Not strictly a r le conflict, this is generally said to cause what is known as r le strain . Example A devout Catholic working for an educational programme in a Third World country is promoted to a position where they are expected to oversee the implementation of birth control programme. The constant conflict between this person's moral convictions and sense of duty to the employer means that clear directions are not given to those under him and the programme is not followed through with commitment. It saves us time and energy and facilitates communication. Making assumptions about a person based on the r le they occupy, unavoidable though it may be, comes close to stereotyping.
Communication problems can arise as a result.
An unemployed middle-aged woman is sent by the Department of Employment to the local college to acquire some skills in Information Technology. While waiting to be interviewed by the IT lecturer, she skims through some college literature. When the lecturer arrives, she explains that she has no experience of using computers and has no qualifications above 'O' Level, but expresses an interest in following a full-time course in Computer Science.