Organisational and Individual Stress

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A Project Report on

Organizational and individual stress

Submitted by

Manu Gupta (39)

Sahil Tandon ( )

Division C BBA, LL.b

Symbiosis Law School, NOIDA

Symbiosis International University, Pune

In

March, 2014

Under the guidance of

Dr. Ankur Jain

Course in Charge

Human Resources And

Total Quality Management


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C E R T I F I C A T E

The project entitled Organizational and individual stress Submitted to the

Symbiosis Law School, NOIDA for Human Resources And Total Quality

Management as part of internal assessment is based on my original work

carried out under the guidance ofDr. Ankur Jain from December 23rd, 2013

to March 27th, 2014. The research work has not been submitted elsewhere

for award of any degree.

The material borrowed from other sources and incorporated in the thesis has

been duly acknowledged.

I understand that I myself could be held responsible and accountable for

plagiarism, if any, detected later on.

Signature of the candidate: Manu : Sahil :

Date: 27-03-14


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all I wish to dedicate my sincere thanks and acknowledgements to

Dr. C.J. Rawandalefor his support and motivation.

I wish to acknowledge Dr. Ankur Jain for providing me with the opportunity

to enhance my knowledge by submitting this report and all the support.


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Index

Table of Contents

Objective ............................................................................................. 1

Research Methodology .......................................................................... 1

Literature Review ................................................................................. 1

Introduction: ....................................................................................... 4

The Organization ............................................................................... 5

Workplace Factors Causing Stress .......................................................... 7

Interactions Between Work And Home Stress ........................................... 9

Individual Stress Management ............................................................. 10

Causes of Stress ................................................................................. 12

1. Causes of Organizational Stress ..................................................... 12

2. Causes of Individual Stress ........................................................... 15

Questionnaire .................................................................................... 17

Analysis ............................................................................................ 19

1. Age Group of candidates .............................................................. 19

2. Candidates clarity of expectations from him at work....................... 19

3. Candidates clarity of Goals and objectives of department................ 20

4. Strained Relationships at work ..................................................... 20

5. Too many deadlines at work for the candidates .............................. 21

6. Overwork of Candidates ............................................................... 21

7. Helping Colleagues and co-workers ............................................... 22


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8. Control on own Job ..................................................................... 22

9. Participation in decision making .................................................... 23

10. Medical Problems due to stress .................................................. 23

Results .............................................................................................. 24

Discussion ......................................................................................... 25


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Objective

To ascertain the existence of Individual stress in an organization To ascertain the extent of Individual stress in an organization To ascertain the existence of Organizational stress in an organization To ascertain the extent of Organizational stress in an organization

Research Methodology

This research thesis will be carried about by way of an empirical research

involving the distribution of a questionnaire to the sample which consists of

candidates working in several types of organizations.

This research thesis is conducted with the help of Likert Scale as a

tool/technique used for research.

Literature Review

1. B.V. Christiana (2009) Impact ofStress Management on HumanCompetenciesAsia Pacific Journal of Management

This paper examines the stress in the workplace. It identifies the Human

Resource staff as often being in the front line in dealing with cases of

work-related stress and its becoming crucial for managers to identify

sources and formulate strategies to reduce it.


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2. J. Rupa, V. Durai (2012) A Study on StressAmong School Teachers withSpecial Reference to Madurai District

This research analyzes the conceptual and theoretical overview of

psychological stress in the workplace specifically for teachers, focusing

particularly on organizational sources and consequences of stress. This

overview draws primarily on literature from social psychology,

organizational and industrial psychology, and organizational studies.

3. M. Mansor, Dr. Tayib (2010) An Empirical Examinationof Organizational Culture, Job Stress and Job Satisfaction International

Journal of Business and Social Science

This papers assessment on job stress reveals that the employees are

uncertain on the evaluation for a raise or promotion. It is also found that

there are significant correlations among organizational culture, employee

job stress and job satisfaction at RMC-WPKL. The results of this study

signify that action should be taken to change the departments culture

orientation, reduce employeesstress and improve satisfaction.

4. L. Guillen, K. Korotov (2009) Organizational Culture, Leadership,Change, and Stress INSEAD Working Paper

This research work examines how do organizations become and remaingreat places to work. Changing mindsets is never easy and the need for

adaptation usually induces a high degree of stress, both at individual and

organizational levels. Learning how to manage organizational change


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processes effectively may serve as a platform keep individual and

organizational stress at acceptable levels.

