ACCOUNTING STEP BY STEP
CRE - CREATIVE RELAXATION EXERCISE
AGL COPING WITH DIFFICULT
ENVIRONMENTS
(one day or better two half days)
For publication - 2015
Dr. Bob Boland & Team
FCA, CPA, DBA, ITP (Harvard)
Case: Despite the severe financial crisis and an inevitable restructuring, IBM
continued to provide resources for stress management with: reward and recognition
systems, job rotation programs, creative worker control groups, manager “open
door” policies, stress seminars, exercise programs, ombudsman systems,
telephone contact with a counsellor etc.
IBM’s program covered the promotion of POSITIVE stress for high motivation, and
the prevention and reduction of NEGATIVE stress for efficient and effective working.
Thus the best managers and workers were not lost to negative stress, but were kept
fully operational.
This caring stress management policy became highly cost effective as IBM
recovered so well from the financial crisis.
Source:
Audio:
Help:
Copyright:
EDW/DH et alia
freely available in www.crelearning.com
drbobobboland@hotmail.com
RGAB/2015
DEDICATION
This is a fun programme, is dedicated to memory of all hard
working accountants (and auditors), who have always been the
respected traditional honest man in the tough game of business,
but have been relegated to the relatively humble job of
scorekeepers.
In revenge the accountants keep the score, in such a complex
way, that nobody other than skilled accountants, can know what
the score really is ... was ... or will be ...
We believe that the programme will provide you with confidence,
humour and motivation to learn well, about the wonderful world of
accounting, which started with a book on debits and credits in
1425 ... and is still progressing.
Each year accountants find new, ever more creative ways, of
keeping the score, such that, a manager with an MBA from a
major international business school. who was CEO of a major
(bankrupt) public company in USA (which shall be nameless),
confessed to a US Congressional Committee, that he had no
idea what the real score was.
However we still put our trust in the Professional Accountants
and Auditors who always try to serve us well, and in new
increasingly powerful International Accounting Standards, as the
hope of the future. See also our new book: Ethics of Business –
in 2007.
2
INDEX
Item
Diary
Page No
4
Workpack
46
Guide
95
APPENDICES:
A - Glossary
109
B - Quiz
121
C – Further study
136
3
DIARY
INDEX
Item
Page No
1.
Important note on the learning
3
2.
Health review exercises
4
3.
Summary Lecture
7
4.
Learning maintenance
20
4.
Local case studies
21
APPENDICES:
A
B
C
D
-
Other Exercises
Acknowledgements/bibliography
Simple Glossary
Registration & Feedback
Note: the AGL course schedule provides for:
1. Pre-learning:
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl ( Simon & Schuster)
Beyond Certainty: A Personal Odyssey – Charles Handy (HBSP)
2. Learning in groups with exercises, text and cases for one day or
better for two half days3. Individual learning maintenance over about a month.
4
1. IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE LEARNING
1.
AGL is specially designed as a stress free learning environment. Some parts
may appear to be less challenging for the human resource manager with years
of experience, but the learning comes from the group dynamics not just the
learning materials.
2.
AGL creates a very special group learning environment that may be new to
some members. It is a highly effective but rather challenging learning
experience. Members should therefore try to keep an open mind on their
reactions until the end of the day.
3.
Members can and do solve ALL the problems and answer ALL the questions,
from the special materials provided and the experience of other members of the
group.
4.
The Organiser is not a teacher. The Organiser's job is to help members to:
a.
b.
c.
Understand the AGL learning system
Use fully and effectively the special learning materials and the group
experiences.
Solve administrative problems
5.
The Organiser is not usually allowed under AGL Learning Systems to respond
directly to technical questions, since the learning is better when members help
each other. The critical skill of the Organiser is to HELP the participants to
WORK TOGETHER to resolve successfully, all questions arising. Thus by the
end of the program EVERY QUESTION is resolved!
6.
The learning materials can be customised with local case studies, which
emphasise priority issues for a particular client organisation.
7.
AGL materials are used extensively in many different countries. Since 1970
over 40,000 executives have successfully completed AGL programmes
throughout the world. This wide international experience s resulted in
development of the "Learning Maintenance Program" which is designed to
reinforce and sustain the learning achieved from each course.
6.
We hope you will find AGL stimulating, efficient and effective for you!
5
2.
HEALTH REVIEW EXERCISES
NO. 1 – DAILY STRESS LEVELS AT WORK
Quickly mark each item … as you feel … from 0 (no stress) to 5 (high stress):
Trouble with clients or customers
Having to work late
Constant people interruptions
Trouble with a boss
Deadlines and time pressures
Decision-making
Dealing with bureaucracy
Technological breakdowns, computers etc
Trouble with colleagues
Job not stimulating
Too much responsibility
To many jobs to do at once
Telephone interruptions
Travelling to and from work
Travelling associated with the job
Making mistakes
Conflict with organisational goals
Job interfering with home and family life
Can't cope with the politics
Cant say “no” when I should work
Not enough stimulating things to do
Too many meetings
Don't know where career is going
Worried about job security
Spouse or partner not supportive about work
Family life adversely affecting work
Having to tell subordinates unpleasant things like firing
Scoring: 100 high stress, 40 low stress, average 70
6
2.
HEALTH REVIEW EXERCISES (continued)
NO. 2 – CAS - COPING ABILITY SCORE - QUESTIONS
Mark each questions yes or no, and then refer to the score sheet to compute your CAS:
1.
Do you have a supportive family and friends?
2.
Do you have a hobby?
3.
Do you belong to a social or activity group?
4.
Do you practice an active relaxation technique (yoga, meditation, imagery,
autogenic training etc.) on a daily basis?
5.
Do you exercise for the 20 minutes three times a week?
6.
Do you do something. just for yourself each week , that you really enjoy ?
7.
Have you attended a stress management, relaxation, time management or
assertiveness training course?
8.
Do you show Type B behaviour?
9.
Do you smoke?
10.
Do you drink alcohol to relax?
11.
Do you take sleeping pills?
12.
Do you take work home?
13.
Do you drink more than eight cups of caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, coke,
chocolate)) each day?
14.
Do you show Type A behaviour?
Scoring on the next page
7
2.
HEALTH REVIEW EXERCISES (continued)
NO.2 – CAS - ANSWERS
Scoring for good coping strategies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
20
10
5 or 10 if more than once a month
15
10
10
10
10 for each course
15
Add up your score for good coping strategies
Scoring for poor coping strategies:
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
subtract 10 for 20 pack of cigarettes
subtract 1 for each drink over 20 per week
subtract 10
subtract 5 for each night you take work home
subtract 1 for each up over 8 per day
check your Type assessment and subtract 5 (40-60)
10 (60-70) and 15 for over 70
Add up your score for poor coping strategies
Compute your overall CAS
EVALUATION - positive scores indicate good coping ability. while negative scores may
indicate the need for some training.
8
3.
SUMMARY LECTURE
12.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
a.
To diagnose the causes of stress in different organisational and cultural
environments.
b.
To explore the effect of positive and negative stress, on the effectiveness
and health of managers and workers.
c.
To promote the positive stress, which inspires, motivates and rewards
everyone in the organisation.
d.
To prevent and reduce the negative stress, which encourages poor
management decision-making and damages everyone in the organisation
e.
To motivate further study in the future.
12.2 PARADIGMS – CONCEPTS OF MANAGEMENT
a.
A bottle can be seen as half full or half empty. It all depends
upon our paradigm and our perceptions!
b.
Type A and Type B Managers have very different paradigms
and are in danger of the Bomber Harris Syndrome..
12.3 STRESS LEVELS
S T R E S S-
struggling - too much – negative
tense - too much – negative
readiness - positive – HIGH MOTIVATION
energising - positive – HIGH MOTIVATION
stodgy - too little – negative
sleeping - too little – negative
12.4 STRESS CONCEPTS
No one can stress us, unless WE ALLOW them to do so … we CAN
be FREE to perceive things, people and actions … as we want to
perceive them … NOT as others may want us to perceive them …
9
3.
SUMMARY LECTURE (continued)
12.5 STRESS DIAGNOSIS
a.
Stress symptoms include four types of responses:
psychological, behavioural, physiological and health outcomes
b.
Any experienced manager can detect the obvious stress
symptoms if he feels concern and responsibility for the mental
and physical health of his staff
12.6
IDENTIFYING THE STRESS DRIVERS
a.
Identify the causes of stress – the key STRESS DRIVERS, by
examining the workplace in terms of physical, job content, organisational
culture, social environment, carreer development and personal situations.
b.
The key positive stress drivers are often: power, prestige, promotion and
money (as a symbol of achievement – not to spend!) …
c.
The key negative stress drivers are often: job insecurity, isolation and loss
of control, ambiguity, loss of idntity … and jealousy! Look out for some
surprising special drivers in each culture.
12.8 THE OPPORTUNITY COST OF STRESS
a.
Stress costs billions of dollars each year, but such computations are
difficult to make and accept.
b.
The visible cost for the enterprise is: higher health insurance, lost working
days, decreased efficiency and effectiveness, “PRESENT-EEISM”, legal
claims of compensation stress related illness claims etc.
However the key cost is: ORGANISATIONAL LOSS of
experienced managers in which so much has been invested to
build teams that are efficient and effective. Measured by Xerox
as $600,000 per experienced senior executive.
c.
The visible cost for the individual is: depression and insomnia.
However the key cost is : family distress, acute and chronic
illness, accidents, drug problems etc.
d.
The cost for Society is : productivity, health care costs. political
and social stability etc. 40% of all disease, death, disability
health care costs ARE stress related.
10
3.0
SUMMARY LECTURE (continued)
12.9 PROMOTION OF POSITIVE STRESS
A PPPP (purpose, passion, principles, partnership) leadership to provide the
vision and mission that gives meaning to the work of everyone in the
organisation.
Reward and recognition systems
Continuous communication improvement
Peer pressure and support
Job rotation
Continuous development training
Team building
Team maintenance etc.
12.10 PREVENTION OF NEGATIVE STRESS
A new management paradigm
Stress monitoring and audit
Job rotation and security
Delegating power
Limiting overtime
Increasing individual control
Training managers for responsibility and competence in
stress management
Effective EAP ‘s etc.
12.11 REDUCTION OF NEGATIVE STRESS
Counselling
Peer support groups
Exercise
Massage
Meditation,
Alcohol controls
Drug support (Prozak)
Autogenic training etc.
12.12 REASONS FOR MANAGING STRESS
Avoid wasting and losing good management teams
Improve products and productivity. Reduce key staff turnover
Improve working relationships and encourage better work attitudes and quality
Reduce legal liability for health and welfare of staff and thus be ready for new
EU regulations
Improve Health and Safety in the whole organisation
Reduce accidents and claims for health damage
Attract new high calibre staff and ensure the long-term survival of the
enterprise
11
3.
SUMMARY LECTURE (continued)
12.13 INDIVIDUAL APPROACH TO STRESS
a.
Welcome positive stress that inspires high motivation and gives meaning
to the job with “allostasis” (mental/physical balance) – this equips the
individual to cope with difficult environments.
b.
Make EARLY diagnosis of potential negative stress (anxiety, sleep
problems, drugs, depression, loss of concentration, irritability etc.),
c.
Set up three personal job opportunities (in reserve), as an alternative to
the current work environment , if the stress levels become too high to
absorb….
12.14 MOVING TOWARDS A HEALTHY ORGANISATION
a.
Convince the CEO that both positive and negative stress management is
a strategic priority ,and thus develop an organisational structure which
supports its managers and workers.
b. Recruitment policy which puts the right people are in (and continue to
be in) the right jobs, with clear roles, objectives and support.
d. Communications (up, down and laterally) which incorporate formal and
informal channels together with systems for dealing RAPIDLY with
stress, conflict and grievances. Employee participation, decisionmaking and team work.
e. Measures that inspire positive stress as a motivation and meaning to the
life of the workforce. Measures that prevent the negative stress caused
by: poor communications, uncertainty, monotony lack of control and job
insecurity.
f. Appropriate support for the workforce who might mean provision of family
services, job sharing, or flexible working hours.
g. Training and development of managers, which will ensure that staff, are
properly trained for the jobs to be done and are developing skills for the
future.
h. A stress management strategy with continuous monitoring and
assessment, with an annual external audit and published reporting.
12
3.
SUMMARY LECTURE (continued)
12.15 ORGANISATIONAL APPROACH TO STRESS
a.
Set a company strategy for positive and negative stress
management with adequate resources to achieve it.
b.
Train managers to make early negative stress diagnosis and take
responsibility for the stress they create. Use stress management
techniques. Continuous assessment and monitoring as a movement
towards a sustainable healthy organisation.
c.
EAP’s with resources to effect job and organisational change. Provide
manager-peer support groups. Monitor legal changes to anticipate
compliance for both physical and mental health of workers and
managers.
d.
Annual external stress management audit with published reporting to all
stakeholders of the enterprise.
e.
Bench-mark with comparable companies in the same industry, on the
efficiency (doing things right) and the effectiveness (doing the right
things) in stress PPR (see Exhibit 2).
f.
Help the CEO to set an example of stress concern for every manager
and worker in the organisation as a vital party of health and safety and
success for all.
13
3.0
12.16
SUMMARY LECTURE (continued)
THE SEVEN KEY LEARNING POINTS FOR COPING
1.
Failure to cope with stress, may have a high opportunity cost, when
we start to lose our key managers.
2.
Management “burn-out” is an organisational not a medical failure, and
so we can help our managers to diagnose and feel responsible for
negative stress.
3.
Our “risk-taking capacity” is a key tool for motivation with positive
stress and for prevention of negative stress; but this capacity
becomes exhausted unless carefully maintained and reinforced.
4.
Stress management strategies can fit our organisational culture; we
have to be able to manage our own stress before we can help others;
thus a deeper understanding of ourselves is essential for coping.
5.
EAP services can provide creative practical alternatives for stress
prevention (not merely reduction); but such programs need an annual
external audit to test their real efficiency and effectiveness.
6.
We can benchmark with other companies on stress monitoring and
prevention; continuous research on what other companies are doing in
practice, can reduce the opportunity cost of stress in our organisation.
7.
We can help the CEO to set and example, of concern for “allostasis”
(mental and physical well-being) for everyone in the organisation …
as the key tool for us all to cope with difficult environments …
14
3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)
NOTE OF APPRECIATION
Thank you for being with us today … without stress … or work … or any
effort to remember anything … which is our ideal for efficient and
effective learning …
We hope the AGL experience was a rewarding … experience which
reinforced some creative ideas … for coping with difficult
environments in the future … and that you will be able … to complete
the full learning maintenance program …
And later … perhaps another AGL experience in finance and EVA … to
prevent some of the Sam’s problems … it’s an the AGL is all about
financial peanuts and coconuts … ?
… bye for now … RGAB/IR
15
3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)
EXHIBIT 1 STRESS INIDICATOR CHECKLIST
These symptoms can indicate stress, especially when appearing in clusters and when they
represent noticeable changes in behaviour. People may exhibit symptoms and suffer from
stress even if they are not aware of feeling pressured.
Behavioural:
Heavy smoking
Increase use of alcohol
Drug use
High risk behaviour
Violence
Over eating
Hyperactivity
Sleep disturbances
Nightmares
Overwork
Attitudinal:
Boredom
Grandiosity
Cynicism
Distrust
Despair
Feelings of powerlessness
Self- righteousness
Feeling trapped
Self-doubt
Emotional:
Anxiety
Feeling of being overwhelmed
Fear and paranoia
Feeling out of control
Guilt
Depression
Anger
Panic
Feeling disconnected from
emotions
Feeling of tension and pressure
Social:
Anger and irritability
Withdrawal from friends
Marital relationship problems
Restricted social contacts
Critical towards self and others
Conflict with spouse
Over-dependence on others
Physical:
Headaches
Abdominal and chest pain
Indigestion
Diarrhoea
Nausea
Fatigue
Frequent colds
Weight loss or gain
Changes in menstrual cycle
Heart palpitations
Vision problems
Lowered sex drive
Mental
Difficulty concentrating
Distractability
Inability to make decisions
Short attention span
Intrusive images
Hyper-alertness
Self-blaming
Distorted thinking
Frequent daydreams
Avoidance of certain thoughts
16
3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)
EXHIBIT 2 – CREATIVE IDEAS FOR STRESS PPR
For major companies where managerial survival is a high stress issue … some new
stress management approaches … could be highly cost-effective … and thus may be
worthwhile to consider seriously:

