31. Managing Stress and Coping

7/31/2019 31. Managing Stress and Coping

1/15

MANAGING STRESS AND COPING

Stress is an adaptive response medicated by individualcharacteristics and or psychological processes that inconsequences of any external action, situation, or eventthat places special physical and psychological demand

upon a person.

Three interested dimensions of stress

1.Environment demand referred as stressors thatproduce.

2.An adaptive response that is influenced by .

3.Individual differences.


2/15

CAUSES OF STRESS

ExtraorganizationalStressors:-

Social andtechnological

changes. Family

problems Relocation

Economicand financialcondition.

Race andClass

Residential &CommunityConditions.

OrganizationalStressors

High StressJobs

Job role Poor

workingconditions

Organizational politics

Poor workrelationship

GroupStressors

Absence ofgroupcohesiveness

Absence ofsupport fromgroupmembers

Conflictsrelated to thegroup

IndividualStressors

Role conflictand ambiguity

Type Acharacteristics

Locus ofcontrol

Learnedhappiness

Self efficacy

Psychologicalhardiness

Results in Job Stress in the individual


3/15

Administrative policies and strategies:-

Downsizing, Competitive pressures, Merit pay Plans, Rotating workPlans, Bureaucratic rules, Advanced technology.

Organizational Structure and Design:-

Centralization and Formalization Line staff conflicts,Specialization, Role ambiguity and conflict, No opportunity for

promotion, Restrictive , untrusting culture.

Organizational Processes:- Tight control , Onlydownward control, Little performance feedback,Centralized decision making, Lack of participation indecision, Punitive appraisal systems.

Working Conditions:- 1. Crowded work area, 2. Noise ,heat, or cold, 3.polluted air, 4. strong odor, 5.Unsafe,

dangerous conditions, 6 .Poor listening, 7.Physical ofmental strain, 8. Toxic chemicals or radiation


4/15

ORGANIZATIONAL STRESSORS

1. High Stress Jobs:- High stress jobs are those in which people havehectic work schedule and major job responsibilities.

2. Job Role:-Work overload, insufficient amount of work, role ambiguity,role conflict , and responsibility for the work of others.

3. Poor Working Conditions:- Extreme heat, noise, and overcrowding

can result in stress amongst employees. Other potential workplacestressors are improper lighting improper equipment and inadequatework surface.

4. Organizational Politics:-Organizational politics may increase thecompetition among various group of employees and lead to powerstruggles between them.

5. Poor Work Relationship:- Bad work relationship with co-workers canalso result in stress. In addition to these Problems , women also faceother problems such as sexual harassment, discrimination, the inequityin pay scales, balancing work and family demands and role overload.


5/15


6/15

INDIVIDUAL STRESSORS

1. Role Conflict and Ambiguity:- An individual is a member of variousgroup such as work group, family, community, recreational club etc,these roles place conflicting demands on the individual. Role ambiguityoccurs when people do not have complete information or knowledgeabout task performance.

2. Type A characteristics:- Type A individual is very competitive, highly

involved in his work, aggressive, motivated, ambitious, and veryconscious of time. At the other extreme type B personalities have arelaxed and balanced approach to work and life. They have confidencein their abilities.

3. Locus of control:- The degree of control that an individual exercisesover his

work environment is known as locus of control. In other words

, if an individual feels that he has no control over his job , he is morelikely to feel stressed out.

4. Learned helplessness:- They learn to accept certain stressors as apart of their work life, and believe that nothing they do can change ofalter these stressors.


7/15

4. Self efficacy:-The self perceptions of how well a

person can cope with situations as they arise.

5. Psychological hardiness:- Psychologicalhardiness refers to a persons ability to cope with stress.

Some people are able to deal with high levels of stress in an

easy, off-hand manner while others may become verynervous and harried when faced with minor stressful

situations.


8/15

MANAGING BEHAVIOR TO COMBAT

STRESS

1. Making time for leisure.

2. Scheduling Priorities.

3. Delegating tasks to others.4. Focusing on one thing at a time.

5. Understanding ones body rhythms.

6. Turning down requests occasionally.7. Identifying the sources of stress.


9/15

THE EFFECTS OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

Various research studies revealed that mildstress, such as a transfer or working undersupervisor can improve the performance of

individuals. High levels of stress may have anadverse effect on the performance of anindividual. The dysfunctional effects of highstress levels can manifest themselves in various

forms i.e. physical, psychological, or behavioralproblems due to high stress levels.


10/15

1. Physical problems:- Early symptoms of stress areheadaches, increase in blood pressure, sweating, hotflushes, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal disorders, and

fatigue.

2. Psychological Problems:- High level of stresscan make a person feel angry, anxious, bored,depressed, dissatisfied, tense and irritated.Psychological problems, in general, lower the selfesteem of employees, resulting on poor performanceand job dissatisfaction.

3.

Behavioral Problems:-Sleep disorder, overeating,

loss of appetite, increased smoking of alcoholconsumption , use of addictive substances like drugs,rude behavioral changes can affect a personsproductivity. In extreme cases high stress levels resultin a person becoming violent at the workplace.


11/15

STRESS AND PERFORMANCE

Performa

nce


12/15

INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES TO COPE WITH STRESS

1.Problem focused strategies:- In this one can discuss hisproblem with his superior, and request for help in the form ortime, resources etc.a. Time management:

b. Requesting others for help

c. shifting to another job.

2.Emotion focused strategies:-a. Relaxation:- Relaxation techniques like meditation, hypnosis,and biofeedback. Relaxation techniques helps bring downanxiety, depression, and hostility.

b. Exercise:- People who exercise regularly experience lowerlevels of anxiety , depression, and stress than those who do notexercise at all.


13/15

b. Psychological strategies:- This will make aperson perceptive to early signs of stress and thus helphim to manage stress effectively.

c. Recreation:- Depending on their tastes, individualcan engage in diverse recreational activities and hobbies

lime reading, dancing, horse-riding, singing, etc.

d. Companionship:- People who have close andsupportive relationships with their friends tend toexperience lower levels of stress.


14/15

ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES TO COPE WITH

STRESS

Problem- focused strategies:- redesigning the job, properselection and placement, training, team building, and providingday care facilities.

Redesigning the job:- work in flexible shifts so that they canstrike a balance between their personal and professionalcommunities.

Proper selection and placement:-Organization should clarifywhat the educational qualification, experience, skills and abilitiesthat an employee posses to handle a particular job.

Training:- Training will develop necessary skills to perform theirjob effectively.

Team Building:- Team building enhances camaraderie within theteam and helps employees cooperate with one another toachieve organizational goals.

Providing various day care facilities:- Many organizationsprovide in-house facilities in which employees can tame care oftheir children and their elderly parents or relatives.

E ti f d t t i


15/15

Emotion-focused strategies

Promoting open communication within theorganization:-Organization should encourage two-way

communication, so that employees feel that they are anintegral part of the organization.

Employee assistance programs:- Organizations alsoprovide help for other employee problems not related towork, such as health, finance and family because they

realize that these problems also effect employeeperformance.

Mentoring:-Senior employees help the inexperiencedemployees understand their job responsibilities and guidethem on how to improve their performance.

Wellness programs and personal time off:-To improvethe physical and mental condition of the employee .Workshops conducted by organizations to take theiremployees quit smoking, prevent drug abuse, controlalcohol consumption, and develop a regular exercise

regimen.

Documents

31. Managing Stress and Coping