Role ambiguity between the sales and planning investment departments in phu long real estates corporation

TaskInterdependence, Rulesand Policies...27 3.2.. Clarifytaskbeforeimplementingaprojectbyjobdescriptionforeachteaman deach teammember...33 4.1.2... Table1.1.Thereportofappraisalforapplyi

MASTEROFBUSINESSADMINISTRATIONSUPER VISOR:DR.NGUYENPHONGNGUYEN

HoChiMinhCity,February2017

CONTENTS

CHAPTER1:PROBLEMINDENTIFICATION 5

1.1 Introductionabout The Companyandthepotentialproblem 5

1.2 Selectthecentralproblem 13

CHAPTER2:PROBLEMJUSTIFICATION 15

2.2 Justifytheexistenceoftheproblem 15

2.3 Justifytheimportanceoftheproblem 17

2.3.1 InterpersonalTension 17

2.3.2 LowJobSatisfaction 18

2.3.3 LowJobPerformance 20

2.3.4 ExtremeBehavior 21

2.3.5 Propensitytoleave 22

2.3.6 Opportunism 23

CHAPTER3:CAUSE VALIDATION 25

3.1 Potentialcausesofproblem 25

3.1.1 VagueTask 25

3.1.2 RestrictionsonEmployee’sAuthority 25

3.1.3 Sizeandcomplexityoforganization 26

3.1.4 TaskInterdependence, Rulesand Policies 27

3.2 CauseValidation 29

3.2.1 Justifythelinksbetweenthepotentialcausesandthecentralproblem 29

3.2.2 Evaluatetherelativeimportanceoftherealcauses 31

3.2.2 Eliminateirrelevantcauses 31

CHAPTER4:SOLUTION 33

4.1 Alternativesolutions 33

4.1.1 Clarifytaskbeforeimplementingaprojectbyjobdescriptionforeachteaman deach teammember 33

4.1.2 Increasingtheeffectivenessofteamworkqualitythroughcommunication,c o o r d i n a t i o n , balanceofmembercontributions,mutualsupport,effort,cohesion 33

4.2 SolutionEvaluation 36

4.3 Action Plan 37

CHAPTER5:SUPPORTINGINFORMATION 41

5.1 Interviewtranscript 41

5.1.1 ProblemIdentification 41

5.1.2 Theexistenceofproblem 44

5.1.3 Justifytheimportanceofproblem 47

REFERENCES 53

Table1.1.ThereportofappraisalforapplyingISO9001:2015 9Table1.2.Processesunderlyingcoordination 12

LISTOFFIGURE

Figure3.1.Thecause-effectmap 27Figure4.1.TheTeamworkQualityConstruct 37

ThisresearchistofindoutwhatproblemsareaffectingonroleambiguitybetweenSalesa n d PlanningInvestmentDepts.inPhuLongRealEstateCorporation.Thedatafromin-

d e p t h interviewswithmanagersinHumanResources,PlanningInvestmentandSalesDepts.andemployeesinPlanningInvestment,Sales,Finance&AccountingandHumanR e s o u r c e s Depts.wasusedinthisthesis.BesidesthereportofDNVOrganizationtakingassessmentISO9001:2015,theresearchfoundoutthatlackofcooperationbetweenSalesa n d PlanningInvestmentDepartmentsistheeffectofroleambiguitybetweenthesetwop a r t s Next,indeeperanalyzeofthepotentialcausesoftheproblem,theresearcherfoundthatVaguetask,SizeandComplexityofOrganization,Task,Interdependences,RulesandP o l i c i e s arerootcausesleadingtoeffectivenessofSalesStrategicTeamaswellastheturnoverofcompany.Forwards,thepapersuggestedsolutionsrelatingtoreducerolea m b i g u i t

y betweenSalesandPlanningInvestmentDepts.inordertoincreasethecoordinationofthemaswellastoimprovetheturnoverinSalesaswellastomeettherequirementofSalesPlaninPhuLongCorp.Finally,theactionplanwithdetailedstepsw a s presentedtoimplementthisstrategy

CHAPTER1:PROBLEMINDENTIFICATION 1.1 IntroductionaboutTheCompanyandthepotentialproblem

IntroductionaboutTheCompany

PhuLongRealEstateCorporationwasestablishedin2005withchartercapital:700b i l l i o

n ofVietnameseDong.ItisoneoftheleadingrealestatedevelopersinHoChiMinhCityandtheownerof65-haDragonCityinNhaBeDistrict-

theurbanaread e v e l o p m e n t ThecompanyhasalsodevelopedandareoperatingotherpropertiesandprojectsinVietnamincludingHDofficeTower,AbacusofficeinDistrict1,HoChiMinhCity;SaigonSovicoPhuQuoc205hainPhuQuocIsland,onemixed-useprojectinCityC e n te r ofHaNoi

 Fullname :CôngtyCổphầnĐịaốcPhúLong

 Englishname:PhuLongRealEstateCorporation

 Headoffice :41NguyenVanLinhStreet,MyHung2Quarter,TanPhongWard,D i st r i ct7,HoChiMinhCity

