When Unclear Roles Threaten Voluntary Effort: How Connection and Trust Sustain Cooperation

What is it about?

This study investigates how role ambiguity—unclear job expectations or responsibilities—reduces employees’ willingness to engage in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), or voluntary acts that benefit the organization. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the authors propose that when employees lack clarity about their roles, they feel deprived of vital psychological resources such as certainty and fairness. In response, they may view their organization as procedurally unjust and reduce their discretionary contributions as a form of self-protection. Using survey data from employees in a Mozambican services organization, the study finds that procedural injustice explains how role ambiguity reduces organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). When unclear job roles seem to reflect biased or opaque decisions, employees conserve energy by withholding extra-role effort. However, two relational factors—social interaction and goodwill trust among coworkers—help buffer this effect. Strong informal relationships and mutual trust reduce perceptions of unfairness, sustaining employees’ motivation to help colleagues and exceed formal duties. These findings underscore that supportive peer relationships can transform confusion into cooperation. By fostering open communication and mutual trust, organizations can prevent uncertainty from escalating into disengagement. Encouraging informal peer networks and cultivating goodwill can thus serve as powerful tools for maintaining citizenship behaviors, even in ambiguous or bureaucratic environments.

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Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is unique in showing that procedural injustice mediates the link between role ambiguity and diminished voluntary behavior, while social interaction and goodwill trust act as relational buffers. Integrating COR theory with interpersonal resource perspectives, it reveals how employees sustain cooperation through social and emotional connections even when formal structures fail to provide clarity. It is also timely, given today’s fluid and fast-changing work environments where employees often operate with limited role definition. Conducted in Mozambique, a cultural context that balances collectivism and hierarchy, the research demonstrates how interpersonal trust and collaboration serve as essential stabilizers. The study underscores a critical message: in uncertain workplaces, sustained cooperation depends less on formal control and more on the quality of human relationships.