Organizational Behaviour, Personality Differences and Stress - Essay Example

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR. S ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR. Insert Name Insert Course Title Insert Instructor’s Name JUNE 18, 2010. Introduction There are predictions that organizations and work relationships will change significantly in the future. Relations for controlling others have been viewed as they shift from the `vertical to the horizontal’ – from the sequence of authority to peer systems. The authority from top to down is becoming less significant, and teamwork is taking place. The difference between the managers and employees is reducing, particularly in the sector of information, control over assignments, and access to external relations. Due to the numerous changes that are taking place as well as predicted for the future, decisions concerning the ethical behaviour and social responsibility are becoming increasingly complex. Ethics and social responsibility are interrelated though they have some separate concepts. Organizational behaviour comprises the study of leadership, power as well as politics, performance management, and organizational design. There are several main managerial functions that managers must fulfill for organizations to outperform individuals and achieve effectiveness as well as efficiency. Effectiveness is the ability of an association to fulfill a significant goal, purpose, or mission. Organizations bring together the talents and efforts of many persons, hence combining to reach objectives that could not be attained by individuals. Efficiency is the capability of an organization to maximize productivity per unit of resources (capital or labour). Organizations assist persons to accomplish tasks more rapidly and with fewer mistakes than when one person would have worked alone. Organizations require coordination which is the process through which a structure is formed by which the members of the organization can produce its central goods as well as services (Stroh, Northcraft, and Neale 11). Personality differences and stress There are linkages between the personality differences and stress levels. Friedman and Rosenman recommended that people may be assembled into `type A and type B’, each type exhibiting different behaviour patterns. People that have Type A personality are very competitive, and are highly motivated to achieve. They are restless, more than usually alert, and continually feel that they do not have enough time to fit in everything they need to do. They are unable to wait their turn, and tend to do many things simultaneously. In many cases, these type A personalities need to be admired by their peers to maintain their self-esteem. They are hostile, cynical, and angry and speak vigorously. On the other hand, people that exhibit type B personality may be equally ambitious, but this do not control their entire lives. They make time in their lives for family as well as friends, and their leisure pursuits tend to be less competitive than those chosen by type A. people that have type A personality have the higher probability of suffering from high blood pressure as well as CHD as compared to those that do not have these characteristics. The type B is usually less devoted to work and has a weaker sense of time urgency. This kind of person feels a reduced amount of argument with both people as well as time and has extra balanced, comfortable way of living. He or she has more confidence and is able to work at a constant pace. It may be expected that type A people can be more successful than type B people. However, this is not the case naturally. For instance, type A may separate from others because of their drive and may miss out on important learning opportunities in their quest to get ahead. On the other hand, type Bs may have better interpersonal reputations and may learn a wider range of skills. It has been noted that most people are not purely type A or type B but tend toward one type or the other. For instance, a person may show marked type A characteristics much of the time but still able to relax once in a while and even occasionally spend some time obsessing about work. (Sims 169). Hardiness and optimism There are two other significant individual differences that are related to stress. These are hardiness and optimism. Some people have hardier personalities than other people. Hardiness is the capability of a person to cope with stress. These kinds of people are seen as relatively unlikely to suffer from illness if they are subjected to high levels of pressure and stress. However, people with low hardiness have difficulties in coping with stress and pressure. The other potentially significant personal difference is optimism. Hopefulness is the degree to which an individual perceives life in optimistic or pessimistic terms. A tumbler partly full of water is a popular expression that is used to illustrate the idea of optimism. A person with high optimism will tend to see it as half full, while on the other hand, a person with low optimism will see it as half empty. Optimism is related to positive and negative affectivity. Basically, optimistic people tend to handle stress better. They are able to see the positive characteristics of situation and recognize that things might eventually improve. On the other hand, less optimistic people may focus more on the negative characteristics of the situation and expect things to get worse, not better. (Sims 169). Factors that cause stress Employees frequently experience stress in both their personal and work lives. Workload: To some employees, having too much job to carry out and a lesser amount of time to complete the job or resources to do the work is a major stressor. Responsibility burden takes place when the strains of the job go beyond the capability of a administrator or worker to meet each and every one of them sufficiently. Some employees normally find themselves in a continuous condition of role overload. Having too little wok to do can as well create stress. Managers are guilty of trying to do their subordinates’ work or micromanage, when their jobs are not challenging enough. Micromanaging may minimize the manager’s stress caused by boredom, but it is likely to increase subordinates’ stress since the superior constantly watches them or second-guesses their decisions. Job conditions: poor working conditions represent another significant set of job stressors. Examples of working conditions that may cause stress in employees are extreme temperatures, load noise, too much or too little lightning, air pollution as well as radiation. Intense journey strain or long-distance travels are additional features of work that workers may find worrying. Deprived operational circumstances, extreme travel and extended hours all append to amplified tension as well as diminished performance. As much as cutting-edge technology has huge benefit to society generally and many individuals in particular, they have created job conditions that may be stressful. Many employees are receiving massive volumes of e-mail, text messages, phone calls as well as voice messages. Various technology-assisted jobs have both maximum flexibility and maximum stress. (Hellriegel and Slocum 198). Role conflict and ambiguity: Role conflict is the differing expectations of or demands on a person at work that become excessive. Responsibility vagueness occurs when a worker is doubtful concerning assigned occupation obligations as well as errands. Role conflict and role ambiguity may be particularly important source of job- related stress. Many employees suffer from role conflict and ambiguity, but conflicting expectations and uncertainty particularly affect managers. The responsibility for the behaviour of others and a