Unit 13 Unit 13 Stress ManagementStress Management

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ContentsContents Introduction Types of stress Potential sources of stress Consequences of stress Managing stress A suggested framework for

stress management Crisis management

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Introduction Introduction Stress is defined as a physical, mental or emotional

response to events which cause mental or physical tension.

Stress is a part of every one’s life. But it should not be greater than an individual’s capacity to handle stress.

In such a case, it will cause mental and physical imbalance in the person.

Stress should work as a productive power and not as a restriction which can cause physical and mental imbalance.

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Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives

After this unit, you will be able to understand

Types of stressManaging stressCrisis management

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Types of StressTypes of Stress Stress can be1) Physical This happens when the body suffers due to

stressful situation. Symptoms of physical stress are

◦ Headaches◦ Tension in the neck, forehead and shoulder muscles

Long periods of stress can lead to◦ Digestive problems◦ Ulcers◦ Insomnia (lack of sleep)◦ Fatigue (tiredness )◦ High blood pressure ◦ Nervousness ◦ Heart problems

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2) Emotional These happens when stress affects the mind.Symptoms of emotional stress are

◦ Anxiety◦ Anger◦ Depression◦ Frustration◦ Over reaction to problems◦ Memory loss◦ Lack of concentration

Anxiety is response to loss, failure, or fear of the unknown.

Anger is response to frustration or social stress.

Depression is the response to upsetting events like death of a loved one, illness or failure.

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3) Psychological Stress for a long period of time may cause

psychological problems in some individuals.Symptoms of psychological stress are

◦ Social isolation◦ Phobias◦ Compulsive behavior◦ Eating disorders◦ Night terrors

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Stress is classified into two types:◦ Positive stress (Eustress)◦ Negative stress (Distress)

A low level of stress can be handled by the body with the help of use of resources and it includes positive emotions, like, enjoyment, satisfaction, excitement, etc.

This beneficial part of stress is defined by Selye (1974) as Eustress (EU means good).

Excessive stress for long period of time may first cause an unpleasant feeling and then it may cause physical damage, fatigue and in extreme cases, death of an individual.

This bad part of stress is defined by Selye as distress (dys means bad).

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Potential Sources of StressPotential Sources of Stress1) Environmental FactorsThe uncertainty in environment affects

stress level of employees in an organization.Changes in the business cycle cause

economic uncertainties.Political uncertainties may also cause stress.Technological uncertainty may also cause

stress because an employee’s skills and experience may become outdated due to new innovations.

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2) Organizational factors Pressure to avoid errors or complete tasks within a

fixed time, work overload, a demanding boss may cause stress.

Job related factors like job design, working conditions and physical work layout may be causes of stress.

Pressure on an individual due to his role in the organization is also a cause of stress.◦ Role conflict create expectations that may not be satisfied.◦ Role overload, i.e., working more than permitted time.◦ Role ambiguity is created when role expectations are not

clearly understood. The pressure created by other employees leads to

stress. Organizational structure is also a cause of stress.

Excessive rules and lack of participation in decisions are sources of stress.

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3) Individual Factors

These are factors in employee’s personal life. These include family issues, personal economic problems, and an individual’s personality.

Broken families and marriages and other family issues may cause stress at the workplace.

Economic problems faced by individuals also leads to stress.

A person’s basic nature also affects stress. Over suspicious, anger, enmity, mistrust increases a person’s stress and risk for heart diseases.

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4) Individual Differences Five factors related to individual differences

regulate the relationship between potential stressors and experienced stress:

Perception: Controls the relationship between stress condition and an employee’s reaction to it. Stress is not caused by condition, it is caused by employee’s interpretation of the conditions.

Locus of control: People with internal locus of control believe that they are responsible for their destiny or fete. People with external locus of control believe that their fete depends on external factors. Internals feel that their jobs are less stressful than do externals. Externals are more passive and helpless.

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Job experience: Experience on the job is negatively related to work stress. If experience on the job is good, there is no stress and vice versa.

Self-efficacy: If a person has confidence in his/her own abilities, stress decreases.

Hostility: People who are quick to anger, have an unfriendly attitude and mistrust others have more chances of feeling stressed.

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Consequences of StressConsequences of StressStress shows itself in three ways:Physiological symptomsPsychological symptomsBehavioral symptoms

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Physiological SymptomsPhysiological SymptomsEarlier stress was mainly considered as

physiological symptom because specialists in the health and medical sciences did research on the topic.

But the physiological symptoms of stress have very little importance to students of Organizational Behavior.

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Psychological SymptomsPsychological Symptoms Job related stress can cause job related

dissatisfaction. Job dissatisfaction is the “simplest and most obvious

psychological effect” of stress (Robbins, 2003). High demands and lack of clarity about employee’s

duties, authority and responsibilities increase stress and dissatisfaction.

