Jackson and Schuler (1985) Revisited: A Meta-Analysis of the Relationships Between Role Ambiguity, Role Conflict, and Job Performance
verifiedrich profile · Journal of Management · 2000
Tubre, Travis C.; Collins, Judith M.
How this was studied
A meta-analytic synthesis — it pools many primary studies rather than running a single design, so there is no single-study diagram.
What this article reports
The findings we extracted from this work, normalized into Principia’s relationship form (X → Y). Each feeds the synthesized models below.
role conflict → task performance
role ambiguity → overall job performance
Models this article informs
The meta-analytic priors this article contributes evidence to — its place in the broader synthesis.
role ambiguity predicts overall job performance
role ambiguity predicts task performance
role conflict predicts task performance
In the authors’ words
The article’s own abstract.
We conducted a meta-analysis of correlations between role ambiguity and job performance and role conflict and job performance. Previous meta-analyses of these role constructs and performance relationships (e.g., Jackson & Schuler, 1985) were limited by small sample sizes and sparse reporting of reliability estimates in primary studies. The present study used a comprehensive database with a larger sample size and a distribution of interrater reliabilities to extend the previous findings. We also tested moderator hypotheses proposed but not conducted by Jackson and Schuler. Results revealed a negative relationship (r52.21) between role ambiguity and job performance with moderating influences due to job type and rating source. A negligible relationship (r52.07) was observed for role conflict and job performance, a finding consistent across job types and rating sources. Conclusions were that role ambiguity ought not to be dismissed as an unimportant variable in the job performance domain.
What the literature says about it
Attributed, open-access quotes from other works that cite this article, plus the citation-graph verdict tally. Corroborations and disputes, in one place — the honest-broker view.
supports “While a degree of ambiguity can foster fl exibility and creativity during the initial stages of change (Gioia et al., 2012), it becomes vital to solidify roles and expectations as the transformation progresses to limit any negative impacts on job performance (Tubre & Collins, 2000; Yun et al., 2007).”
supports “For example, role ambiguity has been found to be negatively associated with job performance (Tubre & Collins, 2000).”
supports “For example, role ambiguity has been found to be negatively associated with job performance (Tubre & Collins, 2000).”
supports “Numerous studies and meta-analyses have demonstrated the adverse effect of role conflict on job performance (Crosno et al., 2009; Gilboa, Shirom, Fried, & Cooper, 2008; Tubre & Collins, 2000; Tuten & Neidermeyer, 2004).”
supports “While a degree of ambiguity can foster fl exibility and creativity during the initial stages of change (Gioia et al., 2012), it becomes vital to solidify roles and expectations as the transformation progresses to limit any negative impacts on job performance (Tubre & Collins, 2000; Yun et al., 2007).”
supports “Prior studies suggest that organizations should minimize role conflict and role ambiguity because of its negative effects, such as dissatisfaction, anxiety, lower commitment and lower performance (House and Rizzo, 1972; Jackson and Schuler, 1985; Tubre and Collins, 2000).”
supports “The negative impact of role conflict on job performance has been outlined in numerous previous studies (see following meta-analyses: Gilboa et al., 2008; Tubre & Collins, 2000).”
Ancillary research
Neighbouring works in the citation graph around this article.
- 10.1007/s10672-023-09457-2
- 10.1007/s10869-022-09846-8
- 10.1177/10596011241278028
- 10.1177/20965311211009356
- 10.1007/s10869-019-09660-9
- 10.1177/1059601118769192
- 10.1177/0018726717692852
Assembled from Principia’s registry — bibliographic record, extracted effect sizes, the models they inform, and open-access citing literature.