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STRESS IN ORGANIZATIONS!

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STRESS"
a psychological reaction to the demands inherent in a stressor that has the potential
to make a person feel tense or anxious"
not inherently bad - can serve as a stimulus to positive productive action"
problematic when leads to high levels of anxiety or tension"

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STRESSORS"
environmental events or conditions that have the potential to induce stress!
ex. extreme temperatures, isolation, hostile people"
individual personality can determine the extent to which a potential stressor
becomes a real stressor!

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STRESS REACTIONS"
the behavioural, psychological, and physiological consequences of stress!
ex. elevated blood pressure, reduced immune function, coping strategies"
coping strategies can be directed toward the stressor or at reducing the anxiety from
the stress"
how employees react to stress can be costly to organization ex. absenteeism"

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TYPES OF STRESSORS!

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ROLE OVERLOAD"
workload - having to perform too many tasks in too short a time period"

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HEAVY RESPONSIBILITY"
when the work you do has extremely important consequences "

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POOR PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS"

excessive heat, cold, noise, pollution, danger, etc."

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POOR JOB DESIGN"

when a job is too challenging or not challenging enough"

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BOUNDARY ROLES"
jobs that require you to interact with the public or people from other organizations"

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INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT"
when one person, group, or organizational subunit frustrates the goal attainment of
another"
Bullying !
repeated negative behaviour directed toward one or more individuals of lower
power or status that creates a hostile work environment"

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WORKFAMILY CONFLICT"
occurs when either work duties interfere with family life or vice versa"

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JOB INSECURITY AND CHANGE"

ex. downsizing, outsourcing, restructuring"

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ROLE AMBIGUITY"
when the goals of ones job or the methods of performing the job are unclear"

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SEXUAL HARASSMENT"
involves coercion of sexual cooperation by threat of job-related consequences and
unwanted and offensive sex-related verbal or physical conduct"
widespread in both public and private sectors"
organizational effects include decreased morale, organizational commitment, job
performance and increased absenteeism, turnover, and job loss"
psychological and physiological effects include depression, frustration, nervousness,
fatigue, nausea, hypertension, PTSD symptoms"

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BURNOUT"
a condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism (belief people are
motivated only by self-interest), and reduced self-efficacy (belief in your own ability to
accomplish things)"
most commonly experienced by people who enter their jobs with very high ideals who
are then frustrated by the reality they encounter"

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WORK ENGAGEMENT"
opposite of burnout"
a positive work-related state of mind characterized by high levels of energy,
dedication, and concentration"

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JOB DEMANDSRESOURCES MODEL"

a model that shows how job demands cause burnout and job resources cause
engagement "
Job Demands - physical, psychological, social, or organizational features of a job
that require sustained physical or psychological effort that in turn can result in
physiological or psychological costs"
ex. work overload, time pressure, role ambiguity, role conflict"
Job Resources - features of a job that help you achieve work goals, reduce job
demands, stimulate personal growth, learning and development."
Can come from:"
organization - pay, career opportunities, job security"
interpersonal and social relations - supervisor and co-worker support, team
climate"
organization of work - role clarity, decision making participation"
task - task significance, autonomy, performance feedback"

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PERSONALITY AND STRESS!

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How a person reacts to stressors is influenced by their personality. "

The three personality traits below are examples of this."

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LOCUS OF CONTROL"
a set of beliefs about whether ones behaviour is controlled mainly be internal or
external forces"
Internals - believe they control their own behaviour "
more likely to confront stressors directly!
Externals - believe their behaviour is controlled by luck, fate, or powerful people"
more likely to feel anxious in the face of potential stressors"
more likely to use anxiety-reduction strategies rather than confront the stressor!

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TYPE A BEHAVIOUR PATTERN"

a personality pattern that includes aggressiveness, ambitiousness, competitiveness,
hostility, impatience, and a sense of time urgency"
these people say they have heavier workloads, work longer hours, and have more
conflicting work demands (all potent stressors)"

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NEGATIVE AFFECTIVITY"
tendency to view the world, including oneself and other people, in a negative light."
likely to feel stressed in response to a heavy workload"

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BEHAVIOURAL REACTIONS TO STRESS!

PROBLEM SOLVING"
Delegation!
Time Management!
Talking it out!
Asking for help!
Searching for alternatives!

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SEEKING SOCIAL SUPPORT"

having close ties with other people (family, friends, co-workers)"
can increase self-esteem, provide useful information, offer comfort and humour and
provide material resources (ex. a loan)"
social networks can act as a buffer against stress"

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PERFORMANCE CHANGES"
some stressors like role ambiguity and interpersonal conflict can damage performance"
heavy workload and responsibility can also damage performance but they can also
motivate people to improve performance"

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WITHDRAWAL"
removing yourself from a stressor "
results in absence, employee turnover in organizations"

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USE OF ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCES"

smoking, drinking and drug use"
do not address stressor and leave employee less physically and mentally prepared to
perform their jobs"

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PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS TO STRESS!

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DEFENCE MECHANISMS"
Psychological attempts to reduce the anxiety associated with stress"
Does not directly address the underlying stressor"

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Rationalization!
giving socially acceptable reasons for your behaviour to make your actions seem
positive"
Projection!
attributing ones own undesirable ideas and motives to others so that they seem
less negative"
Displacement!
directing feelings of anger at a safe target rather than expressing them where
they may be punished"
Reaction formation!
expressing oneself in a way that is directly opposite to the way one really feels,
rather than risk negative reactions to ones true position"
Compensation!
applying ones skills in a particular area to make up for failure in another area"

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PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS TO STRESS!
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Studies have associated stress with:"
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cardiovascular - elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, and pulse"
immune system - respiratory and bacterial infections"

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ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING STRESS!

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JOB REDESIGN"
organizations can redesign jobs to reduce their stressful characteristics"
ex. overloaded executive given an assistant"
ex. giving service workers more control over how service is delivered can alleviate
stress and burnout "

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FAMILY-FRIENDLY HUMAN RESOURCE POLICIES"

social support - newsletters, support groups, consultants and training"
material support - daycare"
flexibility - flex-time, telecommuting, job sharing, family leave"

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STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS"

may include training in: meditation, muscle relaxation, biofeedback, time
management, positive thinking"

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WORK-LIFE BALANCE, FITNESS, AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS"

some organizations use work-life balance benefits as a retention tool"
can increase commitment and reduce turnover"
ex. healthy cafeteria food, on staff naturopath, massage therapist, chiropractor,
medical doctor, nurse, weight loss contests, fitness classes, home training
consultations"
fitness is associated with improved mood, better self-concept, reduced absences,
enhance job satisfaction, better performance and lower health care costs.