140 Chapter 7: Stress and Well-Being at Work Chapter 7: Stress and Well-being at Work 123 7 STRESS and WELL-BEING at WORKChapter Scan Stress can be beneficial or harmful. While some harmful stress is inevitable, the techniques and approaches available for dealing with that stress are increasing. Some individuals and some circumstances are more at risk for high stress than are others. This chapter also reviews the benefits of controlling stress in the workplace. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following: 1. Define stress, distress, strain, and eustress. 2. Compare four different approaches to stress. 3. Explain the psychophysiology of the stress response. 4. Identify work and nonwork causes of stress. 5. Describe the benefits of eustress and the costs of distress. 6. Discuss four moderators of the stress-strain relationship. 7. Distinguish the primary, secondary, and tertiary stages of preventive stress management. 8. Discuss organizational and individual methods of preventive stress management. Key terms Chapter 7 introduces the following key terms: stress stressor distress strain homeostasis ego-ideal self-image eustress participation problem performance decrement compensation award Type A behavior pattern personality hardiness transformational coping self-reliance counterdependence overdependence preventive stress management primary prevention secondary prevention tertiary prevention THE CHAPTER SUMMARIZED I. LOOKING AHEAD: Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease II. WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is the unconscious preparation to fight or flee that a person experiences when faced with any demand. Stress does not necessarily have to be destructive. A stressor is the person or the event that triggers the stress response. Distress refers to the adverse psychological, physical, behavioral, and organizational consequences that may arise as a result of stressful events. A. Four Approaches to Stress 1. The Homeostatic/Medical Approach Walter Cannon was the physiologist who discovered the stress response, and he initially named it "the emergency response,” or "the militaristic response." A steady state balance, or equilibrium, is homeostasis, which is upset when a person faces an external demand. The body has natural processes to keep it in homeostasis. 2. The Cognitive Appraisal Approach Richard Lazarus made contributions related to the psychology of stress. What is stressful for one person may not be stressful for another. Stress is a result of the person-environment interaction. The person's cognitive appraisal of a situation as stressful is a key part of the stress process. 3. The Person(Environment Fit Approach Robert Kahn determined that there is a person-environment fit when skills and abilities match role expectations. Stress occurs when expectations are conflicting or confusing, or when a person's resources are unable to me ...

1. 140 Chapter 7: Stress and Well-Being at Work
Chapter 7: Stress and Well-being at Work 123
7
STRESS and WELL-BEING at WORKChapter Scan
Stress can be beneficial or harmful. While some harmful stress
is inevitable, the techniques and approaches available for
dealing with that stress are increasing. Some individuals and
some circumstances are more at risk for high stress than are
others. This chapter also reviews the benefits of controlling
stress in the workplace.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the
following:
1.
Define stress, distress, strain, and eustress.
2.
Compare four different approaches to stress.
3.
Explain the psychophysiology of the stress response.
4.
Identify work and nonwork causes of stress.
5.
Describe the benefits of eustress and the costs of distress.
6.
Discuss four moderators of the stress-strain relationship.

2. 7.
Distinguish the primary, secondary, and tertiary stages of
preventive stress management.
8.
Discuss organizational and individual methods of preventive
stress management.
Key terms
Chapter 7 introduces the following key terms:
stress
stressor
distress
strain
homeostasis
ego-ideal
self-image
eustress
participation problem
performance decrement
compensation award
Type A behavior pattern

3. personality hardiness
transformational coping
self-reliance
counterdependence
overdependence
preventive stress management
primary prevention
secondary prevention
tertiary prevention
THE CHAPTER SUMMARIZED I.
LOOKING AHEAD: Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease
II.
WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress is the unconscious preparation to fight or flee that a
person experiences when faced with any demand. Stress does
not necessarily have to be destructive. A stressor is the person
or the event that triggers the stress response. Distress refers to
the adverse psychological, physical, behavioral, and
organizational consequences that may arise as a result of
stressful events.
A.
Four Approaches to Stress

4. 1.
The Homeostatic/Medical Approach
Walter Cannon was the physiologist who discovered the stress
response, and he initially named it "the emergency response,” or
"the militaristic response." A steady state balance, or
equilibrium, is homeostasis, which is upset when a person faces
an external demand. The body has natural processes to keep it
in homeostasis.
2.
The Cognitive Appraisal Approach
Richard Lazarus made contributions related to the psychology
of stress. What is stressful for one person may not be stressful
for another. Stress is a result of the person-environment
interaction. The person's cognitive appraisal of a situation as
stressful is a key part of the stress process.
3.
The Person(Environment Fit Approach
Robert Kahn determined that there is a person-environment fit
when skills and abilities match role expectations. Stress occurs
when expectations are conflicting or confusing, or when a
person's resources are unable to meet the expectations.
4.
The Psychoanalytic Approach