Thecompany’sinvestmentprincipleistocreatesustainablevalueaddedforu s e r s /

b u y er s Theyalwaysfocusondetailsandbuildpropertiesfromuser’sview,fromp l a n n i n g &design,constructiontopropertymanagement.Itsproductsaredesignedandb u i l t withcareanddevotion,forinstance:KimLongVillas,NganLongVillas,DragonHil lResidenceandSuites,DragonParcVillas,PVGasofficeTower,whichbringsnotonlyhighqualitybuildingsbutalsoanefficiencyandoptimallivingcommunity

ItcannotbedeniedthatrealestatemarketinHoChiMinhCityhasbeenheatingupr ecently ingenerallyandparticularlyatthesouthofSaigon.Thisisnotonlyachanced e v e l o p i n g theprojectsinthesouthbutalsothechallenginginthisfieldforPhuLongCorp

AccordingtoCBRE(1)-theworld’slargestcommercialrealestateservicesandinvestmentfirm,itstatedthat:

ThedemandforSaigonSouthhasbeengrowingasacommercialhubwithqualityo f f i c e andcommercialdevelopmentssuchasCrescentPlaza(hometoANZbank),Br o ad w ay OfficePark(hometoIKEA’ssourcingoperations)andothermajorm u l t i n a t i o n a l s haverelocatedtoSaigonSouthasaanaffordablelocationtothetraditionaldowntownareasofDistricts1and3itisnosurprisethatdemandforS a i g o n SouthhasbeengrowingasacommercialhubwithqualityofficeandcommercialdevelopmentssuchasCrescentPlaza(hometoANZbank),Broadway

O f f i c e Park(hometoIKEA’ssourcingoperations)andothermajormultinationalsh a v e relocatedtoSaigonSouthasaanaffordablelocationtothetraditionald o w n t o wn areasofDistricts1and3(1)

year-

BasedonthepropensitytodevelopinSaigonSouth,PhuLongCorp.isproudofbeingamany-experiencerealestatedeveloperinthisplace.With10yearsfordevelopment,PhuLongCorphasbeencompletingorganizationalstructureforsurvivalinth is fieldaswellascompetingwithstrongcompetitors.“Thehighertheenvironmentva r i ab i l i t y andtheuncertaintyconsequentlyexperienced,themoretheprevailing

structureoforganizationshouldbeadaptive,withroleopentocontinualredefinitionandw i t h

co-ordinationbeingachievedbyfrequentmeetingsandconsiderablelateralc o m m u n i c a t i o n ” (2,p362).Obviously,besidesthesourcessuchasfinance,experience,perso nn el, thecontinuousimprovementoforganizationalstructureinPhuLongCorp.isal so veryessential.Forinstance,PhuLongCorp.usedstandardstodemonstratetheabilitytoconsistentlyprovideproductsandservicesthatmeetcustomerandregulatoryrequirementthroughapplyingISO9001:2015-

aqualitymanagementsystemrevision,in2 0 1 6 AccordingtothereportofappraisalprofessorsinTable1.1,therearetheexistingproblemsincompanyabout:lackofcooperationbetweenSalesandPlanningInvestmentD e p t s insellinggoods,lackoftheprocesscontrolinconstructionsiteandlackofriskanalysisinqualitymanagement.Allofthreeproblemshavebeensingledoutasofp a r t i c u l a r l yimportance.Itisdifferenttomakeadeepanalysisforeachissue

SiteNa me

FocusArea Process/Area/

Department

Standard Clause DNV

GL Auditors Initials

Depts.inselling Linh

(D2-19, My Hung2 Quarter ),Tan Phong Ward, District 7,HCM City,- ,+84,Vi etNam

s s ofc on t r ol doc ument,recruitmen t,t r a i n i n g , inve stmen…Thereis norisk-

c o n t r o l process

PHULO NG,41 Nguyen VanLin hStreet(

D2-19,

My Hung2Q uarter ),TanP h

o n g War d,D i s t r i

c t 7,HC M City,- ,+84,Vi etNam

TopManage ment

ISO9001:2 015

ISO90 01:2 015 6.1

VNQ

The regulationof nVan monitoring materialfor Linh activities projects ismore Street

clearly.For (D2-19, example:the My uPVCpipefor Hung2 watersystems Quarter

standardizedand Phong examine strictly Ward,

District 7,HCM City,- ,+84,Vi etNam

imetodoresearchandsolvethis

problem.Thelastoneislackofriskanalysisinqualitymanagement.Listingandm a n a g e m e n t

riskarenecessaryactivitiestopreventriskinfuture.Butconsideringtheurgency,lackofcooperationbetweenSalesandPlanningInvestmentisthemostessentialw h i c h needstoberesolvedinordertoachieveabetteroperationalresult

LackofcooperationbetweenSalesandPlanningInvestmentDepts.,accordingtoi n f o r m a t i o n of

