Organizational Role Theory and the Multi-Faceted Worker

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Organizational Role Theory and the Multi-Faceted Worker Melissa Parker School of Management, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia Email: mlparker@utas.edu.au Dr. Mark Wickham School of Management, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia Email: Mark.Wickham@utas.edu.au 1 Organizational Role Theory and the Multi-Faceted Worker Abstract The focus of this research is to expand the explanatory power of Organisational Role Theory, and in particular, identify the non-work roles that impact on an employee’s working-life and understand how this can inform the tenets of Organisational Role Theory. Keywords: Organisational role theory, multiple roles, working-life balance Introduction Organizational Role Theory (ORT) was developed in the 1960s and provides insight into the processes that affect the physical and emotional state of an individual in the workplace that affects their workplace behaviour (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn & Rosenthal, 1964). As employee behaviour is directly related to their work performance, understanding the determinants of employee’s behaviour in the workplace can allow organizations to maximize employee performance. However, given that ORT was developed in the 1960s in an organizational context that is markedly different and arguably less complex than that experienced today. The failure of ORT to similarly advance has been noted by George (1993: 355) when she states that: [ORT] has been relatively dormant during the past three decades…The breadth and generality of organizational role theory may be both its major attraction and its greatest flaw’. Literature Review ORT focuses on the manner in which individuals accept and enact an array of roles in taskoriented and hierarchical systems (Biddle, 1986; Madsen, 2002). In an organisational context, role behaviours are the recurring patterns of actions that are considered important for effective

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