Questions and Answers on Stress Management - Assignment Example

Teacher Assignment 24 April 2009 Questions and Answers on Stress Management Part A Question No Explain what is stress management? Answer (A)(1): Stress is defined as a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. This definition is attributed largely to Richard S Lazarus (URL of mind tools, 2). A person feels little or no stress when he has enough time, experience and resources to manage a situation well. On the other hand, one may feel great stress when it is perceived that he can not handle the demands put upon him. Stress is a negative experience and is not necessarily as an aftermath of an event. It depends on the ability of the persons involved to be able to cope with the demands, effectively and efficiently. Looking at the definition of the stress, we can see that there are three major approaches that may be used to manage the stress; action oriented approach, emotionally-oriented approach and acceptance-oriented approach. In action-oriented approach to manage stress, we seek to confront the problem which was causing the stress. This is done by changing the environment or the situation. To be able to take an action-oriented approach, we must have some power or control, in the situation. If we possess that power, then action-oriented approaches are some of the most satisfying and rewarding ways of managing stress. Through these techniques, we can manage and overcome stressful situations, by changing them to our advantage. In emotionally-oriented approach for stress management, we do not have the power to change the situation, but we can manage stress by changing our interpretation of the situation and the way we feel about it. If we do not have the power to change a situation, then we may be able to reduce stress by changing the way we look at it, using an emotionally-oriented approach. Emotionally-oriented approaches are often less attractive than action-oriented approaches. The stresses can recur. However, these approaches of stress management are still effective and useful. The third approach is acceptance-oriented, where it is assumed that something has happened over which we have no power and no emotional control, and where our focus is on surviving the stress. Sometimes, we have so little power in a situation that all we can do to survive it. In these situations, often the first stage of coping with the stress is to accept one’s lack of power. These different approaches to stress management address the problem for solution in different ways: the action-oriented techniques help us to manage the demands upon us and increase the resources we can mobilize; the emotionally oriented techniques help us to adjust our perceptions of the situation; and the acceptance-oriented techniques help us survive the situations that we genuinely cannot change. Building of defense against stress and use of relaxation techniques, are often employed to cope with the stress of the work overload, survive the stress of the problem job, deal with problem people, manage environmental stress, manage performance stress and avoid burnout. Question No A (2) Understanding Stress management Stress can make you sick. When there are obstacles between you and a goal, stress is generated. If the goals are important then the stress will be greater. A certain level of stress may be alright and even it could act as a stimulus for higher performance. However, a chronic stress level may lead to illness. Stress may affect your immune system. Chronic stress, such as job tension or relationship issues, can undermine your ability to ward off infection and disease. Short-term stress activates a "fight or flight" physical reaction in your body. This actually increases immune-system activity, as your body releases hormones alerting it to defend against possible injury. But with chronic stress, scientists hypothesize that the stressor is never fully removed. This decreases your immune systems ability to react to physical illness. Therefore, more stress you experience, the more likely you are to get sick. Due to chronic stress, one may ignore warning signs of ill health, given by the body; like the clenched jaw, the tightened back muscle and the anxiety or fatigue etc. In other words it affects the self awareness. This all points to one thing that the stress should be ether eliminated or its effects reduced. Therefore, there is a need of stress management. To manage the stress, try stepping back and assessing how you feel, physically and emotionally. When you learn to recognize the sources of stress and your reactions to tackle them, you take appropriate action to gain or re-gain a sense of control, which fortunately reduces stress. Research shows that the way you cope with stress (coping method) can affect your health. Some people believe they can maintain control in stressful situations. They typically evaluate and approach stressors positively. Others view the world as unpredictable. They believe they never will gain control over things that bother them, so they tend to avoid both stressful situations and their reactions to stress. Not surprisingly, those with engaged coping styles stay healthier during stressful times than their avoidance counterparts. Remember: Successful stress management will not come overnight. It takes determination, persistence and time. If you suffer from chronic stress, it may require more attention and/or lifestyle changes. Determine your own tolerance level for stress. Then exercise control, and try to live within your limits (patience and persistence) So it is clear that if stress is there it would affect the state of mind of a person, his concentration on job, his health awareness and his overall performance as an employee or as a successful person. Therefore, stress management is a must to avoid all the negative fallouts of the stress. Question No A (3) Stress management in the workplace The stress or the chronic stress is bound to affect your job performance if you are an affected person. When you are doing well and are in your “area of best performance”, you are able to focus and concentrate your total attention on the important task, which you want to do. When you do this without distraction, you often enter what Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of Chicago University describes as a state of ‘flow’. This involves “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and youre using your skills to the utmost". (URL of mindtools) You perform at your best