Can Role Overload Result in Positive Outcomes? The Relationships between Role Overload, Psychological Empowerment, Organizational-based Self-esteem, and Task Performance

Role stressors such as role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload have been found to result in negative outcomes. However, role overload has resulted in mixed findings, suggesting it can be a challenging and hindering stressor. Thus, this study examined if role overload can have positive proximal and distal outcomes and tested the mediating effect of organization-based self-esteem and moderating effect of psychological empowerment. The time-lagged study sampled 218 full-time employees and organization-based self-esteem mediated the relationship between role overload and task performance and psychological empowerment moderated the relationship between role overload and organization-based self-esteem. Mediated moderation was also found suggesting that the interactive effect of role overload and psychological empowerment positively affected task performance via organization-based self-esteem. To test the hypotheses, regression analyses were conducted. Using the PROCESS macro (Model 4) the study found organization-based self-esteem to mediate the relationship between role overload and task performance as role overload was positively related to organization-based self-esteem (B＝.31, p < .001) and task performance (B＝.22, p < .001) while the indirect effect (.14) around the 95% CI level did not include zero (.08, .21). Using the PROCESS macro (Model 1) psychological empowerment was found to moderate the relationship between role overload and organization-based self-esteem (B＝.13, p < .05). Subsequently, due to these findings, the model was tested for mediated moderation. First, Muller, Judd, and Yzervyt’s (2005) analytic technique was conducted and found mediated moderation to be significant for the model. To further validate the finding, the PROCESS macro (Model 7) was conducted and confirmed the mediated moderation findings as the indirect effect (.08) around the 95% CI level did not consist of zero (.01, .14). Due to these results, the study can argue that role overload can also be perceived as a challenge stressor as it can have positive effects on organization-based self-esteem and task performance. Empowerment perceptions were found to enhance the effects of role overload on organization-based self-esteem and furthermore, mediated moderation was found for the study model suggesting that the interactive effect of role overload and psychological empowerment positively affected task performance via organization-based self-esteem.