Strategic partnership: The conflicting and ambiguous nature of human resource management and its effect on organizational commitment

Increasingly, human resources managers are expected be strategic partners; however, evidence indicates that they consider that role to be conflicting and ambiguous. Evidence also indicates that role conflict and role ambiguity negatively affects organizational commitment. This study measured human resources manager's perceptions of role conflict and role ambiguity and its effect on commitment to their organization. Five demographic variables of the study participants were measured: number of years in human resources management, number of years with their organization, their level of education, and their age and gender.;Four research studies were foundational for this study; however, nothing in the academic literature was found addressing human resource managers like this study. This was a quantitative correlational research design that incorporated a questionnaire to collect the research data. 2,275 questionnaires were sent out to human resources managers in a South Atlantic state. 610 were returned for a 26% response rate.;In general, human resource managers were found to consider their strategic role less conflicting and ambiguous than expected. Commitment to their organization, measured by three components, was found to be somewhat higher. Significant correlations were found between role conflict and role ambiguity and organizational commitment. 66% of the study participants reported being with their organization between .15 and 10 years and 82% reported having a bachelors or masters degree, both demographics had significant impact on the relationship between role conflict, and role ambiguity and organizational commitment.