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ROLE CONFLICT IN ORGANIZATIONS
Last modified: 2015-09-16
Abstract
This paper presents a study of a specific communication problem in organizations. The problem is “Role Conflict”, also known as “Role Ambiguity”. A person experiences Role Conflict when two or more role expectations occur at the same time, and compliance with the one make compliance with the other difficult. There are several types of role conflict andvarious ways to deal with each type. The five types of Role Conflict will be described for a better insight to this communication problem. Consequences of Role Conflict will then be analyzed, which indicate that high levels of Role Conflict have negative impacts on the organization. Role Conflict for the Paralegal position in a law firm setting in theUSA will be examined. The author describes five positions which characterize an average-sized law firm. In order of authority, the positions are: Manager, Administrator, Attorney, Paralegal and Secretary. In the final part of the paper the author will propose several strategies for the reduction of role conflict in organizations. Although these strategies aredesigned for the law firm environment, they may be applied in other types of organizations as well
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