Allow managers and staff to take leave of absence of up to one year for virtually
any reason and return to a comparable job), and thus retain the best teams and
people (Hewlett Packard)

Introduce stock options for managers, which reduce financial
uncertainty, provide a counselling service by telephone and in person, set up
stress workshops for all workers, insist upon a manager “open door” policy, so
that anyone can see the manager face to face (IBM).

Increase social support from co-workers and peer groups of managers
(ReliaStar).

Maintain job demands to healthy levels by controlling overtime working and
changing workloads (Renault).

Provide healthy work schedules and flexi-time (ILO).

Encourage stable employment practices with more control over the work
environment (ICI).

Offer stress management programs: exercise, relaxation, massage, autogenic
training, counselling etc. (SBS)

Motivate exercise with cash benefits (Healthcare Delaware)

Schedule a daily exercise time for all managers and staff (Nissan)

Develop fallback situations which could give the stressed manager an escape to
more secure and less stressful work
(HBR).

Introduce a full time staff member as OMBUTSMAN with whom managers and
staff can contact to discuss any feelings of being unjustly treated by the
organisation (WHO).
3
3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)
(continued)

Set aside Fridays with no management meetings and freedom for managers to
catch up on work or even sports (Microsoft).

Start a Staff Complaints Appeal Committee with access to all levels of
management, which may make recommendations to the CEO (WHO)

Allow only one canteen where both managers and workers eat in the same
location (Subaru).

Set up a relaxation room where managers and staff may find a peaceful
environment (BP).

Introduce a “Stress Card” for each manager, with a telephone number of a
trained counsellor who has extensive business experience (Unilever).

Provide part-time MBA training for managers, which will reduce negative stress
of possible job loss, and reassure them of finding alternative employment should
they become redundant at some future time (Thomson).

Provide a two week training on personal health for senior executives to
encourage allostasis as a personal priority (BASF)

Set up a STAYWELL program for 22,000 staff and family members (Control
Data)

Set up a cardio-vascular fitness program which saves $3 million annually in
absenteeism and health care costs (New York Telephone).

Set up a comprehensive fitness progam with extensive gymnastic facilities
(Pepsico)

Consider introduction of a four day 40 hour week (American Management
Association Survey of 1000 firms with over 100,000 employees).
3
4
3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)
(continued)

For VERY LARGE privately owned enterprises where survival is ALWAYS a high
negative stress driver: convert to a public company; divide the senior post to at
least three people; appoint outside directors; put family on the board (not in
operations); hire professional operating managers; provide stock options for all
stakeholders including the TU¨s; improve real communication at every level;
restrict manager working hours to 60 and then 50 hours weekly (by hiring two
managers to work together instead of one going to burnout); find another activity
or role for the family founder entrepreneur, so that he becomes advisory, after 60
years of age; set up a code of conduct for managers to encourage delegation;
monitor and benchmark what similar companies are doing (Mustafa Aysan Inc,
Turkey).

In Sweden the idea of a year off, after certain period of work, is well
institutionalised in a wide range of occupations. In the UK a major company
allows 6 month sabbaticals to employees of 50 years of age with at least 25
years service, to do things they enjoy, which would not otherwise be possible
(John Lewis).

Career-break schemes allow both male and female employees to interrupt their
usual work for a number of years after which they can return to work without loss
of seniority (Natwest Bank).

And others to be added … with the company name …
4
5
3.0 Summary Lecture
(continued)
EXHIBIT 4 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ON CONTROL OF NEGATIVE STRESS
1.
Impacts of negative stress:
a. Short term psychological and psycho-somatic responses – headaches, disturbed sleep
patterns, digestive disorders, and raised cholesterol, heart rate and adrenalin levels.
b. Short term emotional, behavioural and social responses - job dissatisfaction, anxiety,
depression, frustration, break of relationships at home and work , alcohol and drug abuse,
tobacco smoking, inability to relax etc.
c.
Long term health responses – gastric ulcers, asthma, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart
disease, hypertension and mental ill-health etc.
d. Impact on the organisation – low morale, absenteeism, poor time keeping, high labour
turnover, high sickness rates, low productivity and industrial unrest etc.
2.
Organisational benefits of stress control:
Improved overall productivity, more creative management, more cooperative relationships and
work attitudes, more effective teamwork, reduced staff turnover, better quality control, reduced
health insurance costs, reduction in accidents etc
3.
4.
Causes of high stress at work:
a.
Organisation - lack of clear objectives, lack of control over the pace of work, major
changes in the organisation, high uncertainty, lack of management support, inflexible or
over demanding work schedules etc..
b.
Job - fragmented or meaningless work, work overload or under load, shift working and
unpredictable or unsociable work hours danger, exposure to human suffering, conflict with
colleagues, sexual or racial harassment, lack of variety in work cycles etc.
c.
Individual - conflicting demands of work and home , low levels of support, career
uncertainty, feeling of poor status, job insecurity or redundancy, lack of training and or
competence, lack of counselling, support and professional advice, unwillingness to admit
to stress problems etc..
Health and safety management training:
Recognise stress, identify it’s causes and symptoms, take action to raise awareness of the issue
among staff, acknowledge that work-related stress is not a personal weakness, encourage staff
and managers to come forward with problems, be sensitive to the problems that staff may be
experiencing, create a climate in which stress can be discussed openly etc.
5
6
3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)
(continued)
5.
6.
Action plan for negative stress control:
a.
Identify the problem - by checking target areas where: work involves many stress factors,
pressures are sustained over long periods, staff may lack support, skills and training to
cope with job stress, there are major changes in work, conditions or organisational
arrangements etc..
b.
Develop and implement action - introduce measures to prevent or minimise the stress
causes, and provide support and stress management training etc. Make objective
evaluation of the results with internal monitoring systems and external annual audit.
Effective use of the key stress management techniques
a. CEO support - for a strategy to maintain a healthy organisational environment.
b. Staff involvement – with continuous communication on work planning, especially in times of
major organisational change.
c.
Training – for new skills to prevent and reduce stress and improve performance.
d. Planning and directing work – with targets that “stretch” but avoid both under and over
load.Time management training – which helps staff to plan their time to meet management
priorities.
e. Job enrichment and rotation – with new challenge, control and recognition, without
overload.
f.
Team work – to bring responsibility for planning, co-ordination and evaluatiion of results
achieved.
g. Interpersonal skills – improved with training and with changes to reporting structures.
h. Support and reassurance – as the most effective way of managing stress – we all need it
… at times …
i.
Stress management – on communication, assertiveness, time management, relaxation and
physical exercise etc.
j.
Professional counselling – with telephone and personal access to confidential help and
advice lines (recognise that a senior executive will usually only take advice from a
counsellor he respects and who knows the hard realities of business and organisation).
k.
Collective approaches – with peer group availability at all levels.
l.
Monitoring, evaluation and external annual audit – to bring unbiased data on organisational
stress levels, so that stress reduction and (much better) stress prevention may be
implemented.
6
7
3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)
EXHIBIT 5 – THE KEY ALLOSTASIS ADVICE
COPING WITH DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS …
IS COPING WITH STRESS …
AND SRESS IS VERY VERY INFECTIOUS …
AND SO … ALWAYS … ALWAYS …
“ABSORB” THE POSITIVE STRESS GIVEN TO YOU …
WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM …
BUT NEVER ,,, NEVER … ALLOW YOURSELF …
TO “ABSORB” THE HEAVY HEAVY …NEGATIVE STRESS …
THAT IS SOMETIMES SO FREELY GIVEN TO YOU BY OTHERS …
AND DON’T SPREAD IT ABOUT … IT’S INFECTIOUS …
JUST RESPOND VERY POLITELY WITH …
“THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT WITH ME” …
AND THEN VERY DISCRETELY “DUMP IT” …
BOTH MENTALLY … AND PHYSICALLY …
WITH A GENTLE GESTURE OF THE HAND …
OK? …
7
8
4. LEARNING MAINTENANCE
1. To get the best from today, reinforce the learning
over the next month, with the activities suggested
below.
2. But PLEASE don’t do it alone; try to do it with a
partner to share and improve the learning
experience:
 Play the learning recall tape.
 Review the glossary, local case studies,
your notes and the summary lecture
 Do the new exercises in the appendix.

