Role Overload scale

Description

This measure, (Role Overload scale) developed by Bacharach, Bamberger, and Conley (1990), assesses an employee’s role overload. Role overload has been conceptual­ized as the inconsistency between activities or tasks demanded of an employee and the time or other resources available for completing these tasks. Time-focused incompatibilities, such as when an employee feels that he or she has too much to do in the time allocated, may be the primary source of perceived role overload. The sheer quantity of work events requiring attention can also generate perceived overload. Role overload can be mea­sured separately from and seems to be a construct distinct from role conflict (Bacharach et al., 1990).

Reliability

Coefficient alpha values ranged from .60 to .64 (Bacharach, Bamberger, & Conley, 1990, 1991).

Validity

Role overload was correlated positively with role conflict and negatively with team efficacy, task feedback, and task identity (Bacharach et al., 1990). Role overload correlated positively with role conflict and work-family con­flict. In addition, factor analysis showed that role overload and role conflict were empirically distinct (Bacharach et al., 1991).

Source

Bacharach, S. B., Bamberger, P.R., & Conley, S. C. (1990). Work processes, role conflict, and role overload: The case of nurses and engineers in the pub­lic sector. Work and Occupations, 17(2), 199-229. Copyright© 1990 by Sage Publications, Inc. Items were taken from the appendix, p. 223. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Inc.

Items

Responses are obtained on a 4-point Likert-type scale where I = definitely false and 4 = definitely true.

1. I don’t have time to finish my job.
2. I’m rushed in doing my job.
3. I have a lot of free time on my hands (R)

Items denoted with (R) are reverse scored.