LECTURE 4 STRESS!

What Is Stress?

What is Stress? Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, a demand, or a resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important.

Do you think stress is always bad?

Is Stress always bad? Stress is not necessarily bad in and on itself. Although stress is typically discussed in a negative context, it also has a positive value. It’s an opportunity when it offers potential gain. In short, some stress can be good and some can be bad.

WHAT DO YOU THINK A STRESSOR IS?

Stressors Challenge stressors : stressors associated with work load, pressure to complete tasks and time urgency. Hindrance Stressors: Stressors that keep you from reaching your goals (office politics, confusion over job responsibilities). Demands: Responsibilities, pressures, obligations, and even uncertainties that individuals face in the workplace. Resources: Things within an individual’s control that can be used to resolve demands.

Potential Sources of Stress (Three main categories) Environmental Factors:  Economic Uncertainty (like job security)  Political Uncertainty (in the government)  Technological Change (new innovations can make an employee’s skills obsolete in a very short time).

Potential Sources of Stress (Three main categories) Organizational Factors  Task Demands (Factors related to a person’s job like autonomy, task variety)  Role Demands (Relates to pressure placed on a person as a function of the particular role he/she plays in the organization)  Interpersonal Demands (Pressures created by other employees)

Potential Sources of Stress (Three main categories) Role Demands: Role Ambiguity: Uncertainty surrounding job definitions or job expectations Role Conflict: Superiors have varying expectations of their employees which they many times cannot meet Role Overload: Asked to do more than time or ability permits. Role Underload: The opposite; too little work. Ethical Dilemmas: E.g. report unethical behaviors

Potential Sources of Stress (Three main categories) Personal Factors  Family Problems (marital difficulties, difficult children)  Economic Problems (overextending their financial resources)  Personality (negative aspect of the world)

Family issues (e.g., marital difficulties, breaking up of a relationship, children discipline problems)  Personal economic problems (e.g., many people have wants that always seem to exceed their earning capacity)  Inherent personality characteristics (e.g., a significant factor that influences stress is a person’s basic disposition)  Career concerns (lack of job security, status incongruity, i.e., less status, power and prestige than people think they deserve)  Geographical mobility(geographical moves)

WHICH OF THE THREE FACTORS DO YOU THINK CAN CAUSE THE BIGGEST STRESS AT WORK?

Individual Differences Individual Differences refer to what differentiates people in terms of their ability to handle stress. What moderates the relationship between potential stressors and experienced stress. Four potential variables have been found to be relevant moderators:  Perception  Job Experience  Social Support  Personality

Perception One person may feel that the possibility of losing a job can be something devastating and another might see it as an opportunity to move on to something better. It depends on the way he/she perceives things.

Job Experience It is negatively correlated with work stress levels. The people who stay in an organization, within time develop mechanisms to cope with stress

Social Support Relationships within the organizational environment. It can help release negative energy.

Personality  People who are quick to anger, maintain a persistently hostile outlook, and project a cynical mistrust of others are at increased risk of experiencing stress in situations.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS?

CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS Physiological Symptoms Psychological Problems Behavioral Symptoms

Physiological Symptoms Recent research demonstrates that stress has harmful physiological effects. Changes in metabolism, increase heart and breathing rates, increase blood pressure, headaches, and induce heart attacks.

Psychological Symptoms Dissatisfaction, tension, anxiety, irritability, and boredom. Evidence suggests that jobs that provide a low level of variety, significance, autonomy, feedback, and identity to incumbents create stress and reduce satisfaction and involvement in the job.

Behavioral Symptoms Changes in the productivity, absence, and turnover, eating habits, increased smoking or consumption of alcohol, rapid speech, fidgeting, and sleep disorders.

STRESS AND JOB PERFORMANCE Is it always a negative relationship?

Relationship Between Stress and Job Performance Inverted-U With low and high stress we have low job performance. With moderate level of stress we have high performance. Generally it is good to induce an amount of job stress enough to give a sense of urgency. Anything more than that can cause unwanted symptoms which can be harmful for both people and organizations.

DO YOU THINK PEOPLE CAN MANAGE THEIR STRESS?

Managing Stress Individual Approaches Organizational Approaches

Individual Approaches Time Management  Making daily lists of activities to be accomplished  Prioritize activities according to priorities and urgency  Handling the most important parts of your job during the high part of your cycle

Individual Approaches Physical Exercise  Aerobics  Walking  Jogging  Swimming  Riding a bicycle

Individual Approaches Relaxation Techniques  Meditation  Hypnosis  Biofeedback

Individual Approaches Expanding Social Support Network  Family  Friends  Colleagues

Organizational Approaches  Improved personnel selection and job placement  Training  Use of realistic goal setting, redesigning of jobs  Increased employee involvement  Improved organizational communication  Offering employee sabbaticals  Establishment of corporate wellness programs