MrTranVanTai–

amanagerofHumanResourcesDept.stated:“Thisisnoclearjobofeachdepartment:SalesandPla nningDepartments;hencethereisnoc l e a r responsibilityforanypersonandtolayblameoneacho ther”.Maloneetal(3,p362)alsorevealed:“Ifthereisnointerdependence,thereisnothingtocoordina

te”.H e alsomentionedaboutthree(3)kindsofinterdependence:“prerequisite,sharedr e s o u r c e

s , simultaneity.Prerequisiteisoutputofoneactivitywhichisrequiredbythenextofactivity.Sharedresourceisresourcerequiredbymultipleactivities.Simultaneityi s timeatwhichmorethanoneactivitymustoccur(3,p363)”.Orinterdependenceisthed e g r e e ofinfluenceontheothers’performancewhenonememberofateamhastofacewi th histask(4).Becauseoftheeffectsoftheirperformancesontheothers,membersinS a l e s StrategicTeaminPhuLongCorp.mightdothejobsfortheirmemberswhocannotmeetdeadline,saidMr.Tai.Insomesituations,thedeliverywasnotintimeastheycommitted.Healsosupposedthatwastheconsequenceofunseriousreward,disciplinea n d penaltiessystem.Fortherecent2years(2015-

2016),theresultaftereachSalesS tr a t eg y waslessthanthetargetofSalesStrategicTeam21,4%,27,5%respectively

Therefore,itreallyinfluencesonthefinancialperformanceofcompany

Maloneetal(3)preferredthattheprocessesunderlyingcoordinationincluded4stagesasTable1.2.First,thecoordinationis“identifyinggoals,orderingactivities,assigningactivitiestoactors,allocatingresources,synchronizingactivities”(3,p365).S e c o n d , groupdecision-

makingis“proposingalternatives,makingchoice(byauthority,consensus,voting…)”(3,p365).Third,communicationis“establishingcommonlanguages,selectingreceiver(routing),transportingmessage(delivering)”(3,p365)

Finally,perceptionofcommonobjectsis“seeingsamephysicalobjects,assessingsharedd a t a b a s

e s ”(3,p365).AccordingtoMs.TranThiMinhThuyisateamleaderwith7workingyearsinSales

Department,shesaid:“Insalesstrategicteam,thefinalresultu s u a l l y isnotontime.Forsomerea sons,onejobinachainwillbedelayedmakesthep ro c es s ofalljobsareslower”.Ontheotherhand,“ betweenSalesandPlanningInvestmentParts,theyseldommeteachothertointeract,sharetheinfor mation.Theyjustc o m m u n i c a t e d viaemail,phonebecauseofwork.Therelationshipbetweenthe mmayb e c o m e cursory”-MrNguyenLiemChinh–

anexpertinPlanningInvestmentDept.revealed.Definitely,communicationamongthemhasnotcreateda“commonlanguage”( 5 , p365)thatisalanguagewhichisdescribedthelikenessofmembersinateam

Therefore,alltheactivitieswhicharenottheactofmanaginginterdependenciesandperformedtoachieveagoalisnotthecooperation(3).Throughtheinterviews,itcanbef o u n d thatthecooperationbetweenSalesandPlanningInvestmentDepts.isnotenoughd u r a b l e Theyimplementedtheirtaskswhichwerelackofinterdependenciesbetweenthem.Moreover,theycouldnotcreateaharmoniousflowincooperationbecauseof

shorteningthestagesofcoordinationprocesses.Therefore,lackofcooperationbetweenS a l e s andPlanningInvestmentDepts.existedinPhuLongRealEstateCorporation.

anemployeeinPlanningIn v e stm en t s Team,therewereunclearassignedtasksinPlanningInvestmentDepartment.Someworkrelatingtootherparts,especiallytheywouldconductsomeworkofSalesTeam.Althoughthisworkwasnothisrolebecauseofhissuperiordirection.Thereis

unclearexpectationfromsuperiors;thusthesubordinatesdonotwhattheirr esp on si bi lit ies are.Especially,becauseofnocompensationfortheextrawork,onefindsunmotivated forthisjob.Heal

sostated:“SalesDepartmentsisafraidofusimplementingallworkingrelatingtothem.Ifwefinishe dthisworkwell,mydepartmentwillhavetheva lid incompany.Incontrast,theircurrentrolewillbe lostincompany.Becauseofthisthough,Ifeeluncomfortableincooperatingwiththem”.According

totheissuewhichPlanningInvestmentsTeamsharedabove,thisproblemisunclearrulebetweentwo

d ep a r t m e n t s

Ontheotherhand,lackofcooperationinPhuLongCorp.iscausedbylackoftru stamongte ammembersorteams,particularlyunconditionaltrust.AccordingtoJonesetal(8),trustcanleadtoco

operativebehaviorinorganization,particularly,u n c o n d i t i o n a l trust.Whentrustisunconditional,peoplewanttocooperateforsharedv a l u e s andreciprocatedfeelings,notforindebtedness(8).AccordingtoMr.NguyenL iemChinh,hefeltuncertainaboutwhathewasdoingandwhathewouldachieveinhiswork.Therefore,heoftenfeltstressandunsatisfiedwithhisjob.Furthermore,Ms.Do

