OBNotes.htm Organizational Behavior Notes by Wilf Ratzburg: GROUPS AND ROLE CONFLICT

.	The roles assigned to group members may be the cause of internal conflict. Interrole conflict occurs when an individual is assigned simultaneous roles with conflicting expectations.
INTERROLE CONFLICT... ...a case of wearing too many hats
.	A group leader, charged with the mission of making a monetary profit for the group and also with ensuring that profits are distributed to group members for purposes of their individual welfare, is likely to suffer from interrole conflict. For this leader, the question is one of re-investing in the group's profit-making enterprise or ensuring group harmony by making sure group members are able to meet their personal short-term economic objectives.
.	While some difficulties may arise because of conflicting role expectations, conflict may also result from an overload of expectations. Intrarole conflict occurs when too many directives are sent to one group member.
INTRAROLE CONFLICT... ...as case of too many bosses
.	Nurses, subject to role expectations from a number of sources -- patients, doctors, hospital administrators, patients' families, laboratory technicians -- are likely to suffer from intrarole conflict.

ROLE CONFLICT