Nick: This is episode 13 of the Rolefulness Podcast. Professor Daiki Kato and I are back to continue our discussion on role confusion and role conflict by introducing role ambiguity.
So if you missed last week's episode, we discuss role confusion and role conflict, and that would be worthwhile to listen to. Let's discuss the concept of role ambiguity, Daiki. So how are you?
Daiki: Very good. I'm happy to come here again. So let's start today's episode.
Defining role ambiguity
Nick: Indeed. So what is role ambiguity, Daiki?
Daiki: Sure, please do. So I'll talk about role ambiguity first. Role ambiguity refers to a situation in which individuals have an unclear or insufficient understanding of their job or role within an organisation, group, or specific context.
In such situations, the expectations, responsibilities, and tasks associated with the role are ill-defined or not adequately communicated, leading to confusion, uncertainty, and potential difficulties in performing the role effectively.
We actually found a paper on this titled 'Interaction effect of job insecurity and role ambiguity on psychological distress in Japanese employees: a cross sectional study' written by Akiomi Inoue and others.
So I want to introduce the research paper. Role ambiguity has been defined as 'the extent to which clarity regarding job performance expectations, methods for carrying out the job, and consequences of performance is lacking.'
Based on this definition, role ambiguity (or lack of role clarity) is considered, at least theoretically, one of the major stressors at work, because it imposes high cognitive overload on employees who must continuously expend energy to seek appropriate ways to accomplish their job.
This in turn, reduces their psychological well-being, as well as the ability to perform effectively. In fact, previous meta-analytic studies have reported the association of role ambiguity with depression as well as with lower job satisfaction, job performance, and organisational citizenship behaviour.
A more recent systematic review has also reported that role ambiguity is associated with a greater risk of developing common mental health problems.
Nick: This all makes sense, and I imagine this is very much the case in Japan, where a lot of people die often at the workplace in Japan, to the point they have a word for death by overwork, karoshi. So yeah, what do you think, Daiki? Is this very much the case in Japan, that many Japanese workers would have role ambiguity?
Daiki: I completely agree with you. Of course, it depends on the type of job, but overall, I think people in Japan feel high role ambiguity. Especially the professions related to people such as sales staff, office workers, might include high role ambiguity.
They have several roles at the same time, and sometimes their role responsibilities are not clear. It is one of the reasons for role ambiguity.
Societal factors that lead to role ambiguity
Nick: Well, let's talk about outside of work. Are there any cultural or societal factors that play a significant role in exacerbating or alleviating role ambiguity?
Daiki: I think that the cultural background is quite important. For example, the concept of 'wa.' Do you know the Japanese word 'wa'?
Nick: Yes, it's often translated to peace or harmony.
Daiki: Yes, that's right. As you said, it means keeping harmony with others is important in Japanese society. Respecting others' opinion, personality, and background is the base of the 'wa', and I think it is a very good idea. On the other hand, it may cause role confusion and ambiguity at the same time.
In Japanese culture, sometimes we don't assert our opinion strongly when opinions conflict with each other. We prioritise adapting to others and avoiding conflict. It could be explained by the term of social psychology 'peer pressure.' Peer pressure is a direct or indirect influence on peers such as classmates and colleagues.
When we have ideas or beliefs, we wonder whether peers have the same opinion or belief beliefs as us or not. This psychological process facilitates anxiety of being alienated by peers and peer pressure.
People don't want to think about it so their opinion is only theirs. So if other people think like us, it feels very safe and we are not alone. So the tendency is very strong in Japan, I think.
Nick: Yes, I'll add something to that, Daiki. I remember teaching English in Japan, even when I had high level fluent speakers, trying to get an opinion on anything was quite hard, and even though they could speak Japanese very well, they rarely freely expressed opinions, and they always waited for someone else to start.
So this idea of fitting in, or being in harmony, or almost, I guess you call it harmonious communication, or harmonious social context. It took me a long time to understand like, okay, Japanese, for the most part, they're not going to say their strong opinions, they'll hold back and either say nothing or fit in with others.
