Human Behavior in
Organizations
MGMT 4534 (Monday -Wednesday Sessions)
Class 04 – “What about stress at
work . . . And emotions”
Dr. James A. Burrescia
Class 4 – What to expect! (Monday)
Saturday: November 19, 2005
Administrative / Introductions 1:00 – 1:30
Break #1 1:30– 1:40
Session 1 1:40– 2:30
Break #2 2:30 – 2:45
Session 2 2:45 – 3:40
Wrap-Up 3:40 – 3:50
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Class 4 – What to expect! (Wednesday)
Saturday: November 19, 2005
Administrative / Assignments 7:00 – 7:30
Break #1 7:30– 7:40
Session 1 7:40– 8:30
Break #2 8:30 – 8:45
Session 2 8:45 – 9:40
Wrap-Up 9:40 – 9:50
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Access Class Website
http://coursesite.cl.uh.edu/BPA/burrescia/
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Emotions and Stress
on the Job
Class Session 4
Learning Objectives
1. Distinguish between emotions and moods.
2. Describe the effects of emotions and moods on
behavior in organizations.
3. Describe ways that people manage their
emotions in organizations.
4. Identify the major causes and consequences of
stress.
5. Identify various organizational resources for
managing stress.
6. Identify various ways that we can manage our
own stress as individuals.
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Emotions and Moods
Emotions: Overt reactions that express
feelings about events.
– Emotions always have an object.
– There are six major categories of emotions.
– Expression of major emotions is universal.
– Culture determines how and when people
express emotions.
Display Rules: Cultural norms about the appropriate
ways to express emotions.
Mood: An unfocused, relatively mild
feeling that exists as background to our
daily experiences.
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Categories of Emotion
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Emotions, Moods, and Job Performance
People in highly emotional states have lower job performance.
Especially true in the case of negative emotions.
People showing high positive affectivity make better decisions
than those showing high negative affectivity.
Being in a positive mood helps people recall positive things and
being in a negative mood helps people recall negative things.
People report greater satisfaction with their jobs while they are in
a good mood.
Being in a good mood leads people to judge the work of others
more positively.
People who are in a good mood also tend to be more generous
and are inclined to help their fellow workers.
People who are in a good mood are inclined to work more
carefully with others to resolve conflicts.
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Class Question
Review: What are emotions and how do they
influence people’s behavior in organizations?
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Class Question
Discussion: What advice would you give to a
company interested in managing emplotee’s
emotions in times of stress?
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Class Question
Discussion: What are emoticons, and what
role do they play in communication by e-mail?
;-) Wink ~ Steaming Mad
http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/emoticons.html
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Managing Emotions in Organizations
Emotional Dissonance: Inconsistencies
between the emotions we feel and the
emotions we express.
Emotional Labor: The psychological effort
involved in holding back one’s true
emotions.
Organizational Compassion: Steps taken
by organizational officials to alleviate the
suffering of its employees or others.
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Organizational Compassion
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Class Discussion
1. We all experience emotions, but some people
disguise their true feelings better than others. Do you
think this is a helpful or harmful thing to do? Under what
conditions do you think it would be most useful to
express your true feelings? Likewise, when do you think
it would be best to keep your feelings to yourself?
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Stress
Stressor: Any demand, either physical or
psychological in nature, encountered during the
course of living.
Stress: The pattern of emotional states and
physiological reactions occurring in response to
demands from within or outside an organization.
Cognitive Appraisal: A judgment about the
stressfulness of a situation, based on the extent to
which someone perceives a stressor as threatening
and capable of coping with its demands.
Strain: Deviations from normal states of human
functioning resulting from prolonged exposure to
stressful events.
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Stress
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Causes of Stress
1. Occupational demands
2. Conflict between work
and nonwork
3. Stress from
uncertainty
4. Overload and
underload
5. Responsibility for
others
6. Lack of social support
7. Sexual harassment
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Occupational Demands
Making decisions
Constantly monitoring
devices or materials
Repeatedly exchanging
information with others
Working in unpleasant
physical conditions
Performing
unstructured rather
than structured tasks
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Work vs. Nonwork
Role Conflict:
Incompatibilities
between the various
sets of obligations
people face.
Rule Juggling: The
need to switch back
and forth between the
demands of work and
family.
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Stress from Uncertainty
Role Ambiguity
Uncertainty
about what one
is expected to
do on a job.