5. Kahn, Robert L.; Byosiere, Philippe (1992) Stress in organizations

This paper talks about Organizational stress. It is defined as a rapidly

expanding field, characterized by disagreements about terminology and

definitions but underlying agreement on the variables of interest and their

causal relationships / these relationships constitute a hypothetical

sequence that begins with organizational antecedents to stress and then

identifies the stressors they generate, the perception and appraisal of

those stressors by individuals, the short-term responses evoked, and the

effects of long-term exposure / at each step in this causal chain, the

moderating effects of individual differences and interpersonal

relationships are acknowledged


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Introduction:

Stress is a general term applied to various mental and physiological

pressures experienced by people feel in their lives. Stress has been defined

in different ways over the years. Originally, it was conceived of as pressure

from the environment, then as strain within the person. The generally

accepted definition today is one of interaction between the situation and the

individual. It is the psychological and physical state that results when the

resources of the individual are not sufficient to cope with the demands and

pressures of the situation. Thus, stress is more likely in some situations than

others and in some individuals than others. Stress can be positive or

negative. Stress can be positive when the situation offers an opportunity for

a person to gain something. It acts as a motivator for peak performance.

Stress can be negative when a person faces social, physical, organizational

and emotional problems

The degree of stress experienced depends on the functioning of two

protective physiological mechanisms:

Alarm reaction. When confronted with a threat to our safety, ourfirst response is physiological arousal: our muscles tense and

breathing and heart rate become more rapid. This serves us well when

the threat is the proverbial bull in the field rushing towards us. We

either fight or flee. Present day threats tend to be more

psychologicalfor example, unjustified verbal attack by a superior at

work. It is usually not socially acceptable to act by fight or flight, and

an alternative means of expressing the resultant emotional and

physical energy is required. This falls in the arena of assertive


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communication.

Adaptation. The second adaptive mechanism allows us to ceaseresponding when we learn that stimuli in the environment are no

longer a threat to our safety. For example, when we first spend time in

a house near a railway line, our response to trains hurtling past is to

be startled, as described above. Over time, our response dwindles. If

this process did not function, we would eventually collapse from

physical wear and tear, and mental exhaustion. 1

Stress is experienced when either of these mechanisms are not functioning

properly or when we find it difficult to switch appropriately from one to

another. It is the perception, or appraisal, of the situation that is key to

whether or not it causes stress. This is the basis of the transactional model

of stress, whereby the ability of a person to prevent or reduce stress is

determined by that person's appraisal of (a) the threat within a situation

(primary appraisal), and (b) the appraisal of his/her coping skills to deal with

that threat (secondary appraisal). These appraisals have been shaped by

past experiences of confronting stress and, in turn, influence future behavior

and appraisals. Thus, the process of appraisal, behavior, and stress is

continuous, and managing stress can result from changing the way the

situation is appraised (cognitive techniques) or responded to (behavioral or

cognitive techniques).2

The Organization

The Organization which we approached for the empirical study was Race

Honda, a leading dealership in two wheeler automobiles. It is an authorized

Honda two-wheeler dealer namely - Race Honda, 80-A, Radheypuri

1http://oem.bmj.com/content/59/1/67.long#sec-72http://oem.bmj.com/content/59/1/67.long


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Extension, Jagatpuri Road, Delhi - 110051. They devote themselves to

helping and serving our customers to the best of our ability.

Workers at Race Honda believe the two-wheelers they offer for sale are of

the highest quality. They pledge to deliver you relevant, correct, and

abundant content. They strive to deliver 100% customer satisfaction from

the moment one first contacts the dealership. Their goal is to provide one

with all the information one needs to make an informed decision, whether

purchasing a new vehicle from them or exchanging your old vehicle with a

new Honda two-wheeler or getting your vehicle serviced at Race Honda.

They are confident that once you know the facts, you will choose to buy and

service your next vehicle from Race Honda.


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Workplace Factors Causing Stress

The workplace is an important source of both demands and pressures

causing stress, and structural and social resources to counteract stress.

The workplace factors that have been found to be associated with stress and

health risks can be categorized as those to do with the content of work and

those to do with the social and organizational context of work (fig 1). Those

that are intrinsic to the job include long hours, work overload, time pressure,

difficult or complex tasks, lack of breaks, lack of variety, and poor physical

work conditions (for example, space, temperature, light).