Daiki: So people look carefully and listen carefully about others' opinions. They think that it is very important to keep harmony with others. So I think the Japanese education system encourages peer pressure. When I was a student, the school rules were very strict.
For example, the hair length and hair colour is strictly regulated by the school rules. It has been eased recently, but still strict compared with other countries. What about in your country? Is the school strict in Australia?
Nick: It depends on the school. So if you go to a private school, it might be strict. When I went to school, we had to maintain, as a male, reasonably short hair; we couldn't have hair touching our shoulders. But my son's school, which is public, guys had long hair and a moustache and beards and sort of anything was okay.
Daiki: That's good. So students enjoy their freedom. This environment increases the strict rules, for example, that kind of environment increases peer pressure, not only in schools. For example, we were wearing a mask under the influence of covid.
In Japan, everyone was wearing the masks a few years ago, under the lockdown, or the increase of covid. So what about in Australia? Are you wearing masks everywhere?
Nick: We had to when covid started. And my city had quite a long lockdown. Melbourne had one of the longest lockdowns, probably the strictest lockdown. So yeah, it was certainly expected, the expectation was there, and most people abided, actually.
I mean, some people were arrested if they broke these new laws or new rules. But there were also a lot of people protesting about wearing masks and getting vaccinated and all that sort of thing. But are people still wearing masks in Japan now?
Daiki: Last summer, I visited Australia, and everyone didn't wear masks. But in Japan, many people are still wearing masks, especially in schools, so young people in elementary school or high school, so many students are still wearing masks.
Because it is winter now in Japan, so there are other diseases like flu or cold, and they're protecting themselves from these diseases. So for these reasons, they are still wearing masks.
But I think that the number of people who are wearing masks has increased after the covid influence. So the atmosphere or the cultural background has effects on role ambiguity. What about in Australia? I think some parts are similar in Japan and other parts are different from Japan. I'd like to hear your opinion. Is it similar to Japan?
Nick: In general, I wouldn't say so. We are definitely free to express our opinions and probably feel it is fair and right to say what we want to say in most situations.
And we are very much self-centric when it comes to our sense of freedom. And now, at the moment, I think very few Australians would wear masks in or out of consideration for others.
So people aren't going to wear a mask just to comfort others in Australia. However, there is certainly peer pressure, especially among young people.
In order to fit in, young people or students may engage in behaviours that conflict with their values, resulting in this type of role ambiguity in a social context, and I think that's kind of universal or common.
I think when we're teenagers, we're trying to fit in, so we feel this pressure to maybe do things we don't want to do, so that we fit in and are not isolated.
But I mean, I remember living in Japan, I certainly experienced and witnessed a lot of ambiguity, and Japan is known as having a very high context culture, and that means there's this emphasis on implicit, indirect and ambiguous communication, which I initially found very frustrating when living in Japan.
Even yes could be no; if someone said, 'Oh, that's difficult', that's an indirect way of saying, no. Why is it difficult? It's not that difficult. So it took me a while to understand.
And I've even read in Japanese business meetings, if the manager or the boss says, are there any questions at the end of the meeting, you're meant to say nothing like you don't say yes, I have a question.
So when you're coming to Japan, it seems like a logical question; 'Oh, yeah, okay, actually, I do have a question.' But that was sort of breaking a social rule.
The expression kuuki wo yomu
So yeah, this points to an expression I remember learning about ambiguous communication, and that's kuuki wo yomu. So what does kuuki wo yomu mean, Daiki?
Daiki: So in Japanese culture, kuuki wo yomu is very important. So kuuki wo yomu originally means 'to read the air' and refers to the ability to understand the situation from the atmosphere without access to explicit information.
Nick: Do you think that then leads to role ambiguity? In Australia, if you're in the workplace, let's say, and you don't know what to do, or you're uncertain about a job, and you think your manager's a reasonable person, you can go up and say, 'Hey, I don't know what I'm meant to do.'
