Role ambiguity and role conflict effects on employees’ emotional exhaustion in healthcare services in Tanzania

This study investigated the effect of role conflict and role ambiguity on emotional exhaustion among healthcare service employees in hospital settings. A questionnaire utilizing a 5-point Likert scale was administered to 181 employees of Kairuki Memorial Hospital. Out of these, 131 questionnaires were considered valid for data analysis. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS software. The findings indicated that role ambiguity had a positive and significant association with emotional exhaustion. Conversely, the association between role conflict and emotional exhaustion was negative but not significant. It should be noted that, unlike previous studies that focused on specific healthcare professionals, this study included all professionals working in the hospital setting, acknowledging that exposure to a stressful environment may differ based on one’s profession. However, as this study relied on a cross-sectional survey conducted in a single hospital, caution should be exercised in generalizing the findings. The study contributes to the literature on human resources management by shedding light on the effect of role ambiguity and role conflict. It also offers recommendations for managing emotional exhaustion by addressing the underlying causes of role ambiguity identified in the study.This study aimed to examine how role conflict and role ambiguity impact the mental exhaustion of healthcare workers in private hospitals in Tanzania. Analysis revealed that role ambiguity significantly contributes to mental exhaustion, while the relationship between role conflict and mental exhaustion was negative and not statistically significant, suggesting it could be due to chance. It’s important to consider that this study encompassed healthcare professionals from various roles, acknowledging that different professions may experience different levels of stress. However, as the study relied on a single survey conducted in a specific hospital, caution is needed when generalizing the findings to other settings. This study enhances our understanding of human resources management by highlighting the effects of role ambiguity and role conflict on emotional exhaustion. It also offers recommendations for managing emotional exhaustion by addressing the factors identified in the study.