Understanding the Sport Event Volunteer Experience: An Investigation of Role Ambiguity and Its Correlates

Abstract

The present study tested a theoretical model of the correlates of role ambiguity of major sport event volunteers. The sample consisted of 328 volunteers involved with the 2012 Ontario Summer Games. Participants completed an online questionnaire post-Games that included measures of role ambiguity, role difficulty, training, supervision, effort, performance, role satisfaction, overall satisfaction with the Games, and future volunteer intentions. The findings provide support for a multidimensional model of role ambiguity, consisting of performance outcome ambiguity and means-ends/scope ambiguity in this context. A final model indicated that perceived effective supervision was inversely associated with both dimensions of ambiguity, and they differentially predicted role effort, performance, and role satisfaction. Role performance and role satisfaction predicted overall satisfaction with the Games experience, which was significantly associated with future intentions to volunteer. Implications for sport event volunteer management and suggestions for future research are discussed.