Will Event Volunteers’ Role Ambiguity Affect Performance? Role of Social Exchange Qualities and Gender

This study investigates how role ambiguity affects the performance of event volunteers, particularly in charity sport events. 

The research explores the roles of social exchange qualities, such as team-member exchange (TMX) and leader-member exchange (LMX), in mitigating the negative effects of role ambiguity on job performance.
Data were collected from volunteers at charity sport events in the U.S. between 2019 and 2021.

Key findings include:

1. Role ambiguity negatively impacts volunteer job performance.
2. High-quality interactions with team members (TMX) and leaders (LMX) help reduce role ambiguity, thereby improving job performance.
3. Gender moderates the relationship between role ambiguity and job performance, with male volunteers being more affected by role ambiguity than female volunteers.

The study suggests that enhancing social exchanges among volunteers and providing clear role definitions can improve volunteer performance.

Practical recommendations include using social media for team building and providing clear communication and feedback to volunteers.
The research highlights the importance of addressing role ambiguity to support volunteer effectiveness and satisfaction.