Study the articles provided.

Follow up your action plan.
3. Send us your second feedback by email:
robertboland@wanadoo.fr and we will send you the
quiz to test your learning maintenance.
4. Do the latest OSI (Occupational Stress Indicator)
published by NFER-NELSON Publishing Co. Ltd.,
Darville House, 2 Oxford Road East, Windsor,
Berkshire SL4 1DF, UK.
8
9
5. LOCAL CASE STUDIES
1.
Tough Stress - In a US based pharmaceutical multi-national company, a senior
manager reported a tough high stress environment, with no sympathy for any
manager who could not meet the test. Such a manager would be quickly replaced
with little loss to the company. No company obligation to prevent negative stress. No
personal or company responsibility for the health effects of such stress on the staff
or the managers. Contrast with IBM! Comments?
2.
Infectious Stress – New staff joining the organisation with great enthusiasm and
high positive stress, were surprised to find so many long serving staff, with
gruesome stories of all the negative stress in the organisation. Why?
3.
Reaction Stress – A manager trained in stress reaction techniques adopted the
following system for responding to comments from colleagues:
a.
Put a finger to the forehead and say: “Move from automatic to
manual response” and then before any emotional reaction,
decide:
b.
If the comment is not true and not helpful – respond with: “Thank you for
sharing that with me” and add (secretly) a dumping hand signal to show
yourself that you are not going to carry that negative stress with you!
c.
If the comment is true and helpful – respond with: “Thank you very much”,
and add a clear affirmative hand signal.
d.
If the comment is true and really useful - respond with: “Thank you, I shall
put that on my list of things to change”, and add a clear affirmative hand
signal.
Comments on this mental and physical reaction system?
4.
Change Stress – a manager trained himself to avoid quick emotional reactions to
particular common stress driver/signals (anger, guilt, aggression, oppression,
unfairness etc.), by using “spaced repetition” signals six times a day for 21 days to
remind himself that: “My children would not expect me to react like that”.
Comments?
9
10
5. LOCAL CASE STUDIES (continued)
5.
Pink Stress – Nurses in a hospital were frequently verbally abused by a highly
stressed surgeon, Dr. George. So they invented “Code Pink”. If a nurse was being
unfairly treated by a surgeon, she could call Code Pink (like any emergency
resuscitation code), and all free nurses would come immediately to stand around the
abused nurse with no comment but hands folded. The effect was very dramatic.
Comments?
6.
Phased Stress – The human resources division of a major multi-national began to
develop data on the five stages of stress in the organisation:
a.
Euphoria – just hired, enthusiastic, keen to learn. High positive stress.
b.
Interaction – beginning to be influenced by negative colleagues who delight in
feeding the newcomer with the inside story of all the negative stress in the
organisation. Still high positive stress.
c.
Overwork – depression and acute illness; less motivation to learn and to work
effectively. Negative stress developing.
d.
Rigidity - survival mentality; high resistance to change; little initiative to learn
new things; dreams of escape. High negative stress.
e.
Burnout – withdrawal; complete loss of interest; acute and chronic illness.
How to help managers and staff to stay in stage 1?
7.
Supervisor Stress - A long time staff member complained that when her former
supervisor really wanted to give her a hard time, there was no limit to the negative
stress! She even had a heart attack from the pressure. Comments?
10
11
5. LOCAL CASE STUDIES (continued)
8.
Reorganisation Stress - A new manager wanted to re-organise his department to cut
staff and costs against the advice of older staff members. Who thought he was
merely trying to impress his boss. The manager hired an “independent” outside
consultant to give a report which supported his viewpoint. Comments?
9.
Discrimination Stress - A senior official lost a case of “unfair discrimination” brought
against her by a staff member. The official then obtained a list of the witnesses from
her staff and gave them all unfavourable annual evaluation reports. They started a
group action against her. Comments?
10. Old Age Stress - The founder of the business (working 80 hours a week)
was 78 years of age but refused to hand over to his “young son”
because the stress of working 60 hours a week would be too much for
him. Comments?
11. War Stress - During the Second World War, some British army infantry officers who
were decorated for bravery in the North African campaign of 1942-3, were found to be
unable to respond to the leadership challenges of the Second Front in Europe in
1944-5. Comments?
12. Professorial Stress – A very fat professor giving a formal lecture to 300 medical
students. Was surprised by the quiet laughter, throughout the room. After some time
one student dared to tell him that his trousers were unzipped revealing some private
parts! The professor with his huge abdomen, turned di-stress to win-stress with the
comment:: “Oh how lucky you are … I haven’t seen it for years”. Comments
13. Perceived Stress – A stress consultant, who was not a good driver, was sometimes
greeted by other motorists with a rude a “hand/finger” sign. But she refused to be
stressed by this rudeness, by insisting (to herself) that for her, she would perceive it
as: “Have a good day!”. Thus she would not “absorb” the negative stress, and would
always respond (without stress) with the same sign, and reply: “Have a good day” …
Comments?
11
12
LOCAL CASE STUDIES (continued)
Di-stress to win-stress – Managers and staff in a major multi-national in
New York, noted that, one manager (Bill), seemed to be always so positive and
cheerful … and ever ready to help anyone under stress.
When asked his about his attitude he said: “Every morning … I wake up and I ask
myself … with all of my problems … what choice will I make today … to be sad or
happy … and I choose to be happy”.
Later Bill’s story of stress became known … some years before while working very
late as manager for another company … an outside door was left open … he was
attacked by three robbers … and when he failed to open the safe quickly enough …
they panicked and shot him several times … an ambulance eventually arrived …
On the way to the hospital the para-medics were very supportive … but on arrival at
the emergency room … Bill was shocked by the expression on the faces of the
doctors and nurses … which seem to indicate to him … that his case was hopeless
and even with immediate surgery he was going to die … so when a rough nurse
preparing him for surgery suddenly asked him: “Are you allergic to anything?” … Bill
used all of his remaining strength to shout … “YES!”
The doctors and nurses working that night under high stress, were preparing for what
seemed “hopeless surgery” … they stopped … to hear what Bill had to tell them
…”What are you allergic to?” said the chief surgeon … and so Bill shouted back …
“BULLETS … BUT I’M DETERMINED TO LIVE!” …
This so inspired the surgical team … that they did the “impossble” …
and a month later … Bill walked out of the hospital …. Comments?
16. Appeal Stress - The organisation had an independent staff committee for staff
appeals against unfair treatment by management. The committee would hear the
case and advise action to CEO who generally rejected the advice and supported
management. This forced staff to appeal to a higher authority, which almost always
supported their legitimate complaints and the advice to the CEO. Comments?
12
13
5. LOCAL CASE STUDIES (continued)
17. Contract Stress – In the organisation, staff were generally hired on short term
contracts of less than one year which were renewed many times at the option of the
supervising manager. Such job uncertainty did not encourage creative management
but rather a defensive “don’t rock the boat” attitude. Such staff were under high
negative stress, they needed job security for: finance, family, schooling and even
apartment leasing reasons. Comments?
18. Evaluation Stress – The “independent” evaluation team for a UN project in Africa had
some difficulties. The project over five years for over a million dollars had failed to
achieve its objectives. However if the team reported this objectively, it would be
unacceptable to: the project manager, the donor agency, the African government or
the UN body. Furthermore with such objective reporting, the team members would
probably not be appointed for future project evaluation work. Comments?
19. Ombutsman Stress – To prevent negative stress the company appointed a manager
as ombutsman to provide advice and help to managers and staff with organisational
or personal problems. The manager was highly motivated but it hard to be effective
(without staff) for an organisation with over 1500 staff members. Comments?
20. Professional Stress – With the rapid increase in the number of computers in the
organisation, the professional specialist in occupational medicine providing service
for clients, suggested a software program to prevent computer negative stress for
staff in te organisation. After a brief evaluation, the personnel department, concluded
that it was too costly for the current budget. No consideration was given to the
“opportunity cost” of negative stress. In subsequent years the specialist did not
“waste time” making suggestions to management in his own organisation.
Comments?
21. Violin Stress – Paganini was giving a concert for 3500 violin lovers with a
Stradavarius. First one then two then three strings broke, to the great distress of the
audience. He turned di-stress to win-stress, with the comment: “Paganini and one
string”; and gave a memorable concert. Comments?
13
14
(continued)
22. Rapport Anti-stress – Company stress management training program reduce the
stress of certain inter-personal relationships. Uses the following simple steps for
dealing with a “highly stressed” person: 1. calmly mirror his physical position, 2.
calmly mirror his movements (lean forward or back, cross or uncross legs etc.), 3.
calmly use his favourite words and tone of voice etc. Thus a calm, almost automatic
rapport, is established. Comments ?.
23. Bank Stress – The bank manger aged 41 years with 20 years of service was made
redundant in a strategic reorganisation. The bank offered early retirement with
generous financial benefits. Four days later he committed suicide. Comments?
24. Delayed Ethical stress – A major multi-national company helped to overthrow the
Caribbean Government to improve local business conditions. At the time one senior
manager was aware of this action, but did nothing about it. He accepted it as part of
“company culture” with no moral dilemma. However some years the incident became
the source of severe personal stress. Comments?
25. Stress Contracts – When a work team began to experience severe negative stress,
each member was asked to provide (anonymously) a sheet of complaints about other
members and suggestions for change. The data was summarised for group
discussion and a new written stress PPR contract was drawn up detailing work roles
and expectations for the future. Comments?
26. Organisational Stress – The new organisational model is described as “fitter leaner
and more hungry than its predecessor”. Fewer people do the same amount of work,
budgets cut, targets raised, deadlines tightened, such that longer working hours and
family difficulties become symbolic of managerial commitment. Comments?
27. Important Stress – “It is not just a matter of life or and death, it is more important than
that!!!” - attributed to a former Liverpool football club manager prior to an important
game. Comments?
14
15
(continued)
28. Moral Stress – Two monks Sancos and Xavier, were journeying in rough
countryside back to their monastery, during a major storm. They discovered
that a small stream in their pathway had turned into an overflowing river.
Quite suddenly they noticed a very frightened young woman, who was
hesitating about how to get across. Sancos immediately picked her up in his
arms and carried her safely to the other side. On continuing their journey
the monks did not speak until almost at the monastery. Then the Xavier
(highly stressed) said: “I am ashamed of you Sancos. You know that in our
Order, we have sworn to have no verbal or physical contact with women! I
must report this to the Abbot!”. Sancos (with allostasis) calmly replied: “ I
put her down on this side of the river. Are you still carrying her …?”
Comments?
29. Relocation Stress - etc. etc.
15
16
APPENDIX A – NEW EXERCISES NO. 1
NO. 1 – EASY RELAXATION ROUTINE
Now do this very old oriental “autogenic” exercise which is always helpful for immediate
negative stress reduction … and rebuilding morale … and achieving allostasis … if
practised carefully and regularly, over about 10 minutes each time with strong EI
(emotional investment) …
1. Sit in a very comfortable position.
2. Breath very deeply three times and stretch out the arms and legs several times.
3. Then with eyes closed … relax progressively … very slowly … every part of your body
… starting with the top of the head … the hair … the left side of the face … the right
side … the neck … left shoulder … etc. …right down to the toes … very slowly and
consciously … relaxing every muscle of the body …
4. Then imagine that your right arm is getting warmer … and lighter … and floating … and
the whole body seems to be floating … in a very light and easy … relaxed … way …
5. Then imagine …that your brain is moving through your body … to rest in your heart
…as you breathe gently … completely relaxed …
6. Then tell your unconscious mind … five times … with careful reassurance that …
Every day, in every way, everything is getting better and better …
… every difficulty is … simply a new opportunity to learn …
7. Then relax … for five minutes … and then feel a new source of energy coming up from
your feet … and filling your body with enthusiasm … and off you go … feeling calm
and well again …
16
17
APPENDIX A – EXERCISE NO. 2
Some ideas to think about … and write something down on …very
confidentially … not for discussion …:
1.
What are your (very personal) positive stress drivers?
2.
What are your negative stress drivers? What damage done to you?
3.
How rigid is your concept of “The Meaning of Life”?
4.
Do your have three job alternatives in reserve, which may fit your personality
and character better?
5.
Do you have a reliable and acceptable “Peer Support Group” which you can use
when needed?
6.
Do you create much negative stress which damages others?
7.
Can you really afford to care or feel responsible for others?
8.
How does culture influence stress in different countries?
9.
How can you create and monitor the positive stress in your organisation?
10.
How can you detect and evaluate the negative stress?
11.
How can you identify other people’s STRESS DRIVERS?
12.
Would an external stress audit be useful?
13.
What tools do you have for negative stress prevention?
14.
What tools do you have for negative stress reduction?
15.
How can you find out what other companies are doing about stress PPR?
Results? … you are the judge and the jury …
17
18
APPENDIX A – EXERCISE NO. 3
Mark our checklist of 20 ways to pass on … before your
time:



