st be implemented. On the one hand, the first level supervisor must be a representa tive of organizational policy in effecting sometimes painful change. On the other hand, the first level supervisor must work in concert with production line employees to create an effective and an efficient team. With one foot on each side of the line between management and the workforce, the position of the first level supervisor is one which invites stress even in periods of relative calm. In the contemporary industrial environment, exceptionally high stress levels affect first level supervisors. Within the context of the contemporary organizational environments in the domestic automobile 3
manufacturing industry, and within the context of the research hypothesis stated in the preceding section, this research study investigated the following questions:
1. What is the character of the stress experienced by first level supervisors in the contemporary American automobile manufacturing industry?
2. How can the stress experienced by first level supervisors in the contemporary American automobile manufactur ing industry be best managed?
The findings of this research study add to the body of knowledge on organizational behavior generally, and stress management within organizations more specifically. These findings provide organizational managements in the automobile manufacturing industry with an informed basis for the develop ment of effective stress management programs for first level supervisors.
Several terms which were integral to the conduct of this study required definition. The first of these terms was stress. Stress was defined as "a state of tension, strain, or pressure" (Selye, 1974, p. 312). It is a "normal reaction resulting from the interaction between an individual and the environment" (Selye, 1974, p. 312). In any individual life, or in any organizational environment, stress may produce either 4positive or negativ...