Tenure-track faculty socialization: The presence and effects of role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload

The purpose of this research was to explore the difficulties tenure-track faculty experienced during their organizational socialization; that is, the problems they encountered learning their role as faculty members. Katz and Kahn's organizational stress theory was utilized as the study's theoretical framework. Katz and Kahn found that newcomers' organizational stress resulted from difficulties encountered during their socialization. Specifically, the theory identified three difficulties as the primary organizational stressors facing new members in organizations: role ambiguity, which results from newcomers' uncertainty about their role, role conflict, which arises when role expectations are incompatible or mutually contradictory, and role overload, which occurs when more is expected than the individual can accomplish.; This study sought to determine the extent to which tenure-track faculty experience these organizational stressors, the aspects of the socialization process that lead to these stressors, and the resulting consequences for both the faculty member and the organization. The study employed a multiple case study design with each informant constituting one case. Forty-four tenure-track faculty members of the University of Maryland, a Research I institution, participated in semi-structured interviews.; While all the participants encountered at least one of the organizational stressors, most did so only at modest levels. Overall, the frequency and severity of these organizational stressors appeared to be significantly less than earlier studies of the tenure-track faculty experience would have suggested. Results did indicate that almost all faculty experienced some level of uncertainty about role expectations. Despite expressing confidence that they knew both what was expected of them and how well they were perceived to be performing, nearly all the faculty also expressed uncertainty about whether they would attain tenure. The various forms of role conflict were encountered by small numbers of faculty, while nearly half of those interviewed experienced role overload. This study found that faculty who had a positive relationship with their department chair, had senior faculty colleagues with similar research interests, received annual reviews, and had a mentor were far less likely to experience difficulties.