Unclear work or conflicting roles and boundaries can cause stress, as can

having responsibility for people. The possibilities for job development are

important buffers against current stress, with under promotion, lack of

training, and job insecurity being stressful. There are two other sources of

stress, or buffers against stress: relationships at work, and the

organizational culture. Managers who are critical, demanding, unsupportive

or bullying create stress, whereas a positive social dimension of work and

good team working reduces it.3

An organizational culture of unpaid overtime or presenters causes stress.

On the other hand, a culture of involving people in decisions, keeping them

informed about what is happening in the organization, and providing good

amenities and recreation facilities reduce stress. Organizational change,especially when consultation has been inadequate, is a huge source of

stress. Such changes include mergers, relocation, restructuring or

3http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/en/oehstress.pdf


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downsizing, individual contracts, and redundancies within the

organization.4

o Long hours worked, work overload and pressureo The effects of these on personal liveso Lack of control over work and lack of participation in decision makingo Poor social supporto Unclear management and work role and poor management style

4https://www.boundless.com/management/organizational-behavior/stress-in-

organizations/


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Interactions Between Work And Home Stress

Increasingly, the demands on the individual in the workplace reach out into

the homes and social lives of employees. Long, uncertain or unsocial hours,

working away from home, taking work home, high levels of responsibility,

job insecurity, and job relocation all may adversely affect family

responsibilities and leisure activities. This is likely to undermine a good and

relaxing quality of life outside work, which is an important buffer against the

stress caused by work. In addition, domestic pressures such as childcare

responsibilities, financial worries, bereavement, and housing problems may

affect a person's robustness at work. Thus, a vicious cycle is set up in which

the stress caused in either area of one's life, work or home, spills over and

makes coping with the other more difficult.

Women are especially likely to experience these sources of stress,7 since

they still carry more of the burden of childcare and domestic responsibilities

than men. In addition, women are concentrated in lower paid, lower status

jobs, may often work shifts in order to accommodate domestic

responsibilities, and may suffer discrimination and harassment.5

5http://www.healthline.com/health/stress-causes


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Individual Stress Management

Most interventions to reduce the risk to health associated with stress in the

workplace involve both individual and organizational approaches. Individual

approaches include training and one-to-one psychology servicesclinical,

occupational, health or counseling. They should aim to change individual

skills and resources and help the individual change their situation. 6

Stress affects different people in different ways. The experience of work

stress can cause unusual and dysfunctional behavior at work and contribute

to poor physical and mental health. In extreme cases, long-term stress ortraumatic events at work may lead to psychological problems and be

conductive to psychiatric disorders resulting in absence from work and

preventing the worker from being able to work again. 7

There are a number of ways by which the risk of work stress can be

reduced. These include:

Primary prevention - reducing stress through ergonomics, work and

environmental design, organizational and management development,

Secondary prevention - reducing stress through worker education and

training, and

Tertiary prevention - reducing the impact of stress by developing more

sensitive and responsive management systems and enhanced occupational

health provision.

The organization itself is a generator of different types of risk. Tertiary

6http://www.andersonpeakperformance.co.uk/personalstresstips.htm7http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/pwh3rev.pdf


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prevention in organizations places an emphasis on the provision of

responsive and efficient occupational health services. Contemporary work

stress management should, therefore, encompass tertiary prevention. A

good employer designs and manages work in a way that avoids common risk

factors for stress and prevents as much as possible foreseeable problems.


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Causes of Stress

Factors that cause stress are called "Stressors." The following are the

sources or causes of an organizational and non-organizational stress.

1. Causes of Organizational Stress

The main sources or causes of an organizational stress are:-

Career Concern : If an employee feels that he is very much behind in

corporate ladder, then he may experience stress and if he feels that there

are no opportunities for self-growth he may experience stress. Hence

unfulfilled career expectations are a major source of stress.

Role Ambiguity: It occurs when the person does not known what he is

supposed to do on the job. His tasks and responsibilities are not clear. The

employee is not sure what he is expected to do. This creates confusion in the

minds of the worker and results in stress.

