Organizational Stress: Positive or Negative?

Organizational Stress
Organizational Stress

Organizational Stress: Positive or Negative?

Order Instructions:

Consider the following two scenarios:

Scenario 1:
The atmosphere at a small technology firm in California is always confusing and chaotic. Employees are under constant pressure to meet deadlines, and expectations frequently and suddenly change. Despite the lack of clarity, supervisors frequently reprimand employees for failure to perform. Supervisors often give these reprimands publicly. Employees constantly compete for supervisor attention.

Scenario 2:
Workers at a business-consulting firm in Massachusetts do the same job they have done in the same way they have done it for the past ten years. Employees receive almost no supervision or feedback. Leadership does little to promote change or foster creativity. Employees rarely communicate with those outside of their departments. Employees work quietly in an orderly manner but receive little stimulation.

It is likely easy to identify which of the scenarios is less stressful. But is either environment desirable or indicative of a healthy organization?

Normally, the term organizational stress is a negative concept. The majority of stress researchers have focused on personal distress rather than on examining the positive aspect of stress called eustress (Gibbons, Dempster, & Moutray, 2008). Scholars and practitioners need to give more attention to the question of if and when organizational stress can be beneficial.

To prepare:

•Consider your experiences with stress in organizations and how you as a leader would address organizational stress.
By Day 3 of Week 5, post an evaluation of the impact of organizational stress. Explain whether you think organizational stress can be positive, negative, or both.

Then, given your proposed nature of stress, explain how you as a leader of an organization would assess and manage organizational stress. Identify tools you would use to assess organizational stress. Explain how you would promote or minimize stress within an organization.

To support your position, be sure to include references to personal experience and two scholarly resources.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Organizational Stress: Positive or Negative?

The Impact of Organizational Stress

Given that the employees in scenario 1 were always under stress because of the confusing and chaotic environment that exists at the firm, it is evident that organizational stress had a negative effect on the company. However, just as scenario 1 indicates that organizational stress is negative, scenario 2 indicates that a lack of organizational stress is not entirely positive and that it can also have a negative impact on organizations given the lack of employee motivation. According to my work experience in several high pressure environments with highly skilled employees, I noticed that there was a lot of pressure and stress at these organizations, yet this did not affect employees negatively as they were performing way above the expectations of their employers (O’Sullivan, 2010). Although, these employees were under significant stress when doing their jobs, they did not mind the stress and it actually motivated them to work harder and achieve more success (eustress). Therefore, I conclude that organizational stress cam be both positive and negative depending on the existing conditions at the workplace.

Eustress

As the leader of my organization, I would strive to increase positive organizational stress (eustress), while at the same time limiting negative stress mainly by setting challenging goals for employees and encouraging them to work collaboratively to accomplish the work goals (Fullagar, Knight & Sovern, 2013). However, I will also keep in mind that chronic stress whether negative or positive is not good for the organization or its and its people, therefore, I  will also  include periods of relaxation and fun in the activities of employees at the organization (Hargrove, Nelson & Cooper, 2013). By implementing breaks and  fun time  within the workers’ daily routines where  they suspend their projects and engage in fun activities  such as playing indoor games,  playing video games, or listening to music, the employees relieve stress and are  able  to work effectively.

References

Fullagar, C. J., Knight, P. A. & Sovern, H. S. (2013). Challenge/Skill Balance, Flow, and Performance Anxiety. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 62(2), 236–259.

Hargrove, M. B., Nelson, D. L. & Cooper, C. L. (2013). Generating eustress by challenging employees. Organizational Dynamics, 42(1), 61-69.

O’Sullivan, G. (2010). The Relationship Between Hope, Eustress, Self-Efficacy, and Life Satisfaction Among Undergraduates. Social Indicators Research, 101(1), 155–172.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Unlike most other websites we deliver what we promise;

  • Our Support Staff are online 24/7
  • Our Writers are available 24/7
  • Most Urgent order is delivered with 6 Hrs
  • 100% Original Assignment Plagiarism report can be sent to you upon request.

GET 15 % DISCOUNT TODAY use the discount code PAPER15 at the order form.

Type of paper Academic level Subject area
Number of pages Paper urgency Cost per page:
 Total: