This study is to examine the effects of role conflict and ambiguity of employees on their professional identity in welfare institutions for the vagabond. Survey questionnaires were given out to 353 employees in welfare institutions for the vagabond, 2...
This study is to examine the effects of role conflict and ambiguity of employees on their professional identity in welfare institutions for the vagabond. Survey questionnaires were given out to 353 employees in welfare institutions for the vagabond, 243 responses were collected and analyzed. A survey of welfare institutions social-workers, nurses, and nutritionists from 37 welfare institutions across the country. The data were analyzes using SPSS Win 15.0 Frequency analysis, T-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis and multiple regression were conducted.
The major findings of the study are as follows:
First, there are more male and aged employees in these institutions than others.
Second, there are more long term employees with 5 years of service or longer, unlike other social welfare institutions.
Third, the employees in welfare institutions for the vagabond have personal-role conflict and ambiguity in work definition. These employees displayed the highest conviction on public service, representing their dutifulness to the client and the public. However, practice in conformity with the rules of the professional organization, which is a core of professionalism, was the lowest, indicating weak professional group identity.
Forth, studies on the level of role conflict, ambiguity and professional identity from personal and work description variables, role ambiguity and professional identity showed the following correlations: role conflict depends on marital status, and role ambiguity depends on age, marital status, and work experience. However, personality and work duty has no significant correlation with professional identity.
Fifth, professional identity is strong for employees who are aged, have no intersender conflict, or have no role ambiguity in work environment. Professional identity is weak if personal-role conflict is high or there is ambiguity in work description and work evaluation.
Sixth, the most important variables in determining professional identity are personal-role conflict, work definition and work evaluation. Higher personal-role conflict and higher ambiguity in work description and performance evaluation criteria weakens professional identity. Among personal and work description variables, only work experience was significant. Longer work experience weakens professional identity.
Based on these findings, the research concludes that continuing education for long term employees, efficient staffing and role definition to eliminate role conflicts, and solid work definition, policy, and performance evaluation criteria to reduce role ambiguity can strengthen the professional identity of welfare institutions for the vagabond employees.
However, since there is no prior in-depth research on the causes of role conflict and ambiguity in welfare institutions for the vagabond, it is not this research’s scope to make a conclusion that the shortage of institute budget and manpower causes role conflicts and ambiguities. It is recommended that another study on welfare employees’ work duty analysis per job category shall be performed to identify the root causes.