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

<p>This study investigates how role ambiguity affects the performance of event volunteers, particularly in charity sport events. </p> <p>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.<br> Data were collected from volunteers at charity sport events in the U.S. between 2019 and 2021.</p> <p>Key findings include:</p> <ol> <li>Role ambiguity negatively impacts volunteer job performance.</li> <li>High-quality interactions with team members (TMX) and leaders (LMX) help reduce role ambiguity, thereby improving job performance.</li> <li>Gender moderates the relationship between role ambiguity and job performance, with male volunteers being more affected by role ambiguity than female volunteers.</li> </ol> <p>The study suggests that enhancing social exchanges among volunteers and providing clear role definitions can improve volunteer performance.</p> <p>Practical recommendations include using social media for team building and providing clear communication and feedback to volunteers. <br> The research highlights the importance of addressing role ambiguity to support volunteer effectiveness and satisfaction.<br> </p>