Economic uncertainty is when the individual is unsure whether they will get paid enough or not (e.g. effects of recession). Task demands are having too much workload to do in little time. Management style is the way management is run so there could be problems in management and there could be time pressures placed on employees. Work environment is the conditions of where an employee works so poor working environment could be bad lighting, noise or unsuitable equipment. This means the employee couldn’t work. Role conflict is conflicts within the job which could result in an employee being in the wrong job. Organisational leadership is the leader trying to move the company’s position forward so this will increase the work demand of managers and employees and there would be more pressure. Life events are family tragedies, serious illness, marriages and divorce.
There can be individual factors too such as family difficulties and what type of personality a person is; A or B. Type A people are competitors who put pressure on themselves and are high achievers. They are more likely to suffer stress-related illness. Type B people are relaxed, easygoing and are less likely to suffer stress-related illness.
Consequences of stress at work can be:
- Physiological – headaches, heart disease, stomach ulcers, respiratory disorders
- Psychological – aggression, depression, fatigue
- Behavioural – absenteeism, acting differently, accidents, poor performance
There are strategies to fight stress at work. For individual strategies there can be time management such as deadlines and making timetables for most important tasks. There could be outside interests and counselling programmes. Diet and exercise is seen as important so it could be built around a working day. Assertiveness training could be used to advise an employee on whether their demand of work is reasonable or not. Also, employers could introduce other strategies such as ‘wellness’ programmes which involves health check-ups and fitness programmes. Demand for employees could be considered such as job design and flexible working. Participative Management and communication would allow employees to get involved in decisions and make them feel less powerless. Relaxation/ social possibilities and support would allow employees to make strong relationships and discuss topics such as stress.
It is important for Business and Management students to learn about stress in organisations as they can find out how to cope with it and how to avoid stress at work. Stress is a major factor in organisations because it can affect the behaviour of the workers and managers greatly if it is not treated early. Consequences of stress at work can be absenteeism and staff turnover which increases the costs for an organisation (e.g. covering vacancies). This would result in missed deadlines, low productivity and a drop in staff morale.
Motivation is another important factor in the study of organisational behaviour. This can help workers achieve the goals of the organisation. Motivation is ‘the extent to which persistent effort is directed towards a goal.’ There are theories of motivation to shape employees’ behaviour and continue that behaviour.
Content theories are motivation theories which assume all workers are motivated by a set of basic needs. The first content theory is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. There are five needs which begin with physiological needs and end with self-actualization needs. Physiological needs are survival needs such as breathing, food, water etc. The second one is safety needs which involve security of employment, of health, of the family etc. The third one is love/belonging which involves social interaction with friends, family and having relationships. The next one is esteem needs which is about having confidence, self-esteem and respected by others etc. The last one is self-actualization which involves the individual realising their potential and can problem-solve and be creative. Maslow’s theory shows that behaviour depends on a range of motives. Many management fashions such as job enrichment, total quality management and employee empowerment have used his ideas.
The second content theory is Alderfer’s ERG theory which has three need categories: Existence, Relatedness and Growth. Existence needs are biological needs such as food, water, rest and oxygen and safety needs such as comfort, security and peace. Relatedness needs are affiliation and esteem needs such as attachment, belonging, relationships, confidence etc. Growth needs are self-actualization needs which is the development of an individual’s potential. Clayton Alderfer argued that three basic categories of needs were more realistic to consider and all three can be present at any one time.
Process theories are also motivation theories and they involve people undergoing cognitive processes in selecting goals and how to pursue these goals. There are three theories: Adams equity theory, expectancy theory and Goal-setting theory.
Adams equity theory is when people perceive situations which are unfair or inequitable and then become motivated to act. Equity theory argues that if a person perceives extreme inequity, then more tension builds up therefore the person becomes strongly motivated to resolve that unfairness. Workers form judgements from their perceived inequity by comparing their input to others’ inputs of work. From a management perspective, perceived equity seems to lead to greater job satisfaction and organisational commitment. But people respond differently to ‘over-reward’ and ‘under-reward’ which can generate tension.
Expectancy theory is about what a worker perceives to be good performance which will lead to valued rewards, and perceiving that effort will result in good performance. It is based on expectations and measured as probabilities from 0 (no chance) to 1 (certainty). Expectancy theory helps to explain individual differences in motivation and behaviour and provides a basis for measuring the strength of the individual’s motivation to behave in particular ways.
Goal-setting theory is ‘that work motivation is influenced by goal difficulty, goal specificity and knowledge of results.’ The theory has established four propositions which are:
- Goals need to be challenging which will lead to higher levels of performance.
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Goals need to be specific which can also lead to higher levels of performance because people will know exactly what is required to achieve the goals.
- Employees should participate in the goal-setting process which can improve performance by increasing commitment to those goals.
- Feedback which provides information on the results of past performance which is necessary for effective goal achievement.
Goal-setting is seen more as a motivational technique which relies on these four propositions to explain and predict work behaviour.
Workers need to be constantly motivated to meet the demands of the organisation. This depends on the effectiveness and efficiency of the employees. If they are not motivated, it can lead to low self-esteem and low confidence which will result in consequences for the business.
Business and management students need to study about organisational behaviour because they will be working in different organisations which will have different methods and different policies of how they run their business and treat their employees. Students need to know what affects the behaviour in organisations and how it can be changed and sustained. They need to know how to cope with the demands of an organisation so they can comfortably work in their job positions. They need to know how to effectively work in teams and communicate as working in groups can improve efficiency in the organisation. Students will learn more about themselves and what their needs and requirements are and they will learn how to communicate effectively with others in an organisation.
Reference List
(2009-2010) Lecture Slide Notes
Huczynski, A & Buchanan, Organizational Behaviour: sixth edition