Or even if there's a meeting and there's a bit of discomfort, I guess we'll still say what we want to say. So we don't really have to read the air. But do you think this indirect communication leads to more role ambiguity in Japan?
Daiki: Yes, I think so. Yes, in Japanese culture, reading the air or understanding the atmosphere is very important, but I think it is very stressful.
Older people have a high tendency to think that reading the atmosphere is important, and young people don't want to do that, perhaps. But this tendency is not only in older people, it is the same in schools, or the same with the culture of young people.
So in schools, they watch over the situation or the atmosphere of the groups and adapting to the group is very important in schools. So it is very stressful for young students. We talked about hikikomori in the previous episode, and one of the triggers of hikikomori is social maladjustment.
So one of the big problems is young people can't adapt with reading the atmosphere of the group members, so they feel high levels of stress, and they feel that they don't want to go to school. So it is a very big factor, the social withdrawal.
Nick: I've done some research on that, and that is a way for someone to avoid, I guess, things like this role ambiguity or school stress, is to simply not go and avoid any social engagement in society. As we both know, there's probably several million young men who live their life in their bedroom for months or even years.
This actually reminds me of, is it yutori sedai? Like the yutori generation, I think it was in the early 2000s and it was the Japanese government's attempt to make school kind of less stressful and easier for students.
I think they reduced the amount of homework, but the whole kind of method or system failed because they didn't change the testing system.
And I think all these people who went through high school with less homework, they struggled with the exams. Do you think that was the government's way of trying to solve some of these problems of role ambiguity or school stress?
Daiki: Yeah. So it is a very difficult problem, and the government or the researchers are struggling with it. When I was a student, we had a lot of homework, and the curriculum was very hard. So students study very hard, and yeah, it is very hard to pass the exam, so it was very stressful.
After that, the government tried to change the system and reduced the tasks for students, so the students can be more relaxed, and so they could have more spare time for other activities. So we call it yutori. So leisure or spare time, yutori.
At some point, increasing yutori has a good effect on reducing stress for students. But the academic level became lower because of the system. So that's another problem.
After that, the government changed the system again. So now, in schools, I feel that the system is back again when I was a student. So now, looking at my sons, they have a very busy curriculum and a lot of homeworks. I think the situation might change in the future, but it is very difficult to balance having spare time and studying.
Nick: I remember reading this yutori generation now have a stigma attached to their is it, gakko no rekishi, their school history. So I think they had trouble seeking employment because employees would say, 'Oh, you were part of the yutori generation.' It sort of has this negative impact on their chance to be employed.
So it's interesting how Japan tried and then it failed, and now it negatively impacts the generation that went through that, I guess you would call it the yutori educational decade. So that's very unfortunate for them.
How to balance multiple roles effectively
So how do we strike a balance between different roles in our lives, such as work, family, and personal pursuits, to reduce the likelihood of role conflict or role ambiguity. Any thoughts on that, Daiki?
Daiki: In the past, I felt that I had to achieve every role perfectly. For example, I thought that I should behave as an ideal university lecturer when I was young. Carl Rogers, a very famous clinical psychologist, mentioned that psychological maladjustment comes from the gap between the ideal self and real self.
Sometimes our ideals are very high and it is difficult to achieve, and it increases the maladjustment. One moment, I noticed that I don't have to be perfect but just need to act like myself. Being kind to your ideas, beliefs, and behaviours is important. In other words, self-compassion is very important to get along well with your roles.
Nick: Well, it's an interesting way to phrase it. But yeah, I guess we should be self-compassionate to ourselves so we can reduce the stress of all these roles. We have multiple roles, whether it's parenting or a professional role, or social roles or community roles. So yeah, this is a good idea of self-compassion and being kind to ourselves.
Consequences of unresolved role conflict
And I guess if we're not, let's say, if we're not self-compassionate and we're hard on ourselves, what are the potential long-term consequences of unresolved role conflict or chronical confusion on an individual's overall well-being?
Daiki: Long-term longing role conflict might affect our well being. Our research showed that establishing rolefulness decreased depression.