Ignore family history and genetics, especially if your parents died young.
Don't exercise; avoid walking and save energy by using the car.
Be careless and absent-minded. Don't wear seat belts. Day dream when using new
tools, knives, lawn mowers etc.
 Make really important telephone calls while driving the car in heavy traffic to and from
work.
 Smoke two packs a day; and spend lots of time with friends who do.
 Be a loner, avoid family or other strong support groups.
 Drink enough alcohol to keep cool (more than 20 shots a week).
 Be angry, hostile and aggressive about everything. Blame others. Refuse to take any
responsibility for the negative stress you create for others.
 Be a real manager and work 60 -70 hours every week. Ignore nature's warnings like:
frequent acute infections, insomnia, anxiety, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness,
numbness etc.
 Be a pessimist. Perceive trouble as pain and not a chance to learn to be a better
person. Convince yourself that nothing will ever go right for you. Just look forward, to
being taken advantage of, again and again.
 Do many things at the same time with a strong sense of constant urgency; which
justifies your anger when someone gets in yo/ur way or slows you down.
 Over-eat, especially high fat, high sugar, junk food; make a real effort to become
morbidly obese.
 Don’t think positively, but worry constantly, even in the face of contrary evidence. Each
day, with a choice, choose misery rather than happiness.
 Make no distinction between peanuts and coconuts. Polish them both with
a very high level of emotional investment and satisfaction!
 Believe in no power higher than yourself. Faith in God nay not apply to business or the
UN, so don’t feel too obligated to help anyone under stress.
 Don't use hydrogen peroxide once a month as mouth wash to protect your gums, just
accept false teeth as inevitable. After 50 years of age, don’ take one aspirin a day to
prevent heart disease.
 Don’t take the risk of changing your job at your age, even if you hate the negative
stress; just hold on somehow and play it safe.
 Don’t worry too much about the family, because success in your job is the key priority
for your life, and thus needs most of your time.
 If possible take early retirement and don’t make a paradigm shift..
 Don’t trust anybody, because to get something done correctly, you always
have to do it yourself.
Note: Of course, if you really don’t want to die prematurely …for some reason or other …
then do the opposite and I guarantee … that you’ll live longer!
18
19
APPENDIX A – EXERCISE NO. 4
RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOUR IN GROUPS
Risk-taking behaviour in groups is one way of “stretching“ yourself for personal
growth. Risk-taking is behaviour that ordinarily one would not engage in, because it
poses a threat.
A risk for one person depends on whether it is new behaviour and whether there is a
subjective sense of danger, involved in the behaviour.
Creative risk-taking in groups can be an effective way to increase the variety of your
responses to different interpersonal situations. With more freedom in response, you
have more choice, unrestricted by inhibitions. You also have more spontaneity of
action and more flexibility in interpersonal relationships.
19
20
RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOUR IN GROUPS
No risk
-2
_____________
_____________
1.
2.
__________ 3.
__________ 4.
__________ 5.
__________ 6.
__________ 7.
__________ 8.
__________ 9.
__________ 10.
__________ 11.
__________ 12.
__________ 13.
__________ 14.
__________ 15.
__________ 16.
__________ 17.
__________ 18.
__________ 19.
__________ 20.
__________ 21.
important to me.
__________ 22.
__________ 23.
__________ 24.
the group.
__________ 25.
__________ 26.
Small risk
-1
No feelings
0
Some risk High risk
+1
+2
Disclosing certain negative feelings about myself to others.
Revealing certain things about my past to others.
Asking for help with my problems from others.
Expressing anger towards someone in the group.
Expressing affection towards someone in the group.
Receiving affection from someone in the group.
Asking for feedback from significant members in the group
Touching someone else in the group.
Having someone else touch me in the group.
Becoming close and personal with another in front of the
group.
Making a statement which might anger someone else in the group.
Expressing and dealing with a conflict I have with another
group member.
Giving another member negative feedback.
Being the centre of attention in the group.
Expressing my confusion and uncertainty in front of the
other group members.
Expressing anger or dissatisfaction with the group
leader.
Admitting that I was wrong about some other person in
the group.
Admitting to the group that I was wrong about an idea that I had.
Talking about sexual feelings in the group.
Sharing a fantasy I have about some member or the total group.
Telling someone in the group that he or she has
become very
Expressing indifference towards other members.
Expressing feelings about another member‘s physical characteristics.
Talking about my feelings with regard to my physical characteristics in
Admitting that someone had hurt my feelings in the
group.
Telling the group members to leave me alone, to „get off
my back“.
__________ 27.
Walking out of the group whilst under stress.
__________ 28.
Expressing sexual attraction towards another member in
the group.
Results: Average risk-taking score - 0
20
21
APPENDIX A – EXERCISE NO. 5
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
Mark each question with one of the following: almost never – a, seldom – b, often – c,
almost all the time – d.
During the last month have you:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Been easily irritated by people or trivial events?
Felt impatient?
Felt unable to cope?
Felt a failure?
Found itr difficult to make decisions?
Lost interest in other people?
7. Felt you had no one to confided in or to talk to about your problems?
8. Found it difficult to concentrate?
9. Failed to finish tasks before moving on to the next one, leaving jobs
uncompleted?
10 . Felt neglected in any way?
11. Tried to do too many things at once?
12. Felt anxious or depressed?
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Been uncharacteristically aggressive?
Felt bored?
Changed your patterns of drinking, smoking or eating?
Changed your level of sexual activity?
Cried or wanted to?
Felt tired and most of the time?
19. Suffered from any of the following more frequently: muscular aches and
pains, cramps, loss of appetite, indigestion and nausea?.
20. Do two or more of the following apply to you: nail biting, fingers
drumming, teeth grinding, foot tapping, trouble with falling or staying
asleep?
Compute your score on the next page.
21
22
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
SCORING:
Questions 1,5,7,8,14,16,17, and 18:
Score:
a. 0, b. 2, c. 4, d. 6
Questions 2,6,9,10,11,15,19, and 20
Score:
a 0, b. 1, c. 2, d. 3
Questions 3, 4,12 and 13
Score: a. 0, b. 10, c. 20. d. 30
Evaluation:
Scores over 30 indicates some distress.
Scores over 60 indicate some concern for your lifestyle.
22
23
APPENDIX A – EXERCISE NO. 5
DAILY STRESS AT WORK
Mark each item from 0 (no stress) to 5 (high stress):
Work overload
Work under-load
Time pressures and deadlines
The amount of travel required by my work
Long working hours
Taking my work home
Lack of power and influence
Attending meetings
My beliefs conflict with those of the organisation
Keeping up with new technology
Threat of job loss
Competition for promotion
Having to move with my job to progress my career
Doing a job beyond the level of my competence
Doing it job below my level of competence
Inadequately trained subordinates
Interpersonal relations
Hiring and firing personnel
Unsympathetic boss
Incompetent boss
Performance related compensation
Unrealistic objectives
Dealing with conservation groups
Dealing with shareholders
Dealing with unions
My spouse’s attitude towards my career
Demands of work and on my relationship with my family
Demands of work on my private and social life
My relationship with my colleagues
My relationship with my subordinates
Making mistakes
Feeling undervalued
Promotion prospects
Rate of pay
Managing people
Office politics
Lack of consultation and communication in my organisation
SCORE: 140 (HIGH STRESS), 50 (LOW STRESS), AVERAGE 80
23
24
APPENDIX B – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Acknowledgements:








Man’s Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl ,Simon & Schuster, New York, USA.
Beyond Certainty: A Personal Odyssey
Charles Handy, HBSP, Boston, Mass. USA. 1997
Case: Johan Tobler (A) and (B)
INSEAD, Fontainbleau, France.
Case: Eli Black: United Brands
INSEAD, Fontainbleau, France.
Mental Disorders in Primary Health Care
WHO, Geneva, Suisse. 1997
Catalogue of ILO Publications on Occupational Safety and Health
ILO , Geneva, Suisse. 2005
Conditions of Work Digest
ILO, Geneva, Suisse 1992
Stress in Industry
ILO, Geneva, Suisse. 1989
Short Bibliography (selected articles for learning maintenance):