X u a n Hoaialsorevealedthatshefeltuntrustedinhersupervisor.Althoughshetriedtowo rk hard;shecouldbenotrecognizedhigh-

value.Forinstance,twomanagersofSalesa n d PlanningInvestmentDepts.couldnotcooperatedtogetherbecauseeveryonehadtheo w n thinkandnottrustineachother.Thelackofcooperationcouldleadtonotmatchworkofeachmember

Thelastoneisleaderbehavior.AccordingtoCremeretal(9),twoleadershipf eat ures rela

tedtotheleaders’abilitytopromotegroupbelongingness:procedural

fairnessandcharismaticleadership.Theleadersmayinducecooperationthroughf o s t e r i n g positivewithin-

grouprelations.Whenanemployeereceivesapositivesocialevaluation(respect,belongingness);fairtreatmentmaymotivatehimengageingroup-

o r i e n t a t i o n behaviorsuchasbeingconduciveofcooperation(10).Ontheotherhand,cooperationiscreatedbycharismaticleadershipfosteringasenseofgroupbelongingness.B a e t z etal(11)statedthatcharismaticleadershipmayappealtogroupmembers’motives,aspirationsaswellastocreatemotivationforstaff.T h e s e leaderb e h a v i o r s inducethespliceofavisionaswellasmakingpersonalsacrificestorealizethevision.AccordingtoMr.VoDuyMinh,heknewthattheassigningofworkwasnotsuitableandnotbeclear.However,hehadtoimplementuntilhefeltuninterestedinwork

H e couldnotdoanymorebecauseitwasamechanismofcompany

1.2 Selectthecentralproblem

Basedontheanalyzedinformationandpotentialproblems,lackofcooperationbetweenSalesandPlanningInvestmentsDepartmentscomesfromlackoftrustamongt e a m membersorteam,particularly,unconditionaltrust;leaderbehaviorsandtherolea m b i g u i t y betweenSalesandPlanningInvestmentDepts

Firstly,thetrustofeachindividualtohisteamorcolleaguesrequiresthelongtimetopractice.Thedevelopmentoftrustisafunctionbelonginganorganization’sabilityo v e r time(8).Whetherdoestheorganizationalcultureendorseandencouragetheexpressionofthevaluesunderlyingtrustornot?

Althoughsignificantadvantagesmayo b t a i n fromtheindicationofunconditionaltrust,ittakestime,effort,andconsiderable

resourcestobuildandmaintainunconditionaltrust(8).Thus,inordertoenhanceu ncon di ti on al trustamongteammembersinSalesStrategicTeamofPhuLongCorp,ittakestoomanyresourceswhicharenotappropriateinthissituation.

Second,leaderbehaviorisoneofthepotentialproblemscreatinglackofcooperation.Thisis

sueisoneofemotionalproblemwhichishardtosolveintheo r g a n i z a t i o n s Itdependsonthemanagerialsystemwhichisdeterminedbytheheadofcompany.Withthelimitofresources,thispapercannotsolvethisissueimmediately

Third,roleambiguitymakesemployeesunclearabouttheirjobobjectives.Whenemployeefe

elsdissatisfiedwithwork,lowjobperformanceisacertainthing;andjobperformancemaybeinfluenced.Inaddition,thisissueissupportedbyHumanResourceManager.Thus,itissuitabletoexploreandfindoutthesolutioninordertoreduceroleambiguitybetweenSalesandPlanningDepts

Therefore,thispaperfocusesonroleambiguityasacentralproblemoflackofcooperativebehavior

CHAPTER2:PROBLEMJUSTIFICATION2.2 Justifytheexistenceoftheproblem

Itisveryimportanttounderstandthemeaningof“role”.Rolereflectsaperson’sp o si ti o n includingrights,duties,powerandresponsibilities(12).Roleambiguityisd e f i n e d asanoverlapofroles,rightsandresponsibilitiesamongthepositions(12)

Moreover,Schulerreferredthatroleambiguitywaslackofclarificationinthesentroleasw e l l aslackof“roleexpectationsandthedegreeofuncertaintyregardingtheoutcomesofo n e ’ s roleperformance”(13,p114)