lack of opportunity to participate in important decisions affecting their job are other aspects of employees’ roles that may be stressful. Career development: Major stressors related to career planning and development involves job security, promotions, transfers as well as developmental opportunities. A worker may feel stress from under-promotion or over-promotion. The current wave of recognition and downsizings may seriously threaten careers and cause stress. When work, groups, departments or whole organizational are restructured, workers frequently have several occupation-linked concerns. Normally, employees find these concerns very stressful. Interpersonal relationships: Teams and groups have a great impact on the behaviour of employees. Good working relationships as well as interactions with peers, subordinates, and superiors are crucial aspects of organizational life, assisting employees achieve personal and organizational goals. When relationships are poor, they can become source of stress. There are so many employees who have reported to suffer from incivility. Incivility refers to rudeness and employees’ lack of regard for one another. This includes the violation of workplace norms for mutual respect. An elevated level of political behaviour or `office politics’ may also create stress for managers and employees. Interpersonal relations may also be a cause of strain or the communal support which assists workers manages stressors. (Hellriegel and Slocum 198). Organization approaches for coping with stress Organizations and their managers can reduce stress caused by the work environment in a number of ways: using proper management techniques, team meetings, reducing uncertainty among employees, employee assistance programs and wellness programs. Team meetings: When a problem is discussed, this helps the affected feel better about their coworkers. This may minimize the stress they might be having concerning their ability or inability to solve problems. Team meetings offer a good opportunity for employees to come together and discuss problems facing them. When there is huge amount of stress from employees, team meetings may be efficient way to reduce the stress. Counter groups are good in reducing stress as the members minimize strong feelings as well as emotions through telling others why they are upset. Deep-sensing session is another approach where organizational leaders meet with employees and communicate directly. This method helps clear all problems that occur due to communication barriers. Good management: proper management does a great deal to reduce employee stress. For instance, a manager can minimize stress related to time or overwork by allowing employees adequate time to plan, organize and complete the task they ought to do. Rest breaks during the working day can reduce stress. These rest breaks are commonly referred to as mini-vacations. All people need some time during the day to sit down, to fantasize, to daydream as well as to deal with feelings. Training citizens how to manage strain is important to management. Employees require to be taught to cope with difficulties and reduce their own tension. Managers ought to help workers upgrade their life goals. Working towards strong, positive life goals can help people overcome small stressful circumstances much more quickly and effectively. The organization must help employees establish life goals. Productive communication: Effective communication within the organization and among employees is an important tool for reducing employee stress. When employees do not receive information, they wonder why, and they tend to become worried and suspicious. An effective communication system fosters openness and feedback at all levels and for all people in the organization. One way of increasing effective communication is to talk about the achievements of employees and to let word get out that people are doing well and that they are appreciated. This builds high employee expectations, self confidence, and self-esteem and reduces stress. It is as well vital to make workers comprehend what they have been asked to do. Managers should constantly ask for feedback so that they know what is happening (Daft and Marcic 128). Employee assistance programs (EAPs) EAPs are designed to deal with both work and non-work related problems that cause stress to employees. They include behavioral and emotional difficulties, substance abuse, family and marital discord, as well as other problems. EAPs have a tendency of being based on the conventional remedial progress to treatments. EAPs may be internal company-run programs or external efforts in which the organization contracts with a private firm to provide services to company employees. Wellness programs Wellness programs or Health Promotional Programs focus on employees’ overall physical and mental health. It is any activity that an organization may engage in that is designed to identify and assist in preventing or correcting specific health problems, health hazards, or negative heath habits that can be thought of as wellness related. Stress prevention and management is vital part of wellness and it is frequently a component of wellness program (Daft and Marcic 396). Conclusion For an organization to run effectively, it must exercise good organizational behaviors. The managers should set a good example to the employees and act as role model in their leadership qualities. They should develop good interpersonal relationships with their subordinates and employees so as to create a conducive environment for working. Managers play a great role in managing work-related stresses among the employees and thus need to portray moral standards. Works cited: Hellriegel and Slocum. “Organizational Behavior”. (South-West, Cengage Learning, 2009). 18 June, 2010 available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=sghB48ZbruwC&pg=PA218&dq=how+managers+help+employees+cope+with+stress+in+an+organization&hl=en&ei=x_MaTPyQKsT6lweByKTaCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=how%20managers%20help%20employees%20cope%20with%20stress%20in%20an%20organization&f=false L K Stroh, G B Northcraft, and M A Neale. “Organizational behavior: a management challenge”. (Edition3, USA. Routledge, 2002). 18 June, 2010 available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Su-HyLAJRv0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=organizational+behavior&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&cd=6#v=onepage&q&f=false R W Griffin and G Moorhead. “Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations”. (Edition9, London, Cengage Learning, 2009). 18 June, 2010 available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=RidV6vh08xMC&pg=PA169&dq=type+A+and+type+B+personality+in+relation+to+stress+and+organizational+behavior&hl=en&ei=9tgaTNX-J4WBlAeK5pjoCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false R R Sims. “Managing organizational behavior” (Westport, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002). 18 June, 2010 available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=NUhNEWv_aokC&pg=PA128&dq=how+managers+help+employees+cope+with+stress+in+an+organization&hl=en&ei=x_MaTPyQKsT6lweByKTaCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=how%20managers%20help%20employees%20cope%20with%20stress%20in%20an%20organization&f=false R L Daft and D Marcic. “Understanding Management” (Edition6, South-West, Cengage Learning, 2008). 18 June, 2010 available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=aML0tCTGA6UC&pg=PA395&dq=how+managers+help+employees+cope+with+stress+in+an+organization&hl=en&ei=x_MaTPyQKsT6lweByKTaCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=how%20managers%20help%20employees%20cope%20with%20stress%20in%20an%20organization&f=false Read More