Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Stress and Well-Being at Work Chapter 7 Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Realities, & Challenges Nelson & Quick, 5 th edition

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved What is Stress? Stress – the unconscious preparation to fight or flee that a person experiences when faced with any demand Stressor – the person or event that triggers the stress response Distress – the adverse psychological, physical, behavioral, and organizational consequences that may arise as a result of stressful events Strain – distress

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved What is Homeostasis? Homeostasis – a steady state of bodily functioning and equilibrium

4 Stress Approaches: Homeostatic/Medical Approach Homeostasis External environmental demand + = Fight Flight Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Individuals differ in their appraisal of events and people What is stressful for one person is not for another Perception and cognitive appraisal determines what is stressful 4 Stress Approaches: Cognitive Appraisal Approach

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved 4 Stress Approaches: Cognitive Appraisal Approach Problem-focused coping emphasizes managing the stressor Emotion-focused coping emphasizes managing your response

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved No undue stress Good person-environment fit: a person’s skills and abilities match a clearly defined, consistent set of role expectations Stress, strain, and depression occur when role expectations are confusing and/or conflicting, or when the person’s skills and abilities do not meet the demands of the social role 4 Stress Approaches: Person–Environment Fit Approach

4 Stress Approaches: Psychoanalytic Approach = the difference between ego ideal and self-image Self-Image – how a person sees oneself, both positively & negatively Ego Ideal – the embodiment of a person’s perfect self Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

The Stress Response Blood redirected from the skin and internal organs to brain and large muscles Increased alertness: improved vision, hearing, and other sensory responses Release of glucose and fatty acids for sustenance Depression of immune system, digestion, and similar restorative processes Release of chemical messengers, primarily adrenaline, into the bloodstream Sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine (hormone) system activated Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Sources of Stress at Work Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Stress Sources at Work Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Stress Benefits and Costs Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Yerkes-Dodson Law Performance arousal High Low (distress) Optimum (eustress) High (distress) Stress level Boredom from understimulation Optimum stress load Conditions perceived as stressful Distress from overstimulation Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Positive Stress Stress response itself is neutral Some stressful activities (aerobic exercise, etc.) can enhance a person’s ability to manage stressful demands or situations Stress can provide a needed energy boost

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Negative Stress Negative stress results from –a prolonged activation of the stress response –mismanagement of the energy induced by the response –unique personal vulnerabilities

Individual Distress Work-related psychological disorders (depression, burnout, psychosomatic disorders) Medical illness (heart disease, strokes, headaches, backaches) Behavioral problems (substance abuse, violence, accidents) Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Organizational Distress Participative Problems – a cost associated with absenteeism, tardiness, strikes and work stoppages, and turnover Performance Decrement – a cost resulting from poor quality or low quantity of production, grievances, and unscheduled machine downtime and repair Compensation Award – an organizational cost resulting from court awards for job distress

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Dealing with Stress – Achilles’ heel phenomenon – a person breaks down at his or her weakest point Backaches Headaches Heart Disease Depression

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Are There Gender-Related Stressors? Sexual harassment Early age fatal health problems Long term disabling health problems Violence

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Type A Behavior Patterns Type A Behavior Patterns – a complex of personality and behavior characteristics –sense of time urgency “hurry sickness” –quest for numbers (of achievements) –status insecurity –aggression & hostility expressed in response to frustration & conflict

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Personality Hardiness Personality Hardiness – a personality resistant to distress and characterized by –challenge (versus threat) –commitment (versus alienation) –control (versus powerlessness) Transformational Coping – a way of managing stressful events by changing them into subjectively less stressful events (versus regressive coping – passive avoidance of events by decreasing interaction with the environment)

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Self-Reliance Self-Reliance – a healthy, secure, interdependent pattern of behavior related to how people form and maintain supportive attachments with others Counterdependence – an unhealthy, insecure pattern of behavior that leads to separation in relationships with other people Overdependence – an unhealthy, insecure pattern of behavior that leads to preoccupied attempts to achieve security through relationships.

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Preventative Stress Management – an organizational philosophy that holds that people & organizations should take joint responsibility for promoting health and preventing distress and strain Preventative Stress Management

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Primary Prevention – designed to reduce, modify, or eliminate the demand or stressor causing stress Secondary Prevention – designed to alter or modify the individual’s or the organization’s response to a demand or stressor Tertiary Prevention – designed to heal individual or organizational symptoms of distress and strain Preventative Stress Management

Distress Individual problems Behavioral Medical Psychological Organizational costs Direct Indirect Symptomatic disease Symptomatic disease Tertiary prevention symptom directed Preventative Stress Maintenance Stress responses Individual Organizational Stress responses Individual Organizational Asymptomatic disease Asymptomatic disease Secondary prevention response directed Organizational stressors Task demands Role demands Physical demands Interpersonal demands Organizational stressors Task demands Role demands Physical demands Interpersonal demands Health risk factors Primary prevention stressor directed SOURCE: Based on J. D. Quick, J. C. Quick, and D.L. Nelson. “The Theory of Preventive Stress Management in Organizations,” in C. L. Cooper, ed. Theories of Organizational Stress (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. 1998), Organizational ContextPreventive Medicine Context

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved Organizational Stress Prevention Focuses on people’s work demands Focuses on ways to reduce distress at work Most organizational prevention is primary –job redesign –goal setting –role negotiation –social support systems

Job Strain Model Unresolved strain (ill health) Workload Low High Self- determination Low High Active job SOURCE: B. Gardell, “Efficiency and Health Hazards in Mechanized Work,” in J. C. Quick, R.S. Bhagat, J. E. Dalton, and J. D. Quick, eds., Work Stress: Health Care Systems in the Workplace. Copyright © Reproduced with permission of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., Westport, CT. High-strain job Low-strain job Passive job Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Social Support at Work and Home Individual Organizational Supervisor Colleagues Subordinates Clients Family Spouse Children Parents In-laws Church Minister/Rabbi Friends Support groups Clubs Business associations Social clubs Athletic groups Professional Physicians Psychologists Counselors Lawyers SOURCE: From J. C. Quick J. D. Quick, D. L. Nelson and J. J. Hurrell, Jr., in Preventive Stress Management in Organizations, 1997, p Copyright© 1997 by The American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission. Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Individual Preventive Stress Management Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved

Copyright ©2006 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved What Can Managers Do? Learn how to create healthy stress without distress Help employees adjust to new technologies Be sensitive to early signs of distress Be aware of gender, personality, and behavioral differences Use principles and methods of preventive stress management