1. Stress Management Competencies Roadshow Partner, Work-Life Solutions
Alan Bradshaw
Partner, Work-Life Solutions

2. About Alan Bradshaw Involved in stress management field since 1996
Founded first UK-wide stress consultancy 1998
First management training with a stress risk management, accounted for 80 – 90% of business
Trained/managed many of UK’s top consultants
Helped organizations develop stress policies and implement HSE Management Standards
Became a director of QoWL in 2007
Now Partner in Work-Life Solutions
Main aim is to promote evidence-based stress management in UK and Europe

3. What’s it all about, Alan?
Well, it’s about....
STRESS ....and...
MANAGEMENT ....and of course...
COMPETENCIES!

4. What we’re covering today...
Some essential background and context
Links with HSE Management Standards
Stress Management Competencies Research
A look at the Framework and BEHAVIOURS
Applications, tools and interventions
Case Study Video: Northumbria NHS
Next steps if you want to use this approach
Questions

5. A quick look back...
Statutory legal aspects : Health & Safety Law and Regulations
Common Law Stress Cases
HSE Management Standards (2oo4)
A framework, standards, tools and a process to follow to manage stress risks
The problem is that the Management Standards’ approach hasn’t been as effective as hoped for...

6. Limitations of Management Standards?
Seen as the province of ‘Health & Safety’
Implementation largely down to HR and managers
Ignored by senior/operational Managers “not our problem”
Seen as bureaucratic and time consuming
Survey fatigue (and fears about the results!)
Not day-to-day people management
Led to Stress Management Competencies research....

7. Rigorous research process
Interviews with nearly 400 managers and employees + workshops with HR/OH/H&S
Produced framework with 19 behavioural themes
Rigorous
research
process
2. Questionnaire survey with over 800 managers and employees + further workshops
Refined framework to 4 broad themes, with 12 sub-themes
Later, we’ll look at the Stress Management Competency Indicator tool that was developed and at a commercial 360 version of the tool.
I’ll also summarise the intervention (upward feedback and workshop) that was developed and evaluated at stage 3.
Stage 4 has now been completed, which was a structured follow-up and evaluation of 10 case studies – organisations who have piloted the use of the Stress Management Competency Framework and tools in their organisation. This is due to be published next year but I’ll check with the researchers whether this info can be released to me – if so, we’ll put it on the website and provide the link.
Testing whether we can help managers use and develop the behaviours identified
We can help managers change behaviour

8. A closer look at manager behaviour

9. Brief Critical Incident Exercise:
Reflect on a stressful situation where your manager’s behaviour:
Made the situation better (prevented or reduced stress), or;
Worse (caused more stress, created new stress)
Discuss this with the person sitting next to you…
What manager behaviours made it better or worse?
Will the research findings agree with you? Let’s see…

10. Management competencies (skills/behaviours) for preventing and reducing stress
Competency
Sub-Competency
Respectful and responsible: Managing emotions and having integrity
Integrity
Managing emotions
Considerate approach
Managing and communicating existing and future work
Proactive work management
Problem solving
Participative/empowering
Managing the individual within the team
Personally accessible
Sociable
Empathetic engagement
Reasoning/Managing difficult situations
Managing conflict
Use of organisational resources
Taking responsibility for resolving issues

11. Managing with Respect
Managing with Respect is about managing emotions, having integrity and taking responsibility.
Specific behaviours:
Integrity – this is about being a good role model, treating team members with respect and being honest; not saying one thing and doing something different
Managing emotions – this is about staying calm in a crisis and being consistent, and not passing stress on to your team
Considerate approach – this is about showing respect and consideration for others, providing positive rather than negative feedback and not making unrealistic deadlines
Now we’re going to look at the behaviours in more detail – While we do this, I’d like you to refer to the Stress Management Competency Indicator tool in your packs, so you can see examples of the associated behaviours. As we go through this .. If you’re a manager, think about how you would answer the questions – do you display these behaviours, to what extent. If you’re not a manager, think about your own, current manager. Does he or she display these behaviours? In the exercise did you pick up on any of these behaviours – good or bad?

