Solutions to Assignments
MCO-01 - Organisation Theory and Behaviour
Master of Commerce (M.Com) - 2nd Year
Question No. 2 “Stress is psychological concept leading to both biological and behavioural disorders and is caused by a host of factors”. Discuss and explain the different stressors.
Internal stress describes what people feel when they're under internal, physical, or emotional pressure. Although it's normal to taste some internal stress from time to time, people who taste high standings of internal stress or who taste it hourly over a long period of time may develop health problems ( internal and/ or physical).
Stress can be caused both by quotidian liabilities and routine events, as well as by fresh unusual events, parallel as a trauma or illness in oneself or a close family member. “Stress is psychological concept leading to both biological and behavioural disorders and is caused by a host of factors When people feel that they're unqualified to manage or control changes caused by cancer or normal life exertion, they're in torture. Torture has turn inchmeal honoured as a factor that can reduce the quality of life of cancer cases. There's yea some testimony that extreme torture is associated with poorer clinical products. Clinical guidelines are available to help croakers and nursers assess standings of torture and help cases manage it.
This fact length provides a general preface to the stress that people may see as they get by with cancer. More detailed information about specific interior conditions related to stress can be introduce in the Related Finances and Handpicked References at the end of this fact length.
The body responds to physical, interior, or emotional pressure by releasing stress hormones ( ditto as epinephrine and norepinephrine) that increase blood pressure, speed heart rate, and raise blood sugar reaches. These changes help a person act with junior strength and speed to escape a perceived peril.
Research has shown that people who taste intensive and long- term ( i.e., habitual) stress can have digestive problems, “Stress is psychological concept leading to both biological and behavioural disorders and is caused by a host of factors fertility problems, urinary problems, and a weakened pure system. People who feel bred-in-the-bone stress are also more prone to viral infections alike as the flu or common deep freeze and to have headaches, sleep trouble, depression, and anxiety.
Although stress can bring a number of physical health problems, the confirmation that it can bring cancer is weak. Some studies have indicated a link between colored cerebral factors and an increased danger of developing cancer, but others have not.
Apparent links between inner stress and cancer could arise in several ways. For exemplification, people under stress may develop certain bearings, comparable as smoking, gluttonousness, or drinking alcohol, which increase a person’s imminence for cancer. “Stress is psychological concept leading to both biological and behavioural disorders and is caused by a host of factors Or someone who has a relative with cancer may have a evolved imminence for cancer because of a participated inherited imminence factor, not because of the stress brought by the family member’s conclusion.
People who have cancer may find the physical, emotional, and social goods of the complaint to be stressful. Those who endeavor to manage their stress with hazardous bearings comparable as smoking or drinking alcohol or who get more sedentary may have a poorer quality of life after cancer treatment. In disparity, people who are competent to use effective faring strategies to deal with stress, comparable as relaxation and stress direction hows, have been shown to have lower places of depression, anxiety, and symptoms related to the cancer and its treatment. Notwithstanding, there's no documentation that successful direction of inner stress improves cancer survival.
Witness from experimental studies does suggest that mental stress can affect a neoplasm’s faculty to grow and spread. For specimen, some studies have shown that when mice bearing natural neoplasms were kept confined or sequestered from other mice — conditions that increase stress — their neoplasms were more likely to grow and spread (metastasize). “Stress is psychological concept leading to both biological and behavioural disorders and is caused by a host of factors In one set of trials, neoplasms reaped into the mammary fat pads of mice had much refined rates of spread to the lungs and lymph swellings if the mice were chronically stressed than if the mice weren't stressed. Studies in mice and in natural cancer cells grown in the laboratory have start that the stress hormone norepinephrine, part of the body’s fight-or-flight response system, may promote angiogenesis and metastasis.
In another study, women with triplex-negative soul cancer who had been treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy were asked about their use of beta blockers, which are specifics that snoop with certain stress hormones, anteriorly and during chemotherapy. “Stress is psychological concept leading to both biological and behavioural disorders and is caused by a host of factors Women who reported using beta blockers had a better chance of surviving their cancer treatment without a relapse than women who didn't report beta blocker use. There was no difference between the groups, notwithstanding, in terms of overall survival.
Although there's still no strong testament that stress directly affects cancer fruits, some data do suggest that cases can develop a sense of helplessness or despondence when stress becomes perceptible. This response is associated with high rates of death, although the factor for this fruit is unclear. It may be that people who feel helpless or hopeless don't seek treatment when they grow ill, give up unseasonably on or fail to hew to potentially helpful cure, engage in parlous conducts ditto as medicine use, or don't maintain a healthy life, reacting in precocious death.
