Levels of role conflict in nursing

Levels of role conflict in nursing faculty
Levels of role conflict were measured in six articles. Role Ambiguity and Role Conflict Questionnaire (Rizzo et al., 1970) was used in five studies for determining level of role conflict in nursing faculty [17, 32-35]. But Kolagari (2013) used Persian version of Role Strain Scale as a self- report questionnaire (Mobily, 1991) [5]. Results showed that role conflict levels associated with several factors. Role conflict levels were high in persons how had multiple roles, role overload, baccalaureate degree, and doctorate degree [32]. The similar results reported for full-time faculty members, American nursing faculty, English nursing faculty [33] and expatriates faculty members [17]. Despite the heavy workload in all cases, some studies were reported a low level of role conflict in nursing faculty [33-35]. While one study expressed moderate levels [5] and the other studies explained high levels of role conflict in this population [17, 32].
Consequences of role conflict on nursing faculty
Role conflict has many different effects on the work-life of an individual as well as their family-life. In many studies, it was found that those suffering from role conflict also suffered greatly in their work performance, mainly in the form of lack of job satisfaction. The results of these studies pointed a negative relationship between role conflict levels and job satisfaction [33, 36]. Role conflict and role ambiguity were identified as a predictor variable for job satisfaction of nursing faculty [36]. Overall, levels of role conflict and role ambiguity are most consistently reported as affecting faculty members� job satisfaction [35].
Role conflict in the work environment is inevitable and faculty members have many reasons for experiencing role stress. Review of literatures showed that nursing faculty work under role stress, and they suffered from role strain, job dissatisfaction and burnout [32, 35].
Most nursing instructors were not familiar enough with their duties [5, 17, 19]. In this condition, role conflict increased and, consequently, the quality of work decreased [19]. We found that role conflict and role ambiguity were the important antecedents for role strain in nursing faculty [5]. The findings revealed that the faculty members would not consider moving into a position with greater responsibility. They explained workload and role conflict as factors likely to discourage their pursuit of administration [37].
One of the strategies to deal with role conflict was the migration. The findings suggested that incompatible expectations, poor working relationships, and difference in beliefs could be increase turnover intention in nursing faculty [38].
Some studies assessed the relationship between role conflict and organizational commitment. Affective, continuance, and normative commitment are three components of organizational commitment. Examine the impact of work role on nursing faculty organizational commitment showed a moderately strong negative, inverse relationship was present between role conflicts and affective and continuance organizational commitment [39]. Contrary to these results, Zakari (2011) asserts, however, the mean score of role conflict was high in the nursing faculty, they had a sense of responsibility toward their academic organization [17].
Finally, we found results about relationship between role conflict and dimensions of organizational climate. Gromely et al. (2010 and 2011) stated that, the mean score of role conflict are negatively correlated with the organizational climate subscales of consideration, intimacy, and production in nursing faculty members [38, 39].

Discussion
The results, achieved from 11 selected studies, were referred to faculty nursing frequently involved in role conflict. The findings suggest that role conflict can be experience by nursing faculty in different forms, different levels and different effects depending on organizational climate, organizational commitment, and cultural characteristics. The results of these reviewed studies explored the important information for a better understanding of role conflict in nursing faculty who work in the nursing colleges. In order to encourage and help educational managers to keep conflict levels in optimum levels, it is useful to identify both the levels of role conflict and the role conflict effects, as presented above.
Role conflict is usually the consequence of emotional tensions that become chronic. Role conflict classified as intrapersonal conflict. Many authors suggest that the unfavorable balance of roles, ambiguity on job description, decision-making uncertainty, roles concurrency, decision-making uncertainty, and contradictory expectations may contribute towards its development [10, 12, 16].
We encountered varying levels of role conflict in reviewed literature. A number of studies claimed that due to the work overload and diversity of roles, nursing faculty experienced high levels of role conflict [17, 32]. In the same condition, some studies have reported lower levels of role conflict [5, 34]. With regard to culture context and individual characteristics can influence the perception of conflict [21]; it seems that the difference in results could be due to differences in research locations. Results of a study showed meaningful significant between role conflict levels in English and Chinese nursing faculty [33].
In related to second main question, the results of this study explored a number of personal and organizational effects of role conflict. A negative relationship between conflict and job satisfaction was expressed in the articles. Similar to the study, this negative relationship has also been reported in studies on non-nursing staff [40] and nursing staff [10, 21, 25]. Burnout and frustration were the other effects of role conflict on nursing faculty. The similar results have been stated in other studies on physicians, nurses [41], and staff [23].
Review of literatures revealed that role ambiguity and role conflict could be relate to quality of work and performance in faculty members. Kelly (2006) explained that, role conflict is a potential source of organizational problems such as absenteeism, mistakes, and poor quality assurance [42]. Similar findings reported in other studies [10].
Conflicting expectations of each person's role gradually increased stress on the individual. Long-term involvement with conflict can lead to role strain or role stress [5]. Likewise, other studies have reported similar results in other professional groups [43-45]
Role conflict is more likely in certain job positions with complex expectations. It seems that faculty members do not like to accept the administrative responsibility. Presumably, factors like workload and conflict-related issues discourage their pursuit of administration. Results of a study in Nigeria showed the academic managers had more potentially to experience role conflict [16].
One of the strategies used in dealing with role conflict, is avoiding from exposure. In this case, the person is trying every way to distance itself from the conflict situation [46]. This is one reason for the high mobility of nursing faculty in the studies reviewed. The similar findings reported on clinical nursing studies [21, 22].
In conjunction with low levels of organizational commitment among nursing faculty, a number of studies have reported, organizational commitment can be decrease when a person faced with ambiguous and� contradictory expectations [17, 40].
Finally, results of the reviewed articles represented role conflict can affect all organizational climate dimensions. Organizational climate is the set of characteristics that perceived directly or indirectly by the employees, which is assumed to be a major force in influencing employee behavior. Our findings are similar to other studies that role conflict had a negative relationship with all component of organizational climate [12, 22].

Conclusion
Role Conflict is normal and inevitable phenomenon in educational organization. Therefore, nursing faculty members can be experience role conflict frequently. Role conflict may occur in different levels and with different consequences depending on the individual and cultural features.
Understanding the nature of the conflict and its effects on nursing faculty can play an important role in the prediction and prevention of adverse effects in universities. Therefore, according to the influence of cultural backgrounds and lack of role conflict associated studies in nursing faculty, more research on causes, consequences and impact of management strategies are conducted in this area in Iran. The results of this study provide valuable information about the role conflict levels and the consequences for educational managers