AccordingtoMr.Chinh–

anexpertinPlanningInvestmentDept.saidthathecouldn o t doalotofworkwellwhilehecoveredhisresponsibilitiesandsomeworkfromtheothers.Hisresponsibilitieswerenotclear;hence,hisworkcouldbenotrecognizedandr e w a r d e d Mr.Duy–

amangerofPlanningInvestmentDepartmentalsostipulatedthattog e t moreworkfortheothermadehispartdidovertime.However,hewasreadytodofort h e commonobjective.Andthismightrelyonthesubjectiveappraisalofboss

y wasasasingleormultiplerolesthatconfrontedtheroleincumbent,which

mightbenotclearbehaviorsorperformanceroles.AnexperimentalstudyofSmith(16)

wasperformedby140collegestudentsinordertomeasuretheeffectsofroleambiguity.T h e resultofresearchconcludedthreeissues.Firstofallisthattheperformanceofgr ou ps beingaskedtosolveproblemwithoutclarificationoftheroleeachmemberwerelesseffectivethanwhentheroleswereinstructedclearly.Thesecondoneisthatrolea m b i g u i t y significantlydecreasedgroupsatisfaction.Andthelastoneisthatthehostilitylevelwasmarkedlyhigherforgroupunderconditionsofroleambiguitythanrolec l a r i f i c a t i o n (16).A c c o r d i n g toRizzoetal(5),everypositionhadaspecifictaskaswella s responsibilitiessuchasduties,rolerequirementswithprovidingguidanceanddirection.Healsostatedthatconversely,ifanemployeedidn’tknowwhathehasthea u t h o r i t y todoandhowhecoulddotogettheachievementorwhattheachievementheh ad toobtain,hecouldn’tperformwhatwasunavailablemeasurementscaletojudgehisr e su l t Thesemadehimhesitateinmakingdecisionsornotmeettherequirementorexpectationofhissuperior(5).

Inaddition,thequestionnaireincludingfourteen(14)questionswasdesignedandsenttoten(10)employeesinSalesStrategicTeamCompanyincludingSalesandP l a n n i n g InvestmentDepartmentstoexaminetheexistenceofroleambiguity.Therewereten(10)surveyswerereturnedwithanswers.Itmeantthattheresponserateaccountedforr o u g h l y 100%oftotalsurveys.Therespondentswereaskedtoindicatetheirdegreeofagreementordisagreementforeachiteminthissection.Afivepointscalewillbeusedw i t h 1="stronglyagree"to5="stronglydisagree"tomeasureforeachquestion.Inshort,themeanratewasapproximately3.2anditdemonstratedthatthelevelofrole

2.3 Justifytheimportanceoftheproblem

AccordingtoRizzoetal(5),ambiguitymightincreasehissatisfactionwithhisrole,b e i n g anxiety,distortingreality,andcertainlywouldleadtoperformlesseffectively.Roye t al(15)conductedaresearchontherelationofroleambiguitytomembersatisfactiona n d performance.Thestudyindicatedthattherewasahighassociationbetweenroleam b ig u i ty withtension,anxiety,fearandhostility,lowjobsatisfaction,andlossofself-

c o n f i d e n c e aswellaslowerproductivityoften.Ambiguoustaskfromsuperiorcreatedana n x i

o u s feelingorlessfavorableattitudeforsuperioraswellasreducedproductivity

Oneoftheappreciatedandimportantcharacteristicsofagoodwillmanagerwastheabilitytogivehissubordinatesclearguidance.Therefore,roleambiguitymakesemployeeslesseffectiveinperformingtheirtaskwhichisrelatingtotheirobligations(17)

2.3.1 InterpersonalTension

AccordingtoNyangaetal(12),roleambiguityisthekeyreasonofinterpersonaltension.Caldwell(18),Friedson(19),Lust(20)andSchuler(13)stipulatedthatwhenemployeesdidn’tknowwhatwasexpectedtodofortheirtasks,misunderstandingcouldincreaseamongthemandmightleadtotensionsbecauseofcorrodingthecooperationamongthem.Infact,SalesManagerofcompanyfeltnotcomfortablewhenherworkc o u l d beimplementedbytheotherswhowouldn’tknowclearlyaboutaflexiblec o m b i n at i o n amongsalesstrategy,salescompetition,persuadingcustomer,etc…When

herresponsibilitywillbedonebytheothers,shewonderedwasherperformanceinworkn o t good?Thesethoughtmadeherfeelstressandunsecuredaboutmyjob

FacetotheactionofSalesDepartment,PlanningInvestmentDepartmentfoundd i f f i c u l t incooperationwiththem.ManagerofPlanningInvestmentDepartmentalsosharedthatthemoreassignedtaskwhichtheygotfromSalesDepartmentmadefunctiono f hisdepartmentweakerbecauseoflesstimeforincumbentjob.Furthermore,hedidn’tf i n d theclearlyobjectivefromtheextrawork.Howcanhebejudgedwhattheywered o n e bysuperiors?