Rotating Shifts: Stress may occur to those individuals who work in

different shifts. Employees may be expected to work in day shift for some

days and then in the night shift. This may create problems in adjusting to

the shift timings, and it can affect not only personal life but also family life of

the employee.8

Role Conflict: It takes place when different people have different

expectations from a person performing a particular role. It can also occur if

8http://oem.bmj.com/content/59/1/67.long


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the job is not as per the expectation or when a job demands a certain type

of behavior that is against the person's moral values.

Occupational Demands:Some jobs are more stressful than others. Jobs

that involve risk and danger are more stressful. Research findings indicate

that jobs that are more stressful usually requires constant monitoring of

equipmentsand devices, unpleasant physical conditions, making decisions,

etc.9

Lack of Participation in Decision Making:Many experienced employees

feel that management should consult them on matters affecting their jobs.

In reality, the superiors hardly consult the concerned employees before

taking a decision. This develops a feeling of being neglected, which may lead

to stress.

Work Overload: Excessive workload leads to stress as it puts a person

under tremendous pressure. Work overload may take two different forms: -

1. Qualitative work overload implies performing a job that is complicated or

beyond the employee's capacity.

2. Quantitative work overload arises when number of activities to be

performed in the prescribed time is many.

Work Under load: In this case, very little work or too simple work is

expected on the part of the employee. Doing less work or jobs of routine and

simple nature would lead to monotony and boredom, which can lead tostress.

9http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855.php


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Working Conditions: Employees may be subject to poor working

conditions. It would include poor lighting and ventilations, unhygienic

sanitation facilities, excessive noise and dust, presence of toxic gases and

fumes, inadequate safety measures, etc. All these unpleasant conditions

create physiological and psychological imbalance in humans thereby causing

stress.

Lack of Group Cohesiveness: Every group is characterized by its

cohesiveness although they differ widely in degree of cohesiveness.

Individuals experience stress when there is no unity among the members of

work group. There is mistrust, jealously, frequent quarrels, etc., in groups

and this lead to stress to employees.

Interpersonal and Intergroup Conflict: Interpersonal and intergroup

conflict takes place due to differences in perceptions, attitudes, values and

beliefs between two or more individuals and groups. Such conflicts can be a

source of stress to group members.

Organizational Changes: When changes occur, people have to adapt to

those changes and this may cause stress. Stress is higher when changes are

major or unusual like transfer or adaption of new technology.

Lack of Social Support: When individuals believe that they have the

friendship and support of others at work, their ability to cope with the effects

of stress increases. If this kind of social support is not available then anemployee experiences more stress.10

10http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/causes-of-stress


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2. Causes of Individual Stress

Certain factors outside the scope of an organization also cause stress.

These main sources or causes of non-organizational stress are: -

Civic Amenities: Poor civic amenities in the area in which one lives can be

a cause of stress. Inadequate or lack of civic facilities like improper water

supply, excessive noise or air pollution, lack of proper transport facility can

be quite stressful.

Life Changes: Life changes can bring stress to a person. Life changes can

be slow or sudden. Slow life changes include getting older and sudden life

changes include death or accident of a loved one. Sudden life changes are

highly stressful and very difficult to cope.

Frustration: Frustration is another cause of stress. Frustration arises when

goal directed behavior is blocked. Management should attempt to remove

barriers and help the employees to reach their goals.

Caste and Religion Conflicts: Employees living in areas, which are subject

to caste and religious conflicts, do suffer from stress. In case of religion, the

minorities and lower-caste people (seen especially in India) are subject to

more stress.

Technological Changes: When there are any changes in technologicalfield, employees are under the constant stress of fear of losing jobs, or need

to adjust to new technologies. This can be a source of stress.
http://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2011/03/frustration-types-of-reaction-and.htmlhttp://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2011/03/frustration-types-of-reaction-and.html


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Career Changes: When a person suddenly switches over a new job, he is

under stress to shoulder new responsibilities properly. Under promotion,

over promotion, demotion and transfers can also cause stress.


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Questionnaire

Organizational and individual stress

NB: Your responses to this questionnaire will remain anonymous and only group data

will be presented. It will not be used as an evaluation of your work or capabilities.

Basic Details:

1.Name: ____________________________2.Age: 20-30( ) 30-35( ) 35-40( ) 40-above( )3.Occupation: ________________________

Organizational Stress:

Tick the Correct Answer

1. I am clear what is expected of me at work

Never ( ) Seldom ( ) Sometimes ( ) Often ( ) Always ( )

2. Demands of different groups at work are hard to perform simultaneously


3. I am clear about the goals and objectives for my department


4. Relationships at work are strained


5. I feel that there are too many deadlines in my work that are difficult to meet

i. Yes ( ) ii. No ( )


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Individual stress:

6. You have to leave some tasks Yes ( ) No ( ) Sometimes ( )

because you have too much to do?

