This review challenges the notion that role ambiguity is purely detrimental for employees’ performance, attitudes, and wellbeing suggesting that under certain conditions, it can foster employees' proactivity (self-initiated, change-oriented behaviour) and thriving (a state of vitality and learning), leading to personal growth and sustainability. According to Job Demands-Resource theory (JD-R) (Bakker et al., 2023), role ambiguity as a demand, has negative effects on outcomes. However, this assumption that role ambiguity is always a hindrance with negative effects is challenged. This review proposed a conceptual framework showing boundary conditions under which role ambiguity may positively relate to proactivity and thriving as enablers of personal sustainability (Spreitzer et al., 2012). The overall goal of the review was to identify boundary conditions that may attenuate predominantly negative effects of role ambiguity on thriving and proactivity as well as unpack processes underlying these effects, promoting employee thriving and proactivity as crucial components of personal sustainability.
A systematic literature analysis identified 28 key articles which reported a weak to moderate negative relationship between role ambiguity and thriving or proactivity, or conceptually similar constructs. They informed a conceptual framework linking role ambiguity with proactivity and thriving, enhancing a human sustainability model.
Role ambiguity, typically seen as a hindrance, can be considered a challenge that fosters thriving and proactivity depending on moderators influencing the relationships. Some studies, building on JD-R theory and Challenge-Hindrance Stressor Framework (Mazzola & Disselhorst, 2019), suggest that role ambiguity can act as a challenge, fostering engagement, motivation, and job satisfaction. Supported by findings of this review, for instance, proactive individuals might view role ambiguity positively, using it as an opportunity to set personal goals, seek information, and thrive, challenging the traditional view of role ambiguity as solely a hindrance stressor.
This review explored job resources which can moderate the negative effects of role ambiguity, enhancing employee thriving and proactivity. Resources like performance recognition, feedback, autonomy, leadership, and resilience can attenuate adverse effects of role ambiguity, fostering employee thriving and proactivity. The results of this review suggest that effects of role ambiguity vary depending on the presence of certain job resources, which can enhance employees' ability to thrive and act proactively, fostering personal sustainability.
Future research themes were proposed, which may have the potential to stimulate further studies and lead to additional theory building around thriving and proactivity as enablers of personal sustainability, extending existing theories related to human sustainability.

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