5. This approach is based on Freudian psychoanalytic theory.
Harry Levinson believes that two elements taken together cause
stress. The ego-ideal is the embodiment of a person's perfect
self. In contrast, the self-image is how a person actually sees
himself or herself. Stress results when there is a discrepancy
between the two.
B.
The Stress Response
The stress response produces a predictable sequence of mind
and body events that prepares the mind and body for fight-or-
flight. It can be quite functional in some situations.
III.
SOURCES OF STRESS AT WORK
Sources of stress for people at work include task demands, role
demands, interpersonal demands, and physical demands.
A.
Task Demands
Uncertainty and lack of control are two of the most stressful
demands people face at work. Laid-off employees have referred
to the day after being laid off as the day they regained control
of their lives. Sometimes the dread of being selected in a layoff
is worse than actually being laid off. Similarly, one study
found that heart attacks are more common when individuals
have little control and heavy work demands. Other task
demands include career progress, work overload, and new
technologies.

6. B.
Role Demands
Stress related to role demands arises from role conflict, ethical
violations, and role ambiguity. Role conflict can result from
conflicting demands between two different roles (interrole) or
within a single role (intrarole). Individuals who experience
confusion regarding the expectations of others experience role
ambiguity.
C.
Interpersonal Demands
Individuals typically experience stress in situations where they
must work with abrasive personalities. Sexual harassment and
leadership style can also create stressful environments.
D.
Physical Demands
The environment in which an individual works can be a very
stressful situation based on physical demands. Most people can
list extreme conditions; yet, uncomfortably cool or warm
environments can provoke irritability among employees, leading
to mistakes. Even working with computer equipment can be
physically demanding if it is not designed ergonomically.
E.
Nonwork Demands
Most individuals have stressors that affect their energy and
attention level on their job. The most obvious ones are related

7. to family demands, yet these are not the only ones that people
experience. As the society ages, more working individuals will
have responsibility for taking care of their aging parents, many
of whom will be living with them.
IV.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS
The benefits of stress are captured with the term eustress, which
stands for healthy, normal stress. Eustress is positive for
organizations and individuals.
A.
Performance and Health Benefits of Stress
The Yerkes-Dodson law tracks the benefits of stress that lead to
improved performance up to an optimum point, after which
benefits decrease and stress eventually becomes detrimental.
McGrath mentions that performance falls as the difficulty of the
task increases beyond a certain point.
B.
Individual Distress
Individual distress can be seen in psychological symptoms such
as depression, burnout, and psychosomatic disorders. The word
burnout is probably overused, particularly in regard to
individuals who are simply malingering to rationalize failure or
boredom. Stress is directly related to medical symptoms,
particularly heart disease and strokes, backaches, peptic ulcers,
and headaches. Behavioral problems are another form of
distress that are manifested in violence, substance abuse, and
accidents.

8. C.
Organizational Distress
Organizational distress can be evident in participation
problems, performance decrements, and compensation awards.
Participation problems include absenteeism, tardiness, strikes
and work stoppages, and turnover. Performance decrements
result from reductions in quality or quantity of production,
grievances, and unscheduled machine downtime and repair.
Compensation awards are the costs resulting from court awards
for job distress.
V.
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN THE STRESS-STRAIN
RELATIONSHIP
Predictors of harmful stress for one individual may have
beneficial effects for another. The Achilles heel phenomenon
suggests that people break down at their weakest point.
A.
Gender Effects
Women and men have different life span expectations, with
women typically living seven years longer than do men.
Furthermore, it appears that different stressors affect men and
women, and that important differences exist in the
vulnerabilities of women and men to stress.
B.
Type A Behavior Pattern
One of the ways to determine the likelihood of stress and coping

9. ability is to examine the Type A behavior pattern. Type A
behavior pattern is a complex of personality and behavioral
characteristics, including competitiveness, time urgency, social
status insecurity, aggression, hostility, and a quest for
achievements. Type A behavior pattern is also referred to as
coronary-prone behavior.
C.
Personality Hardiness
Personality hardiness describes an individual who resists
distress and is characterized by challenge, commitment, and
control. Hardy individuals appear toengage in transformational
coping. Transformational coping is actively changing an event
into something less subjectively stressful by viewing it in a
broader life perspective. It is useful to point out to students
that this is not the same as exhibiting an "I don't care" attitude.
D.
Self-Reliance
Self-reliance is a healthy, secure, interdependent pattern of
behavior related to how people form and maintain supportive
attachments with others. One opposite extreme,
counterdependence, is an unhealthy, insecure pattern of
behavior that leads to separation in relationships with other
people. Similarly, overdependent individuals also exhibit
unhealthy and insecure patterns of behavior that result from an
obsession with achieving security through relationships.
VI.
PREVENTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT
The growing awareness of the affects of stress on organizational
performance has led to increased concern with preventing

