Unit 13 Stress Management

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Unit 13Unit 13Stress ManagementStress ManagementBook Code ± MB 0022Smita Choudhary

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ContentsContentsy Introductiony Types of stressy Potential sources of stressy Consequences of stressy Managing stressy

A suggested framework for stress management

y Crisis management

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IntroductionIntroductiony Stress is defined as a physical, mental or emotional response

to events which cause mental or physical tension.y Stress is a part of every one¶s life. But it should not be greater

than an individual¶s capacity to handle stress.y In such a case, it will cause mental and physical imbalance in

the person.y Stress should work as a productive power and not as a

restriction which can cause physical and mental imbalance.

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L earning ObjectivesL earning Objectives After this unit, you will be able to

understandy Types of stressy Managing stressy Crisis management

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Types of StressTypes of Stressy Stress can be1) Physicaly This happens when the body suffers due to stressful

situation.y Symptoms of physical stress are

H eadachesTension in the neck, forehead and shoulder muscles

y L ong periods of stress can lead toD igestive problemsUlcersInsomnia (lack of sleep)

Fatigue (tiredness )H igh blood pressureNervousnessH eart problems

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2 ) Emotionaly These happens when stress affects the mind.y Symptoms of emotional stress are

Anxiety

Anger D epressionFrustrationOver reaction to problems

Memory lossL ack of concentration

y Anxiety is response to loss, failure, or fear of theunknown.

y Anger is response to frustration or social stress.y D epression is the response to upsetting events like

death of a loved one, illness or failure.

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3 ) Psychologicaly Stress for a long period of time may cause

psychological problems in some individuals.y Symptoms of psychological stress are

Social isolationPhobias

Compulsive behavior Eating disordersNight terrors

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y Stress is classified into two types:Positive stress (Eustress)Negative stress ( D istress)

y A low level of stress can be handled by the bodywith the help of use of resources and it includespositive emotions, like, enjoyment, satisfaction,excitement, etc.

y This beneficial part of stress is defined by Selye(1974) as Eustress (EU means good).

y Excessive stress for long period of time may firstcause an unpleasant feeling and then it may causephysical damage, fatigue and in extreme cases,death of an individual.

y This bad part of stress is defined by Selye asdistress (dys means bad).

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Potential Sources of StressPotential Sources of Stress1) Environmental Factorsy The uncertainty in environment affects stress level

of employees in an organization.y Changes in the business cycle cause economic

uncertainties.y Political uncertainties may also cause stress.y Technological uncertainty may also cause stress

because an employee¶s skills and experience may

become outdated due to new innovations.

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2 ) Organizational factorsy Pressure to avoid errors or complete tasks within a

fixed time, work overload, a demanding boss maycause stress.

y Job related factors like job design, workingconditions and physical work layout may be causesof stress.

y Pressure on an individual due to his role in theorganization is also a cause of stress.

R ole conflict create expectations that may not be satisfied.R ole overload, i.e., working more than permitted time.R ole ambiguity is created when role expectations are notclearly understood.

y The pressure created by other employees leads tostress.

y Organizational structure is also a cause of stress.

Excessive rules and lack of participation in decisionsare sources of stress. 11Stress Management



3 ) Individual Factors

y These are factors in employee¶s personallife. These include family issues, personal

economic problems, and an individual¶spersonality.

y Broken families and marriages and other family issues may cause stress at theworkplace.

y Economic problems faced by individualsalso leads to stress.

y

A person¶s basic nature also affects stress.Over suspicious, anger, enmity, mistrustincreases a person¶s stress and risk for heart diseases.

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y J ob experience : Experience on the job is negatively

related to work stress. If experience on the job isgood, there is no stress and vice versa.

y Self-efficacy : If a person has confidence in his/her own abilities, stress decreases.

y H ostility : People who are quick to anger, have anunfriendly attitude and mistrust others have morechances of feeling stressed.

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Consequences of StressConsequences of StressStress shows itself in three ways:y Physiological symptomsy Psychological symptomsy Behavioral symptoms

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Physiological SymptomsPhysiological Symptomsy Earlier stress was mainly considered as physiological

symptom because specialists in the health andmedical sciences did research on the topic.

y But the physiological symptoms of stress have verylittle importance to students of Organizational

Behavior.

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Psychological SymptomsPsychological Symptomsy Job related stress can cause job related dissatisfaction.y Job dissatisfaction is the ³simplest and most obvious

psychological effect´ of stress ( R obbins, 2003).y H igh demands and lack of clarity about employee¶s duties,

authority and responsibilities increase stress anddissatisfaction.

y The less control people have on their speed of work, themore the stress and dissatisfaction.

