Assignment 2
Managing Stress and Conflict in the Organisation
Task 1
Understand the effectiveness of own organisation in dealing with workplace stress and conflict
Stress is a part of everyday life and as such is a part of all organisations. Cole in his 2004 book ‘Management Theory and Practice’ describes stress as:
The adverse psychological and physical reactions that occurs in individuals as a result of their being unable to cope with the demands being made of them. (p.382)
It is estimated that stress causes the UK economy around £7 billion a year, of which £4 billion is as a result of the 180 million working days lost due to staff taking time off work. As such the importance, if not purely on a financial basis, can be seen to
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In relation to the management of conflict the College has several inter-related procedures. The first and most important to this area is the Anti-Harassment procedure. This procedure deals with the steps, first informal and then formal, that a member of staff who feels they are being harassed can go down to resolve this conflict. Linked to this is the Disciplinary procedure under which action may be taken upon a successful Anti-Harassment complaint. For managers there is also the Poor Performance procedure should the conflict be in relation to the performance of a staff member. For conflicts in relation to employment matters, pay and grading issues the College has a Grievance procedure.
The above discussed procedures are those for the whole of the College and so should be equally applied across all departments. However with my directorate, conflict is to be avoided at all costs and rather than rely on the College procedures the expectation is that it will be dealt with internally within the directorate. Generally this results in compromise with no clear, long term resolution, instead ensuring that everything is seen to be running smoothly and thus not requiring the involvement of HR. This view is explained that is it better not to give HR an opportunity to point score
Stress is described as a psychological and psychological and physical strain or tension generated by physical, emotional, social, economical or occupation circumstances, events, or experience that are difficult to manage or endure (Andrew M. Colman, 2015). Stress can affect all aspects of your life, which include your emotional, behaviours thinking ability, and psychical health (webmd, 2016). More than one in five Australian have reported mental health issue as a source of stress (psychology, 2014).
This assignment will explore the concept of stress by firstly distinguishing between the definitions set out by Selye 919560 and Cox (1976). Following this assignment will critically evaluate the General Adaption Syndrome, SRRS and Daily Hassles explanations of stress and finally, conclude with a discussion on individual differences based on Friedman and Rosenman’s research.
“Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances”. It is generally known as “pattern of disruptive physiological and psychological reaction to events that threaten the ability to cope” (Oxford Living Dictionaries, 2017).
Be able to improve the management of workplace stress and conflict in own area of responsibility
Stress is the process of measuring and responding to a threatening or challenging event. If it lasts a short time it can actually be beneficial and can mobilize the immune system to fight off infections and heal our wounds. Stress has an arousal property that motivates us to solve our problems. Extreme or prolonged stress on the other hand can be very harmful and can lead to chronic disease. Stressors fall into three categories: Catastrophic, significant life changes, and daily hassles. All can be bad for us.
According to Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (2013), stress in general is a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation (Full definition of stress, 1c.). Job stress may involve the type of work your do, your boss, or co-workers or your hours you work. When it comes to job stress, it can take a toll on your productivity, as well as your physical and emotional health.
Stress can be caused by many different things within an organisation but the main causes of stress can be broken down into “six management standards” Anon (2009) how to tackle work related stress http://www.hse.gov.uk/ I used these areas to construct the chart below and discussed stress at a team meeting and asked my team to complete a Circle of influence around areas over which they felt they had no control Appendix 1 we also discussed what we / I could do to manage the six main causes of stress
In addition, we discussed discipline via a thorough investigation that provides the employee and opportunity to tell their story. Furthermore, she emphasizes a just cause, one track discipline and the application of a just culture. I feel I obtained useful tips regarding the disciplinary process.
Work related stress has been emerging as one of the main causes of adverse symptoms of mental health in today’s industrial societies. The direct result of excessive pressures and/or demands placed on individuals at work, work-related stress has caused some people to develop symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other adverse mental health effects. While it might be possible that other co-factors contribute to the development of anxiety and depression in some population groups, evidence suggests that pressure from works is more likely to trigger adverse reactions in some people. In fact, positive correlations have been established between symptoms of work stress and mental health problems. That is, it is not uncommon to witness loss of
Many believe that stress is a simple problem, however it is often misunderstood and more complex than they believe (p. 181, Griffin & Moorhead, 2014). Stress is the physiological and psychological response to excessive and usually unpleasant stimulation as well as threatening events in the environment (p. 284, Schultz and Schultz, 2010). Stress appears in silent and subtle ways but this negative response affects millions of employees in all levels of all types of jobs (p. 284, Schultz and Schultz, 2010). If identified
Stress is a topic that interesting for people to discuss, but hard to know the best way to deal with it while we are people helping. The author seeks to educate us about stress, the different types and also the dreaded distress. Distress can come quickly and ruin our days, and effect us emotionally, which affects our productivity and effectiveness (Collins, 1995). Stress is simply our own psychological response to the demands and pressures of everyday life (Collins, 1995).
Stress is something everyone goes through no matter what age, gender or race you are. Stress is the experience of a perceived threat to one’s mental, physical or spiritual well-being, resulting from a series of physiological responses and adaptations. When people think of stress they think it’s a bad thing which isn’t true, some stress is just your body’s reaction to certain situations. At times it may seem like stress is taking over your body leaving you physically, emotionally and mentally hurt but what you can do is learn how to manage your stress to have a healthier and happy lifestyle. Stress management is learning to deal with your stress and take charge. There are three types of stresses which are eustress, distress and neustress.
The external component of the Biopsychosocial Model of stress involves environmental events that precede the recognition of stress and can elicit a stress response. A previously mentioned, the stress reaction is elicited by a wide variety of psychosocial stimuli that are either physiologically or emotionally threatening and disrupt the body's homeostasis (Cannon, 1932). We are usually aware of stressors when we feel conflicted, frustrated, or pressured. Most of the common stressors fall within four broad categories: personal, social/familial, work, and the environment. These stressful events have been linked to a variety of psychological physical complaints. For example bereavement
Everybody has at least one thing in common. Can you guess what it is? If you guessed, heartbreak, you’re right, but that’s not the answer I’m looking for. The correct answer is stress. Everyone has stress in his or her life at one point or another. It’s one of many inevitable parts of life. Whether it’s busting out a research paper for Psychology at the last minute, expecting your first child to be born, to making sure you’re up in time to catch the Saturday morning cartoons, it’s clearly evident that everyone goes through stress. The real question is, how is stress handled in our society? A person is defined by how they handle the stressors in their lives and how they overcome stressful moments. This paper will explore the aspects of
Stress is not only affecting individuals, but also affects how are businesses function and how our society operates (Morrison 1).