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Udai Pareek’s Understanding
Organizational Behaviour
Fourth Edition
Dr Udai Pareek
Revised and Updated by Prof. Sushama Khanna
EMPI, New Delhi
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Chapter 12
ROLES AND ROLE EFFECTIVENESS
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
1. Distinguish between 'position' and 'role'
2. Recognize the significance of the role in person-system integration
3. Identify role systems
4. Define role efficacy
5. Enumerate different aspects of role efficacy
Role and Office
Role - Position one occupies Office - Position one
in a social system occupies in a hierarchical
system
Defined by the functions one
performs in response to the A relational concept,
expectations of the
‘significant’ members of the
system & One’s own
expectations
Role- An obligational concept
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Role and Position/Office
Office/Position Role
Is based on power relations Is based on mutuality
Has related privileges Has related privileges
Is usually hierarchical Is non-hierarchical
Is created by others Is created by others and the role occupant
Is part of the structure Is part of the dynamics
Is evaluative Is descriptive
Organisation as a Structure of
Offices/Positions
B
A
C D
E F G H I J
Organisation as a System of Roles
A
I
B
F E
Work- related Terms
WORK : is a wider concept, linking a person with his or her
tools and with others performing a similar activity.
OFFICE : is a specific point in an organizational structure,
defining the power of the person occupying it.
ROLE : is the set of obligations generated by ‘significant’
others and the individual occupying an office.
JOB: is a specific requirement to produce a product or
achieve an objective
FUNCTION : is a group of expected behaviors from a role
TASK : is a specific activity that is part of a function, often
bound by time.
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Role as Integrating Point of
Organization and Individual
Organization Structure Goals
Role
Individual Personality Needs
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Role as Region of
Individual - organization Interaction
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Role Episode
Role sending (by the Role taking Role receiving (by the
‘significant’ others) role occupant)
Role behaviour of the
individual
Influences the expectations of
the role senders
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Role Space Map of A
•1.Self
•2. Husband
•3. Son, secretary
sports club
self •4. Personnel
manager
•5. Member HRD
network A dynamic
interrelationship
between the self and
the various roles an
individual occupies
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Role Set Map of A
Members
Role Set
•Self (HR
Manager)
•1. General
Manager
•2. HRD
Manager
•3.
Subordinates
•4. Union
leader
A pattern of interrelationships
between a focal role and other
roles. The occupant’s role is in the
centre of the role set, and all the
other roles are at various points in
the role set map.
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Role Efficacy
Potential effectiveness of an individual occupying a
particular role in an organization
General sense of adequacy in a Role
Integration of the person and the role
Role making
Role Centering
Role Linking
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Role Making
Role making: Initiative to creatively design the role to
integrate the expectations of both others and self
Role taking: Responding to the expectations of others
1. Self-role integration – use of special strengths of occupant in
the role
2. Pro-activity – taking an initiative to start new activity in the
role, rather than responding to other’s expectations
3. Creativity – opportunity to try new and unconventional ways
4. Confrontation – tendency to confront problems and find
solutions
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Role Centering
How much central the role is to the organization
Centrality – how important the role is
Influence – power exercised in the role
Personal growth – opportunity for individual to grow and
develop in the role
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Role Linking
How the role is linked to the organization
Inter-role linkage – Linkage of one’s role with other roles
in org., joint effort in understanding problems, finding
solutions
Helping relationship – opportunity to receive and give
help
Super-ordination – opportunity to work for larger cause
or super-ordinate goal
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THREE ROLE INTERVENTATIONS
Role Efficacy Lab
Role Contribution
Role Negotiation
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Role Efficacy – Ten Aspects
Role Making Role Centering Role Linking
Self-role integration Centrality (versus Inter-role linkage
(versus peripherality) (versus
self-role distance) isolation)
Pro-activity (versus Influence (versus Helping relationship
reaction) powerlessness) (versus
hostility)
Creativity (versus Personal growth Super-ordination
routine) (versus (versus
stagnation) deprivation)
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Confrontation (versus
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