10. stress. A preventive stress management approach involves
individuals and organizations taking joint responsibility for
promoting health and preventing distress and strain. A critical
factor in this approach is the stage in which the stress is
managed. The three levels of prevention are the primary
prevention stage, (designed to reduce or eliminate the stressor),
the secondary prevention stage (designed to modify the response
to stress), or the tertiary prevention stage (designed to heal
symptoms of distress).
A.
Organizational Stress Prevention
1.
Job Redesign
High job demands and restricted decision latitude are
characteristics of high strain jobs. Job redesign is a core
characteristic of the job strain model for motivation. The goal
is to enhance worker control.
2.
Goal Setting
Goal setting increases task motivation by reducing role conflict
and ambiguity while focusing attention on the task.
3.
Role Negotiation

11. Role negotiation reduces stress by allowing individuals to
modify their work
roles.
4.
Social Support Systems
Studies have determined that the support of coworkers and
supervisors may be one of the most important factors in
managing stress in the workplace.
B.
Individual Prevention
1.
Learned Optimism
Learned optimism begins with identifying pessimistic thoughts
and then distracting oneself from these thoughts or disputing
them with evidence.
2.
Time Management
There are numerous approaches to time management. One of
these approaches involves prioritizing demands based on
relative importance and urgency.
3.

12. Leisure Time Activities
Leisure is more than just not being on the job. Many people
simply work at other things during their leisure time. Effective
use of leisure time centers on enjoyment.
4.
Physical Exercise
Aerobic exercise and flexibility training are important to stress
prevention.
5.
Relaxation Training
The use of prayer and meditation can help prevent stress.
6.
Diet
A healthy diet is important to overall health because it reduces
vulnerability to
distress.
7.
Opening Up
Opening up at work implies that an individual trusts colleagues
with self-disclosure. Sensitivity training approaches from the

13. 1960s were intended to increase self-disclosure.
8.
Professional Help
Increasingly, organizations are encouraging their employees to
seek professional help if it is warranted by providing
compensation benefits, release time for appointments, and
employee assistance programs.
C.
Comprehensive Health Promotion
Comprehensive health promotion involves creating strong,
health-conscious people in general, rather than just at work, by
building on individual prevention and lifestyle changes.
VII.
MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: STRESS WITHOUT
DISTRESS
VIII.
LOOKING BACK: The AHA at Work
CHAPTER SUMMARY
SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
Stress is the unconscious preparation to fight or flee when faced
with any demand. Distress is the adverse consequence of stress.
SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
Four approaches to understanding stress are the
homeostatic/medical approach, the cognitive appraisal
approach, the person(environment fit approach, and the
psychoanalytic approach.

14. SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
The stress response is a natural mind(body response
characterized by four basic mind(body changes.
SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
Employees face task, role, interpersonal, and physical demands
at work, along with nonwork (extraorganizational) demands.
Globalization, international competition, and advanced
technologies create new stresses at work.
SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
Nonwork stressors, such as family problems and work(home
conflicts, can affect an individual's work life and home life.
SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
Stress has health benefits, including enhanced performance.
SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
Distress is costly to both individuals and organizations.
SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
Individual diversity requires attention to gender, Type A
behavior, personality hardiness, and self-reliance in determining
the links between stress and strain.
SYMBOL 183 f "Symbol" s 10 h
Preventive stress management aims to enhance health and
reduce distress or strain. Primary prevention focuses on the
stressor, secondary prevention focuses on the response to the
stressor, and tertiary prevention focuses on symptoms of
distress.
REVIEW QUESTIONS: Suggested Answers
1. Define stress, distress, strain, and eustress.
Stress is the unconscious preparation to fight or flee that a

15. person experiences when faced with any demand. Distress is
the adverse psychological, physical, behavioral, and
organizational consequences that may arise as a result of
stressful events. Strain is the same as distress. Eustress refers
to the benefits aspects of stress.
2. Describe four approaches to understanding stress. How does
each add something new to our understanding of stress?
(1) The homeostatic/medical model explains the fight-or-flight
response that we use to define stress. (2) The cognitive
appraisal approach describes how we classify events as stressful
or not. (3) The person-environment fit approach argues that
stress results when the role expectations are confusing and/or
conflicting. (4) The psychoanalytic approach is based on
Freudian theory and involves the ego-ideal and the self-image,
and the comparison between the two.
3. What are the four changes associated with the stress
response?
The physical changes are: (1) the redirection of the blood to the
brain, (2) increased alertness by way of improved vision,
hearing, and other sensory processes, (3) the release of glucose
and fatty acids into the bloodstream to sustain the body during
the stressful event, and (4) depression of the immune system, as
well as emergent processes.
4. List three demands of each type: task, role, interpersonal, and
physical.
Task demands related to stress are lack of control, uncertainty,
career progress, overload, and new technologies. Role demands
include interrole expectations, intrarole expectations, and
person(role expectations. Interpersonal demands are abrasive
personalities, sexual harassment, and leadership styles.
Physical demands include extreme environments, strenuous
activities, and hazardous substances.
5. What is a nonwork demand? How does it affect an

