SBenegaL

Category: Stress

  • Summary Thus Far

    In the last byte, we concluded a long discussion on understanding the individual dimension of organizational behavior with a discussion on how professional help could help reduce stress. It would be to list the various components we have discussed on this dimension thus far to help people relate to, and set the context for the next set of discussions.

    Over the last few months we have discussed aspects like:

    • Personality
    • Perception
    • Attribution
    • Attitudes
    • Values
    • Motivation
    • Learning
    • Performance Management
    • Stress
    All these put the individual as the subject matter, but it is also important to think beyond and begin understanding relations between people. Continuing from here, we will begin looking into the discussion on interpersonal diminution of organization – beginning with the aspect of communication.

  • Preventive Stress Management 7

    In the last byte, we looked at social support system. In today’s byte we begin the discussion on individual preventive strategies.

    Individuals too can focus on a lot of interventions to help prevent distress and enhance a sense of well-being. We would again for the sake of convenience classify the preventions into primary, secondary or tertiary nature. We would begin discussion about each in a brief detail from the next byte, but the following diagram summarizes the benefits.



  • Preventive Stress Management 6

    In the last byte, we looked at goal setting and role negotiations as important organizational preventive stress mechanisms. In today’s byte, we look at social support systems as one means to have preventive stress management in organizations.

    Social support systems are crucial for an individual. Team building is one such means to get the supportive social relationship in the workplace; however this limits many a time to the organizational context alone. As individuals, it is essential to receive the socio-emotional support from personal relationships beyond the work place and this is important for psychological well being of an individual.

    The following diagram is adapted from the reference book to help map out the various social support systems an individual possesses.

    Understanding this, could help improve the work environment in a number of ways. Interpersonal communication is definitely a key to unlocking the social support that one looks towards a preventive stress management mechanism.

    The plethora of relationships highlighted in the network provide emotional caring, information, feedback, modeling and other support that help the individual effectively structure his/her work to be less stressful.

  • Preventive Stress Management 5

    In the last byte, we looked at job redesign as a means of preventive stress management. In today’s byte, we look at goal setting and role negotiation.

    Preventive Stress Management in organizations is also attempted through goal-setting activities. These activities increase task motivation, while reducing the degree of role conflict and ambiguity to which people face. We have already discussed goal setting in an earlier byte and wouldn’t dwell in detail on that. Simply put, goal setting focuses a person’s attention and helps direct the energy for productive purposes.

    Role Negotiation is an interesting organizational development technique since it allows the employees to modify their work roles. It would be interesting to discuss this process in a bit more detail here.

    Role Negotiation begins by defining a specific role – “focal role” within the organizational context. The person in the focal role then identifies the expectations understood for that role and there are organizational members who specify their expectations from the focal role. The Negotiation is between the incumbents’ expectation and the key members’ expectations. This clears off the points of confusion and conflict also provides opportunities for clarifications and resolutions. The end product expected is a clear, well-defined focal role with which the person and organizational members are comfortable.

  • Preventive Stress Management 4

    In the last byte, we began discussion on the organizational stress prevention approaches adopted. In today’s byte, we look at job redesign but begin with a model of job-strain adapted from the original developed by B Gardell in “Efficiency and Health Hazards in Mechanized Works” from our reference book. Following is the model.

    The model presented above indicates that a combination of high job demands and restricted job decision latitude or worker control leads to a situation of high strain. Invariably job redesign should attempt to enhance worker control. This reduces distress and strain without necessarily reducing productivity in many scenarios.

    Reduction in job stress by increasing worker control in job redesign is one means of achieving preventive stress, there are other means as well; say job decision latitude being increased. This could be done through greater decision authority in sequencing of work activities, the timing of work schedules, selection and sequencing of work tools, or even selection of the work team.

    It is important to note, that job redesign should also work at reducing uncertainty and increasing predictability in the work one performs.

  • Preventive Stress Management 3

    In the last byte, we went on to complete our discussion through a diagrammatic mapping of organizational context with the preventive medicine context and attempted understanding Preventive stress Management. In today’s byte we begin the discussion on organizational methods of preventive stress management.

    Some organizations have a low-stress and healthy environment while others have a high stress environment with influence on the health of employees. Research has indicated that the perception of organizational fairness and justice helps reduce stress in organizations.

