What is role conflict?

Role conflict in the workplace generally occurs when an employee’s responsibilities conflict or overlap with those of another employee or department. It can stem from a lack of clearly defined job descriptions or a company’s attempts to create fluid work processes by merging various roles or job duties.

Types of role conflict

Employees’ expectations may not align with your vision for their roles. If you familiarize yourself with these common types of role conflict, you might recognize them in your workforce:

• Inter-role conflict: An employee assumes multiple roles at work, and the responsibilities of one make it difficult to meet the expectations of the other.
• Role overload: An employee’s role becomes challenging to manage, requiring more resources and time to complete tasks properly and within a deadline.
• Intra-role conflict: An employee reports to multiple managers who offer conflicting instructions.
• Person-role conflict: An employee’s professional role may conflict when the employee’s personal values differ from the company’s. For example, a worker in manufacturing may have opposing beliefs on sustainability and feel their role contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Examples of role conflict

Recognizing possible role conflicts in the workplace can help you identify and prevent them. Here are several examples to familiarize yourself with.

Obligations to different job titles

You may hire an employee for a position with responsibilities that fall within two different job titles. Because having clear definitions and expectations for each role generally helps professionals meet their professional goals, it’s important for leaders to minimize overlapping tasks.

For example, an employee may work as a digital marketing specialist whose primary responsibility is planning and scheduling marketing campaigns. However, if your company doesn’t have a copywriter on staff, this employee may also be asked to complete content writing duties. Matching a person’s job duties to their role-specific tasks can help reduce the risk of burnout.

Work in higher- and lower-level roles simultaneously

In some companies, employees may work on a team and complete similar tasks as other members while managing or supervising that team, essentially serving in a middle management position. For example, a team of editors may have a content manager who monitors and conducts reviews of their team members’ performances while completing editing duties.

To avoid confusion and promote trust, managers might delegate various responsibilities while providing consistent leadership.

Limited provided guidance for a role

Some employees may be hired with little to no guidance or training. Proper instruction can help team members feel confident in their ability to effectively complete tasks or manage responsibilities.

For example, you may hire an accountant to work on a team of accountants who have separate financial tasks. You likely need to provide a brief overview of the role, distribute training materials and provide further explanations about the position. This can help the new hire adapt to their role and define their responsibilities.

How to avoid role conflict

It’s possible to implement policies and strategies to avoid and resolve conflicting roles in the workplace. Here’s what you can do when roles conflict.

Provide proper training, guidance and assistance when needed

Some employees are less productive in their roles because they’re unsure how to properly complete their jobs. As their manager, inform your employees that you’re willing to provide assistance and guidance when needed. Consider implementing detailed training sessions for their role and an open door policy.

You might also offer cross-training. This method can help employees understand their colleagues’ roles without making those tasks a required extension of their position. If an employee experiences role conflict, other team members trained in that role can offer assistance. Cross-training also typically helps employees understand what’s involved with each role and department. This may lead to less overlap and better communication between teams.

Try prioritizing quick responses to emails or phone calls when employees contact you with work-related questions. Knowing you’re available to clarify their duties and help them improve in their role can increase their confidence levels, which may lead to improved performance and long-term commitment to your company.

Related: Training on Conflict Resolution: Upcoming Trends

Clearly define your employees’ roles

Open communication and transparency benefit most workplaces. When you hire and onboard new employees, explain their roles and responsibilities to your existing team and each new hire. This helps everyone remain aware of each employee’s duties and supports collaboration.

Here are some ways to increase clarity and define individual roles:

• Write comprehensive job descriptions. Update each employee’s job description to reflect the current responsibilities of the role. Look through the descriptions to find overlapping duties and potential conflicts. Work with managers to resolve these issues proactively. If one employee is reporting to two departments, for example, you might split the position into two roles.
• Communicate roles to the team. Ask managers to educate their teams about each person’s roles, responsibilities and decision-making authority. Clarifying the structure of the organization and the team helps everyone understand how each person fits into the company.
• Organize the reporting structure. Explain the reporting requirements for each position to help prevent interpersonal conflicts.
• Revisit job descriptions. Review job descriptions for accuracy periodically and after a reorganization or restructuring. Ask employees to report new conflicts that arise, and update the role and its description accordingly.

Listen and respond to employee concerns

If employees feel confused or concerned about their team members’ roles or their own responsibilities, listen to their comments and concerns. Once they’ve expressed their opinions, you can demonstrate that you care about their needs by addressing the situation and developing ways to resolve it.

For example, if employees request assistance with their responsibilities, you might redistribute some to other employees or restructure their tasks to better suit their interests and skill level.

FAQs about role conflict

How can managers spot role conflict?

Managers can generally identify role conflict by observing their employees. They should look for signs that team members are struggling with their roles, such as:

• Missed deadlines
• Incomplete tasks
• Lack of motivation
• Changes in attitude or demeanor
• Interpersonal conflicts

These behaviors may indicate the employee is managing conflicting roles and responsibilities or that they don’t have clarity about what’s expected of them.

Managers can also analyze individual employee workloads to ensure they’re aligned with the job description and free of conflicts. A proactive approach can prevent small role conflicts from escalating.

What happens if a company doesn’t resolve role conflict?

In the early stages, role conflict might not have a significant impact on employees. This may be particularly true for high-performing workers who are skilled at working efficiently. Over time, the stress of incompatible tasks and conflicting responsibilities can lead to a higher risk of stress and burnout.

Unresolved role conflict can impact employee satisfaction and increase your company’s turnover rate.

How common is role conflict in the workplace?

Role conflict is common and can happen in companies of all sizes. Conflict may be more likely as businesses expand and reorganize. Your business may also encounter this if it has a loosely defined organizational structure or an organic workflow.

For example, companies with a flat organizational structure may be prone to role conflict, given the autonomous working style and fluid roles.