16. individual?
Nonwork demands are personal life stressors that carry into the
workplace. Marital expectations, childcare and elder care are
all demands that may take individuals away from their focus at
work, either physically or mentally.
6. Describe the relationship between stress and performance.
Moderate stress has been found to have a positive effect on
performance. The Yerkes-Dodson law indicates that there is an
optimum point of positive effect from stress. After this point is
reached, the curve turns downward and has negative
ramifications on performance. The optimum point will vary
from individual to individual.
7. What are the major medical consequences of distress? The
behavioral consequences? The psychological consequences?
The most significant medical illnesses of stress are heart disease
and strokes, backaches, peptic ulcers, and headaches.
Behavioral problems include violence, substance abuse of
various kinds, and accidents. Psychological consequences
include depression, burnout, and psychosomatic disorders.
8. Why should organizations be concerned about stress at work?
What are the costs of distress to organizations?
There are a variety of direct and indirect costs to organizations
because of distress. Reduced attentiveness may result in
accidents for persons distracted by stress. Stress can also
increase absenteeism and turnover. Participation problems,
performance decrements, and compensation awards all involve
costs to organizations.
9. How do gender, the Type A behavior pattern, personality
hardiness, and self-reliance moderate the relationship between
stress and strain?
These are individual factors that affect the connection between

17. the stressors and strains. Type A personality individuals are
prone to difficulties because their personalities make them more
susceptible to stress. Personality hardiness enhances one's
ability to cope with stress. Self-reliance helps individuals
manage stress through healthy relationships with others.
10. What is primary prevention? Secondary prevention?
Tertiary prevention? Describe major organizational stress
prevention methods.
All three of these preventions are steps in which organizations
attempt interventions to reduce stress. Primary prevention is
focused reduction of stress by reducing, modifying, or
eliminating the cause(s) of stress. Secondary prevention
attempts to alter or modify the stress response. Tertiary
prevention is reactive, and is designed to heal individuals after
the stress has had an impact on the individual. Job redesign is
effective because it increases workers’ control over their
situation. Goal setting increases task motivation, and reduces
role conflict and ambiguity. Role negotiation allows
individuals to modify their work expectations. Social support
systems build a community and socioemotional approach to help
support individuals.
11. Describe eight individual stress management methods.
Individuals can practice learned optimism, which is a positive
way of perceiving actions and events. Time management is a
technique to control schedules that cause stress. Leisure
activities help one maintain a balanced lifestyle. Secondary
prevention methods for individuals include physical exercise,
relaxation training, and diet. Opening up to individuals through
self-disclosure can reduce the burden of stressful situations.
Professional help may be warranted if the stress exceeds an
individual’s ability to cope.
12. What is involved in comprehensive health promotion
programs?

18. The emphasis of the programs is to build "strong and resistant
hosts" by aiding individual prevention and lifestyle change.
Some programs include risk assessments, education, diet and
exercise assistance, and smoking cessation.
DISCUSSION and communication QUESTIONS: suggested
answers
1. Why should organizations help individuals manage stress?
Isn’t stress basically the individual’s responsibility?
On a practical side, it is in their best interest to do so. Benefit
coverage for individuals with controllable illnesses is
exorbitant. A more altruistic reason is that individuals who are
in control of their stress are better performers on the job,
making individual health a worthy pursuit. While individuals
do share responsibility for managing their stress, many lack
appropriate knowledge and/or resources to do so.
2. Is there more stress today than in past generations? What
evidence is available concerning this question?
Students will vary on this question. It is interesting to
challenge them to compare their lives with frontier America, the
medieval era, or even the first portion of the 20th century.
3. Discuss the following statement: Employers should be
expected to provide stress-free work environments.
To some degree, this is legally true. Employers need to
eliminate dysfunctional situations from the work environment.
If employers can assist individuals with their stress control,
they should do so. The only truly stress-free environment is a
coffin.
4. If an individual claims to have job-related anxiety or
depression, should the company be liable?
The courts have been tossing this issue around more frequently.
Supervisors should make reasonable inquiries and provide

19. reasonable assistance. Have students debate this question in
opposing teams.
5. Do you use any stress prevention methods that are not
discussed in the chapter? If so, what are they?
These are often very interesting lists. Students are often
surprised that instructors have stress and that we practice stress
reduction techniques.
6. Write a memo describing the most challenging demands
and/or stressors at your workplace (or university). Be specific
in fully describing the details of these demands and/or stressors.
How might you go about changing these demands and/or
stressors?
This memo could be assigned prior to the class period(s) in
which stress is discussed. Then, during the class students can
be encouraged to consider what categories of demands and/or
stressors they are experiencing and whether or not they have
chosen the most effective means for managing those demands
and/or stressors.
7. Interview a medical doctor, a psychologist, or another health
care professional about the most common forms of health
problems and distress seen in their work. Summarize your
interview and compare the results to the categories of distress
discussed in the chapter.
This is a great exercise to give students a broader perspective of
stress than they get from the textbook. Encourage students to
share in class the responses they obtained from the medical
professionals and to discuss the similarities and differences
among the responses.
8. Do research on social support and diaries as ways to manage
stressful and/or traumatic events. Develop an oral presentation
for class that explains the benefits of each of these approaches
for preventive stress management. Include guidelines on how to
practice each.