Certainly,therewasaconfusedfeelingfromtheunclearwork,hesaid

AccordingtoNyanga(12),whenemployee’staskwasexecutedbytheother,thisisal so theresultoflowself-image.Roleambiguityinfluencesontheemployeesfeelingnots e l f -

c o n f i d e n t forfailingtoperformasexpectedbecausewhattheyweredoneprobablyh a d beenfinishedbytheircolleagues.Therearetheprofessionalandpersonalconflictsb e c a u s e ofoverlapping,intertwininginwork.Inaddition,interpersonalconflictwasoneo f themajorsourcesofstress(12).“Stresswasverydetrimentaltothephysicalandmentalhealthofanemployee,hencesuchclashesshouldbeavoidedatallcosts”(12,p299).T h e r e f o r e , unlesstheintenseissolved,psychologicalworkofemployeesintwodepartmentswouldbegettingworse

2.3.2 LowJobSatisfaction

AccordingtoSmith(21),therewerefivedimensionscombiningtojobsatisfaction:w o r k satisfaction,satisfactionwithcolleagues,satisfactionwithsupervisors,satisfactionw i t h salaryandsatisfactionwithgettingpromotion.R e g a r d i n g toKeller’sresearch(22),

entshared:“SalesTeammightfeelunhappywithmewhenImustc o v e r somenewworksfromtheirde partment.WhenIgotmoreworknotincludingmyresponsibility,Ididnotonlyspendtimeforanothe rjob,butIalsoreceivedscoldingfromm y superiorsometimes.Becausesuperiorassignedworktom ydepartment,sothatwem u s t do.Really,wefeelunhappywithtemporaryworkswhichmightmakeme losemyo bjecti ve, eventhoughlosepromotionopportunities”.Therefore,roleambiguityasalacko f

unclearjobduties,rightsandauthoritycreatedjobdissatisfaction(23).Roy(15),Rizzo( 5 ) , House(24),Hamner(25),Sell(26),Stout(27),Fang(28)andCordes(29)alsod e m o n s t r a t e d thatjobambiguityisoneofkeyfactorstoleadtojobdissatisfaction.Otheri n f o r m a t i o n fromstaffofSalesTeam,

shesaid:“Therewasnojobassignmentforinstructionallmembersoftwoworkingteamandclearlyr esponsibilitiesinsomen e c e s s a r y cases.Wehadmanytimestocooperationtogetherbutitgothar d.Werecognizedthatwhenthereweresomeproblems,whowouldbeinchargeofthoseworks?

F i n a l l y , employeeswhowereenthusiasmwithworkwerenotonlygotawardbutalsoreceivedco mplainfromboss.Afterthatweworkedunderpressureanduncomfortablesituation”.Obviously,role

ambiguity,thelackofclearandspecificinformationregardingworkrolerequirements,hasalsobeenlinkedrepeatedlywithjobstress

Inaddition,totesttheconsequencesofroleambiguity:jobsatisfaction.BasedonthescalesitemofHouseetal(24),ten(10)surveyswerereturnedwithanswers.Ther e s u l t s ofcorrespondentscontributedtheevidencesfortheexistenceofjobsatisfactionin

2.3.3 LowJobPerformance

AccordingtoNyanga(12),roleambiguitydidnotonlycreatelowjobsatisfactionb u t alsohadanegativerelationwithperformanceandproductivity.Roleambiguityc r e a t e s employeeloseinterestinherjobanddevelopsanegativeattitudetowardsit

Consequently,affectivityinworkhasadowntrend(30).Nyanga(12)showedthatwhena n employeereceivedtoomuchuncleardemands,hemaypanicandtakepressurethathisperformanceandproductivityinworkdecreased.Healsoalludedthatthesubordinatesw h o receivedmoreworkreducedthelevelofconcentrationontheirtaskperformance

Certainly,theytakealotoftimetobecautionwithnewwork.TubreandCollins(6)alsor e v e a l e d thatanorganizationisthesystemofrolewhichreliesontheinteractionofmembers,roleambiguitycouldhavenegativeconsequencesonorganizationalperformance.Roleambiguityeffectsoncognitiveandmotivationalprocess(31).Becauseo f roleambiguityasalackofknowledgeofthemosteffectivejobbehaviors,conflictingi n f o r m a t i o n , theindividualisunabletodoeverythingthatisexpected.Forthecognitivee x t e n t , roleambiguityresultsalowlevelofjobperformanceforlackofinformation.Fort h e motivationalperspective,roleambiguitytendstoweakeneffort-to-

performanceandp e r f o r m a n c e t o

-r e w a -r d expectancies.Acco-rdingtoWalk(32),jobpe-rfo-rmanceis-r e co g n i z ed asemployeeoutcomes,success,andfinancialperformanceoforganizations.WheninterviewedastaffinPlanningInvestment,herevealedthathewasenthusiasmincooperatingwithSalesteamatfirst.Whenhewasmadelow-faceinfrontofother

partnersinsomecases,hehasnomoredesiredforhiscontributingonSalesaspects.Onhispart,hejustdidwhathewasassignedfromsuperiorcarefully.Becauseofp a r t i c i p a t i n g inSalesteam,hemightinterrupttheirauthorities.Beingcarefulhelpedhimtoavoidunwantedcaseshappening.Accordi

ngtoasubordinateworkingforinPlanningInvestmentalsoshared:“Ourdepartmentbecomestobep assivesituationwhichmakemen o t interestedinworkanymore”.