The less control people have on their speed of work, the more the stress and dissatisfaction.

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Behavioral SymptomsBehavioral SymptomsStress symptoms related to behavior

are: Changes in productivity Absence Turnover Changes in eating habits Increased smoking or use of alcoholSleep disordersRestlessness

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Managing StressManaging StressContinue stress for long period of time, can

lead to reduced employee performance and hence requires action by the management.

1) Individual ApproachesEffective individual strategies include

implementing time management techniques, increased physical exercise, relaxation training.

Effective time management also helps in managing stress.

Talking to friends, family or work colleagues also help to manage stress.

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2. Organizational approaches Management may want to consider the following

strategies: There can be an improvement in selecting people and they

should be placed in the right job. This reduces chances of non-performance and stress.

Goals should be realistic. Redesigning the jobs can help to match individuals with their job and reduce stress.

Training in stress management techniques can be helpful. Employee involvement should be increased. It improves

motivation, morale and commitment and reduces stress. Communication in organization should be improved

because it helps in creating transparency and reduces confusion, and hence reduces stress at work.

Members of organization should be refreshed from time to time. This leads to increased productivity and reduced stress. It is done with the help of corporate wellness programmes.

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Suggested Framework For Stress Suggested Framework For Stress Management Management

Stress provides direction, motivation, and excitement to individuals to push themselves more towards achieving their goals.

Managing stress should be given importance rather than remove it.

The aim is to find the suitable level of stress that can be handled effectively.

The level of stress should be such that it motivates the person and not troubles him.

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How can one find out what is optimal stress for an individual?

The person who likes disputes and likes to change jobs frequently, would feel stressed in a stable and routine job. The person who likes stable conditions would feel stressed in a job where duties change frequently.

Personal stress requirements and the amount of stress that we can handle before surrendering changes with age.

Many illnesses are related to continuous stress.

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How Can One Manage Stress How Can One Manage Stress Better?Better?1) Become aware of the stressors and the emotional and physical reactions:Find out what is causing distress.Find how the body responds to the stress

2) Recognize what can be changed:Is it possible to change the stressors?Can their intensity be reduced?Can the individual’s exposure to

stress be reduced?

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3) Reduce the intensity of the emotional reactions to stress:

Stress is caused by our perception of danger: physical danger or emotional danger.

Are we trying to please everyone? Are we overreacting to situations? We should try to see stress as something that we

can handle rather than something that rules us. This reduces stress internally.

4) Learning to moderate our physical reactions to stress:

Slow, deep breathing helps to bring heart rate to normal.

Relaxation techniques reduce muscle tension. Medication also helps to regulate the physical

reactions. Individuals should learn to control these reactions on

their own.

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5) Build our physical reserves To remain physically fit, an individual must do exercises for

fitness of the heart like walking, swimming, cycling or jogging. Diet should be well-balanced and nutritious. Weight should be maintained. Avoid nicotine, caffeine and other stimulants to reduce stress. Do some leisure activity and take breaks from routine work to

reduces stress. Sleep should be proper.

6) Maintaining our emotional reserves Develop friendships and share your emotions. This helps in

reducing stress. Try to achieve realistic goals and not goals set by others for

you. Expect for some frustrations, sorrows and failures in life. This

helps us to mentally prepare ourselves in handling stress.

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Crisis ManagementCrisis Management It is the systematic attempt to avoid organizational crises

or to manage those crises events that do occur (Pearson & Clair, 1998).

A crisis is a major, unpredictable event that harms an organization and its stakeholders.

Organizational crises are of four types:1. Sudden crises: fire, explosion, natural disasters,

workplace violence, etc.2. Smoldering crises: Problems or issues that were small in

the beginning and could have been fixed if someone was paying attention.

3. Bizarre: A very unusual or strange crises like finger in the Wendy’s Restaurant Chilli.

4. Perceptual crises: The crises Problem Procter & Gamble used to have with their previous corporate logo consisting of half moon and stars, which people say were symbols of devil-worship and hence people rejected P&G products.

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Benefits of Crisis Benefits of Crisis ManagementManagementThe main benefits of crisis management are1. It helps to analyze the situation from inside and

outside the organization as stakeholders might perceive it.

2. Techniques to prevent the possible spread of damage are developed.

3. It provides better organizational toughness for all stakeholders.

4. It helps organizations to follow regulatory and ethical requirements, like, corporate social responsibility.

5. Helps in better management of serious incidents or any incident that could become serious.

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6. It improves awareness of the staff about their roles and expectations within the organization.

7. Increases ability, confidence and morale within the organization.

8. It helps in better and improved risk management so that risks are identified and reduced.

9. It helps to protect and improve the reputation of the organization and reduces the risk of post event legal actions.

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