20. If students have also completed Question 6 above, they could
consider how social support and/or diaries could help them deal
with the specific stressors and/or demands they are
experiencing.
ETHICS QUESTIONS: suggested answers
1. Suppose a company knows that health risks are associated
with the very high stress levels in one operation and decides it
is willing to pay for employee health problems rather than lower
the stress levels. Is this ethical on the company's part? Should
employees be informed of the risks?
The regulation of workplace risks seeks to determine an
objective level of acceptable risk. The key factor is that
individuals need the information related to the risk to determine
whether the risk is acceptable to them. Employers have the
responsibility to inform, and the employee has the right to
refuse hazardous job assignments. The deciding factor involves
the issue of acceptable, known levels of risk.
2. Suppose a company prescribes certain healthy behaviors,
such as regular exercise and the practice of relaxation, for all
employees. Is it ethical for a company to influence these
employee behaviors, or does this infringe on their individual
rights?
A company cannot prescribe healthy behaviors, but it can
certainly encourage employees to participate. If the
organization values this in employees, it may choose to grant
release time, or sponsor individuals in marathons, for example.
However, it is an infringement of rights to demand
participation, or to withhold rewards based on lack of
participation.
3. Assume that personality hardiness, Type B behavior, and
self-reliance are positive personal attributes, and assume further
that individuals with these attributes will cope better with
stress. Is it appropriate for organizations to use these attributes

21. as hiring criteria? That is, can organizations hire only hardy,
self-reliant, Type B people?
This is not vastly different from hiring only non-smokers or
non-drinkers. Honesty tests are on the increase, but physical
fitness is not a criterion for most positions, unless it is a bona
fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). This issue is similar to
the battles fought by the airline industry over prescribing
physical attributes for airline attendants.
4. Assume that a company finds that many employees have
lower back problems associated with bending over work
benches. In looking into the problem, the company finds that it
can either raise the benches so that employees bend less or send
all the employees to a lower back care class. Should the
company choose the more cost-efficient approach? What else
should the company consider?
The employees’ welfare should be paramount in the decision.
Challenges
7.1 THE FRAZZLE FACTOR
A good follow-up to this challenge is to have students develop
an action plan for overcoming their stress and/or anger. The
action plan should focus on specific, concrete steps the students
can take to improve in each of these areas.
7.2 ARE YOU SELF-RELIANT?
The Self-Reliance Inventory consists of 15 statements. The
respondent completes the instrument by evaluating each
statement according to a 5 point scale, ranging from 0 (strongly
disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Then the respondent records
responses on the scoring sheet resulting in two scores, one in
the overdependence dimension and another in the
counterdependence dimension.

22. Healthy life adjustment is linked primarily to the presence of
two factors, self-reliance and a secure support network. People
who are self-reliant and yet are able to depend on others when
appropriate are better equipped to manage the challenges they
meet than are those without self-reliance and support. An
absence of self-reliance may be expressed as either
overdependence or counterdependence. The overdependent
person strives for too much togetherness in relationships,
clinging to others out of fear of being incomplete. The
counterdependent person strives for too much separateness,
avoiding relationships with others and denying the necessity or
importance of such relationships.
On the other hand, the person who has not experienced or has
overcome the effects of repeated separation anxiety has a strong
chance of becoming self-reliant. The attribute of self-reliance
means accepting responsibility for one’s own well-being and, at
the same time, knowing that someone will be available and
willing to help in times of need. Self-reliant individuals have
resolved the conflict between their separateness in the world
and their need for union with others; they can work comfortably
and naturally either with others or alone, depending on which is
more appropriate to the circumstances at hand. They are able to
discern when their limitations have been reached in terms of
time, energy, knowledge, or abilities; by turning to others in
these circumstances, they overcome their own limitations, thus
enhancing their effectiveness and well-being.
Self-Reliance/Counterdependence Norms:
Student/Managers: Mean = 16.81 (n = 310)
Military (Officers/Enlisted): Mean = 20.79 (n = 163)