12. Managing Workload
Managing Workload is about managing and communicating existing and future work.
Specific behaviours:
Proactive work management – this is about managing workloads proactively; communicating objectives effectively, prioritizing, planning and reviewing work so that stress is prevented
Problem solving – this is being decisive and about how you deal with and follow-up on work problems that do occur.
Participative/empowering – this is about how you involve people, consult them and delegate work; the extent to which you enable control, empower your team and encourage participation

13. Managing Indviduals
Managing Individuals is about the way you manage and relate to individuals within the team.
Specific behaviours:
Personally accessible – this is about being accessible and providing opportunities for face-to-face communication, for example speaking personally rather than using
Sociable – this is about being friendly, sociable and willing to have a laugh at work
Empathetic engagement – this is about being a good listener, taking an interest in others and understanding their motivations

14. Managing Relationships
Managing Relationships is about reasoning and managing difficult situations at work, including conflict.
Specific behaviours:
Managing conflict – this is about intervening early and acting as a mediator; also being objective and dealing with issues head on rather than merely acting to keep the peace
Use of organisational resources – getting advice and support from others when needed to resolve relationship issues and conflicts
Taking responsibility for resolving issues – following up, supporting employees and making it clear you are taking responsibility for resolving issues

15. So, we know now what the stress management behaviours are...
But how are we going to change manager behaviour?
Exercise: Reflecting on your own experience, what’s likely to lead to you actually changing your behaviour? (you can consider any behaviour such as weight loss, giving up smoking, fitness/exercise)
Discuss with a partner – what factors are most likely to help you make real and lasting changes?

16. Behaviour change theories
Theories and models of behaviour change:
Stage Theories e.g. Prochaska and DiClemente (1986)
Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance
Social Cognitive Theories e.g. Bandura (1986)
Importance of role models and self-efficacy
Theory of Reasoned Action / Planned Behaviour
Importance of behavioural intentions, attitudes, beliefs and subjective norms; later revised to take account of importance of ‘perceived behavioural control’

17. Behaviour change: what helps?
A manager displaying positive behaviours – ROLE MODEL
A Positive Organizational Culture - CULTURE
Feedback on your behaviour – FEEDBACK, AWARENESS
A desire to change – DESIRE, INTENTION, MOTIVATION
A feeling that you can change and have the skills to change – CONTROL, TRAINING/COACHING, SELF EFFICACY
Moral support when you need it – ENCOURAGEMENT, PRAISE, SOCIAL SUPPORT
Practical help when you need it – RESOURCES
Ongoing help and support – FOLLOW-UP, REINFORCEMENT

18. Changing manager behaviour: Research (phase 3) intervention
3mths later
Upward feedback
Interactive workshop
Follow-up upward feedback

19. Intervention and tools
Most effective process is: Assessment + Upward feedback + workshop (+ follow-up)
Assessment uses SMCIT – If 360, can include manager, direct reports, peers, own manager
Feedback is one-to-one using 360 report (may require training/coach to deliver)
Interactive Workshop (“Preventing Stress: Promoting Positive Manager Behaviour”)
Explores importance; raises awareness; equips with tools; enables discussion of issues, development planning; mutual support

20. Additional applications?
Stress / well-being policies
As a guide to specific development interventions e.g. conflict management training
Integrate into manager induction programmes
Framework and tools for management coaching
Can develop new programmes related to the behaviours not covered by existing management competency framework.
You might include reference to the framework in your policy and can then say to new managers, these are the most important behaviours to prevent and reduce stress
Meaningful insight really requires 360 approach and this requires that the manager is supported by someone trained for the role.

21. Case Study
Implementing Stress Management Competencies at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

23. What’s next... Extensive follow-up information by email
Research, info booklets, audio/video, web-links, 360 etc
If YOU want to deliver the intervention (either in-house or as a consultant/practitioner)...
Preventing Stress: Promoting Positive Manager Behaviour train-the-trainer courses 29th and 30th November in NW (separate courses) facilitated by Emma Donaldson-Feilder
Enables delivery of workshop intervention in-house
Access to all training materials
Upward feedback / 360 training and coaching available

24. What’s next...
If you want to implement this approach, but DON’T want to deliver it, Work-Life Solutions can organise / provide:
In-house training for your managers
A commercial 360 service (managed service, automated report generation)
One-to-one 360 feedback (on-site or remotely)
Coaching

25. Questions?
Any questions about the research, framework, tools, intervention case study, training or anything related to the stress management competencies?

26. Some final comments
Stress Management Competencies are the skills and behaviours line managers need to prevent and reduce stress at work
A framework, tools and interventions are available to anyone wishing to use this powerful approach
Training is being provided for interested organisations, consultants and practitioners
We will follow-up with resources, links and train-the-trainer information

27. Partner, Work-Life Solutions
Thanks for listening!
Please leave evaluation slips on your seats
We’ll be in touch very soon with links and resources, and information about the train-the- trainer events on November 29th and 30th
Alan Bradshaw
Partner, Work-Life Solutions