Managerial Skills Lecture
Managing Stress
Learning Objectives
•
•
•
•
Understand Symptoms of Stress.
Identify Causes of Stress.
Reduce Causes of Stress.
Develop Resiliency to Stress
Why Is Stress
Management Important?
• Organizational Costs
• Individual Costs
– Health Impairment
– Job Burnout
– Performance Decline
Exhibit: Relationship Between
Stress and Job Performance
What Skills Are Needed to
Cope with Stress?
• Becoming Aware of
Negative Stress Symptoms
• Determining the Sources
• Doing Something
Constructive
Stress Symptoms
• Physical Symptoms
• Psychological Symptoms
How Can Stressors be Identified?
(Sources of Stress)
• Major Organizational Stressors?
– High-stress Occupations
• Level of control, physical conditions,
time pressure, responsibility
– Job Role
• Overload or underutilization
• Ambiguity or conflict
– Interpersonal Relationships
How Can Stressors
Be Identified?
(continued)
• What are major personal stressors?
– Family problems
– Financial problems
– Health problems
• Change
– Personality
• E.g. Type A
How Can Stressors
Be Identified?
(continued)
• Major Environmental Stressors
– Economic Uncertainty
– Political Uncertainties
– Technological Change
What Constructive Things Can Be
Done To Reduce Stress?
• Individual Coping Strategies
– Seeking Help
– Managing Time (planning, scheduling, using
time effectively)
• Planning
– Know your Values and Goals
• Organizing
– List Activities
– Prioritize Activities Based on Planning
Activities That Determine Time Use
IMPORTANCE
HIGH
Most problem solving
HIGH
Immediate deadlines
LOW
Answering the phone
E-mail
Interruptions from others
Reading a book related
to current priorities
URGENCY
LOW
Preparing for more distant
deadlines
Family
Worrying or anger
Watching too much TV
Surfing the internet for no
reason
What Constructive Things Can Be
Done To Reduce Stress? (Continued)
• Individual Coping Strategies (Continued)
• Horizontal Scheduling
• Vertical Scheduling
• Effective Delegation
• Constantly Ask: What Is the
Most Effective Use of My
Time Right Now?
Exhibit: 80/20 Rule
Activities
Time Spent
Results
Trivial
80%
20%
Vital
20%
80%
What Constructive Things Can Be
Done To Reduce Stress? (Continued)
• Individual Coping Strategies (Continued)
•
•
•
•
Capitalize on Your Productivity Cycle
Minimize Disruptions
Avoid Procrastinating
Meeting Management
Exhibit: Methods for
Dealing with Procrastination
REASONS
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
Unpleasant task
Do it first thing.
Find someone else to do it.
Divide and conquer by breaking it into smaller pieces.
Set a time aside
Ride the momentum. Once you get going, keep at it.
Assume success
Ask for clarification.
Clarify your own goals.
Ask for clarification.
Plan how to do it yourself.
Overwhelming tasks
Unclear goal
Unclear task flow
See text for Psychological Reasons . . .
What Constructive Things Can Be
Done To Reduce Stress? (Continued)
• Individual Coping Strategies (Continued)
• Changing Jobs/Major/Career
• Developing Resiliency
– Personality Hardiness
• High Self-Esteem
– self-serving bias vs imposter syndrome
• Internal Locus of Control
– Reframing
– Small-wins Strategy
• Extroversion
What Constructive Things Can Be
Done To Reduce Stress? (Continued)
• Individual Coping Strategies Through
Resiliency(Continued)
– Social Support
– Health Maintenance
• Diet and Exercise
• Short-term, Emotion-Focused Strategies
– Recreation
– Relaxation