23. Self-Reliance/Overdependence Norms:
Student/Managers: Mean = 15.43 (n = 310)
Military (Officers/Enlisted): Mean = 14.95 (n = 163)
* Adapted from J. C. Quick, D. L. Nelson, and J. D. Quick,
”The Self-Reliance Inventory,” in J. W. Pfeiffer (ed.), The 1991
Annual: Developing Human Resources (San Diego: Pfeiffer &
Co.,
1991), pp. 149-161.
EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES
7.1 GENDER Role Stressors
This exercise allows students to examine the differences in the
stressors based on gender roles and expectations. If time
allows, you might want to have two groups, one all males and
another all females, exchange their lists after Step 3. Instead of
a full class discussion, have students reverse roles and have the
males discuss the female pressures, and then the females discuss
the male pressures.
7.2 workplace stress diagnosis
This activity encourages students to consider the impact of
different work environments on the type and degree of stressors
experienced. Push students to consider why certain work
environments are more or less stressful. The optional Step 5 is
an excellent opportunity for students to apply the material
covered in the chapter. Particularly useful in this step is the
development of measures of effectiveness for stress
management strategies. Students often do not consider the need
to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies, or they do not know
how to evaluate strategies’ effectiveness.

24. ALTERNATIVE EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISE
Social Support Network Analysis
Instructor's Notes:
Self-reliant individuals are masters at developing good social
support networks. They prefer interdependence, and they are
also good providers of support to others. This exercise,
designed for use in class, will help students develop an
understanding of the types and sources of social support needed
to develop an effective network.
1. Students complete the analysis by filling in the blanks with
the names of people from whom they receive social support.
Next to each name, they are to write the type of support they
receive:
E = emotional caring and nurturance
I = informational support
A = appraisal and evaluative feedback
M = role modeling and guidance
S = instrumental support, providing resources or acting on
behalf of a person
2. Students gather in groups of five or six to discuss the
questions provided on their worksheets.
* Adapted from J. C. Quick, D. L. Nelson, and J. D. Quick,
“The Self-Reliance Inventory,” in J. W. Pfeiffer (ed.), The 1991

25. Annual: Developing Human Resources (San Diego: University
Associates, 1991: 149-161.
SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORK ANALYSIS WORKSHEET
Self-reliant individuals are masters at developing good social
support networks. They prefer interdependence, and they are
also good providers of support to others. This exercise,
designed for use in class, will help you develop an
understanding of the types and sources of social support needed
to develop an effective network.
1. Individually complete the following work-related and
nonwork-related network analyses by filling in the blanks with
the names of people from whom you receive social support. In
the parentheses following each blank, write the type of support
received: E=emotional caring and nurturance; I=informational
support; A=appraisal and evaluative feedback; M=role modeling
and guidance; and S=instrumental support providing resources
or acting on behalf of a person.
2. In groups of five or six, discuss the following questions:
· Where were the blank spaces in your work and non-work
networks?
· Are there any types of support (emotional, informational,
appraisal, role modeling, or instrumental) that you do not
receive from anyone?
· What can you do to develop your network?
· How has social support been important to you in managing
your stress? Give specific examples.
Work Related Network (formal organizational relationships)

26. Manager
( )
Co-workers
( )
( )
( )
Employees
( )
( )
( )
Others
( )
( )
Nonwork Related Network
Family members
( )

27. ( )
( )
( )
Friends
( )
( )
( )
MBTI Exercise
Exercise Learning Objectives:
a. Students should understand that time management is viewed
differently by people.
b. Students should understand that stress means different things
to various people. Stress to one person may be another person's
energizer.
Exercise Overview:
1. Students should have taken the MBTI or short version in
Chapter 3.
2. Students will form "J" and "P" preference groups.

28. 3. Students will work in small groups (4-6 students).
4. Students will first do individual work; then group work.
5. The instructor should review the concepts of stress and time
and how the J and P dynamic of MBTI relates to time and stress.
Exercise Description:
1. Ask students to individually define both TIME and STRESS.
2. Place students in "J" and "P" groups of 4-6 students each.
3. Ask the groups to develop a group definition of time.
4. Post each group's definition on the wall so the entire class
can see it.
5. Report out. Compare each group.
6. Ask the groups to develop a group definition of stress.
7. Post each group's definition on the wall so the entire class
can see it.
8. Report out. Compare each group.
9. Time permitting, have students describe the relationship
between time and stress. Have each group report out.
What the instructor should expect:
a. J groups generally believe that time is to be scheduled and
controlled. Traditional time management--specific periods of
time (to the minute) to specific task and the task completion

