Unit 13 Stress

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Unit 13Stress

Book Code MB 0038

Smita Choudhary

Faculty OB & HR

1Stress Management


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Stress Management 2


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Contents

Introduction

Types of stress

Potential sources of stress

Consequences of stress

Managing stress A suggested framework for

stress management

Crisis management

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Introduction

Stress is defined as a physical, mental or emotional responseto events which cause mental or physical tension.

Stress is a part of every ones life. But it should not be greaterthan an individuals capacity to handle stress.

In such a case, it will cause mental and physical imbalance inthe person.

Stress should work as a productive power and not as arestriction which can cause physical and mental imbalance.

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Learning Objectives

After this unit, you will be able tounderstand

Types of stress

Managing stress

Crisis management

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Types of Stress Stress can be

1) Physical

This happens when the body suffers due to stressfulsituation.

Symptoms of physical stress are Headaches

Tension in the neck, forehead and shoulder muscles

Long periods of stress can lead to Digestive problems

Ulcers

Insomnia (lack of sleep)

Fatigue (tiredness ) High blood pressure

Nervousness

Heart problems

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2) Emotional

These happens when stress affects the mind.

Symptoms of emotional stress are Anxiety

Anger

Depression

Frustration

Over reaction to problems

Memory loss

Lack of concentration

Anxiety is response to loss, failure, or fear of the

unknown. Anger is response to frustration or social stress.

Depression is the response to upsetting events likedeath of a loved one, illness or failure.

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3) Psychological

Stress for a long period of time may causepsychological problems in some individuals.

Symptoms of psychological stress are

Social isolation

Phobias Compulsive behavior

Eating disorders

Night terrors

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Stress is classified into two types: Positive stress (Eustress)

Negative stress (Distress)

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. This beneficial part of stress is defined by Selye

(1974) as Eustress (EU means good).

Excessive stress for long period of time may firstcause an unpleasant feeling and then it may cause

physical damage, fatigue and in extreme cases,death of an individual.

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

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Positive stress (Eustress) -Moderate and manageable levels of stressfor a reasonable period of time can be handled by the body throughmobilization of resources and is accompanied by positive emotions,such as, enjoyment, satisfaction, excitement and so on.Negative stress (Distress)- an overload of stress resulting from asituation of either over arousal or under arousal for long periods oftime causes the following: first an unpleasant feeling, followed byphysical damage, fatigue and in extreme cases, even death of anindividual.


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Stress Management 11

A Model of Stress


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Potential Sources of Stress

1) Environmental Factors

The uncertainty in environment affects stress levelof employees in an organization.

Changes in the business cycle cause economic

uncertainties.

Political uncertainties may also cause stress.

Technological uncertainty may also cause stressbecause an employees skills and experience may

become outdated due to new innovations.

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3) Individual Factors

These are factors in employees personallife. These include family issues, personaleconomic problems, and an individualspersonality.

Broken families and marriages and otherfamily issues may cause stress at theworkplace.

Economic problems faced by individualsalso leads to stress.

A persons basic nature also affects stress.Over suspicious, anger, enmity, mistrustincreases a persons stress and risk forheart diseases.

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4) Individual Differences

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Perceptual variations of how reality will affect theindividuals future

Greater job experience moderates stress effects

Social support buffers job stress

Internal locus of control lowers perceived job stressStrong feelings of self-efficacy reduce reactions to jobstress


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Consequences of Stress

Stress shows itself in three ways:

Physiological symptoms

Psychological symptoms

Behavioral symptoms

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Physiological Symptoms

Earlier stress was mainly considered as physiologicalsymptom because specialists in the health andmedical sciences did research on the topic.

But the physiological symptoms of stress have very

little importance to students of OrganizationalBehavior.

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Psychological Symptoms

Job related stress can cause job related dissatisfaction. Job dissatisfaction is the simplest and most obvious

psychological effect of stress (Robbins, 2003).

High demands and lack of clarity about employees duties,authority and responsibilities increase stress and

dissatisfaction.

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

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Behavioral Symptoms

Stress symptoms related to behavior are:

Changes in productivity

Absence

Turnover Changes in eating habits

Increased smoking or use of alcohol

Sleep disorders Restlessness

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Preventive Stress


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Preventive Stressmanagement


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Managing Stress

Continue stress for long period of time, can lead toreduced employee performance and hencerequires action by the management.

1) Individual Approaches

Effective individual strategies include implementingtime management techniques, increased physicalexercise, relaxation training.

Effective time management also helps in managing

stress. Talking to friends, family or work colleagues also

help to manage stress.

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2. Organizational approaches

Management may want to consider the following strategies:

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.

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

Training in stress management techniques can be helpful.

Employee involvement should be increased. It improvesmotivation, morale and commitment and reduces stress.

Communication in organization should be improved because ithelps in creating transparency and reduces confusion, and hence

reduces stress at work. 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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How can one find out what is optimal stress for anindividual?

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 feel

stressed in a job where duties change frequently. Personal stress requirements and the amount of stress

that we can handle before surrendering changes withage.

Many illnesses are related to continuous stress.

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How Can One Manage StressBetter?1) Become aware of the stressors and the emotional andphysical reactions:

Find out what is causing distress.

Find how the body responds to the stress

2) Recognize what can be changed:

Is it possible to change the stressors?

Can their intensity be reduced?

Can the individuals exposure to

stress be reduced?

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3) Reduce the intensity of the emotional reactions tostress:

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

Are we trying to please everyone? Are we overreacting to situations?

We should try to see stress as something that we canhandle rather than something that rules us. This reducesstress internally.

4) Learning to moderate our physical reactions tostress:

Slow, deep breathing helps to bring heart rate to normal.

Relaxation techniques reduce muscle tension.

Medication also helps to regulate the physical reactions.

Individuals should learn to control these reactions on theirown.

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5) Build our physical reserves

To remain physically fit, an individual must do exercises for fitness ofthe heart like walking, swimming, cycling or jogging.

Diet should be well-balanced and nutritious. Weight should be maintained.

Avoid nicotine, caffeine and other stimulants to reduce stress.

Do some leisure activity and take breaks from routine work toreduces stress.

Sleep should be proper.

6) Maintaining our emotional reserves

Develop friendships and share your emotions. This helps inreducing stress.

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

us to mentally prepare ourselves in handling stress.

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Crisis Management

It is the systematic attempt to avoid organizational crises or tomanage those crises events that do occur (Pearson & Clair,1998).

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

Organizational crises are of four types:

1. Sudden crises: fire, explosion, natural disasters, workplaceviolence, etc.

2. Smoldering crises: Problems or issues that were small in thebeginning and could have been fixed if someone was payingattention.

3. Bizarre: A very unusual or strange crises like finger in theWendys Restaurant Chilli.

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

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Benefits of CrisisManagementThe 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 aredeveloped.

3. It provides better organizational toughness for allstakeholders.

4. It helps organizations to follow regulatory and ethicalrequirements, like, corporate social responsibility.

5. Helps in better management of serious incidents or any

incident that could become serious.

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6. It improves awareness of the staffabout their roles and expectations

within the organization.

7. Increases ability, confidence andmorale within the organization.

8. It helps in better and improved risk

management so that risks areidentified and reduced.

9. It helps to protect and improve thereputation of the organization and

reduces the risk of post event legalactions.

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Unit 13 Stress

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