2.3.4 ExtremeBehavior

Roleambiguityeffectsonbothorganizationandindividuals(12).Luoetal(14)a l s o recognizedthatdisordersinpsychologicaldysfunctionssuchasstress,depression,conflict andlowmoralecausedbyroleambiguity.Moreover,Macey(32)proposedthatunwantedworkbehaviorappearedinworkenvironmentwereabsenteeismanddeviantb eh av io r TurningtoMr.Yen–

astaffofPlanningInvestmentDept.,hehonestlyshared:“I’malegalexpertsothatmyresponsibilityis controlledbythelegalizationofd o cu m en t s Besides,mynewtaskreceivedfromsuperiorwasbuil dingsalespolicyaswellascontributingsalescampaignforthewholeprojectofcompany.Therefore,w hetherIwantedornot,Ihadtofulfillthistask.However,SalesDepartmentmightthinkthatIinterfered intheirwork;theythusfeltunhappywithme.Theybeganreactingwithm e inwork.Forinstance,Sales managersuggestedmemovingmyworkingplacetoSaleso f f i c e Obviously,thiswasanunreasona blesuggestion.Itseemstobetheretaliationforinterjectingtheirwork.Whentheconflictwashighest, heattemptedtoprotectmyopiniona ndnotmovinganotherplace.Tobehonest,Ifeltdisappointedwi ththisandwantedtoq u i t thejobatthattime.Afterthat,Ioftenarrivedtoofficelateandcomebackear ly.I

haven’tfoundinterestedinworkinsteadofapositivepositionattitude.Ieventhoughd o n ’ t wanttog otoworkeverymorningaftergettingup.ThisisthereasonwhyI’moftena b s e n t atwork”.

2.3.5 Propensitytoleave

Bedeian(33)indicatedthatthedevelopmentfromlowjobsatisfactiontoextremeb e h a v i o r wouldleadtotheresultonjobengagementofemployeesasstayingorleavingd e c i s i o n inacompany.Thelastmajorinfluenceofroleambiguityispropensitytoleaveofemployees(33,p423).AccordingtoRoy(15),Rizzo(5),House(24),Hamner(25),Sell(26),Stout(27),Fang(28)andCordes(29),theyalsocommentthatroleambiguityhads i g n i f i c a n t effectsonemployeeattitudewhichweredissatisfactionandpropensitytoleaveinthecompany.Inaddition,whenroleambiguityisintense,employeeswouldhavetrendtofindalternativesituationswhicharelessuncomfortable(2).A c c o r d i n g todataoftheHumanResourceDepartment,thenumberofemployeeleavingjobhasincreaseds i g n i f i c

a n t l y (i.e.19%in2013;26,4%in2014;27,5%in2015and31,5%intheperiodofs i x firstmonth).Incomparisonwiththeaverageturnoverrateinrealestatefield(i.e.around21,6%in2015),theturnoverrateofPhuLongCorp.washigherthanthat.Thef i g u r e s showedthattheturnoverrateroseby4%inthefirstsixmonthsof2016.From2 0 1 3untilnow,thestaffturnoverratehasbeenonuptrendandhasthesignofcontinuousi n c r e a s e nexttime

Mr.Duy–

managerofPlanningInvestmentDepartmentalsoshared:“Myd e p a r t m e n t hassomeproblem recently.Receivingtoomuchworksmakesourfunctionw e a k Forinstance,wetooktoomuchtimeto solvetheproblemsforotherdepartment;

althoughourfunctionistopromoteprojectinvestment.Finally,ourdepartmenthadnotm et thereq uirementinemployeeappraisalofcompany.Obviously,it’shardtogetthepromotionwithoutac hievement.Isawmanyseniorsofmydepartmentsquittheirjobtofindnewopportunitiesforpromot ion.Recently,mymanagerwhohasworkedforc o m p a n y in8years,decidedtoleavecompany fornewchance.Everystaffknowsthatsoonerorlatertheinevitablehappens.Hehaddevotedsomu chtothecompanybutheh a dnevergotthepromotioninfor8years.Roleambiguitycausedhimneve robtainedsignificantaccomplishmentasexpected”.

2.3.6 Opportunism

Opportunismisdefinedasaself-interestseekingastrategy(7).RegardingCarson( 7 ) , ambiguityrisestheopportunitiesforpartiesorindividualtoshirk,cheat,orbeingo p p o r t u n i s m Thephenomenonofopportunismisasystemofbehaviorsincludingshirking,failingtofulfillobligations,andwithholdingvaluableinformation.Roleambiguity,thusincreasethenegativeeffectsonorganizationalperformance,especiallyinS a l e StrategicTeam.AccordingtoMrYen–

anemployeeinPlanningInvestmentr e v e a l e d thatsomeworkbelongingtoSalesteamwhichPlanningInvestmentDept.musttodo.Forexample,insettingupplanforsellingproduct,SalesTeamdoesnottakecaref o r thisprocess.ThisworkisoftenconductedbyPlanningInvestmentTeam.Therefore,thereisnocommitmentforthetargetsales.Itisareasonforthechangingsalespolicyino r d e r totaketheadvantagesforthem.Mr.Chinhalsoagreedwithhiscolleague’sidea.t

interest.H o w e v e r , thiseffectsontheotherrelatingissues.

