Role Ambiguity of Head Volleyball Coaches and Strength and Conditioning Coaches in Division I Athletics

Role ambiguity is common in interdependent organizations and can negatively affect employee performance and organizational effectiveness. NCAA Division I athletic departments are examples of interdependent organizations containing the collaboration of many specialized staff members. Therefore, collegiate athletic departments could be susceptible to the existence of role ambiguity. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of role ambiguity between head volleyball coaches and strength and conditioning coaches within a collegiate athletic department. Questionnaires were sent to head women’s volleyball coaches and their respective strength and conditioning coaches (who are in charge of creating and implementing strength and conditioning programs for volleyball teams) at member institutions of one NCAA Division I conference. Nine coaches participated in the study. The Role Questionnaire results (M = 5.00, SD = .63) and Role Ambiguity Scale results (M = 3.69, SD = .957) indicated that role ambiguity does not exist within this sample, however some role identification responses suggest the opposite. Future research should seek to duplicate this research with a broader sample of participants in hopes of discovering a more generalizable indication of whether or not this issue exists in NCAA athletics