Management 15 - Organizational Stressors

Stress is any circumstance that places special physical or psychological demands on a person, such that an unusual occurs. But what are the causes and consequences of stress? These two are related in complex ways. So today, I will discuss to you guys about the one of the most common causes of stress which is organizational stressors.

Organizational Stressors are various factors in the workplace that can cause stress. And these factors can have a profound effect on production and motivation in an organization. Organizational Stressors are divided into four general sets namely: Task Demands, Physical Demands, Role Demands and Interpersonal Demands.

Task Demands - task demands consist of stresses such as a change in work responsibilities, technological changes and time pressures. This uncertainty causes stress to manifests feelings of lack of control. Based on one study, for example, the jobs of surgeon and airline pilot are among the most stressful jobs while the jobs of dietician and computer system analyst are among the least stressful jobs. But not just task-related pressures can cause stress; other aspects of a job may pose physical threats to a person’s health. The occupations such as coal mining and toxic handling or the job of fire-fighters are much more risky than any other job.

Lack of job security is another task demand that can cause stress. If someone is secured in his job, he is not likely to worry unduly about losing that position; however, threats to job security can increase dramatically especially when the organization is in the period of layoffs.

The final task demand stressor is overload that occurs when a person simply has more work than he or she can handle.

Physical Demands – The environment in which an individual works can be a very stressful situation based on physical demands. One important element is temperature. Improperly heated or cooled office can result in stress. Strenuous labor such as loading a heavy cargo can also lead to similar results. Office design also can be a problem; poor lighting, inadequate work surfaces and some deficiencies can create stress.

Role Demands – people in an organization or work group expect a person in a particular role to act in certain ways. Every role has expectations but errors can creep resulting in stress-inducing problems called role ambiguity and role conflict.

Role ambiguity arises when the role is unclear, this can stem from poor job descriptions or vague instructions from supervisor resulting to a worker who does not know what to do on a specific job task.

Role conflict occurs when the messages from others about the role are clear but contradictory or mutually exclusive.

Interpersonal Demands - Individuals typically experience stress in situations where they must work with abrasive personalities.  This demand is consists of three interpersonal stressors: Group Pressures, Leadership, and Interpersonal Conflict.

Pressure to conform to the group’s norms, pressure to restrict output and so forth are examples Group Pressure.

Leadership style may also cause stress when an employee needs a social support from his leader but the leader, however, shows no concern or compassion, then the employee will probably feel stressed.