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Overload and Underload
Quantitative Overload
Qualitative Overload
Information Anxiety
Quantitative Underload
Qualitative Underload
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Overload
Quantitative Overload:
The belief that one is
required to do more
work than possibly can
be completed in a
specific period.
Qualitative Overload:
The belief that one lacks
the required skills or
abilities to perform a
given job.
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Information Anxiety
Pressure to store and process a great deal of
information in our heads and to keep up constantly
with gathering it.
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Underload
Quantitative Underload:
The boredom that results
when employees have so
little to do that they find
themselves sitting around
doing nothing much of the
time.
Qualitative Underload:
The lack of mental
stimulation that
accompanies many
routine, repetitive jobs.
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Class Discussion
1. Think of a time when it was necessary for you to
express compassion on the job in response to a
traumatic situation. What were the circumstances?
What did you do that was effective? What steps might
you take to become even more effective the next time it
is necessary to express compassion on the job?
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Responsibility for Others
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Social Support
The friendship and support of others, which
help minimize reactions to stress.
Sources:
– Cultural norms
– Social institutions
– Friends and family
Benefits:
– Boosting self esteem
– Sharing information
– Providing diversion
– Giving needed resources
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Class Discussion
What was the most stressful situation you ever
encountered on the job? What were the stressors,
and how did you react, both physically and
psychologically? What role did social support play
in helping you manage this stress?
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Class Discussion
1. Social support can be a very helpful means to
reduce stress. However, do you think it’s wise to seek
social support on the job, where you stand to make
yourself vulnerable by talking about your work-related
stressors (e.g., by showing your weaknesses, or by
speaking negatively about your bosses)? Or do you
think that only your coworkers are in a good position to
understand your work-related stressors, suggesting that
you should talk to them about the work-related stress
you are experiencing?
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Sexual Harassment
Unwanted
contact or
communication
of a sexual
nature, usually
against women
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Statistics about Stress
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Stress Effects
Task Performance:
Some individuals perform at higher
levels in times of high stress.
For most people, however, higher levels
of stress lead to lower levels of job
performance.
Desk Rage: Lashing out at others in
response to stressful encounters on
the job.
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Burnout
A syndrome of
emotional, physical,
and mental
exhaustion coupled
with feelings of low
self-esteem or low
self-efficacy, resulting
from prolonged
exposure to intense
stress, and the strain
reactions following
from them.
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Characteristics of Burnout
Physical Exhaustion: Includes low energy levels
and feeling tired much of the time, as well as
symptoms of physical strain such as frequent
headaches, nausea, poor sleep, and changes in
eating habits.
Emotional Exhaustion: Depression, feelings of
helplessness, and feelings of being trapped.
Depersonalization: A pattern of behavior marked
by becoming cynical toward others, treating
others as objects, and holding negative attitudes
toward others.
Feelings of Low Personal Accomplishment, both
in the past and in the future.
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Components of Burnout
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Stress and Health
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Organizational Resources
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): Plans that
provide employees with assistance for various personal
problems (e.g., substance abuse, career planning, and
financial and legal problems).
Wellness Programs: Company-wide programs in which
employees receive training regarding things they can
do to promote healthy lifestyles.
Absence Control Programs: Procedures that give
employees flexibility with respect to when they can take
time off work.
Stress Management Programs: Systematic efforts to
train employees in a variety of techniques that they can
use to become less adversely affected by stress.
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Managing Stress
Manage your time
Eat a healthy diet and be
physically fit
Relax and meditate
Get a good night’s sleep
Avoid inappropriate self-
talk
Control your reactions
Take a time out
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Time Management
The practice of taking control over how
you spend time.
Effective practices:
– Prioritize your activities: Distinguish between
tasks that are urgent and important.
– Allocate your time realistically: Accurately
assess how much time needs to be spent on
each task.
– Take control of your time: Make a “to do” list
and carefully keep track of what you have to
accomplish. Unless something urgent comes
up, don’t let yourself be distracted.
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Assigning Priorities
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The Good Sleep Habit
Schedule your sleep
Don’t go to bed after
strenuous activity
Avoid stimulants
before bedtime
Don’t eat or work in
bed
Clear your mind
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Stress Prevention Approaches
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Learning Objectives-Review
1. Distinguish between emotions and moods.
2. Describe the effects of emotions and moods on
behavior in organizations.
3. Describe ways that people manage their
emotions in organizations.
4. Identify the major causes and consequences of
stress.
5. Identify various organizational resources for
managing stress.
6. Identify various ways that we can manage our
own stress as individuals.
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