Chapter 9

Managing Individual Stress

Chapter 5 1 Organizational Behavior

 Learning Objectives
• Define what is meant by the term stress
• Describe the components of the organizational stress
model
• Explain the differences between a problem-focused
versus an emotion-focused strategy for coping with
stress
• Discuss how body systems are affected by stress
• Identify some of the variables that moderate the stress
process.
• Describe several different organizational and individual
approaches to stress prevention and management

Chapter 5 2 Organizational Behavior

 ?What is Stress
 Stressor is an external event or situation that is
potentially harmful or threatening to a person.

 Stress is an adaptive response moderated by

individual differences that is a consequence of
any action, situation, or event that places
special demands on a person.

Chapter 5 3 Organizational Behavior

 ?What is Stress
Stress is triggered by such things as…
– Work overload or a nagging boss
– Computer problems or time deadlines
– Downsizing and mergers
– Poorly designed jobs
– Marital disharmony and financial crises
– Accelerating rates of change
– World events

Chapter 5 4 Organizational Behavior

 ?What is Stress
Key factors determine whether an experience is
likely to cause stress:
– Importance: how significant the event is to the
individual.
– Uncertainty: the lack of clarity about what will
happen.
– Duration: the longer special demands are placed
on us, the more stressful they are.
Acute stress lasts for seconds, hours, or days, but
Chronic stress may last for months or years

Chapter 5 5 Organizational Behavior

 Stress Model

Stressors Outcomes

Individual Level
Behavioral

Problem-
Group Level Focused
coping
Cognitive Cognitive
Stress
Appraisal Emotion-
Organizational Focused
Level coping

Physiological
Non-work

Moderators

Chapter 5 6 Organizational Behavior

Individual Stressors
Role ambiguity
Responsibility for people
Pace of change
Harassment
Role overload
Role Conflict

Chapter 5 7 Organizational Behavior

The Underload-Overload Continuum

Optimal Stress

Low Low
Performance Performance

Underload Optimal Overload

Performance

• Boredom • High motivation • Insomnia

• Decreased • High energy • Irritability

motivation • Sharp perception • Increased errors
• Absenteeism • Calmness • Indecisiveness

Chapter 5 8 Organizational Behavior

Group Stressors

Stress at the group level comes from…

– Managerial behavior, lack of cohesiveness,
intra-group conflict, status incongruence

Chapter 5 9 Organizational Behavior

 Organizational Stressors
Stress at the organizational level comes from…
– Culture
– Technology
– Management styles
– Organizational design
– Politics

Chapter 5 10 Organizational Behavior

 Non-work Stressors

Stressors not related to work…

– Elder and child care
– Economy
– Lack of mobility
– Volunteer work
– Quality of life
– Health problems

Chapter 5 11 Organizational Behavior

 Cognitive Appraisal
The perceptual process of evaluating a situation
– It explains why one person’s interpretation
of stressors is different from another’s
– A primary appraisal leads to categorizing a stressor
as positive, negative, or meaningless
– A secondary appraisal involves a determination of
whether something can be done to reduce
the stress

Chapter 5 12 Organizational Behavior

 Coping with Stress

Problem-Focused Emotion-Focused

The actions taken by an The actions taken by an

individual to cope with a individual to alleviate stressful
stressful person, emotions. The actions center on
situation, or event avoidance or escape from a
person, situation, or event
Chapter 5 13 Organizational Behavior
 Stress Outcomes
Stress can produce various psychological
consequences, including…
– Anxiety
– Frustration
– Apathy
– Lowered self-esteem
– Aggression
– Depression

Chapter 5 14 Organizational Behavior

 Stress Outcomes
 Cognitive stress outcomes
– Poor concentration, inability to make good or any
decisions, mental blocks, decreased attention span
 Behavioral stress outcomes
– Accident proneness, impulsive behavior, alcohol
and drug abuse, explosive temper
 Physiological stress outcomes
– Increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure,
sweating, hot and cold flashes, increased blood
glucose levels, elevated stomach acid production

Chapter 5 15 Organizational Behavior

 Stress Moderators

Personality

Type A Behavior Pattern

Social Support

Chapter 5 16 Organizational Behavior

 Stress Prevention and Management

 A smart manager never ignores…

– Absenteeism problems
– Workplace drug abuse
– A decline in performance
– Hostile and belligerent employees
– Reduced quality of production
– Any sign that goals are not being met

Chapter 5 17 Organizational Behavior

 Stress Prevention and Management

The difference between preventing stress and

managing it
– Prevention focuses on controlling or
eliminating stressors
– Management means helping people reduce or cope
with stress that is being experienced

Chapter 5 18 Organizational Behavior

 Stress Prevention and Management

To create a supportive work environment…

– Set an example by being a source of support
for others, particularly subordinates
– Encourage open communication and
maximum exchange of information
– Provide timely performance feedback, in
an encouraging, non-threatening manner
– Provide for mentoring of the less experienced
by more senior members of the work group
– Work to maintain and increase work group cohesion

Chapter 5 19 Organizational Behavior

 Stress Management Program Targets
 Corrective actions include…
– Training workers to manage and cope with stress
– Redesigning work to minimize stressors
– Changes in management style to one of more support and
coaching
– Creating more flexible work hours
– Paying more attention to work/life balance
– Better communication and team-building practices
– Better feedback on worker performance
and management expectations
– Improving the fit between the person and job

Chapter 5 20 Organizational Behavior

 Maximizing Person-Environment (P-E) Fit
A P-E fit approach to managing stress focuses on two
dimensions…
– The extent to which work provides formal
and informal rewards that meet or match the person’s needs
– The extent to which the employee’s skills, abilities, and
experience match the requirements of the employer
 Strategies for maximizing P-E fit
– Realistic job previews
– Testing/selection programs
– Closely linking personal predispositions
to aspects of the job
– Socialization

Chapter 5 21 Organizational Behavior

Types of Stress Prevention & Management Programs

– Employee assistance programs (EAPs)

– Wellness programs

Chapter 5 22 Organizational Behavior

 Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

 Designed to deal with a wide range of stress-

related problems
– Behavioral and emotional difficulties
– Substance abuse
– Family and marital discord
– Other personal problems

Chapter 5 23 Organizational Behavior

 Wellness Programs
 Activities that…
– Focus on overall physical and mental health
– Identify, help prevent, or correct specific
health problems, hazards, or habits
• Hypertension identification and control
• Smoking cessation
• Physical fitness and exercise
• Nutrition and diet control
• Job and personal stress management

Chapter 5 24 Organizational Behavior

 Video Case

Fighting Stress

Chapter 5 25 Organizational Behavior

 Case Analysis

Case 9.1: No response from monitor 23

Chapter 5 26 Organizational Behavior