The Damaging Effect of Stress Mediators
NEJM, Boston, Mass., USA. January 2005
Living with Stress
Cooper et alia, Penguin 1988
Managing Workplace Stress
Cooper et alia, Sage 1997
Managing Stress
Looker et alia, Hodder & Stoughton, 1997
Stress – An Owners Manual
Rowshan, One world,1997
Control of Stress at Work
ILO Health & Safety Data File 1994
Managing Pressure
Williams, Kogan page,
When Executives Burn-out
HBS, Boston, Mass., USA. November 1997
How Much Stress is Too Much?
HBR, Boston, Mass., USA. September 1993
Note: Since 1900 there have been over 50,000 articles and other publications
on stress. Currently the internet gives over 1000 references..
24
25
APPENDIX D - REGISTRATION AND QUIZ ANSWER SHEETS
PART I Basic data:
AGL: No. 20 – Coping with difficult environments
Date and location:
Name:
Title:
Organisation:
Address, telephone, fax:
PART 2 PREVIOUS BACKGROUND
Please write 1-4 lines on your relevant training and experience in the subject
area of the programme.
PART 3 OBJECTIVES
Please complete the attached sheet: "Learner Objective Setting".
Then list below, three objectives in your taking the programme.
1.
2.
3.
25
26
REGISTRATION (continued)
LEARNER OBJECTIVE SETTING
1. Briefly, what is your idea of a working knowledge of the subject area?
2. Briefly describe a situation you faced in the last six months which
involved the subject area. How did it arise? What did you do? What
was the result? What did you feel?
3. Can you now list (below) 20 technical words, relevant to the subject area,
that you need to use frequently?
26
27
OPENING QUIZ ANSWER SHEET
Name: ...................................................
Put a cross on each correct answer … one only please …
1
2
3
4
5
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
6 a b c d
7 a b c d
8 a b c d
9 a b c d
10 a b c d
26 a
27 a
28 a
29 a
30 a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
31
32
33
34
35
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
11
12
13
14
15
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
36
37
38
39
40
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
16
17
18
19
20
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
41
42
43
44
45
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
21
22
23
24
25
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
46
47
48
49
50
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
Score:
/50
Note of errors for correction later:
27
28
CLOSING QUIIZ ANSWER SHEET
Name: ...................................................
Put a cross on each correct answer … one only please … as a SG …
1
2
3
4
5
a
a
a
a
a
26 a
27 a
28 a
29 a
30 a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
6 a b c d
7 a b c d
8 a b c d
9 a b c d
10 a b c d
31
32
33
34
35
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
11 a b c d
12 a b c d
13 a b c d
14 a b c d
15 a b c d
36
37
38
39
40
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
16
17
18
19
20
41
42
43
44
45
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
21 a b c d
22 a b c d
23 a b c d
24 a b c d
25 a b c d
Score:
46 a b c d
47 a b c d
48 a b c d
49 a b c d
50 a b c d
/50
Note of errors for correction NOW:
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29
APPENDIX E - FIRST FEEDBACK SUMMARY
1.
Basic data:
AGL: No. 20 Coping with difficult environments
Date and location:
Name of member:
Title:
Organisation:
Address, telephone, fax, email:
2.
Previous background:
3.
Quiz results:
Opening …/50
Closing …/50
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30
APPENDIX E - FIRST FEEDBACK SUMMARY (CONTINUED)
4.
To what extent did you achieve your personal objectives? Did anything
surprise you?
5.
Do you have any suggestions for improving the program?
6.
What other programs might be useful to your company?
7.
At this time , what is your overall evaluation of the program. in terms of
content, presentation, administration and usefulness?
Score each item below, from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) :
Content:
Presentation:
Administration:
Usefulness :
8. Other comments:
Signature ...............……………….......
date ................
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WORK PACK
Quick fun test TO SEE IF YOU are a workaholic?
Answer yes or no, to each of the following eight questions :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Do you to take work home most nights?
Do you frequently think about work problems at home?
Do voluntarily work longer hours?
Do work problems affect your sleeping habits?
Do family and friends complain that you give them no time?
Do you find it difficult to relax and forget work?
Do you find it difficult to say no to work requests?
Is your self-esteem based largely on your work?
Scoring:
If you answer a yes, to four or more questions … you are a
workaholic (like us) … and probably a negative stress “carrier”
… so on we go together … to try to do something about it …
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.
Impacts of negative stress:
e. Short term psychological and psycho-somatic responses – headaches, disturbed sleep
patterns, digestive disorders, and raised cholesterol, heart rate and adrenalin levels.
f.
Short term emotional, behavioural and social responses - job dissatisfaction, anxiety,
depression, frustration, break of relationships at home and work , alcohol and drug abuse,
tobacco smoking, inability to relax etc.
g. Long term health responses – gastric ulcers, asthma, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart
disease, hypertension and mental ill-health etc.
h. Impact on the organisation – low morale, absenteeism, poor time keeping,
high labour turnover, high sickness rates, low productivity and industrial
unrest etc.
2.
Organisational benefits of stress control:
Improved overall productivity, more creative management, more cooperative relationships and
work attitudes, more effective teamwork, reduced staff turnover, better quality control, reduced
health insurance costs, reduction in accidents etc
3.
4.
Causes of high stress at work:
d.
Organisation - lack of clear objectives, lack of control over the pace of work, major
changes in the organisation, high uncertainty, lack of management support, inflexible or
over demanding work schedules etc..
e.
Job - fragmented or meaningless work, work overload or under load, shift working and
unpredictable or unsociable work hours danger, exposure to human suffering, conflict with
colleagues, sexual or racial harassment, lack of variety in work cycles etc.
f.
Individual - conflicting demands of work and home , low levels of support, career
uncertainty, feeling of poor status, job insecurity or redundancy, lack of training and or
competence, lack of counselling, support and professional advice, unwillingness to admit
to stress problems etc..
Health and safety management training:
Recognise stress, identify it’s causes and symptoms, take action to raise awareness of the
issue among staff, acknowledge that work-related stress is not a personal weakness, encourage
staff and managers to come forward with problems, be sensitive to the problems that staff may
be experiencing, create a climate in which stress can be discussed openly etc.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (continued)
5.
6.
Action plan for negative stress control:
c.
Identify the problem - by checking target areas where: work involves many stress factors,
pressures are sustained over long periods, staff may lack support, skills and training to
cope with job stress, there are major changes in work, conditions or organisational
arrangements etc..
d.
Develop and implement action - introduce measures to prevent or minimise the stress
drivers, and provide support and stress management training etc. Make objective
evaluation of the results with internal monitoring systems and external annual audit.
Effective use of the key stress management techniques
m. CEO support - for a strategy to maintain a healthy organisational environment.
n. Staff involvement – with continuous communication on work planning, especially in times of
major organisational change.
o. Training – for new skills to prevent and reduce stress and improve performance.
p. Planning and directing work – with targets that “stretch” but avoid both under and over load.
q. Time management – which helps staff to plan their time to meet management priorities.
r.
Job enrichment and rotation – with new challenge, control and recognition, without
overload.
s.
Team work – to bring responsibility for planning, co-ordination and evaluation of results
achieved.
t.
Interpersonal skills – improved with training and with changes to reporting structures.
u. Support and reassurance – as the most effective way of managing stress – we all need it
… at times …
v.
Stress management training – on communication, assertiveness, time management,
relaxation and physical exercise etc.
w. Professional counselling – with telephone and personal access to confidential help and
advice lines (recognise that a senior executive will usually only take advice from a
counsellor he respects and who knows the hard realities of business and organisation).
x.
Collective approaches – with peer group availability at all levels.
y.
Monitoring, evaluation and external annual audit – to bring unbiased data on organisational
stress levels, so that stress reduction and (much better) stress prevention may be
implemented.
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NOTE : THE KEY ALLOSTASIS ADVICE IS …
COPING WITH DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS …
IS COPING WITH STRESS …
AND SRESS IS VERY VERY INFECTIOUS …
AND SO … ALWAYS … ALWAYS …
“ABSORB” THE POSITIVE STRESS GIVEN TO YOU …
WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM …
BUT NEVER ,,, NEVER … ALLOW YOURSELF …
TO “ABSORB” THE HEAVY HEAVY …NEGATIVE STRESS …
THAT IS SOMETIMES SO FREELY GIVEN TO YOU BY OTHERS …
AND DON’T SPREAD IT ABOUT … IT’S INFECTIOUS …
JUST RESPOND VERY POLITELY WITH …
“THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT WITH ME” …
AND THEN VERY DISCRETELY “DUMP IT” …
BOTH MENTALLY … AND PHYSICALLY …
WITH A GENTLE GESTURE OF THE HAND …
OK? …
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WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM
1.
Good morning. Welcome to AGL No. 20 Coping with Difficult Environments.
AGL. Automated group learning.
2.
During this one day program, you will become better able to cope with
difficult environments, by achieving a rapid grasp of the basics of stress
management, for yourself and for others. This is one of a series of a
management training programs in: strategy, finance, communication,
accounting, risk management & forex etc. .
3.
AGL courses represent many years of development and testing in thirty
countries around the world, in nine languages by thousands of participants.
Their criticisms and suggestions have been incorporated into the
programme.
4. While you may be used to traditional educational methods, you will be
agreeably surprised by your learning results of the day. We will provide you
with a controlled environment for learning.
5.
It may seem strange for you to learn without an instructor, but be assured
that we have structured the course to enable you to find the answers to all
your questions in the learning materials provided.
6.
Your course organiser is trained to run the program and to help you obtain
the most benefit from the course.
7.
You will learn a great deal and retain the knowledge. So now let us start with
the abbreviations which follow...
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ABBREVIATIONS
AGL
-
AUTOMATED GROUP LEARNING
IND
-
INDIVIDUAL
SG
-
SMALL GROUP
CSG
-
COMBINED SMALL GROUP
MG
-
MAIN GROUP
L
-
LECTURE
D
-
DISCUSSION
CH
-
CHAPTER
LRT
-
LEARNING RECALL TAPE
Note: A special dedication of this program is to the inspiring work of: Prof.
Viktor Frankl, Prof. Cary Cooper of the Manchester School of Management,
Prof. Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries of INSEAD, Dr. T. Bedirhan Ustun of WHO
and Dr. Coppee of ILO, and Prof. Claude Michaud of CEDEP/INSEAD, whose
materials, inspiration and ideas has been used and adapted here.
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THE PROGRAM
Activity
Group
Duration
1.
Introduction
SG (new)
MG
SG
08.00 - 08.20
2.
Quiz
IND
SG
08.20 - 08.40
3.
Exercises –
Health & Dr. Frankl
IND
SG
08.40 - 09.20
4.
Study & Lecture:
Stress – Causes & Effects
MG
SG
09.20 - 10.00
5.
6.
Case: David Haller
SG
Coffee
10.15 - 11.00
Case:
CSG
11.00 - 11.30.
Lecture:
MG
CSG
11.30 - 12.00
7.
Study & Lecture Stress – Promotion, Prevention
& Reduction
8.
Video – Michel Tomas:
9.
-
MG
SG (new)
Lunch
12.45 - 13.30
Stress Free Learning
MG
13.30 - 14.15
Case: Special cases or
Samuel Williams
SG
Case:
CSG
14.15 - 15.15
Tea
15.30 - 16.00
10. Lecture:
MG
CSG
16.00 - 16.30
11. Action Planning & Local Cases
SG
16.30 - 17.00
12
SG
17.00 - 17.45
MG
17.45 - 1800
Quiz and Feedback
13. Summary Lecture
Note: Pre-learning and learning maintenance assigned.
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ASSIGNMENT 1.0 – INTRODUCTION
(30 MINUTES)
1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In the 1990’s, the rapid changes in the technological, political, economic, and
social environments, have required dynamic response from organisations for:
restructuring. strategy reformulation, meeting global challengea, trans-national
operations, take-overs, etc. This is indeed an age of uncertainty!
To cope with such difficult and challenging environments, the manager must
learn to promote positive stress, and yet prevent (not merely reduce) negative stress,
for himself and for others in the organisation!
Learning objectives of the program:
a.
To diagnose the causes of stress in different organisational and cultural
environments.
b.
To explore the effect of positive and negative stress, on the effectiveness and health
of managers and workers.
c.
To promote the positive stress, which inspires, motivates and rewards everyone in
the organisation.
d.
To prevent and reduce the negative stress, which encourages poor management
decision-making and damages everyone in the organisation
e.
To motivate further study in the future.
Note: The syllabus of the program includes: alternative meanings of stress: business
paradigms; positive and negative stress drivers; short and long term effects on
physical and mental health; opportunity cost of stress; promotion, prevention &
reduction; stress-free learning, strategic planning for a healthy organisation.
NOTE: Pre-learning:
Man’s Search for the Meaning of Ch. 1 - Viktor Frankl – Simon Schuster)
Beyond Certainty: A Personal Odyssey (Charles handy – (HBSP).
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1.2 AUTOMATED GROUP LEARNING (AGL)
The AGL method is designed to achieve rapid individual learning using special
material and the stimulus of group activity without a formal instructor. The groups use
the material to find the answers to all problems and questions.
1.3 GROUP ARRANGEMENTS
The work will be done:
(a)
IND - Individually, or
(b)
SG -
(c)
CSG - Combined Small Group (two small groups together), or
Small Group (in small groups of four members which will change
after lunch) ,or
(d) MG - Main Group (for short lectures with visual aids).
1.4 SG - SMALL GROUPS
Group names provided on name lists. Note the name of your SG and the names of
the other members.
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1.5 LEARNING MATERIALS
(a) Retained by the members
Textbook
Notebook - for recording every key point
Course Diary
Learning Recall Tape
Selected HBR and other articles
(b) Used but not retained by th members:
Workpack including: lectures, cases, exercises etc.
Guide including: quiz, case solutions, key learning points
etc.
NOTE: Please use your notebook for things you want to remember. Do not mark the
workpack which must be returned at the end of the day, so please make
notes of important things. You receive all the materials in your SG. Don't look
ahead in the work pack until you are specifically asked to do so!
1.6
METHOD
Try to complete every task in the time allowed. A pattern of learning methods will
be used including:







Exercises
Case analysis
Lectures
Quizzes
Learning patterns
Homework reading
Learning Recall Tape (LRT)
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1.7
LEARNING PATTERNS - REVIEW
PRE-LEARNING
EXERCISES
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING
STUDY NOTES
SMALL GROUP LEARNING
CASES
COMBINED SG LEARNING
LOCAL CASES
MAIN GROUP LEARNING
LECTURES
ALL DESIGNED TO PROVIDE
STRESS-FREE LEARNING FOR YOU
1.8
INSTRUCTIONS (15 MINUTES)
(a)
Assemble in SG's to introduce yourself, indicate your past
experience in stress and what you hope to contribute to and gain
from the course.
(b)
Complete the registration sheet in the Course Diary.
NOTE: Please check that you have a full set of learning materials.
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ASSIGNMENT 2.0 - QUIZ (30 MINUTES)
2.1
INSTRUCTIONS SMALL GROUP WORK
a.
Assemble in SG
b.
Answer the quiz of 50 questions; mark your answers a, b, c, or d with a
clear "x" on the special form provided in the course diary
c.
Work as quickly as possible but don't guess - leave blanks.
d.
Hand in your answer sheet to the Organiser who will mark it and give you
a quantitative measure at the start of the course.
e.
Reassemble in MG when the bell rings
ASSIGNMENT 3.0 - EXERCISE (45 MINUTES)
3.1
INSTRUCTIONS - INDIVIDUAL WORK
a.
Assemble in SG.
b.
Complete Exercise No. 1 - Personal Health Assessment .
c.
Complete Exercise no. 2 - Lessons from Dr. Frankl
d.
Discuss in SG, using the flip chart to record key points.
e.
Record significant points in your notebook.
f.
Reassemble in MG when the bell rings
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EXERCISE NO. 1 – PERSONAL
HEALTH ASSESSMENT
(30 minutes)
 Complete the forms in the diary.