    A comprehensive approach to ensure preventive stress management should address all three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary. Most organizational prevention at the primary level is in the form of job redesign, goal setting, role negotiation, and career management. The secondary level includes team building and social support at work. Handling the third level requires a special means and some companies have put up dedicated programs like – violence prevention programs, etc to address these.

    Over the next few bytes, we shall discuss about Job Redesign, Goal Setting, Role Negotiation and Social Support systems as part of understanding the primary level preventive stress management techniques.

  • Preventive Stress Management 2

    In the last byte, we began our discussion on Preventive Stress Management. In today’s byte, we extend this discussion and attempt to understand the stages in greater detail.

    To better understand the context, lets us diagrammatically represent the same. This is an adopted version from our reference book on organizational behavior. 

    Many organizations use the primary prevention mechanism to address the stress challenges that emerges, this is because it changes and shapes the demands that the organization places on people at work. The organizational factors addressed in this mechanism are listed in the organizational context portion of the diagram.

    The secondary approach to prevention of stress is more based on the way individual or organization responds to the demand or stressor. People in this case would need to learn to manage the inevitable, inalterable work stressors and demands so as to avert distress and strain while promoting healthy habits.

    In the Tertiary approach, they symptoms that emerge out of the stressful situation in the form of symptoms of ill health – could be headaches or even behavioral like absenteeism or in extreme cases hypertension, work stoppages and strikes. There are mechanisms like a full time counselor etc which could help address some of these sorts of issues.

  • Preventive Stress Management

    In the last byte, we looked at counterdependence and overdependence as strain factors. This completed the discussion on how individuals are different from each other in their behavior to stress and strain. In today’s byte, we begin looking at Preventive Stress Management.

    Stress as we know is all prevalent – it doesn’t just feature at work but also in personal life. Though typically confused with distress, stress itself is neither inherently bad nor destructive. It is something that can be managed and Preventive Stress Management (PSM) is one of the ways we can do that in an organization. Preventive Stress Management is an organizational philosophy that holds that people and organizations should take joint responsibility for promoting health and preventing distress and strain. There are essentially three stages of prevention – they are:

    • Primary: This stage in PSM is designed to reduce, modify, or eliminate the demand or stressor causing stress
    • Secondary: This stage in PSM is designed to alter or modify the individual’s or the organization’s response to a demand or stress
    • Tertiary: This stage in PSM is designed to heal individual or organizational symptoms of distress and strain.
    We shall discuss these three stages of prevention in the context of organizational prevention, individual prevention in the next few bytes.

  • Stress – Strain Relationship 6

    In the last byte, we looked at self-reliance and the interdependence pattern of behavior that leads to a positive response when handling stress. We continue the discussion and see counterdependence and overdependence lead to not to positive responses to handling stress.

    Counterdependent people are generally seen to be rigid, dismissing and denial of the need of other people when in difficult and stressful times. Is an unhealthy, insecure pattern of behavior that leads to separation in relationship with others? They exhibit a fearless, aggressive and actively powerful response to challenges.

    Overdependence is also unhealthy and insecure pattern of behavior. In this case, the people respond to stressful and threatening situations by clinging to others. These people are found to display characteristics like being desperate, preoccupied with attempt to achieve a sense of security through relationships. The people who are overdependent could be seen as being active but disorganized and anxious when addressing a challenge. It is in fact this very overdependence that prevents the person from being able to organize and maintain healthy relationships and thus create much distress.

    It would be a good action at this point to reflect on where we stand at this point – is our behavior interdependence, counterdependent or overdependent!

  • Stress – Strain Relationship 5

    In the last byte, we looked at Personality Hardiness. In today’s byte, we look at come concepts of self-reliance attempt to understand the role it plays in managing stress.

    Self-Reliance is a personality attribute related to how people form and maintain supportive attachments with others. It is a healthy, secure, interdependence pattern of behavior related to the above attachment with others. Originally when the concept of self-reliance was formed building on the attachment theory.

    The attachment theory identifies 3 distinct patterns of attachment; these patterns extend into behavioral strategies during adulthood, in professional as well as personal relationships; this has been researched well.

    Self-reliance is a secure pattern of attachment and interdependence but, there are two insecure patterns of attachments – these are: counterdependence and overdependence. We shall discuss about these in the next byte.

    Self-reliant people respond to stressful, threatening situations by reaching out to others appropriately – this is flexible, responsive. Such an individual maintains multiple, diverse relationships and will always appear confident, enthusiastic and persistent when facing a challenge.