Some expert consortia recommend that all cancer cases be screened for rack unseasonably in the course of treatment. “Stress is psychological concept leading to both biological and behavioural disorders and is caused by a host of factors A number also recommender at critical points along the course of care. Health care providers can use a variety of fishnet tools, ditto as a rack scale or questionnaire, to gauge whether cancer cases need help managing their passions or with other practical firms. Cases who show moderate to severe rack are normally bore to good finances, ditto as a clinical health psychologist, social worker, chaplain, or psychiatrist.
Stress is a psychological state of imbalance coupled with biological disorder. Individual experiences
deviation in his biological system which is called potential stress. Potential stress moderated by individual,
organisational and environmental variable leads to actual stress. The variables that convert potential stress
into actual stress are known as stressors. Thus, stressors can be intra- organisational and extra
organisational. Intra-organisational stress arises out of individual, group, and organisational factors. Extra
organisational factors relate to environment of the organisation. The intra organisational factors causing
stress are divided into individual factors and organisational factors. Let us learn them in detail.
1. Intra Organisational Factors
Individual Factors: Individual factors, which cause stress include: personality and individual differences,
family problems, economic problems, life styles and role demands.
i) Personality and individual differences: Individual basic dispositions are the main reason for potential stress. Introversion, extroversion, masculinity, rigidity, locus of control, personal life, demographic differences such as age, health, education and occupation are some of the reasons causing stress in individuals. It is found that type A personality is prone to more stress than type B personality.
Type A personality is characterised by emotion and sensitivity to organisation goals, competitive spirit and achievement oriented behaviour. This leads to frustration even for small deviations from the expectations, thus feeling of more stress.
Type B personality is typically relaxed, carefree, patient and less serious in achieving objectives. Thus, he never feels stress. Some propositions of personality and individual stress are:
• Age is positively related to stress. When a person grows older, his expectations also go up. If he is unable to find avenues for realising expectations, he feels stress.
• Sound health enables a person to cope up stress better than unsound health.
• Education and health are related positively and negatively. Better education provides an opportunity to understand things in a better manner. Even the level of maturity increases with better education. So better educated persons are less prone to stress. Poorly educated people in relation to the jobs are likely to feel more stress due to the poor adaptability on the jobs.
• The nature of the occupation and stress are related. Certain occupations are inherently stressful than the other occupations. For instance, doctors, lawyers, politicians etc. At the same time occupation also gives enough stress tolerance ability. Politicians are found to posses more stress tolerance ability.
• Strong urge for satisfaction of needs compel people to over work and may lead to stress.
• Greater degree of locus of control leads to stress. A person is less likely to feel stress as he believes that he can exercise control over external factors.
• Self-efficacy and stress are negatively related. Higher degree of self-efficacy elevates motivation levels. Therefore people with greater self-efficacy remain calm and effectively face stressful situation. Perception of capacity to bring changes provides greater ability to withstand stress.
• Another personal disposition related to stress is psychological hardiness. Hardiness is the ability to withstand provocation from others. People with greater psychological hardiness are able to survive and withstand stressful environment. For instance, people who remain calm even at the provocation of others and ignore the esteem are less likely to feel stress.
Individual differences in perception, job experiences, social support, hostility etc., are some of the reasons
that cause stress.
• Perception helps in understanding the environment. Person possessing a positive perception understands reality and appraises the events objectively. Thus, he feels less stress.
• Job experience and stress are negatively related. As one gains experience he develops adaptability to various job and organisational demands. He realises the job expectations. He develops a mechanism to deal with stress situations. Therefore more experienced people remains cool, calm, and ignore stressors than young and inexperienced employees.
• Hostility and aggressive behaviour is positively related to stress. A person who becomes aggressive and
gets quick anger is cynical and does not trust others. He feels more stress than others who are cool and
calm.
ii) Family Problems: Family issues influence the personal life of individuals. Sound marital relationships, marital discipline, early and healthy children may lead to happy personal life. They enjoy the life and become positive in their attitudes. So they do not tend to greater stress. On the other hand, poor marital relationships, nagging wife, family separations, extra marital relationships, disturbing children, poor settlement of family members, aging parents, dual working couple, death of spouse or other close family member are some of the reasons for greater stress in the individuals.
iii) Economic Problems: Economic difficulties are the main cause of stress. Poor management of personal finances, heavy family expenditure, and constant demand for money, poor incoming earning capacity and slow financial growth in the job are some of the economic reasons responsible for greater stress. For instance, an increasing family expenditure, increased expenditure on children education and health create heavy demand for income. This creates greater stress in the individuals.
iv) Life Styles: Life Styles of individuals can cause stress. The following situations of life style cause stress:
• Sedentary life styles cause greater stress.
• Individuals experiencing certain unique situations may be compelled to alter their attitude, emotions and behaviour. These are known as life trauma. Life trauma is potential reason for stress.