in this state because you are able to focus all of your efforts, resources and abilities on the tasks at hand. While you are sufficiently motivated to resist competing temptations, you are not so stressed that anxieties and distractions interfere with clear thought. At times it may seem that nothing can be done by you, about your stress level. The requirement of funds or money will remain on you. Your career and family responsibilities will remain like ever before. You may be actually having a lot of control over the relevant things. “In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.” (Smith, 1). Stress management is the sum total of taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The final aim is achieve a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun. This also means to confront the challenges squarely with resilience to hold up under pressure (Smith, 1) One of the frustrations of management is that managers can feel that they lose the ‘right’ to these periods of deep concentration when they must be readily available to others, and be able to deal with the constantly changing information, decisions and activities around them. Studies of good managers show that they rarely get more than a few minutes alone without distraction. This alone can be frustrating, and can contribute strongly to managerial stress. In jobs where concentration is a rare commodity, there are various solutions to creating the periods of flow that sustain good performance. Solutions include working from home, or setting aside parts of the day as quiet periods. Another solution might be to delegate the activities that require the greatest levels of concentration, allowing the manager to concentrate on problems as they arise, serving to create a flow of its own. Part B Question No B (1) How Proctor and Gamble company is good example of implement stress management? Proctor and Gamble (P&G) seems to have good control over its working environment. By following certain well founded principles and values the company is able to ensure practically stress free working. With reference to the company document titled as ‘Our Values and Policies’ a number of points are observe. “P&G is committed to universal human rights, particularly those of employees, communities in which we operate, and parties with whom we do business.” (P&G Document 1, 22) P&G practices and seeks to work with business partners who follow the following standards: equal opportunity for employees at all levels, no discrimination based on any personal attributes unrelated to job performance; a safe and healthy workplace protecting human health and the environment. The work environment of the company is good for it employees. In fact, the company wants it employees to behave as (part) owners and encourages when employees want to buy shares, of course under a well defined policy. Higher level of management guides the subordinates and is very supportive. Many of the P&G employees feel that their colleagues are passionate about their work. They are people orientated and have strong integrity. They are convinced that the company believes in people development, and offers plenty of learning opportunities that enables each employee to grow in relevant careers in P&G. President and CEO of P&G in the opening letter says, “As conscientious citizens and employees, we want to do what is right. For P&G, this is the only way to do business. To conduct our business with integrity in a lawful and responsible manner, we have to be alert to situations that pose ethical questions” (P&G Document 1, 1) Going through various documents of P&G, it is obvious that company believes in avoidance of any occurrences; it believes bad situations and events are avoidable and preventable. Its strategy is to ensure that there is no unnecessary stress on its employees at all times. Employees have reasonable confidence on their immediate senior levels and expect help and support in case of bad or stressful situations. A system of check and balance and a well defined internal audit system is always on for self correcting the procedures and environment. That is why the company has an impressive growth and sustainability record. Question No. (B)2: History of Proctor and Gamble Answer: In 1837, William Procter and James Gamble formed this company. It was a humble but bold beginning. It started as small family operated soap and candle company. It grew at a fast pace under the inspiration of the company to provide product and services of superior quality and value to its customers. The recession has not hit consumer-products giant P&G as hard as it has many other Fortune 500 companies. The downturn is even boosting sales for some of its lines: And its long-term financial performance is enviable: Since CEO A.G. Lafley took over in 2000, the companys profits have more than tripled. Thats mostly because of innovations: The company focuses on its core brands such as Crest and Tide, yet still develops popular new products. As per the annual report for the year 2007, “P&G is recognized as a leading Global Company, including a #3 ranking on Fortune’s Global Most Admired Companies, “Top Ten” on the Harris Interactive/Wall Street Journal list of Companies with the world’s best reputation, the #1 ranking in Fortune’s U.S. Household & Personal Products most admired list, a #2 ranking on the Hay Group list of Best Companies for Leaders, and the Market Sector Leader for Household Products in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.” (P&G 2007 Annual Report, 74) Works Cited Csikszentmihalyi, M, 1991, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, HarperCollins, New York Goldberger, L, Breznitz, S (Eds), 1993, The Handbook of Stress, Free Press, New York Mandler, G., ‘Thought, Memory and Learning: Effects of Emotional Stress’, The Handbook of Stress, Goldberger, L, Breznitz, S (Eds), 1993, Free Press, New York Melinda Smith, Ellen Jaffe-Gill, and Robert Segal.”Stress Management : How to Reduce, prevent, and Cope with Stress” December 2008. Viewed 25 April 2009. P&G document 1. “Our Values and Policies” page 22. 24 April 2009 http://www.pg.com/content/pdf/01_about_pg/01_about_pg_homepage/about_pg_toolbar/download_report/values_policies0708.pdf P&G “2007 Annual Report”. Viewed 24 April 2009. Steptoe, A, 1997, Stress and Disease, The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Taylor, S.E., 1999, Health Psychology (Fourth Edition), McGraw-Hill, Singapore URL of mindtools. “Understanding Stress”. 24 April 2009 Read More