Role Conflict and burn out

Role Conflict and Burnout: The Direct and
Moderating Effects of Political Skill and
Perceived Organizational Support on Burnout
Dimensions
I. M. Jawahar
Illinois State University
Thomas H. Stone
Oklahoma State University
Jennifer L. Kisamore
University of Oklahoma in Tulsa

Drawing from previous research on the effect of role conflict on burnout and the Conservation of Resources theory, the authors propose that individual differences in political skill and perceptions of organizational support will be negatively related to burnout and will also moderate the relationship between perceived role conflict and burnout. In a sample of 120 professional employees, political skill was associated with less depersonalization and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment and moderated the role conflict-reduced personal accomplishment relationship. Perceived organizational support was associated with less emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and moderated the role conflict-emotional exhaustion relationship. Implications of results are discussed and directions for future research are offered.
Keywords: role conflict, burnout, political skill, perceived organizational support, conservation of resources model

The prevalence of job stress including burnout is increasing (e.g., Kahn
& Langlieb, 2003). Because job stress has major significance for both employees and organizations, it is important to continue searching for mechI. M. Jawahar, Department of Management & Quantitative Methods, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois; Thomas H. Stone, Department of Management, Oklahoma State
University, Stillwater; Jennifer L. Kisamore, Department of Psychology, University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to I. M. Jawahar, Department of Management & Quantitative Methods, 211 College of Business, Illinois State University,
Normal, IL 61790. E-mail: [e-mail]
142
International Journal of Stress Management
2007, Vol. 14, No.

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