The focus in the following pages is on workplace stress, particularly that created by organizational change, and how that can be managed appropriately. Stress is defined and causes are discussed, particularly within the context of change and the work environment. Common negative symptoms of stress are noted as well as the implications for individual productivity and for the organization as a whole. Finally, methods for effectively dealing with stress individually and in organizations are presented. For the organization, the qualities or attributes that the should be utilized to manage stress during the ongoing process of change are examined; some points of focus include leadership, personal compacts, communication, positive feedback, allowing emotional expression, and individualized programs.
The concept of stress is a relatively new one historically. The stress response was clarified and defined only during the 1950s, by Hans Selye. Since then, there has been a great deal of material written about the causes of stress, the problems resulting from too much stress on the system, and ways to reduce, or manage, stress.
Stress is not completely undesirable. Indeed, stress is ubiquitous and there is both positive and negative stress. Essentially, stress is the response of the body to demands that are made upon it. In the workplace, a certain level of stress is necessary to call forth employee effort, but too much stress, and too much negative stress, in particular, undercut performance and productivity (Crampton, et al., 1995).
One of the characteristics of the business organization in the 1990s has been, and will continue to be, change. Organizations are seeking to change their structures, the way they do business, their ability to respond to the global market, their commitment to quality, and their corporate culture, among other things. However, upper level management tends to experience employees as resistant to cha...