Occupational Stress &

Organizational Development

DR A. HANS
 Content

1. Concept
2. Factors
3. Managing stress
4. OD: Concept and Process
 Occupational Stress

Occupational stress can be said to be a combination

of stressors and job-related situations that most
people agree that it is stressful (Amiri, Mohammad
2018).
Occupational stress can also be defined as the
interaction between working conditions and
individual characteristics of the worker in such a way
that the demands of the workplace are more than the
individual can handle.
 Concept & Definition

1. Occupational or workplace stress can be defined as the

change in one’s physical or mental state in response to
workplace that pose an appraised challenge or threat to
that employees.
2. Stress has been defined as the change in one’s physical or
mental state in response to situations (stressors)that pose
challenge or threat.
3. Human body has a natural chemical response to a threat
or demand, commonly known as “flight or fight reaction,
which includes the release of adrenalin. Once the threat
or demand is over the body can return to its natural state.
1. A stressor is an event or set of conditions that cause
a stress response.
2. Stress is the body’s physiological response to the
stressor, and Strain is the body’s longer-term
reaction to chronic stress.
3. Stress is divided into two categories: Eustress also
known a s good stress and Distress is the stress
reactions to those stressors appraised as being
negative.
4. Extreme stress is also known as Burnout
In general individuals will have a cognitive,
behavioral, emotional, and physical response to both
eustress and distress

Source: Causes and Prevention of Occupational

Stress. Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3210196
97_Causes_and_Prevention_of_Occupational_Stres
s
[accessed Feb 21 2021].
 OCCUPATIONAL STRESS FACTORS

Factors that cause occupational stress in the workplace

can be divided into three general categories:
1. Individual factors: such as role conflict, role ambiguity,
conflict in personal goals, unexpected personal events,
and economic issues.
2. Organizational Factors: Includes organizational
structure, organizational processes, organizational
policies, communication factors, job requirements,
organizational physical conditions etc…
3. Environmental Factors: Includes economic factors,
political factors, and technological factors.
 Organizational Factors causing stress

1. Role Characteristics: Understanding psychological

factors in the workplace is a way to gain an
understanding of occupational stress. Four important
role characteristics can be role ambiguity, role
overload, role weakness, and role incompatibility.
2. Role ambiguity: A definite job situation where some
of the information needed to perform the job is
desperately inadequate or misleading.
3. Role ambiguity actually leads to stress when it stops a
person from being productive and progressive
 Organizational Factors causing stress

4. Excessive Role: If you can't do something that is part

of a given job, you will be stressed.
5. Role Comfort: In this situation one's skills are not fully
utilized.
6. Role incompatibility: Occurs when accepting one set of
job requirements conflicts with accepting another set.
7. Job Traits: Job traits that influence job stress can be
divided into four general categories: workflow, job
repetition, shift work, and task-related characteristics.
 Organizational Factors causing stress

8. Interpersonal Relationships: The quality of staff

relationships in the workplace affects job stress.
9. Organizational Structure and Atmosphere:
Structures that give employees more decision-
making less stress.
10. Human Resource Management Approach: Human
resource management practices affect the amount
of stress on individuals.
11. Technology and Material Characteristics:
 Occupational conditions that can cause stress

1. Task Design: High workloads, short breaks, long shifts,

tasks that do not use employee skills, and lack of control.
2. Management style: Lack of employee involvement in
decision making, poor communication.
3. Work worries: job insecurity and lack of opportunity to
grow, improve, or enhance; rapid changes to what
employees are not prepared for.
4. Community Values: When community values vary among
individuals, it can cause stress.
5. Low working pressure: Doing low work is also one of the
causes of stress.
 Stress Management

A combination of organizational change and stress

management is often is the most useful approach for
preventing stress at work .
Both organization and employees can employ
strategies at organizational and individual levels.
 Organizational Level Coping

1. Adjust workload to worker’s abilities

2. Define role and responsibilities clearly
3. Design jobs that are meaningful, stimulating, and
4. Allow workers to use their abilities
5. Promote interaction among workers
6. Facilitate worker participation
7. Encourage to participate in extra- curricular
activities
 Stress Management : Organizational Level

1. Assertiveness training
2. Conflict resolution training
3. Decision making and problem -solving skills
4. Goal and priority setting and
5. Time management
 Individual Level: Stress Management

1. Biofeedback
2. Deep breathing exercises
3. Exercise/physical activity
4. Meditation
5. Progressive relaxation exercise
6. Stress- inoculation training
7. Yoga
 Individual Skills to reduce job stress:

1. Open mindedness & goal oriented

2. Time Management (Scheduling Compilation)
3. Turning to humor and jokes
4. Don't take the stress of others and remember that you can
only change yourself, not others.
5. Social support
6. Do the most stressful or toughest tasks of the day and plan
ahead.
7. Sports activities
8. Selfishness and a sense of usefulness
 Organizational Development: Definitions

1. OD is an organization wide planned effort , managed

from the top to increase organization effectiveness and
health through planned intervention(Beckhard, 1969).
2. OD is a systematic application of behavior science
knowledge to the planned development and
reinforcement of organizational strategies, structures
and process for improving organization's
effectiveness(Cummings and Worley,1993).
3. OD is a planned process of change in organization's
culture through the utilization of behavioral science
technologies, research and theory(Burke,1994).
 Organizational Development(OD)

Organizational Development can be defined as a

technique for bringing change in the entire aspect of
the organization, rather than focusing attention on
individuals, so that change is easily absorbed.
 OD Characteristics

1. OD focuses on improving culture and process

2. It encourages collaboration and participation
among all parties.
3. It focuses on human and social side of the
organization.
4. Participation and involvement in problem solving
by all levels.
5. It focus on total system change and view
organization as a complex systems.
 OD Characteristics

6. OD views organizational improvement as an

ongoing process.
7. It has Consultant –facilitator and client
relationship.
8. It seek betterment of individual , groups and
organization as a whole to create a win-win
solution.
9. It focuses on improving the effectiveness of the
organization.
 Goals of OD

1. To increase the level of trust and support among

organizational members.
2. To increase the incidence of confronting
organizational problems both within groups and
among groups.
3. To increase the openness of communications
horizontally, vertically and diagonally.
4. To increase the level of personal enthusiasm and
satisfaction in the organization.
 Goals of OD

5. To increase the level of self and group

responsibility in planning and implementation.
6. To improve organization health, to improve its
problem solvability, and to improve its capability to
cope with the changing environment.
7. To create conditions where conflict is effectively
managed.
8. To improve the overall organizational effectiveness
by improving individual, groups & organizational
elements
 Steps/Process in OD:

1. Problem Identification and Diagnosis:

2. Planning strategy for Change:
3. Intervening in the System
4. Evaluation:

( Diagnosis, Action and Programme management)