• Faster career changes bring more responsibilities to the individuals. Persons occupying higher positions in the younger age are likely to get heart attacks due to greater stress. This is because of inability to adapt to the new carrier responsibilities.
v) Role Demands: Individuals play multiple roles in their personal life and organisations. In their personal life, they play the roles of family head, husband, father, brother and son. In social life they play the roles of club members, informal community group members, members of recreation groups, religious groups and a number of other social groups. Similarly in organisations, employees play the role of superior, subordinate, co-worker, union leader, informal group leaders etc. Incidentally, all these roles are performed simultaneously. Thus, they cause anxiety andemotion. Another potential reason is role conflict. It arises because of poor role perception, role ambiguity, role overload and role overlapping. Role ambiguity and stress are positively related. The greater the role conflict, individual experiences more stress.
Organisational Factors: An organisation is a combination of resources, goals, strategies, and policies. In
order to make people to work, organisations create structure, process and working conditions. In modern
organisations, number of factors create an environment of stress. The changing environmental dynamics,
globalisation, organisational adjustments like mergers and acquisitions lead to stress among employees. In
addition, a number of internal organisational factors cause employee stress. Some of them are poor working conditions, strained labour management relations, disputed resource allocations, co-employee behaviour, organisational design and policies, unpleasant leadership styles of the boss, misunderstandings in organisational communication, bureaucratic controls, improper motivation, job dissatisfaction, and less
attention to merit and seniority. Let us learn the organisational stressors in detail.
i) Working Conditions: Working conditions and stress are inversely related. Employees working with poor working conditions are subject to greater stress. The factors that lead to more stress are crowded work areas, dust, heat, noise, polluted air, strong odour due to toxic chemicals, radiation, poor ventilation, unsafe and dangerous conditions, lack of privacy etc.
ii) Organisational Tasks: Organisational tasks are designed to meet the objectives and goals. Poorly designed tasks lead to greater stress. Task autonomy, task inter-dependency, task demands, task overload are some of the potential reasons for stress in organisations. For instance greater the task interdependence, greater is the coordination required. This requires employees to adjust themselves to coworkers, superiors, and subordinates, irrespective of their willingness. They are expected to communicate, coordinate, exchange views, with other people irrespective of caste, creed, gender, religion and political differences. Lack of adjustment and poor tolerance to others lead to greater degree of stress.
iii) Administrative Policies and Strategies: Employee’s stress is related to certain administrative strategies followed by the organisations. Down sizing, competing pressure, unfair pay structures, rigidity in rules, job rotation and ambiguous policies are some of the reasons for stress in organisations.
iv) Organisational Structure and Design: As pointed out earlier organisational structure is designed to facilitate individual’s interaction in the realisation of organisational goals. Certain aspects of design like specialisation, centralisation, line and staff relationships, span of control, and organisational communication can severely create stress in organisations. For example, wider span of management compels the executive to manage large number of subordinates. This may create greater stress. Similarly, frequent line and staff conflict lead to obstacles in the work performance. Inability to resolve the conflicts lead to stress.
v) Organisation Process and Styles: A number of organisational processes are designed for meeting organisational goals. Communication process, control process, decision making process, promotion process, performance appraisal process, etc. are designed for realising organisational objectives. These processes limit the scope of functioning of employees. Improper design of various organisational processes leads to strained relationships among the employees. They may also cause de-motivation and job dissatisfaction. Consequently, employee feels stress in adapting to the processes.
vi) Organisational Leaderships: Top management is responsible for creation of a sound organisation
climate and culture by appropriate managerial style. The climate provided should be free of tensions, fear, and anxiety. Authoritarian leadership style creates a directive environment in which employees are pressurised to attain targets. They work under impersonal relationships and tight controls. This creates greater work stress to employees. On the other hand, a climate of warm and friendliness, scope for participation in decision making, non financial motivation and flexibility are encouraged under democratic leadership style. This relieves stress in the employees. Therefore, employees working under authoritarian leadership styles experience stress than employees working under democratic leadership style.
vii) Organisational Life Cycle: Every organisation moves through four phases of organisational life cycle. They are birth, growth, maturity and decline. In each of these stages the structure and the design of organisation undergoes frequent changes. In addition, human beings are subject to metamorphosis to adapt to the stages in the life cycle. In this process, employees are subject to job stress. For instance in the initial stages of organisational birth, stress is caused because of ambiguous policies and designs. In the growth stage, employees experience stress due to failure to meet conflicting demands. At the time of decline, stress is caused due to down sizing, retrenchment and loss of financial rewards and changing organisational systems.
viii) Group Dynamics: Groups are omni present in organisations. Groups arise out of inherent desire of human beings and spontaneous reactions of people. In organisations both formal groups and informal groups exist. A formal group exist in the form of committees, informal group exit among different levels of organisation. Groups have a number of functional and dysfunctional consequences. They provide social support and satisfaction, which is helpful in relieving stress. At the same time, they become the source of stress also. Lack of cohesiveness, lack of social support, lack of recognition by the group and incompatible goals cause stress.
Thus a number of organisational factors cause stress in the individuals.
