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Written by Nicole Renggli, Owner of younique hr consulting | Nicole Renggli | LinkedIn

 

She’s sitting at her desk. Emails are piling up, her eyes jump from task to task as she tries not to lose the thread. Two messages from colleagues, both with questions about a project she’s not officially responsible for. Technically. But somehow, she kind of is. Because she’s always been. Because she can. Because no one else is doing it.
And at the same time, there’s this other colleague who also feels responsible for the same thing. Again, there’s an overlap. Again, there are misunderstandings. Again, that quiet frustration. But it was never really clarified. It just got done. At some point. By someone. And now, there’s this underlying tension running through the whole team.

No one says it out loud. But everyone feels it: Something’s not right.
 

Not every conflict shows up as an argument. Some conflicts are quiet. They hide in polite emails with passive-aggressive undertones. In the annoyed way someone says, “No problem, I’ll do it.” In the tense atmosphere when two colleagues suddenly stop talking to each other.
 

Unclear roles create exactly this kind of tension: subtle, but persistent. Not because people are incapable of organizing themselves, but because no one really talked about who does what, at least not in the beginning. Or because it was discussed once, and then it quietly shifted without anyone noticing or addressing it.
 

And that’s the real problem: When it’s unclear who is responsible for what, there’s room for interpretation and misunderstanding. Tasks get done twice. Or not at all.
Someone feels left out. Or abandoned. Debates start about whether someone was being “overstepping” or simply “helpful.” Suddenly, it’s no longer just about tasks, it’s about belonging, recognition, influence. What may look like a pure organizational issue is, in truth, a relational one. Because roles are more than job descriptions.
They’re deeply tied to identity, to our place in the team, to the desire to be seen and to matter.
 

If I don’t know what my role is, how can I know if I’m fulfilling it?
If I don’t know whether I’m allowed to decide, how can I take responsibility?
If I sense that others expect something from me, but no one says it, how am I supposed to respond clearly?
 

Unclear roles create internal tension. We waver between the desire to contribute and the fear of overstepping. Between the need for clarity and the fear of seeming difficult.

We want to do it right, but don’t know what right even means. And in this uncertainty, the real conflicts emerge, first inside, then on the outside. In many teams, there’s an unspoken ideal: Those who are committed just step in. Those who want responsibility simply take it. But responsibility cannot be assumed. It must be consciously distributed.

And that only happens through dialogue. Role clarity doesn’t mean putting people into rigid boxes. It means making conscious what often runs unconsciously. It’s about asking questions like:

• Who is actually responsible for what?

• Who makes decisions and who doesn’t?

• Where are there overlaps, and are they intentional?

• What is my role and does it still fit me?
   

Only when these questions are given space, can tension begin to ease. Not because everything suddenly becomes perfect but because clarity always brings relief. In a team where everyone knows their contribution and their limits, trust begins to grow. Not just in others, but also in oneself. That’s when collaboration becomes easier.
Not because it’s free of conflict, but because conflict becomes visible, and speakable.
 

Because in the end, it’s not about having everything perfectly organized. It’s about being willing to take a closer look -together. And naming the things that usually remain between the lines. Only when roles are not just lived, but also clarified, can real collaboration emerge. Not in chaos. But in conscious connection.