Chapter Eight Stress and Conflict McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights reserved Learning Objectives • Define the meaning of stress • Identify the extraorganizational, organizational, and group stressors • Examine individual dispositions of stress • Describe intraindividual and interactive conflict • Discuss the effects of stress and conflict • Present strategies for coping/managing stress and negotiation skills for conflict resolution Introduction • Stress and conflict are conceptually similar – Conflict: individuals, groups, and organizations – Stress and conflict: individual level Emergence of Stress • Contemporary environment demands – Technostress • Stress is, and is not – – – – Hindrance stressors Challenge stressors Job stress Stress is not: • Simply anxiety • Simply nervous tension • Necessarily something damaging, bad, or to be avoided • Burnout Causes of Stress • Categories affecting occupational stress Causes of Stress Continued • Extraorganizational stressors – Societal/technological change – Globalization – Family, relocation, economic and financial conditions – Sociological-demographic – Residential or community conditions Causes of Stress Continued • Organizational stressors Causes of Stress Continued • Group stressors – Lack of group cohesiveness – Lack of social support • Individual stressors: role of dispositions – Type A characteristics – Personal control – Learned helplessness – Psychological hardiness Causes of Stress Continued • Individual stressors (continued) – Type A characteristics Intraindividual Conflict • Conflict in organizational behavior Intraindividual Conflict Continued • Conflict due to frustration Intraindividual Conflict Continued • Goal conflict – Approach-approach conflict – Approach-avoidance conflict – Avoidance-avoidance conflict • Role conflict and ambiguity – The person and the role – Intrarole – Interrole Interactive Conflict • Interpersonal conflict – – – – Personal differences Information deficiency Role incompatibility Environmental stress • Intergroup behavior and conflict – – – – Competition for resources Task interdependence Jurisdictional ambiguity Status struggles Effect of Stress and Intra-individual Conflict • Physical problems – Immune system problems – Cardiovascular system problems – Musculoskeletal system problems – Gastrointestinal system problems • Psychological problems – Anger, anxiety, depression, nervousness, irritability, tension, and boredom Effect of Stress and Intra-individual Conflict Continued • Behavioral problems – Direct behaviors include under-eating or overeating, sleeplessness, increased smoking and drinking, and drug abuse Coping Strategies for Stress and Conflict • Individual coping strategies – Exercise – Relaxation – Behavioral self-control – Cognitive therapy – Networking • Organizational coping strategies – Reorganization initiatives – Work and life benefit policies and programs Coping Strategies for Stress and Conflict Continued • Organizational coping strategies (continued) – In case of downsizing: • • • • Be proactive Acknowledge survivors’ emotions Communicate after the downsizing Clarify new roles Negotiation Skills: Going Beyond Conflict Management • Traditional negotiation approaches – Distributive bargaining – Positional bargaining Negotiation Skills: Going Beyond Conflict Management Continued • Contemporary negotiation skills – Use of skills • • • • • Establishing superordinate goals Separating the people from the problem Focusing on interests, not on positions Inventing options for mutual gain Using objective criteria – Based on degree of risk • Low-risk negotiation techniques • High-risk negotiation techniques Questions ...Learning Objectives • Define the meaning of stress • Identify the extraorganizational, organizational, and group stressors • Examine individual dispositions of stress • Describe... Individual stressors (continued) – Type A characteristics Intraindividual Conflict • Conflict in organizational behavior Intraindividual Conflict Continued • Conflict due to frustration Intraindividual... irritability, tension, and boredom Effect of Stress and Intra-individual Conflict Continued • Behavioral problems – Direct behaviors include under-eating or overeating, sleeplessness, increased smoking and