OB TUTORIAL

1. How are opportunities and threat related to stress? Give an example for each
People experience stress when they fact opportunities or threats that they perceive as important and also
perceive they might not be able to handle or deal with effectively. An opportunity is something that has the
potential to benefit a person. A threat is something that has the potential to harm a person. Stress is a highly
personal experience influenced by an individuals personality, abilities, and perceptions; what is stressful for one
person might not be stressful for another.

2. Describe the 3 sources of potential stress. Which of these are controllable by management?
Environmental Factors
Economic uncertainties of the business cycle
Political uncertainties of political systems
Technological uncertainties of technical innovation s
Terrorism in threats to physical safety and security
Organizational Factors
Task demands related to the job
Role demands of functioning in an organization
Interpersonal demands created by other employees
Organizational structure (rules and regulations)
Organizational leadership (managerial style)
Organizations life stage (growth, stability, or decline)
Individual Factors Family and personal relationships Economic problems from exceeding earning capacity
Personality problems arising for basic disposition

3. What is the relationship between stress and performance?
A certain level of stress is positive in that it can result in high levels of job performance. When stress levels are
excessively high, negative stress is experienced, and performance suffers. Other potential behavioral
consequences of high stress include strained interpersonal relations, absenteeism, and turnover.
Stress can be either helpful or harmful to job performance, depending upon its level. When stress is absent, it
limits job challenges and performance becomes low. As stress increases gradually, job performance also tends to
increase, because stress helps a person to gather and use resources to meet job requirements.