29. needs to be done within the time allocated.
b. P groups generally believe that time can be adapted and
added to. Nontraditional time management--time is relative to
the task and time allocation would be expanded without stress
to accomplish the task.
c. J groups get stressed and give stress when they lack closure
and/or control. Leaving issues open for further discussion can
be disconcerting especially if nothing is completed.
Additionally, reopening "closed" issues is stressful.
d. P groups get stressed and give stress when the number of
options gets smaller or the nature of the task becomes too
routine for too long. Closing the issue too quickly can be
disconcerting because not all of the data has been collected yet.
Additionally, keeping an issue "closed" when new data becomes
available is stressful.
Instructor's Summary:
In our country, most everything is "run by the clock." We
schedule our activities around the clock. For some people, it is
very important that things stay on schedule as scheduled.
Additionally, it is very important to these people that something
be accomplished within the time allotted.
For other people, time is much more relative. These people are
not as concerned about deadlines and schedules as they are
about making sure the issues are fully explored. It is important
to these people that the issue be discussed and that time
allocated can be expanded.
We have a similar issue in the area of stress. It is as bipolar as
the time management issues we've just discussed. Some people
are stressed when issues are not settled, when things are not

30. orderly, and when things are not where they are supposed to be.
Whereas, other people are stressed when things are settled too
quickly, when things are too structured, and when things are too
organized.
EXTRA EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES
The following alternative exercises to supplement the material
in the textbook can be obtained from:
Marcic, Dorothy, Seltzer, Joseph, & Vaill, Peter. Organizational
Behavior: Experiences and Cases, 6th Ed. South Western
College Publishing Company, 2001.
Assessing Your Level of Stress. p. 65-74. Time: 20 minutes or
more.
Purpose: To assess the stress level in your life.
Strategies for Managing Stress. p. 75-82. Time: 50 minutes.
Purpose: To develop personal strategies for stress management.
CASE QUESTIONS: SUGGESTED ANSWERS
Workplace Training Programs of the American Red Cross
1. Why would an organization like the American Red Cross be
interested in providing businesses with training programs that
deal with stress-related issues?
The American Red Cross has a long history of providing aid to
the victims of disasters and wars, of helping to ensure an
adequate supply of blood for medical purposes, and of
transmitting communications between United States military
personnel and their family members. A fairly common
perception of the Red Cross is that it focuses on providing aid

31. in various types of emergency situations. While this is true,
these activities are also sources of strength and expertise that,
in turn, provide the foundation for reaching out to the business
community in a variety of ways. Drawing on its experience with
and knowledge of handling emergency situations, the Red Cross
has been able to provide a number of training courses that are
relevant to dealing with workplace emergencies(many of which
are stress-related. In this regard, we should take particular note
of the ARC training programs that focus on preparedness for
dealing with heart attacks and violence in the workplace.
Heart attacks frequently occur as a result of excessive stress.
When heart attacks occur in the workplace, the chances of the
victim’s survival are increased significantly when emergency
assistance is immediately available. Workers who are
appropriately trained in CPR and the use of AED can provide
such emergency assistance.
The experience of stress(from either work or nonwork
sources(can result in violence in the workplace. While most
people do not resort to workplace violence as a response to
stress, it occurs sufficiently frequently to be a genuine are of
concern. Consequently, having workers who are able to
recognize signs of impending workplace violence provides an
important and useful preventive mechanism for businesses.
Also, having workers who know how to calmly and effectively
handle workplace violence, if and when it occurs, is an essential
component of business preparedness for this type of emergency.
2. What can the American Red Cross training programs
accomplish in terms of equipping organizations to better deal
with workplace stress or its consequences?
Three American Red Cross training programs are especially

32. relevant to the experience of stress in the workplace. These
training programs focus on rapid response to workplace heart
attacks, preparedness for workplace violence, and stress
management/reduction. The first two programs focus on training
organizational members for dealing with emergency
situations(heart attacks or violence(that may arise in the
workplace. These programs equip workers with the knowledge
and hands-on skills that are essential for effectively handling
the relevant emergency situations in order to increase the
likelihood of positive outcomes and decrease the likelihood of
negative outcomes. The third program(stress management and
reduction(is intended to equip workers with the knowledge that
is necessary for recognizing the causes of stress and the skills
that are helpful in effectively coping with stress when it
becomes excessive.
3. How could you personally benefit from the American Red
Cross training programs that are related to the issue of
workplace stress?
Students should draw on the discussion relative to question (2)
in answering this question. In particular, the students should
focus on the knowledge and skills that each program initiative
provides, whether they have such knowledge and skills, whether
they would like to have such knowledge and skills, and the
reasons for desiring (not desiring) to have such knowledge and
skills.
VIDEO COHESION CASE -- PART II
PROCTER & GAMBLE (B)
1. What implications do you think P&G’s eight guiding
principles have for the work attitudes and work behaviors of the
employees?
Procter & Gamble’s eight guiding principles are:

33. “We show respect for all individuals.
“The interests of the company and the individual are
inseparable.
“We are strategically focused in our work.
“Innovation is the cornerstone of our success.
“We are externally focused.
“We value personal mastery.
“We seek to be the best.
“Mutual interdependency is a way of life.”
These principles are likely to be manifested in work attitudes
that reflect a high level of commitment and loyalty to other
employees and to the company, express an appreciation for and
commitment to high performance standards, value new ideas,
and demonstrate a high level of satisfaction. In terms of work
behavior, the employees would likely strive to develop and
grow in their jobs, seek to achieve excellence in performing
their jobs, and engage in actions that enable them to achieve
their own goals while working toward realizing the company’s
goals.
2. Procter & Gamble says it has a culture that values diversity.
Do you think P&G values diversity as much as it says it does?
Explain your answer.
Several features suggest that Procter & Gamble does, indeed,
value diversity. First, the guiding principle of showing respect
for all individuals indicates a strong commitment to diversity.