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Managing StressManaging Stressy Continue stress for long period of time, can lead to

reduced employee performance and hencerequires action by the management.

1) Individual Approachesy Effective individual strategies include implementing

time management techniques, increased physicalexercise, relaxation training.

y Effective time management also helps in managingstress.

y Talking to friends, family or work colleagues alsohelp to manage stress.

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2. Organizational approachesy Management may want to consider the following strategies:y There can be an improvement in selecting people and they should

be placed in the right job. This reduces chances of non-performance and stress.

y Goals should be realistic. R edesigning the jobs can help to matchindividuals with their job and reduce stress.

y Training in stress management techniques can be helpful.y Employee involvement should be increased. It improves

motivation, morale and commitment and reduces stress.y Communication in organization should be improved because it

helps in creating transparency and reduces confusion, and hencereduces stress at work.

y Members of organization should be refreshed from time to time.This leads to increased productivity and reduced stress. It is donewith the help of corporate wellness programmes.

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Suggested Framework For StressSuggested Framework For StressManagementManagement

y Stress provides direction, motivation, andexcitement to individuals to push themselves moretowards achieving their goals.

y Managing stress should be given importance rather than remove it.

y The aim is to find the suitable level of stress thatcan be handled effectively.

y The level of stress should be such that it motivatesthe person and not troubles him.

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How can one find out what is optimal stress for anindividual?

y The person who likes disputes and likes to change jobsfrequently, would feel stressed in a stable and routine

job. The person who likes stable conditions would feelstressed in a job where duties change frequently.

y

Personal stress requirements and the amount of stressthat we can handle before surrendering changes withage.

y Many illnesses are related to continuous stress.

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H ow Can One Manage StressH ow Can One Manage StressBetter?Better?1) Become aware of the stressors and the emotional andphysical reactions:

y Find out what is causing distress.y Find how the body responds to the stress

2 ) Recognize what can be changed:y Is it possible to change the stressors?y Can their intensity be reduced?y Can the individual¶s exposure to

stress be reduced?

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3 ) Reduce the intensity of the emotional reactions tostress:

y Stress is caused by our perception of danger: physicaldanger or emotional danger.

y Are we trying to please everyone?y Are we overreacting to situations?y We should try to see stress as something that we can

handle rather than something that rules us. This reducesstress internally.

4 ) L earning to moderate our physical reactions tostress:

y Slow, deep breathing helps to bring heart rate to normal.y R elaxation techniques reduce muscle tension.y Medication also helps to regulate the physical reactions.y Individuals should learn to control these reactions on their

own.

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5 ) Build our physical reservesy

To remain physically fit, an individual must do exercises for fitness of the heart like walking, swimming, cycling or jogging.y D iet should be well-balanced and nutritious.y Weight should be maintained.y Avoid nicotine, caffeine and other stimulants to reduce stress.y D o some leisure activity and take breaks from routine work to

reduces stress.y Sleep should be proper.6 ) Maintaining our emotional reservesy D evelop friendships and share your emotions. This helps in

reducing stress.y Try to achieve realistic goals and not goals set by others for you.y Expect for some frustrations, sorrows and failures in life. This helps

us to mentally prepare ourselves in handling stress.

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Crisis ManagementCrisis Managementy It is the systematic attempt to avoid organizational crises or to

manage those crises events that do occur (Pearson & Clair,1998).

y A crisis is a major, unpredictable event that harms anorganization and its stakeholders.

y Organizational crises are of four types :1 . S udden crises : fire, explosion, natural disasters, workplace

violence, etc.2. S moldering crises : Problems or issues that were small in the

beginning and could have been fixed if someone was payingattention.

3. Bizarre: A very unusual or strange crises like finger in theWendy¶s R estaurant Chilli.

4. Perceptual crises : The crises Problem Procter & Gambleused to have with their previous corporate logo consisting of half moon and stars, which people say were symbols of devil-worship and hence people rejected P&G products.

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Benefits of CrisisBenefits of CrisisManagementManagementThe main benefits of crisis management are1. It helps to analyze the situation from inside and outside the

organization as stakeholders might perceive it.2. Techniques to prevent the possible spread of damage are

developed.3. It provides better organizational toughness for all

stakeholders.4. It helps organizations to follow regulatory and ethical

requirements, like, corporate social responsibility.5. H elps in better management of serious incidents or any

incident that could become serious.

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6. It improves awareness of the staff about their roles and expectationswithin the organization.

7. Increases ability, confidence andmorale within the organization.

8. It helps in better and improved riskmanagement so that risks are

identified and reduced.9. It helps to protect and improve the

reputation of the organization andreduces the risk of post event legalactions.

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Stress Management 29

Unit 13 Stress Management

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