Managing Stress and Illness in the Workplace Week Two: Managing Stress and Illness in the Workplace Details Due Points Objectives 1.1 Describe the relationship between stress and health. 1.2 Identify steps to reduce stress in the workplace. Reading Read

Read Me First HCA/250

Weeks Two and Three

INTRODUCTION

Motivating a high level of employee performance is an important organizational concern. Motivation refers to the process by which a person’s effort are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal. This definition has three key elements: energy, direction, and persistence.

During Weeks Two and Three, you are introduced to the important concepts of motivation, communication, and leadership in the workplace. These management concepts are interconnected to psychology and health. Successful managers understand that what motivates one employee may have little or no effect on another. Managers should also avoid assuming that what motivates them will motivate their employees.

You also discuss how effective managers get employees to exert maximum effort and how they retain employees using motivation, communication, and leadership practices. Motivating, communicating, and leading employees are the most important and challenging activities managers perform. To encourage employees to exert maximum effort, managers must know how and why each employee is motivated, what communication strategies should be used, and what leadership styles are effective.

THIS WEEK IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE COURSE AND THE PROGRAM

Weeks Two and Three cover many of the key concepts that impact psychology and health, such as motivation, communication, and leadership. The readings and assessments focus on organizational-management strategies that managers and employees must implement daily in the workplace. These strategies fill social, esteem, and self-actualization needs, which is critical for achieving positive psychology and health outcomes.

HINTS FOR A READING STRATEGY OF THE ASSIGNED MATERIALS

As you complete the readings and assigned materials this week, think about how managers use motivation, communication, and leadership techniques to keep competent employees. Those competent employees are considered important human resources assets that ensure organizational change and innovation initiatives are successful. Effective communication and leadership styles and strategies are the cornerstones that keep employees motivated and engaged in the change and innovation process.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK AS YOU HONE YOUR CRITICAL THINKING

As you review your readings, consider the following questions:

· What external and internal forces might create the need for the company to change or seek innovation strategy?

· Describe what is meant by the term emotional intelligence? Provide an example of how it’s used to promote motivation in contemporary organizations.

· What types of communication do you think are most effective in a work setting? Why?

· How do you explain the popularity of work teams in countries whose national cultures place a high value on individualism?

· Do you know what is expected of you each day at work? Do you have the tools to do your job effectively?

SUMMARY

Weeks Two and Three examine how important management practices—such as motivation, communication, and leadership—lead to better psychology and health outcomes in the workplace. Some managers are finding that traditional designs are not appropriate for today’s increasingly dynamic and complex environment. Instead, organizations must be flexible and innovative. Therefore, managers are finding creative ways to structure and organize work and to use designs such as team-based structures, matrix and project structures, and boundary-less structures.