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Compensatory control and ambiguity intolerance

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  • Ma, Anyi
  • Kay, Aaron C.

Abstract

When do people find ambiguity intolerable, and how might this manifest in the workplace where roles, guidelines and expectations can be made to be more or less ambiguous? Compensatory Control Theory (CCT; Kay, Gaucher, Napier, Callan, & Laurin, 2008) suggests a potential driver: perceived control. Recent CCT theory (Landau, Kay, & Whitson, 2015) has posited that people with chronically lower levels of perceived control may be especially likely to seek coherent and structured environments. Given that ambiguous workplace situations – such as flexible roles and titles, or loose guidelines and expectations – necessarily represent a lack of structure, these types of situations may therefore be especially aversive to those lower in perceived control. Four studies support this prediction. Specifically, we observe that low perceived control (both measured or manipulated) predicts greater ambiguity intolerance as well as greater negative attitudes towards ambiguous situations (Studies 1, 2 and 3), but not other types of problematic workplace situations (Study 1), and that this process can exert important downstream consequences, ranging from behavioral intentions to perceived self-efficacy (Study 4).

Suggested Citation

  • Ma, Anyi & Kay, Aaron C., 2017. "Compensatory control and ambiguity intolerance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 46-61.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:140:y:2017:i:c:p:46-61
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2017.04.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Craig R. Fox & Amos Tversky, 1995. "Ambiguity Aversion and Comparative Ignorance," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(3), pages 585-603.
    2. Keisha M. Cutright, 2012. "The Beauty of Boundaries: When and Why We Seek Structure in Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 38(5), pages 775-790.
    3. Jackson, Susan E. & Schuler, Randall S., 1985. "A meta-analysis and conceptual critique of research on role ambiguity and role conflict in work settings," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 16-78, August.
    4. Tom A. B. Snijders & Roel J. Bosker, 1994. "Modeled Variance in Two-Level Models," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 22(3), pages 342-363, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nersessian, David, 2018. "The law and ethics of big data analytics: A new role for international human rights in the search for global standards," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 845-854.
    2. Junfeng Liu & Shen-Long Yang & Feng Yu, 2022. "Who Tends to Appreciate Atonal Music? Higher Perceived Personal Control Leads to an Increased Inclination to Prefer Atonal Music," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-10, March.
    3. Chun-Hsi Vivian Chen & Yu-Cheng Chen, 2021. "Assessment of Enhancing Employee Engagement in Energy-Saving Behavior at Workplace: An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Blair, Sean, 2020. "How lacking control drives fluency effects in evaluative judgment," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 97-112.
    5. Shen-Long Yang & Feng Yu & Kai Li & Ting-Ting Rao & Da-Peng Lian, 2022. "No Control, No Consumption: Association of Low Perceived Control and Intention to Accept Genetically Modified Food," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-13, June.
    6. Ting-Ting Rao & Shen-Long Yang & Xiaowen Zhu, 2022. "How Does Social Class Affect Need for Structure during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Moderated Mediating Model Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-16, January.
    7. Trotter, Richard G. & Zacur, Susan Rawson & Stickney, Lisa T., 2017. "The new age of pay transparency," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 529-539.
    8. Ma, Anyi & Yang, Yu & Savani, Krishna, 2019. "“Take it or leave it!” A choice mindset leads to greater persistence and better outcomes in negotiations," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 1-12.
    9. Li, Boying & Xue, Chenyang & Cheng, Yue & Lim, Eric T.K. & Tan, Chee-Wee, 2023. "Understanding work experience in epidemic-induced telecommuting: The roles of misfit, reactance, and collaborative technologies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).

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