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Managerial Role Conflict Scale3

Managerial Role Conflict Scale Test

With 39 questions completed in about 8 minutes, the Managerial Role Conflict Scale Test examines tensions arising from competing managerial expectations and responsibilities. Your result can highlight areas of internal strain and workplace pressure, supporting clearer self-reflection about demands affecting your leadership experience.

Questions: 398 minutes

Managerial Role Conflict Scale: test ticket with numbers

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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2,650 completions

2,174 likes

Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

2,174 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Scale CSC

Scale C measures the degree to which a manager experiences conflict between incompatible expectations tied to their different roles.

example score13/30

13/30Low role conflictexample score

6 – 13Low role conflict

14 – 22Moderate role conflict

23 – 30High role conflict

A score of 13 falls in the Low role conflict range, suggesting relatively limited tension from needing to reconcile incompatible role demands.

Scale D measures the degree of internal conflict between a manager’s personal values and standards and the demands of their leadership role.

example score37/55

37/55Moderate internal conflictexample score

11 – 25Low internal conflict

26 – 40Moderate internal conflict

41 – 55High internal conflict

A score of 37 falls in the Moderate internal conflict range, suggesting noticeable tension between personal standards and role demands, especially around responsibility and maintaining control.

Scale BSB

Assesses the degree to which external work conditions (e.g., resources, deadlines) create conflict with the role demands placed on a manager.

example score51/55

51/55High conflictexample score

11 – 25Low conflict

26 – 40Moderate conflict

41 – 55High conflict

A score of 51 indicates high role conflict, suggesting that external constraints are strongly interfering with your ability to meet expected managerial role norms.

Scale ASA

Scale A measures how strongly a manager experiences conflicting expectations from different stakeholder groups.

example score30/55

30/55Moderateexample score

11 – 25Low

26 – 40Moderate

41 – 55High

A score of 30 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but manageable level of pressure from differing expectations across groups.

Role Conflict SeverityRCS

Measures the degree of tension a manager experiences from conflicting and overlapping role expectations and demands.

example score114/195

114/195Moderateexample score

39 – 85Low

86 – 133Moderate

134 – 195High

A score of 114 indicates a moderate level of role conflict, suggesting noticeable but generally manageable tension from competing role demands.

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Middle managers under pressure

41%OF USERS

Department and team leads take it to pinpoint where conflicting demands from executives, peers, and staff are creating the most stress.

Newly promoted leaders

34%OF USERS

First-time managers use it to understand early-role tension and clarify expectations while they adjust to supervising others.

HR and leadership coaches

25%OF USERS

People supporting managers take it with participants to identify role-conflict hotspots and plan targeted development or stress reduction.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

You?

Average18.6

Typical rangeTypical15.3 – 22

Possible6 – 30

You?

Average36.9

Typical rangeTypical31.2 – 42.6

Possible11 – 55

You?

Average30.4

Typical rangeTypical22.5 – 38.4

Possible11 – 55

You?

Average37.8

Typical rangeTypical30.2 – 45.4

Possible11 – 55

Intensity of Role ConflictIoRC

You?

Average114.3

Typical rangeTypical93.3 – 135.2

Possible39 – 195

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

You are presented with a list of statements describing situations that you, as a first-line manager, encounter in your day-to-day work. Please read each statement carefully and indicate the extent to which it elicits negative attitudes, emotional tension, and conflict-related feelings. Response options are as follows: “to a very high degree,” “to a high degree,” “to a moderate degree” (sometimes elicit emotionally tense and conflict-related feelings, sometimes do not), “to a low degree,” “to a very low degree” (I am completely indifferent to these situations). If you are unsure how to respond, please select the option that best reflects what you experience more often in that situation.

- To a very high degree
- To a high degree
- To a moderate degree
- To a low degree
- To a very low degree
- To a very high degree
- To a high degree
- To a moderate degree
- To a low degree
- To a very low degree
- To a very high degree
- To a high degree
- To a moderate degree
- To a low degree
- To a very low degree

These are 3 of the 39 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Managerial Role Conflict Scale Test - Description and methodology of the test

management

role conflict

Managers balancing executive priorities, staff needs, and operational limits can use the Managerial Role Conflict Scale Test to decide whether it fits their situation. As a role conflict assessment, it organizes result patterns linked to expectations, personal standards, working conditions, and overall severity in managerial responsibilities and daily decisions that shape a manager's work.

What This Assessment Measures

The items cover competing expectations, authority, resources, workload, personal standards, control, and home-life spillover. This managerial role conflict questionnaire clarifies everyday strain.

Results by scale:

Scale C (6-30) measures conflict between managerial roles: Low role conflict (6-13); Moderate role conflict (14-22); High role conflict (23-30).
Scale D (11-55) measures tension among personal values, managerial standards, and professional demands: Low internal conflict (11-25); Moderate internal conflict (26-40); High internal conflict (41-55).
Scale B (11-55) measures discrepancy between objective working conditions and role requirements; constraints such as limited resources or deadlines can hinder role-norm compliance: Low conflict (11-25); Moderate conflict (26-40); High conflict (41-55).
Scale A (11-55) measures inconsistent group expectations: Low (11-25); Moderate (26-40); High (41-55).
Role Conflict Severity (39-195) measures conflict strain: Low (39-85) indicates good adaptation, Moderate (86-133) isolated difficulties without marked destructive impact, High (134-195) pronounced internal conflict.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Each statement uses a five-point self-report response from “To a very high degree” to “To a very low degree.” Items ask how strongly situations are experienced, including incompatible expectations, resources, competing priorities, unwanted duties, responsibility, control, workload, and interference with personal life. This makes the questionnaire a workplace role strain assessment rather than a factual count of events.

Results combine dimension scores with overall severity. Higher displayed scores indicate greater conflict or strain. Because reverse-scoring rules and each response's contribution are not documented, option numbers do not fully explain scoring.

Its conceptual reference is Role Conflict Scale (Rizzo et al., 1970), which describes conflict when expectations from different sources cannot be satisfied together. Schuler, Aldag, and Brief (1977) examined its structure; Murphy and Gable (1988) studied reliability and validity in original and abridged forms. This online questionnaire is conceptually consistent with the cited Role Conflict Scale, not an adaptation or validated reproduction of that published instrument.

No independent norms or clinical cutoffs are stated. Current circumstances, self-awareness, and response bias may shape self-report, so interpret patterns alongside workplace examples and broader assessment.

Author: K. R. Rizzo, R. J. House, S. I. Lirtzman

Literature:

Rizzo, John R., Robert J. House, and Sidney I. Lirtzman. “Role Conflict and Ambiguity in Complex Organizations.” Administrative Science Quarterly, 1970, 15(2), 150-163. 10.2307/2391486
Schuler, Randall S., Ramon J. Aldag, and Arthur P. Brief. “Role Conflict and Ambiguity: A Scale Analysis.” Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 1977, 20(1), 111-128. 10.1016/0030-5073(77)90047-2
Murphy, Christine A., and Robert K. Gable. “Validity and Reliability of the Original and Abridged Role Conflict and Ambiguity Scales.” Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1988, 48(3), 743-751. 10.1177/0013164488483023

Updated: 2025-10-02