Organizational Behavior

Chapter Summary

1. Stress is the unconscious preparation to fight or flee when faced with any demand. Distress is the adverse consequence Of StI‘CSS.

Four approaches to understanding stress are the homeostatic/medical approach, the cognitive appraisal approach, the person-environment fit approach, and the psychoanalytic approach. The stress response is a natural mind-body response characterized by four basic mind-body changes. Employees face task, role, interpersonal, and physical demands at work, along with nonwork demands. Globalization, international competition, and advanced technologies create new stresses at work.

Key Terms

compensation award (p. 248) counterdependence (p. 250) distress (p. 236) ego—ideal (p. 238) homeostasis (p. 238) overdependence (p. 251) participation problem (p. 247)

self-image (p. 238)

Review Questions

1. Define stress, distress, and strain.

Describe four approaches to understanding stress. How does each add something new to our under- standing of stress? What are the four changes associated with the stress response?

List three demands of each type: task, role, interper- sonal, and physical. What is a nonwork demand? How does it affect an individual?

6. Describe the relationship between stress and performance. What are the major medical consequences of dis- tress? The behavioral consequences? The psychologi- cal consequences?

performance decrement (p. 247) personality hardiness (p. 250) preventive stress management (p. 251) primary prevention (p. 251) secondary prevention (p. 251)

self-reliance (p. 250)

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Nonwork stressors, such as family problems and work-home conflicts, can affect an individual’s WOIk

life and home life. Stress has health benefits, including enhanced performance. Distress is costly to both individuals and organizations. Individual diversity requires attention to gender, Type A behavior, personality hardiness, and self—reliance in determining the links between stress and strain.

Preventive stress management aims to enhance health and reduce distress or strain. Primary preven- tion focuses on the stressor, secondary prevention focuses on the response to the stressor, and tertiary prevention focuses on symptoms of distress.

strain (p. 236) stress (p. 236) stressor (p. 236) tertiary prevention ( 251) transformational coping (p. 250) Type A behavior pattern (p. 249) workaholism (p. 244)

Why should organizations be concerned about stress at work? What are the costs of distress to organizations?

. How do individual differences such as gender, Type A behavior, personality hardiness, and self-reliance moderate the relationship between stress and strain?

What are primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention? Describe major organiza- tional stress prevention methods. Describe eight individual preventive stress manage- ment methods. What is involved in comprehensive health promo- tion programs?

Discussion and Communication Questions

1. Why should organizations help individuals manage stress? Isn’t stress the individual’s responsibility?

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2. . - aDoes more stress occur today than in past generationS- What ev1dence is available concerning this question?

3. Discuss the following statement: Employers should be expected to provide stress-free work environments.

7. (communication question) Interview a medical doctor, a psychologist, or another healthcare pro- fessional about the most common forms of health problems and distress seen in their work. Summarize4. If an individual claims to have job-related anxiety or

depression, should the company be liable? your interview and compare the results to the cat-

egories of distress discussed in the chapter. 5. Do you use any stress prevention methods not dis-

cussed in the chapter? If so, what are they?

6. (communication question) Write a memo describ-

ing the most challenging demands and/or stressors

at your workplace (or university). Be specific in

describing the details of these demands and/or stres-

sors. How might you go about changing them?

8. (communication question) Do research on social support and diaries as ways to manage stressful and/ or traumatic events. Develop an oral presenta- tion for class that explains the benefits of each of these approaches for preventive stress management. Include guidelines on how to practice each.