Definition and conceptualization of stress in organizations

Stress among factory workers in a developing country

This cross-sectional study reveals that a significant proportion (35%) of the sampled population of factory workers experienced measurable health problems in the form of anxiety, sleep disturbance, depression, somatic complaints and other clinical indicators of stress. Job stress and social support levels experienced by the group of workers judged 'sick' were significantly different from the control group, particularly so for employees in the lower levels of work hierarchy. In consonance with findings from the literature, job stress has a significant impact on mental health, with all the job stress parameters accounting for 41% of the variation in the general health. Those job stress variables that were significant predictors of health were job pressure, namely security and job tension, and interpersonal rewards. Extrinsic rewards i.e. those factors relating to income and status were not significant predictors of health. Perceived social support tended to increase at the higher levels of occupational status and at the work place it appeared to exert a positive influence on health presumably by counteracting the adverse effects of job stress. This study stresses the need for industrial organizations of the emergent nations to initiate measures which would enhance health status of workers as a cardinal factor in organizational growth [corrected].

Evaluation of a Structural Model Relating Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Precursors to Voluntary Turnover

An integrative model of the determinants of overall job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and precursors to voluntary turnover was proposed. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment were proposed to arise from overlapping sets of work environment perceptions. A nonrecursive relationship was hypothesized between commitment and satisfaction. Affect (satisfaction and commitment) was proposed to mediate the effects of work environment perceptions on precursors to voluntary turnover. The model was evaluated using data obtained from 1,870 employees of a U.S. telecommunications firm. Hypotheses relating to determinants of commitment and turnover cognitions were largely supported. An asymmetric reciprocal relation was supported between overall job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Future research needs discussed include specification of different causal models for different forms of employee turnover.

Distress and performance appraisal satisfaction

120 quality assurance engineers indicated how frequently job stressors, causing distress related to role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, and career development, affected them at work. They also indicated their satisfaction with their most recent performance appraisal. Satisfaction with performance appraisal was significantly negatively correlated with each stressor.

The impacts of positive psychological states on physical health: a review and theoretical framework

While much research has focused on the impacts of negative psychological states, such as stress, on physical health, relatively little research has examined the effects of positive psychological states. We suggest this imbalance is attributable to inadequate theoretical and methodological development regarding the impacts of positive psychological states on health. This paper presents a framework by which positive psychological states may influence physical health. Following this, we review evidence pertaining to this framework. We conclude by discussing methodological issues associated with this relatively new area of inquiry.

Motivating and Stressful Properties of Jobs: Integration of Research Approaches Through Facet Analysis

This study applied the methodology of Facet Analysis in order to develop and test a definitional framework for the study of job characteristics. Five facets were used to define job characteristics, integrating the motivational and stressful properties of jobs. Perceptual responses were compared to attitudinal assessments. Analysis of the correlational structures of responses from a sample of 240 executives using Smallest Space Analysis supported the definitional system. The empirical data verified the five facets. Results indicated that the structure of relationships among job elements remains invariant across the three assessments of perception, importance, and satisfaction.

Coping with the “Mess” of Stress: An Assessment‐Based Research Project

The AT & T Managerial Stress Research Project, aimed at addressing the complexities and methodological problems that have hampered the study of stress, was carried out utilising an assessment centre evaluation process to analyse and integrate non‐simulation data gathered from multiple measures, methods and perspectives. The assessment centres should give more attention to their choices of prescreen. From the wide array of prescreens available, each possessing a unique combination of advantages and disadvantages, selection of prescreen(s) should be influenced by their intrinsic characteristics, and other factors, such as situational constraints. The accuracy of promotional decisions may depend as much on the prescreening process as on the validity of the assessment itself.

Career transitions within organizations: an exploratory study of work, nonwork, and coping strategies

This paper examines career transitions within organizations. An integrative model was developed and evaluated which views career transitions as a stress-coping process influenced by work and nonwork factors. Data supported the model in that individuals experiencing a large number of personal life transitions were more likely to adopt a symptom-management coping strategy (as contrasted with a situation-focused strategy) for dealing with job stress during the transition. However, neither the magnitude of the career transition nor intervening role variables in the model contributed to explanation of the career transition process. Major career transitions were associated with major transitions in personal life and data suggested that a career transition could act as a "trigger" event for personal life instability. Implications of both supportive and disconfirming findings are discussed. Future directions are suggested for research on careers and for career management in organizations.

Person-Environment Mismatch: Does One Square the Hole or round the Peg?

In this paper a look is taken at organizational effectiveness in terms of a Person-Environment (P-E) match and it is argued that the various approaches to the improvement of on-the-job performance focus either on changes at the individual level (‘fitting the man to the job’) or at the organizational level (‘fitting the job to the man’). Furthermore it is also argued that these interventions occur at either a global preventative level or at a localized remedial level. The resulting 2 × 2 classification of four basic strategies for enhancing P-E match are discussed and evaluated. It is concluded that in a mixed-economy situation, such as occurs in South Africa at present, attention should be given to adapting organizational structures and job processes to make them more compatible with the needs and values of the local work force.

Exploratory development and validation of a perceptual job burnout inventory: comparison of corporate sector and human services professionals

The present study investigated the efficacy of a scale designed to assess various aspects of burnout syndrome for use with corporate sector and human services professionals as prior research and scale development have focused solely on the latter. The scale was administered to two samples of professionals—one drawn from the corporate sector ( n = 150) and one drawn from a variety of human services organizations ( n = 237)—and the resulting data were submitted to factor analysis. A two-factor solution for perceived burnout emerged for the corporate sector employees while a five-factor solution emerged for the human services employees. The results are discussed in light of the applicability of the burnout scale for use in a wide variety of occupations.

Activation-increasing properties of task performance

The present study examined the notion that task performance serves as a source of physiological activation in the work setting. Specifically, it is proposed that individuals performing highly in terms of both quantity and quality of performance will demonstrate higher levels of physiological activation than lower performing participants. 120 undergraduate students in psychology performed a clerical editing task after which pulse rate was taken as a measure of physiological activation. The results support the effects of task performance on activation.