In other words, if we have difficulties to establish rolefulness appropriately, it may be a risk factor for mental problems. I think the important factor of solving the problem of role conflict is the identity beyond roles.
The rolefulness scale includes the statement, 'I realise my individuality by my role.' We have several roles in our social life, and they bring us our own individuality. If we can feel our individuality in every role, we don't have to feel role ambiguity.
Nick: Well, that is a good thing. So this reminds me of the word jibunrashi, like this idea, jibun, meaning yourself, and rashi, becoming of or being like. So we want to be like yourself, or we want to be ourselves, and it's hard to achieve that.
Negative side effects of role ambiguity
So with role ambiguity, there's obviously many negative side effects. So do you want to mention some of the negative side effects of role ambiguity?
Daiki: I think that role ambiguity has some other potential effects. I'll introduce some examples of the potential effects of role ambiguity.
So the first one is stress and burnout. Persistent role conflict or confusion can lead to chronic stress, which, over time, can contribute to burnout. The ongoing struggle to balance conflicting demands and unclear expectations can result in physical and emotional exhaustion, reduced motivation, and a sense of hopelessness.
The next one is mental health issues. Role conflict and confusion can be a source of anxiety and depression, constantly feeling torn between conflicting roles or unsure about one's identity and responsibilities can take a toll on mental health. Individuals may experience feelings of inadequacy, helplessness, or even worthlessness.
And the other one is decreased job performance. In professional settings, chronic role conflict or confusion can lead to decreased job performance. Employees may struggle to meet job expectations, make decisions, or collaborate effectively with colleagues, all of which can impact their career progression and job satisfaction.
And the last one is reduced life satisfaction. Individuals grappling with unresolved role issues may find it challenging to experience overall life satisfaction and fulfilment. The persistent sense of imbalance and confusion can overshadow positive aspects of life and prevent the ability to enjoy personal and professional achievements.
Nick: This is really important, because I think you and I are generally approaching rolefulness from a very positive perspective, that having various roles leads to life-satisfaction, gives you a sense of meaning and purpose, and it can even help you self-actualize. That's, I think, why I related it to ikigai. But with our roles, as we've explored, there comes confusion or conflict or ambiguity.
How to overcome role conflict
So what advice would you give to someone who feels overwhelmed by the roles they have to fulfil, and if they're experiencing any significant role conflict or role confusion?
Daiki: I want to tell you again that our identity and individuality is quite important. Sometimes our social roles have a big impact on us. We feel strong responsibilities for the roles and it may affect our mental health. If we behave in a way that suits the role too much, we gradually lose our individuality.
At that time, I recommend you again the fundamental daily behaviour to improve rolefulness. Greetings, conversation, and showing gratitude. So we are talking about the previous episode. These behaviours help you to be free from role ambiguity, and you will be able to behave as you are. So, jibunrashi, as you like.
Nick: I think that's an important message. So we've talked about this idea of perfectionism, that you don't have to be perfect in all of your roles, and you should be self-compassionate and kind to yourself, and not burden yourself or put too much pressure on yourself with all these roles.
And I guess it's fair and reasonable to seek clarity on your roles, especially in the work space or in a work context. And I mean, I think it happens a lot with teachers, actually, in all countries, especially now with so many problems and so many things to manage; with student well-being, social media, these teachers are almost becoming part-time parents or carers, so they would experience a lot of ambiguity, you know, where is the line of my role? Where does my role stop? So I think being clear on that.
And then these behaviours you're encouraging: greetings, meaningful conversation, and showing gratitude for other people, maybe other people's role input, can hopefully move us away from role ambiguity to role satisfaction. But interestingly, some of these episodes have looked at the negative aspects of rolefulness, I guess. Next week, we'll be looking at role overload.
So the focus is kind of the, I guess, the dark side of rolefulness or the problematic side, I think is important to explore, and so we'll explore that next week on episode 14. So thank you for your time today, Daiki.
Daiki: Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing you again.