Discuss In SG.
EXERCISE NO. 2 – LESSONS FROM DR. FRANKL
(15 minutes)

List ten ideas about stress from Dr. Frankl’s book, that could well be useful
in stress management in business today.

Discuss in SG and record on the flip chart.

Then when the bell rings, refer to the notes in the Case Guide for further
discussion.

Record key points in your notebook.
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ASSIGNMENT 4.0 : STRESS – CAUSES AND EFFECTS
(45 minutes)
4.1 METHOD
No work. No stress. Make NO effort to remember anything …
Just read aloud, listen and respond verbally to any questions. …
… and REMEMBER PLEASE … that no stress you face in
business … will ever … compare to the stress experience of Viktor
Frankl … who survived to develop “logo-therapy” …
4.2
PARADIGMS – CONCEPTS OF MANAGEMENT
a.
A bottle can be seen as half full or half empty. It all depends
upon our management paradigm and our perception!
b.
Type A Manager perceives business as:
WAR for survival - some get killed (too bad!)
Nobody’s fault - some legal rules but few ethics …
Managers need no protection to work 50-70 hours a week
High stress motivates performance
Failure to cope is a personal problem
CEO has no stress responsibility
Note: There is a quick fun test for Type A in Exhibit 1B
c.
Type B Manager perceives business as:
Struggle for survival which needs effective managers with:
Purpose – mission and vision
Passion – enthusiasm to succeed
Principles – to avoid confused priorities
Partnerships – team co-operation
Positive stress is inspiring to be promoted
Negative stress is destructive and to be prevented.
Failure to cope is an organisational failure.
CEO takes stress responsibility.
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4.3
d.
Every organisation has an unwritten “Psychological Contract” with
managers and workers which sets the expectations for the work and
reward system.
e.
Some CEO’s demand from managers total commitment and yet
provide no job or family securtiy. Where have they learned this?
STRESS LEVELS
a.
Stress is a normal part of human life, which adapts to continual
change in the environment. Stress levels depending upon individual
characteristics stress, and they can be positive or negative.
b.
A simple approach is:
S - struggling - too much – negative
T - tense - too much – negative
R - readiness - positive – HIGH MOTIVATION
E - energising - positive – HIGH MOTIVATION
S - stodgy - too little – negative
S - sleeping - too little – negative
c.
Positive stress stimulates “fight and flight” hormone production which
must be burned off by some physical or relaxing exercise to achieve
“allostasis” (mental/physical balance).
Such stress is infective and associated with: enthusiasm,
creativity, easy co-operation, team spirit etc. However excess
positive stress ("adrenal addiction") can become negative.
d.
Negative stress, is what a PARTICULAR individual cannot
cope with, and thus fails to achieve “allostasis”. Fight and flight hormones
cause damage to both mental and physical health.
Such stress is associated with: fear, guilt, mistrust, selfishness etc.; it is
infectious and it pollutes the emotional environment. It encourages
very poor management.
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e.
f.
The health effects of negative stress include:
1.
Short-term acute illness – infections, poor sleeping, depression,
neuroses, alcohol and drug problems etc .
2.
Long term chronic illness - heart and cerebral vascular
disease, hypertension, peptic ulcers, inflammatory bowel
disease, diabetes, depression and muscular skeletal
problems, altered immune function etc
Coping with stress depends the inividual and the HERO concept:
1.
2.
3.
4.
g.
4.4
HERO-
Happening – how we become aware of the problem
Evaluation – how we assess and seek creative alternatives
Result - how we make a positive response
Outcome - how we achieve allostasis
With “allostasis” (mental and physical well-being) the manager can cope
with the positive and negative stress of changing difficult environments.
STRESS COMPLEXITIES
a.
Management protects workers from toxic chemical POLLUTION, to
avoid legal claims for damages.
b.
Stress is a more elusive POLLUTION - you can't see it, you can't
touch it; it affects some people, not others; it is so often denied. Some
people react negatively others positively. It is addictive and there are
carriers! Older managers regard stress health damage, as an
indication of personal weakness with no legal claim! But legal claims
are coming either directly or through higher health care costs?
c.
Stress is dependent on individual perception and ability to take and
absorb risk! Stress depends upon the relationship between the
individual and his/her environment.
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4.5
d.
Negative stress occurs when demands exist which are beyond the
individual capacity for adjustment; positive stress becomes negative
with: fear, guilt, mistrust, selfishness etc.
e.
Negative stress is involved in 75% of the cases of cardiac failure.
f.
Work satisfaction (without negative stress) is the best predictor of old
age
g.
A job which is repetitive and monotonous may be asking too much of
the individual to adjust to the under-stimulation.
h.
Stress as a positive motivator, with excessive pressure, becomes a
very negative damaging influence.
i.
Remember - no one can stress us, unless we ALLOW them to do so
… we are FREE to perceive things, people and actions … as we
want to perceive them … NOT as OTHERS may want us to perceive
them … …
STRESS DIAGNOSIS
a. There are many instruments for measuring positive and negative stress
in an organisation, but an experienced manager can “feel” it very
quickly!
b. Stress symptoms include four types of responses:
1.
Psychological responses a. Positive – stimulated, excited, high morale
b. Negative - loss of sleep, depression, inability to relax,
irrational behaviour, anxiety, withdrawal, and reluctance to
become involved etc.
2.
Behavioural responses –
a. Positive - helpful, efficient, lively, understanding, creative,
highly productive, balanced family life
b. Negative - heavy smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, changes
is sleeping or eating patterns, marital and sexual problems,
poor relationships with other workers, absenteeism, poor
time keeping, accidents or near accidents, high level of
complaints about trivia.
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3.
Physiological –
a. Positive – physical well-being, regular diet, exercise etc.,
b. Negative - changes in heart and blood pressure;
biochemical changes in the levels of cholesterol and
catecholamines in the blood and urine.
4.
Health outcomes –
a. Positive – rarely sick, few infections, few accidents etc.
b. Negative - short-term acute infections and long-term chronic
hypertension, cardiac, gastro-intestinal problems, cancer etc.
c.
4.6
Initial stress diagnosis needs no medical experts. Any experienced manager can
detect the obvious symptoms, if he FEELS concern and responsibility for the
mental and physical health of his staff. A useful check list in given in Exhibit 1.
New jobs can be designed to prevent negative stress.
IDENTIFYING THE STRESS DRIVERS
a.
Managers can identify the STRESS DRIVERS - for themselves and
for their staff, by examining the workplace:
1.
Physical environment – noise, temperature extremes, physical
and chemical hazards, ISOLATION etc. which directly produce
physiological stress and indirectly produce anxiety, threat or
LACK OF CONTROL etc
2.
Job content - work over-load or under-load, monotony
uncertainty , RISK OF LOSING THE JOB etc.
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3.
Organisational structure and culture – role conflict, ambiguity,
differing expectations etc. TYPE A management values of the
CEO etc.
4.
Social environment - personal disagreements, conflicts of
interest overcrowding, anxiety, LACK OF CONTROL etc.
5.
Career development - REDUNDANCY, pay structure, promotion
etc.
6.
Personal situations - family problems, bereavement, divorce,
lack of time for a BALANCED RELATIONSHIP etc.
b.
Key positive stress drivers: power, prestige, promotion and money (as
a symbol of achievement – not to spend!).
c.
Key negative stress drivers: time pressures, job insecurity, isolation
and loss of control, ambiguity, sudden change, loss of identity etc.
Cross cultural stress studies also indicate some additional negative
stress drivers:
USA – lack of power and influence, incompetent bosses, conflict with
organisational beliefs.
Japan – keeping up with new technology,
Sweden – work encroachment on private life
Germany – working with poorly trained subordinates,
Singapore – inability to transmit ambition and skills to those below
Brazil – job dissatisfaction and mental health problems
Egypt – taking work home
e.
Managers need to be aware and concerned about the special stress
drivers, that are currently the MOST powerful in their particular
organisation.
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4.7
THE OPPORTUNITY COST OF NEGATIVE STRESS
a.
Stress costs billions of dollars each year, but such computations are
difficult to make and to accept.
b.
The visible cost for the enterprise is: higher health insurance, lost
working days, decreased efficiency and effectiveness, “PRESENTEEISM”, legal claims of compensation stress related illness claims
etc.
However the key cost is: ORGANISATIONAL LOSS of experienced
managers in which so much has been invested to build teams that
are efficient and effective. Measured by Xerox as $600,000 per
experienced senior executive.
c.
The visible cost for the individual is: depression and insomnia.
However the key cost is : family distress, acute and chronic illness,
accidents, drug problems etc..
d.
The cost for Society is : productivity, health care costs. political and
social stability etc., since 40% of all disease, death, disability health
care costs and stress related.
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4.8
UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS - 2005
a.
Is admitting to stress still perceived as weakness?
b.
Are senior managers stress-addicted? Do they deliberately create
excessive stress as the only way to manage? Are they "carriers"?
c.
Is stress management cost-effective?
d.
Are managers responsible for the negative stress they create in their
staff.
e.
Should stress management failures be kept secret?
f.
Is fear of job loss and continuing unemployment the major cause of
negative stress?
g.
Is stress part of the overall health and safety policy?
h.
Can organisations afford to support managers who are unable to
cope with the stress levels?
i.
Do managers need a stress assessment and monitoring systems?
Should it emphasise prevention or reduction?
j.
What is a balanced approach to managing the opportunity cost of
stress?
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EXHIBIT 1- STRESS INDICATOR
CHECKLIST
These symptoms can indicate stress, especially when appearing in clusters and when they
represent noticeable changes in behaviour. People may exhibit symptoms and suffer from
stress even if they are not aware of feeling pressured.
Behavioural:
Heavy smoking
Increase use of alcohol
Drug use
High risk behaviour
Violence
Over eating
Hyperactivity
Sleep disturbances
Nightmares
Overwork
Attitudinal:
Boredom
Grandiosity
Cynicism
Distrust
Despair
Feelings of powerlessness
Self- righteousness
Feeling trapped
Self-doubt
Emotional:
Anxiety
Feeling of being overwhelmed
Fear and paranoia
Feeling out of control
Guilt
Depression
Anger
Panic
Feeling disconnected from emotions
Feeling of tension and pressure
Restricted social contacts
Critical towards self and others
Conflict with spouse
Over-dependence on others
Physical:
Headaches
Abdominal and chest pain
Indigestion
Diarrhoea
Nausea
Fatigue
Frequent colds
Weight loss or gain
Changes in menstrual cycle
Heart palpitations
Vision problems
Lowered sex drive
Mental
Difficulty concentrating
Distractability
Inability to make decisions
Short attention span
Intrusive images
Hyper-alertness
Self-blaming
Distorted thinking
Frequent daydreams
Avoidance of certain thoughts
Social:
Anger and irritability
Withdrawal from friends
Marital relationship problems
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53
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EXHIBIT 1B QUICK FUN TEST FOR TYPE A
GIVE YOURSELF A SCORE (1 TO 11 POINTS) FOR EACH ITEM BELOW
… AND THEN ADD UP YOUR TOTAL POINTS … ARE YOU …?
Score of 1
Score?
Score of 11
1. Casual about appointments
Never late
2. Not competitive
Very competitive
3. A good listener
Am interrupter
4. Never rushed
Always rushed
5. Patient while waiting
waiting
Impatient
6. Taking things one at a time
at once
Doing many things
7. A slow deliberate talker
A fast and forceful talker
8. Working to satisfy your standards
recognition
9. Slow doing things
while
Working
for
Fast eating, walking etc.
10. Easy-going
Hard driving
11. Expressing feelings
Hides feelings
12. Having many outside interests
Few
interests
13. Un-ambitious
Ambitious
14. Casual
things done
Eager
outside
to
get
Score: Type A over 120, Type B under 60, Average 90
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4.9 LEARNING PATTERNS - REVIEW
KEY OCCUPATIONAL STRESS INDICATORS
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU?
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PRESSURES?
HOW DO THEY AFFECT YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH?
WHAT IS YOUR STYLE OF DEALING WITH
PRESSURES?
HOW MUCH CAN YOU INFLUENCE WHAT GOES
ON AROUND YOU?
WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE KEY PRESSURES?
HOW DO YOU COPE?
4.10
INSTRUCTIONS (10 MINUTES)
a.
b.
Reassemble in SG.
Study the lecture very carefully and record key points in
your
notebook.
c.
Discuss any outstanding questions in SG.
d.
When the bell rings carry on with the case study, which
follows.
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ASSIGNMENT 5.0 CASE DAVID HALLER
5.1
INSTRUCTIONS
(a)
General:
David Haller is a practical case study. The questions are to
help you to analyse the problems.
(b)
Individual and SG work (45 minutes)
Read the case and study it carefully. Analyse all the key
problems. Answer all the questions in your notebook and on
the SG flip chart provided.
Discuss all the points together and formulate a specific plan of
action; you need not all agree but you must decide.
(c)
Combined small group work (30 minutes)
Groups will assemble as follows:
A+D B+E C+F
Groups A, B and C will present the answers to all of the
questions on
the SG flip chart; they should try to achieve a consensus of
the CSG on what has happened and what should be done.
(d)
Re-assemble in MG when the bell rings.
Note: This case has been adapted from the longer INSEAD
case
Johan Tobler.
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ASSIGNMENT 5.0 CASE – DAVID HALLER
QUESTIONS ON THE CASE
1.
What is story of the case? What are the key facts?
2.
What stress drivers do you think might be in this organisation?
Where do they come from?
3.
How far do you think David and other managers are aware of
these factors? What effects on David and the business? Is this a
mainly a medical problem?
4.
Is there any legal or other obligation, for anyone in the
organisation to be concerned by the actual and potential effects
of such stress? Would such concern justified or cost effective?
5.
Set out seven alternatives open to David.
6.
What alternatives are open to his CEO?
7.
What plan of action do you suggest for David and for the
organisation, to help him to cope and thus turn di-stress into
win-stress?
8,
Could this happen in your organisation?
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ASSIGNMENT 5.0 CASE STUDY – DAVID HALLER
Based in Germany, ABC was world class supplier of process automation systems,
robotics, high-speed locomotives and environmental and pollution control equipment.
The group had more than 150,000 employees and 800 separate legal entities
operating in 140 foreign countries. Group 1997 earnings were forecast at over $300
millions on sales of $18 billions.