7. If your work gets difficult your Yes ( ) No ( ) Sometimes ( )

colleagues will help you?

8. Do you feel you have control Never ( ) Sometimes ( ) Often ( )

on your job?

9. You are able to plan your own work Never ( ) Sometimes ( ) Often ( )

10. You participate in decision making Never ( ) Sometimes ( ) Often ( )

for your own job

11. You have some control over the Never ( ) Sometimes ( ) Often ( )

pace/ content of your work

12. Do you ever suffer from any of the following?

o Anxiety Never ( ) Often ( )o Chest pain/palpitations Never ( ) Often ( )o Indigestion or nausea Never ( ) Often ( )o Sleeplessness Never ( ) Often ( )o Irritability Never ( ) Often ( )o Backache Never ( ) Often ( )o Stomach disorders Never ( ) Often ( )o Inability to concentrate Never ( ) Often ( )13. I make sure that I take time for myself, away from my other commitments,

on a regular basis.

Always ( ) Usually ( ) Sometimes ( ) Rarely ( ) Never ( )


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Analysis

1.Age Group of candidates

2.Candidates clarity of expectations from him at work

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

20 - 30 30 - 35 35 - 40 40 Above

Age Group

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Never Seldom Sometimes Often Always


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3.Candidates clarity of Goals and objectives of department

4.Strained Relationships at work

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18


0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9



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5.Too many deadlines at work for the candidates

6.Overwork of Candidates

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Yes No Sometimes


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7.Helping Colleagues and co-workers

8.Control on own Job

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Yes No Sometimes

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Yes No Sometimes


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9.Participation in decision making

10. Medical Problems due to stress

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Yes No Sometimes

0

5

10

15

20

25

30


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Results

a) This research study was conducted on majorly the employees under theage group of 20 35 years of age (Table 1) as it was done in an

automobile showroom.

b)As you can see form Table 2, a large chunk of employees are well awareof the quality and quantity of work expected from them in the

organization and from Table 3, that most of the employees are also aware

of the objectives and goals of their departments in the organization.

c) Table 4 suggests that their do exist some strained relationships amongpersonnel at work place but the quantum of that is not so alarmingly

high.

d)Table 5 and Table 6 show us that in the concerned organization, thereexists a problem of overworking and over burdening the employees with

deadlines.

e) Table 7 reflects that on-the-job conditions are good for workers as theworkforce is helping and cooperative.

f) Table 8 entails the lack of self-control on own jobs of the workers as wellas Table 9 shows that the employees in the organization are not even

considered and involved much into the decision making processes.

g)And finally, Table 10 reflects that workforce of the organizations, majorly,suffers with Non concentration, Irritability and Back ache.


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Discussion

a) This research thesis has candidates who are young and hardworking andunder the age group of 20 35 majorly because this was conducted in an

automobile showroom where it is required that the major part of the

workforce be clerical in nature and shall be full of energy as there is a lot

of analog work to be done.

b)The information about the work to be done s made well aware to theworkforce and the objectives in the organization of the concerned

department are also clear, quantitative and well commuted to every

worker.

c) The organization is lacking focus upon maintaining good relationshipsamong employees as there exist some strained relations and the

organization may suffer for that.

d)The showroom managers are also overburdening the employees andimposing strict deadlines upon them as a result of which the employee

satisfaction has been affected, which in turn can lead to decrease in the

overall efficiency of the working of the affected workers. This problem can

be solved by recruiting the required number of employees as there could

be a problem of under-staffing in the organization.

e) The workforce, though coping with the issue of strained relations, still iscooperative and helping towards each other as their moral values should

have been positively upright.

f) The organization lacks the involvement of employees in the decisionmaking procedures and giving the workers some liberty as to the ways of

doing their routine jobs. This can lead to the barricading creative and

novel ideas from reaching the management from the ground level

workers.


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g) Individual and organizational stress exists in the concerned organizationsand can be seen by the existence of multiple medical problems among

workers arising out of this stress.


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Conclusion

In this research thesis,

Organisational and Individual Stress

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