3.1 Potentialcausesofproblem

3.1.1 VagueTask

Nyanga(12)revealedthatvaguetaskwasakeyfactorwhichstimulatedtheroleambiguity.Healsostatedwhendifferentperson’sroleswouldbeimplementedatthesametime,heperformeduncleardualormultiplerolesindefinitionorstructure(12).R o l e incumbent,thus,becameuncertaininwhattheexpectationwasfromhiminthatr o l e Furthermore,becauseambiguoustaskswereoftencloselyinterrelated,intertwineda n d difficultemployees’role,it’shardtodefineseparatethem(34).Unclearlydefinedtaskperformanceobjectives,lackofclarityofpurpose,goalsforbothteamsandindividualswouldcontrolinleavingthejobincumbentstoreceivewhatwasexpectedtod o fromsuperiors(12).Certainly,ambiguoustaskswouldhappen.Infact,accordingtoMr.YeninPlanningInvestmentDepartmentindicated:“TaskperformanceofmydepartmentwhichwasdraftedbyHumanResourceandGeneralDirector’sapprovalwasn o t clear.WhensomeworkdonebySalesDepartmenthadnotcompleted,thesuperiorsask ed himtodoforthem.Orinsomecaseswhenweneededtocooperateinordertof i n i s h e d someproducts,ittookalongtimetowaitforSalesteamfinishing.Tofulfillthet a s

k , myleaderdirectedustodoforthem.Really,wedidn’tfindinterestedwhenr e c e i v i n g morework.”

3.1.2 RestrictionsonEmployee’sAuthority

Nyanga(12)supposedthatintheenterprisesbeingself-managedandself-directedw o r k teamswherewouldgivetheiremployeesthejurisdictiontomakedecisionsintheir

areas.However,theliberalisationofrightsandresponsibilitieswillleadtoroleambiguity(12).Boles(35)alsoarguedthatanemployeecouldn’tknowhowmuchauthorityandr e s p o n s i b i l i t y ofherinself-

directedteam.Therewasnoclarityandseparationdefinedinthisteam.InPhuLongCorp.,thereiscooperationbetweentwoteamsindraftingnewsalespolicywhenthecompanylaunchesanewproject.Therefore,accordingtoasalesa d m i n i s t r a t o r , somerelatedmemberswouldjoininagroup.Duringthattime,theyoftenh a d somemeetingtofinalizethepolicy.Insteadofhavingworkresponsibilitiestablefore a c h memberandmeasurementtoappraiseperformanceofeachmember,someemployeescoveredtoomuchwhiletheothersonlycontributedgenerally

3.1.3 Sizeandcomplexityoforganization

Theorganizationalcomplexityisastrongfactorofroleambiguity(12).AccordingtoQuah(36)viewedthatlargecompanieshadawiderangeofpositionswhichwereintertwined,overlappingandduplicationsofresponsibilities.“InPhuLongCorp.,inordert o decreaseoperationcost,eachstaffcouldberequiredsomejobsbysuperior.Thew o r k i n g environmentwasnotreallyprofessional.Therefore,anemployeecouldu nd er t ak e apartofworkoftheothers”,ManagerofHumanResourceDepartmentsaid.HealsorevealedthatthecompanyneededaSalesDirectorwhocouldknowclearlyaboutmarketandfinancetomanageandmakeSalesDepartmentstronger.Inaddition,theotherinPlanningInvestmentDepartmentalsoshared:“weknowthatthecompanyutilizeshumanresourcefordifferentobjectivesofcompany.However,someworkisnotsuitablef o r employeeswhoreceivethatwork”

3.1.4 TaskInterdependence,RulesandPolicies

Taskinterdependencesisalsoviewedasastipulatorofroleambiguity(12).Russel

(37)

indicatedthattaskinterdependencewascreatedfromco-operatingandworkinginteractivelyofteammembers.One’sperformancewasinfluencedonothers’performanceaswellasperformancechainoftask.Thus,whenbadperformanceofag r o u p orteamwouldbenotgoodanddidn’tdoitspart,theotherswouldleavetheirjobincumbentsinordertobepriorworkforavoidingbreakingperformancechain.U n k n o w i n g l y , roleambiguitywasinevitable(12).AccordingtoaboveexpertinPlanningInvestmentsaid:“Inordertofulfillthecommontask,ourdepartmenthadtoworkasdemandofbossforSalesTeam.Becausemymanagerwassuchakindpersonof

c o m e l i n e s s ;therefore,hedidn’twanttodebateforrightorwrongissue.Hejustwantedtocompletetheobjectivewell.However,thismakesourdepartmentdisappointed”