The Consequences of Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity among Junior High School Administrators in Taiwan.

Findings from a study that investigated the consequences of role conflict, role ambiguity, and demographic and organizational factors on work satisfaction and somatic complaints are presented in this paper. Data were derived from a survey administered to 225 Taipei (Taiwan) junior high school administrators, which elicited 211 responses (a 93 percent response rate), and interviews conducted with 16 survey respondents. Findings indicate that role conflict contributes strongly to both dissatisfaction with work and reported health problems and that role ambiguity has little additional effect. Broader work responsibilities--participation in decision-making, boundary spanning, a heavy workload, and supervisory responsibility--moderate the negative relationship between role conflict and work satisfaction. A typology for correlates of role stress is developed and presented, based on the theme that role conflict was related to virtually every variable measured; and role conflict may have profound effects. Whether or not the reported role conflict and ambiguity are a function of administrators' personalities or of Taiwan's unique cultural, organizational, and political context is unclear. Six tables are included. (41 references) (LMI)