Role ambiguity and role conflict amongst university academic and administrative staff: a Nigerian case study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate role ambiguity and role conflict amongst the academic and administrative staff of the University of Lagos, Nigeria and to determine the differences that exist between them in this perception. The study also examined the impact of demographical variables such as gender, age, educational qualification and tenure on role perception. The questionnaire consisted of demographic questions and Role Perception Questionnaire developed by Rizzo et al., (1970) to measure role ambiguity and role conflict. A response rate of 53.5% from a total of 200 questionnaires was achieved. The results of the statistical analysis computed established a statistically significant difference in the perception of role ambiguity between the groups, but no significant difference was found in their perception of role conflict. The academic staff perceived significantly higher role ambiguity than the administrative staff, but no significant difference was recorded in their perception of role conflict. Educational qualification and gender had a significant impact on role perception of the academic staff, but did not have any significant relationship with the administrative staff’s perception of role. Tenure and age did not have any significant impact on role perception of the groups investigated. The study confirmed a positive correlation between role ambiguity with role conflict with an insignificant correlation value (r = .45). Recommendations for future research and implementation for universities administrators were made.