, it is important to recognize that these two measures of the distribution of power are themselves strongly interrelated. When decisions about the allocation of organizational resources are centralized, then there is a centralization of work decisions as well.
View
Relations Among Perceived Environmental Uncertainty, Organization Structure, and Boundary-Spanning Behavior
Article
  • Jun 1977
Boundary-spanning activity is conceived of as an intervening variable between organization structure and perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU). This is due primarily because, since boundary spanners operate at the skin of the organization, their functions are to interpret environmental conditions and relay that information to organization decision makers. Three hypotheses examining relations between PEU, organization structure, and boundary-spanning activity were investigated. In a field study comprising 12 work units (182 people) working in a health and welfare organization, positive relations were found between all three variables. Partial relations indicated that PEU does not influence the relationship of boundary spanning to structure but structure reduces the relationship of PEU to boundary spanning to zero, and boundary spanning reduces the relationship between structure and PEU to zero. Thus, not only is the notion of boundary spanning as an intervening variable supported, but results suggest that causality in the relationship between structure and PEU may be from structure to PEU rather than current contingency notions of PEU affecting structure.
View
Organizational Antecedents of Role Conflict and Ambiguity in Top-Level Administrators
Article
  • Dec 1976
This study explores factors associated with role conflict and ambiguity in top-level administrators in public agencies. Research is reviewed, on possible organizational and interorganizational antecedents. Despite the fact that top-level administrators devote a considerable proportion of their time to relations with other units, interorganizational factors have not been included in models of role conflict. Data were obtained in structured personal interviews with 102 top-level county administrators. As demonstrated by regression analysis, interorganizational variables tended to account for the largest amount of variance in role conflict, and intraorganizational variables accounted for the largest amount of variance in role ambiguity. Interorganizational variables were stronger independent determinants of role conflict than intraorganizational variables were of role ambiguity.
View
Structural and Process Constraints on Influence in Organizations: A Level- Specific Analysis
Article
  • Dec 1976
This paper presents a level-specific analysis of the dispersion of influence in administrative bureaucracies of 44 Belgian cities. A distinction was drawn between process and structure, and the effect of various structural and process constraints on the influence of middle and lower echelons was examined. It was found that the effects of process and structure on influence in decision making were not consistent across organizational levels.
View
Organizational Analysis of Stress: The Case of Elementary and Secondary Schools
Article
  • Feb 1986
  • WORK OCCUPATION
This article is an organizational analysis of stress in 42 elementary school organizations and 45 secondary school organizations. Organizational stress is operationalized as the aggregate average response to survey questions on the teachers' level of general stress on the job. The predictors of stress differ for elementary school organizations and secondary school organizations. Among the independent variables emerging as important are role ambiguity, the rationality of promotion, and supervisory behavior.
View
The School Work Environment and Teacher Career Dissatisfaction
Article
  • Feb 1989
The reform movement has focused primarily on issues of teacher preparation and compensation. However, as our schools are currently structured and managed, many teachers become dissatisfied with their careers regardless of their level of preparation and compensation. If we can discover the organizational work characteristics of schools that are associated with teacher career dissatisfaction, we may have a basis for changing the work environment of schools to ensure more continuous career satisfaction for teachers. Analyzing a sample of 42 elementary schools and 45 secondary schools in the state of New York, this article takes a step toward addressing this goal by investigating the organizational work characteristics that predict teachers' career dissatisfaction.
View
Relationships of stress to individually and organizationally valued states: Higher order needs as a moderator
Article
  • Feb 1976
Data from 79 male and 64 female members of a white-collar union employed in drafting, mechanical, and technical-clerical jobs in a midwestern manufacturing company show that some effects of role stresses on individually valued states were incompatible with their effects on 3 organizationally valued motivational states: involvement, effort toward quantity, and effort toward quality. Specifically, role overload was correlated positively with organizationally valued outcomes, but also with 3 adverse individual outcomes: job dissatisfaction, fatigue, and tension. Two other role stresses, role ambiguity and nonparticipation, had adverse effects on both individually and organizationally valued psychological states. Relationships between role stresses and individually valued outcomes were moderated by higher order need strength. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
View