Role ambiguity occurs when employees are not quite sure what they are responsible for, what matters most, which decisions they can make, or how their work will be judged. Photo: istockphoto.com.
Gary Martin highlights how problems occur when an employee is apparently given complete freedom to design and manage a project only to be stymied at every turn.
Too many employees are expected to hit the mark at work without ever being shown the target.
A job can come with a position description and a list of duties. It can also come packaged with a set of performance measures often called key performance indicators or KPIs. Despite this, the person doing the job can be left wondering what good work is supposed to look like.
Sure, they may know what tasks need to be completed, but they might not know which ones matter most. Frustratingly, they may be told to take the initiative but still need to report back for approval of every decision they make.
More frustrating still, they may work hard all year only to discover during their performance review that they were judged against expectations nobody had bothered to explain.
This problem has a name — role ambiguity. It happens when employees are not quite sure what they are responsible for, what matters most, which decisions they can make or how their work will be judged.
An employee dealing with vague expectations is forced to spend valuable time and energy working that out. Some play it safe and stop taking any initiatives. Others overwork, hoping sheer effort will compensate for a lack of direction. Some become so frustrated they mentally check out or start looking for another job.
The confusion often begins with instructions that sound clear to the person giving them. “Take ownership”, “Be more strategic”, “Lift your profile” and “Show leadership” may all sound impressive, but without some further explanation, employees are left none the wiser.
Mixed messages make matters worse. An employee is told service to the client comes first, then is criticised for missing a project target. Another is encouraged to innovate, only to have every new idea rejected without explanation. Someone else absorbs the work of a departed colleague but receives no updated duties, authority or recognition.
The fact is, employees need to know what they are responsible for, what success looks like, which decisions they can make and what should take priority when demands collide. Those expectations also need to be discussed again whenever teams, technology or workplace priorities change.
Managers should put important expectations in writing, talk them through and ask employees to explain their understanding.
Employees also have a role to play by seeking clarification rather than struggling in silence. Managers who leave people in the dark should not be surprised when performance misses the mark.
Gary Martin is a former academic turned social trends and workplace specialist, keynote speaker and newspaper columnist. He is currently CEO of the Australian Institute of Management in Western Australia.