34. Second, P&G perceives diversity to be “a rich source of
competitive advantage” and an asset that “provides a broader,
richer, more fertile environment for creative thinking and
innovation.” Third, P&G indicates that it tries to attract and
fully develop an increasingly diverse talent pool to supply its
future leadership. Fourth, the Advancement of Women Task
Force has helped Procter & Gamble focus on and take corrective
action regarding various diversity problems. Fifth, the
proportion of women and minorities in positions at and above
the Director level has tripled since 1997. In addition, four
women and several minorities currently sit on the company’s
executive committee.
3. How might the stretch, innovation, and speed objectives of
the Organization 2005 initiative affect or be affected by the
challenges of globalization, diversity, technology, and ethics?
Explain your answer.
The three objectives—stretch, innovation, and speed—can be
described as follows:
· The stretch objective involves trying for the highest possible
performance on all of the company’s opportunities.
· The innovation objective refers to identifying the toughest
product performance standards in the world and then meeting or
exceeding those standards throughout the world.
· The speed objective involves getting P&G’s products into the
global marketplace faster than any competitor anywhere.
All three objectives both affect and are affected by
globalization. Collectively, the three objectives are aimed at
improving P&G’s position in every consumer products market
in which it competes throughout the world. Other companies

35. will challenge P&G, both domestically and overseas. P&G also
must respond to the different needs and preferences of local
markets if it is to be successful in meeting these competitive
challenges.
The stretch, innovation, and speed objectives impose a single
set of expectations and standards throughout the world. These
standards are not altered to accommodate diversity in any way.
In other words, these objectives provide a consistent set of
standards and expectations that can help bind P&G’s diverse
workforce together.
Technology will be crucial for achieving all three objectives.
Indeed, without technology, Procter & Gamble’s capacity to
achieve these objectives would be limited. Likewise, these three
objectives provide an added stimulus for technological
development within the company.
Taken separately, the three objectives could lead to some
ethical compromises. For example, P&G could get products to
the global marketplace faster than competitors if it
compromised on its performance standards. Doing so, however,
would be less than ethical because the interests of customers
would be compromised, and ultimately so would the stakeholder
interests of shareholders and employees. When taken together,
the three objectives provide mutual reinforcement for ethical
behavior. The opportunity for and likelihood of ethical
compromise is lessened by P&G simultaneously seeking the
highest possible performance, setting the toughest product
standards, and seeking to get products to the global marketplace
faster than competitors.
4. Given its corporate values, emphasis on diversity, and
commitment to excellence, would you like to work for Procter
& Gamble? Why or why not?

36. In discussing this question, the students should consider the
following elements in making an evaluation of whether they
would like to work for Procter and Gamble:
· P&G’s core values of leadership, ownership, integrity, a
passion for winning, and trust;
· P&G’s eight guiding principles;
· P&G’s stated beliefs and overt actions regarding diversity; and
· P&G’s stretch, innovation, and speed objectives.
P&G’s core values describe the fundamental nature of the
company’s culture. P&G’s eight guiding principles further
amplify the nature of the company’s culture. The students
should consider the implications of each of these core values
and guiding principles for their own work behavior, if they were
P&G employees. Would they be comfortable working in that
type of environment?
Procter & Gamble says that it embraces and values diversity but
until recently women have not made significant inroads into the
managerial ranks. However, those inroads have been substantial
in recent years. From 1997 to 2001, for instance, the number of
minorities and women at the Director level and above tripled.
While men still dominate the upper echelon of management,
women and minorities are becoming more prevalent among
these ranks as well. The students should consider how their own
views on gender and minority equity (or equality) might fit with
the reality of Procter & Gamble’s workplace.
Finally, the students should examine the implications of the

37. stretch, innovation, and speed objectives for P&G’s employees.
How would the students react to working in an environment
where these three objectives drive all organizational activities?
Role Plays
Additional role plays relevant to the material in this chapter are
located in Appendix A of this instructor's manual.
121
Type: Individual Project
Unit: Default
Due Date: Thu, 11/24/16
Deliverable Length: 2 pages
Write a 2 page paper on the various trends (past, present, and
future) which impact the development and operation of policing.