In June 1997 David Haller was appointed general manager of a major
subsidiary in Belgium for which the 1997 budget required earnings $20
millions on sales of $300 millions. However at June 30 intense competition
from Asia had forced a drop in sales by 40 per cent with earnings only
breakeven. Failure to achieve target could endanger the continued existence
of production facilities in Belgium.
The ABC Group Chief Executive Officer was an experienced Type A manager, and
he chose David to cope with this very difficult environment, because David was
known as an extremely competent executive who could be counted on to handle
difficult assignments. Although very domineering and aggressive at times, David was
a well organised hard worker who usually got things done on time.
His career with ABC had been a series of successes. Each promotion
had given him enormous satisfaction; because he really liked to face
challenge. There had been no major setbacks, a factor which
occasionally troubled him. Sometimes he wondered if his success
was more luck than effort. The kind of industry he worked in, with its
great fluctuations in costs and prices and dependency on exchange
rates, often reinforced these worries.
David was born in Austria in 1945. His parents were small tradesmen and with
great financially difficulty, they sent him to an expensive private high school.
He eventually studied engineering at a major university and after graduation,
did military service, leaving as an officer. He was married and had two
children, a son and a daughter when he joined ABC where he spent his entire
career. Over the years, he moved up from being assistant to the group
chairman, to head of the strategic planning department, to his most recent
foreign assignment as managing director of a key project abroad.
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His marriage had been difficult and had almost broken down; but for the sake
of the children he and his wife (a former librarian who had to give up her
career) eventually worked out their differences. However recently, his wife had
become depressed and he began to realise that, now the children had left
home, she would no longer be satisfied with simply spending more time on the
golf course.
David acknowledged that his latest assignment, heading the group’s important
subsidiary, was causing him some uneasiness. Everything seemed fine, but
he found himself asking what his next step should be. Was he really Board
material? Two out of the last three general managers of the Brussels
subsidiary were now members of the Group Executive Board. But most of the
other high flyers in the company who were already on the Board, were
younger than he was.
David recently had become very concerned about the future of his children. He
was worried about the kind of world they would live in. He was haunted by
Germany's and Austria's war record. Could such a war happen again? And
what was happening to the Environment? Would there be new ecological
disasters? He also worried about the instability in Eastern Europe. These and
other questions took up a lot of his energy.
He was also not sleeping very well, and sometimes had problems with
shortness of breath and stomach pains. He was increasingly irritable at work
and it took him a greater effort to control his anger about what were really trivia
at the office. He also noticed that his attention span had decreased.
David Haller began to wonder how to cope with this difficult environment
…
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ASSIGNMENT 7.0 - EXERCISE - STRESS FREE LEARNING
(30 MINUTES)
7.1
INSTRUCTIONS SMALL GROUP WORK
a.
Assemble in MG for the video.
b.
Individually, list ten useful learning points.
c.
Discuss in SG and record agreed points on the flip chart.
d.
Then check with the guide and discuss outstanding questions.
e.
Reassemble in MG when the bell rings
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ASSIGNMENT 8.0 STRESS PPR – PROMOTION,
PREVENTION AND REDUCTION (45 minutes)
8.1
PROMOTION OF POSITIVE STRESS
A PPPP (purpose, passion, principles, partnership) leadership
which gives meaning to everyone in the organisation
Reward and recognition systems
Continuous communication monitoring and improvement
Peer pressure and support groups
Job rotation
Continuous development training
Team building
Team maintenance etc.
8.2
PREVENTION OF NEGATIVE STRESS
A new management paradigm
Stress level monitoring
Audit of the stress drivers in the organisation
Job rotation and security
Delegating power
Limiting overtime
Increasing individual control
Training managers for responsibility and competence in
stress management
Effective EAP ‘s etc.
8.3
REDUCTION OF NEGATIVE STRESS
Counselling
Peer support groups
Exercise
Massage
Meditation
Self talk training
Telephone hotline help
Transactional training
Alcohol controls
Autogenic training
Drug support (Prozak)
etc.
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8.4
8.5
REASONS TO MANAGE STRESS
a.
Increase profitability by maintaining experienced management
teams, improve productivity, reduced key staff turnover,
Improved working relationships attracting new high calibre staff
etc.
b.
Reduce costs of: health insurance, legal claims for stress
relgted disability, compliance with EU Health and Safety
standards, accidents and claims for damages.
c.
Keep up with others in the competitive market and thus ensure
survival of the organisation.
MOVING TOWARDS A HEALTHY ORGANISATION
c.
A CEO convinced that both positive and negative stress
management is a strategic priority, and thus an organisational
structure which supports both managers and workers.
d.
Recruitment policy which puts the right people in (and continue
to be in) the right jobs, with clear roles, objectives and support.
e.
Communications (up, down and laterally) which incorporate
formal and informal channels together with systems for dealing
RAPIDLY with stress, conflict and grievances.
f.
Employee participation, decision-making and team work.
g.
Measures that inspire positive stress as a motivation and
meaning to the life of the workforce.
h.
Measures that prevent the negative stress caused by: poor
communications, uncertainty, monotony lack of control and job
insecurity.
i.
Appropriate support for the workforce who might mean provision
of family services, job sharing, or flexible working hours.
j.
Training and development of managers, which will ensure that
staff, are properly trained for the jobs to be done and are
developing skills for the future.
k.
A stress management strategy with continuous monitoringand
assessment, with an annual external audit and published
reporting.
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8.6
INDIVIDUAL APPROACH TO POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
STRESS
a.
Welcome positive stress that inspires high
motivation and gives meaning to the job with
“allostasis” (mental/physical balance) – this
equips the individual to cope with difficult
environments.
b.
Make EARLY diagnosis of potential negative
stress (anxiety, sleep problems, drugs,
depression, loss of concentration, irritability etc.),
with monitoring systems for awareness, contact
and counselling.
c.
Consider alternative coping strategies: social
support groups, task reorganisation by
project, logical objective approach without
emotional investment, home & outside
activities, time management, and finally
direct involvement to determine the real
priorities.
d.
Always seek critical incident support for posttrauma (death, disease etc.) stress.
e.
Prevent negative stress by change in job,
location, method, supervision, pay, hours,
security etc.
f.
Reduce negative stress by: counselling,
exercise, relaxation, autogenic training,
meditation, massage, bio-feedback etc. and
reading again Viktor Frankl … to get your
personal values back into perspective …!!!
g.
Set up three personal job opportunities (in
reserve), as an alternative to the current
environment , if the stress levels become too
high to absorb …
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8.7
ORGANISATIONAL APPROACH TO POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
STRESS
a.
Set a company strategy for positive and negative stress
management with
+adequate resources to achieve it., by
answering the following questions for the last year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
What is the total value of your organisation’s
human assets?
Is it appreciating or being depleted?
How much spent to recruit and select new
people?
How much spent to train and develop people?
How many days lost to absenteeism or minor
stress related sickness?
Does the organisation make any effort to monitor
and maintain the mental/physical well-being
(allostasis) of key managers and staff?
How many managers lost to accident, disability or
premature retirement?
How many younger people did you lose due to
your promotion and or mobility policy?
What was the opportunity cost of losing these
people?
Does the organisation reward managers for
increasing the value of their subordinates to the
organisation?
Does your promotion system reflect the manager’s
value to the organisation?
Does the organisation assess the effects of
corporate strategies upon its human resources in
quantitative terms?
How do you benchmark stress management with
the new and creative ideas used by other
companies? .
b.
Design jobs for stress PPR (Exhibit 1) and train managers both
for early
stress diagnosis and for taking responsibility for the negative
stress they
may (deliberately or even instinctively) create.
c.
Use stress management techniques:
1.
2.
Continuous assessment and monitoring as a movement
towards a sustainable healthy organisation.
EAP’s with resources to effect job and organisational
change . Provide manager-peer support groups.
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3.
4.
Monitor of legal changes to anticipate compliance for
both physical and mental health of workers and
managers.
Stress monitoring and annual external stress
management audit with published reporting to all
stakeholders of the enterprise.
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d.
Bench-mark stress PPR, with comparable companies in the
same industry, on the their PPR efficiency (doing things right)
and the effectiveness (doing the right things), by being open to
new creative ideas. (Exhibit 2).
e.
Help for the CEO to set an example of stress concern for every
manager and worker in the organisation, as a normal part of the
health
and safety policy..
8.8
BUSINESS PARADIGMS – THE KEY TO STRESS PPR
8.9
UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS
a.
Are the long working hours with inevitable family problems, as
efficient and effective as they appear to be? They may be
merely a mechanism to show company commitment, so that
managers feel too guilty leaving on time.
b.
Organisational cultures that deliberately create high stress and
make no attempt to diagnose opportunity cost of the stress
levels?
c.
EAP's (Employee Assistance Programs) that emphasise "getting
used to higher and higher level/s of stress" rather than
preventing negative stress. Thus no concern for longer-term
manager/team support.
f.
The CEO who takes pride in creating "impossible" levels of
stress in
the belief that it can NEVER be detrimental to business
success and
survival.
g.
Is “burnout” a personal weakness, or a management failure, or
just
another medical problem?
h.
effective stress
Are most major organisations now setting up efficient and
management strategies and systems with adequate resources?
How to
evaluate stress management as a cost-effective activity?
i.
Can the manager in a high stress environment feel actively
responsible for they the opportunity cost of the negative stress
he himself creates in his staff?
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i.
Is stress management a relatively minor problem in 1999 or will
new EU
and US legal, health and safety
regulations require a new management
approach? What is the stress industry doing to help? E.g.
Steven Covey
and 1000 others … .
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EXHIBIT 1 – DESIGNING JOBS FOR STRESS PPR
1.
Decision Latitude: Skill Discretion
Bad: Nothing is being learned, nothing is known of the product’s destination.
There is no hint of future development on the job. New technologies are
difficult to understand, and knowledge is limited by secrecy requirements.
Good: The job offers possibilities to make the maximum use of one’s
skill and provides further opportunities to increase skills on the job.
New technologies are created to be effective tools in the workers
hands, extending their powers of production.
2.
Decision Latitude: Autonomy
Bad: The worker’s actions are prescribed and monitored by
machine or by supervisor. There is no freedom to independently
perform even the most basic tasks. New technologies restrict workers
to rigid, unmodifiable information formats.
Good: There is freedom from rigid work as factory discipline.
Machine interfaces allow workers to assume control. Workers have
influence over selection of work routines and my colleagues and can
participate in long-term planning. It may be possible to work at home
during flexible hours.
3.
Psychological Demands
Bad: There are long periods under intense time pressures, with the
threat of unemployment at the end. Or there are long periods of
boredom, but with a constant threat of crisis requiring huge efforts.
There is great disorganisation of work processes, with no resources to
facilitate order.
Good: The job has routine demands mixed with a liberal element of new
learning
challenges, in a predictable manner. The magnitude of the demands is
mediated
by inter-personal decision-making between parties of relatively equal
status.
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(continued)
4.
Social Relations
Bad: Workers are socially isolated from their colleagues. Random
switching of positions prevents development of lasting relationships.
Competition sets worker against worker.
Good: Social contacts are encouraged as a basis for a new learning
and are augmented by new telecommunications technologies that allow
contact when isolation was previously a necessity. New contacts
multiply the possibilities for self- realisation through collaboration.
5.
Social Rights
Bad: The implied level of trust in the worker is nil. Management is a
very remote “Big Brother"; the worker is a second class citizen with no
rights or true responsibilities.
Good: There are democratic procedures in the workplace. A bill of
rights protects workers from arbitrary authority. Workers are
represented by a real grievance council or union, which reviews
common worker problems periodically.
6.
Meaningfulness: Customer/Social Feedback
Bad: There is no feeling of social value to the job: the worker either has
no understanding about what customers really need or is doing
something that lowers personal pride (producing poor quality goods,
misleading customers, producing more war materials in peacetime).
Good: Workers gain direct feedback from customers, because they can
complete enough of products or service that the customer can evaluate their
contribution. The power of new production technologies, placed in workers’
hands, enables customers and workers to work together, customising the
product to meet customers needs and providing new challenges to workers.
7.
Family/Work Interface
Bad: Work roles are separated from community and family roles.
Unrestrained job competition, for both men and women, forces family
disintegration. Sex-role conflicts worsen.
Good: Workload sharing between sexes promotes sharing of family
responsibilities and allows more energy for stable family survival.
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EXHIBIT 2 – NEW CREATIVE IDEAS FOR STRESS PPR
For major organisations with high stress levels, the management of
positive and negative stress, is now recognised as highly cost effective.
Thus we must continually think about ADAPTING new creative stress
management ideas, to the priorities of our own organisations:

Allow managers and staff to take leaves of absence of up to one
year for virtually any reason and return to a comparable job), and
thus retain the best teams and people (Hewlett Packard)

Introduce stock options for managers, which reduce financial
uncertainty, provide a counselling service by telephone and a in
person, set up stress workshops for all workers, insist upon a
manager “open door” policy so that anyone can see their manager.in
person (IBM).

Increase social support from co-workers and peer groups of
managers (ReliaStar).

Maintain job demands to healthy levels by controlling overtime
working and changing workloads (Renault).

Provide healthy work schedules and flexi-time (ILO).

Encourage stable employment practices with more control over the
work environment (ICI).

Offer stress management programs: exercise, relaxation, massage,
autogenic training, counselling etc. (SBS)

Motivate exercise with cash benefits (Healthcare Delaware)
Schedule a daily exercise time for all managers and staff (Nissan)

Develop fallback situations which could give the stressed manager
an escape to more secure and less stressful work (HBR).

Introduce a full time staff member as OMBUTSMAN with whom
managers and staff can contact to discuss any feelings of being
unjustly treated by the organisation (WHO).
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(continued)

Set aside Fridays with no management meetings and freedom for
managers to catch up on work or even sports (Microsoft).

Start a Staff Complaints Appeal Committee with access to all levels
of management, which may make recommendations to the CEO
(WHO)

Allow only one canteen where both managers and workers eat in the
same location (Subaru).

Set up a relaxation room where managers and staff may find a
peaceful environment (BP).

Introduce a “Stress Card” for each manager, with a telephone
number of a trained counsellor who has extensive business
experience (Unilever).

Provide part-time MBA training for managers, which will reduce
negative stress of possible job loss, and reassure them of finding
alternative employment should they become redundant at some
future time (Thomson).

Provide a two week training on personal health for senior executives
to encourage allostasis as a personal priority (BASF)

Set up a STAYWELL program for 22,000 staff and family members
(Control Data)

Set up a cardio-vascular fitness program which saves $3 million
annually in absenteeism and health care costs (New York
Telephone).

Set up a comprehensive fitness progam with extensive gymnastic
facilities (Pepsico)

Consider introduction of a four day 40 hour week (American
Management Association Survey of 1000 firms with over 100,000
employees).
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(continued)

For VERY LARGE privately owned enterprises where survival is
ALWAYS a high negative stress driver: convert to a public
company; divide the senior post to at least three people; appoint
outside directors; put family on the board (not in operations); hire
professional operating managers; provide stock options for all
stakeholders including the TU¨s; improve real communication at
every level; restrict manager working hours to 60 and then 50 hours
weekly (by hiring two managers to work together instead of one
going to burnout); find another activity or role for the family founder
entrepreneur, so that he becomes advisory, after 60 years of age;
set up a code of conduct for managers to encourage delegation;
monitor and benchmark what similar companies are doing (Mustafa
Aysan & Partners, Turkey).

In Sweden the idea of a year off after certain period of work is well
institutionalised in a wide range of occupations. In the UK a major
company allows 6 month sabbaticals to employees of 50 years of
age with at least 25 years service, to do things they enjoy, which
would not otherwise be possible (John Lewis).

Career-break schemes allow both male and female employees to
interrupt their usual work for a number of years after which they can
return to work without loss of seniority (Natwest Bank).

And others to be added … with the company name …
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8.10 LEARNING PATTERNS - REVIEW
ALTERNATIVE COPING STRATEGIES
SOCIAL SUPPORT – WITH RELATIONSHIPS THAT
ALLEVIATE PRESSURE
TASK STRATEGIES – REORGANIZATON OF WORK
BY PROJECT
LOGIC - an OBJECTIVE APPROACH WITHOUT
EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT
HOME/WORK RELATIONS – OUTSIDE INTERESTS
TO ALLEVIATS STRESS
TIME MANAGEMENT – MORE EFFICIENT USE OF
TIME AT WORK
INVOLVEMENT – COMMITMENT TO KNOW THE
REALITY OF THE PROBLEMS
8.11 INSTRUCTIONS (10 MINUTES)
(a) Reassemble in SG
(b) Study the lecture carefully
(c) Record key points in your notebook
(d) Discuss outstanding questions
(e) When the bell rings, carry on with the case study which follows.
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ASSIGNMENT 9.0 - CASE
STUDY: SAMUEL WILLIAMS
9.1
INSTRUCTIONS
(a) In SG study the case carefully and answer all the questions in your
notebook and on the SG flipchart (45 minutes)
(b) Work in CSG as follows:
A+E
B+F
C+D
With groups D, E, and F responsible for the CSG discussion (30
minutes)
(c) Reassemble in MG when the bell rings
Note: This case has been adapted from a longer INSEAD case Eli
Black –
United Brands
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ASSIGNMENT 9.0 – CASE SAMUEL WILLIAMS
QUESTIONS ON THE CASE
1.
What is story of the case? What are the key facts?
2.
Identify the positive and negative stress drivers of Sam?
3.
What are the leadership styles and effects on the Organisation, for the
three periods: 1974-1993, 1994 and 1995?
4.
What indications were there to suggest that Sam had difficulty in
coping with the pressures of his work?
5.
What action could have been taken to help him to cope with this
difficult environment?
6.
What problems will Sam’s successor face regarding morale and
working relationships including the negative stress from: guilt, anxiety,
grief, mistrustfulness and over-cautiousness?
7.
Is there any legal or other obligation, for anyone in the organisation to
be concerned by the actual and potential effects of such stress?
Would such concern justified or cost effective?
8.
Suggest strategies, which his successor could employ to overcome the
difficulties.
9.
Could this happen in your company? What advice would you give to
senior executives for stress prevention?
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ASSIGNMENT 9.0 - CASE:
SAMUEL WILLIAMS
Introduction
Monday, February 3, 1995, began as a normal day for Samuel
Williams, chairman and CEO of XYZ a $2 billion multinational food
company. He left his Park Avenue apartment and was driven by his
chauffeur to the mid-Manhattan Pan A building in which he had his
office on the 44th floor .
At fifty-three years of age, Sam had an unusual business
philosophy. Following family tradition he started as a Rabbi and
spent four years with a congregation on Long Island. Unconvinced
that sermons could change other people‘s attitudes, he grew
frustrated. He moved into business determined to demonstrate that
commercial success could be combined with sensitivity and social
conscience.
Sam believed life was sacred. He held close those he loved, his family
and friends. He was a gracious man, someone reserved and formal. He
frequently smiled but never laughed. No one recalls that he ever lost his
control or shouted in anger. He took an interest in the business and
family affairs of his employees and often offered financial or other
assistance to those in difficulty.
1974-1993
XYZ was in food conglomerate built up by several daring financial deals.
Starting in 1974 with ASK Corporation, an old five million dollar firm
producing milk bottle caps, Sam purchased the JM Company, a meat
Company twenty times larger. In 1990 he merged with another large
company, and thus controlled XYZ as a major multinational food
industry group.
The key food industry activity, involved growing bananas in Caribbean
countries and importing them to the United States. Despite the
opportunities to exploit to cheap labour and impoverished conditions in
developing, Sam insisted that his company pay six times the usual salary
for plantation workers and offered free housing, electricity, and the
opportunity to buy homes for less than the construction cost.
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As XYZ grew larger, Sam assumed more and more responsibility
and as its fortunes changed he felt the responsibility more keenly.
He once confided to a friend, that if it were just up to him, he would
retire, but that his job was a public trust. He thus created a role for
himself by imbuing his job with his own sense of social
accountability. Sam ruled his company with an iron hand and was
not comfortable with people who disagreed with his views. He
placed a premium on executive loyally, although he frequently
overruled his executives and played one against the other.
1994
Sam anticipated 1994 as a banner year for his new group, but
instead, he was beset by a series of /disasters which seemed likely
to bankrupt XYZ. In 1993 there had been a 16 million dollar profit,
but 1994 looked like a 40 million dollar loss.
In April 1994, three Caribbean banana producing countries
introduced an export tax on bananas which would increase the
consumer price beyond competitive limits. They set up a bill to XYZ
of 11 million dollars for the new tax.
In August 1994 a VP of XYZ was quietly informed by a senior
Caribbean government official, that a “private” payment of about a
million dollars could avoid the banana tax. When he talked to Sam
about the offer Samuel refused all discussion, and told the VP to
talk only to his senior VP. However, in early September 1994 a
payment was made in direct conflict with Samuel’s business ethics.
Samuel later confided to his family that such payment could be
used against him if there was ever a company power struggle.
In late September 1994, a hurricane destroyed 70 percent of the
company's banana plantations at an estimated cost of 20 million
dollars. At the same time the JM Company, a major subsidiary,
faced difficulties with the rising cost of animal feed. Instead of the
budget JM profit of ten million dollars for 1994, there was a
probable loss of eight million dollars.
With the company's financial situation deteriorating, working
relationships among senior managers came into conflict, because
of the difficulty of communication with the CEO. Problems also
arose in the Group Board Meeting on October 1994, leading to the
resignation of one director, an old family friend of 20 years.
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In November 1994, to overcome these problems and save the
XYZ, Sam decided to sell his personal shareholdings in other
companies to provide new cash for XYZ. This he achieved with a
healthy profit, enabling him to regain capital to invest in XYZ.
In December 1994 Sam’s fear of losing control of the board of the
company, were further fuelled by a request. by an outside director
at the Board Meeting, to discuss the Caribbean banana tax
situation. This was waived as a non-agenda item, but it was now to
clear to Sam, that the “private” payment was no longer confidential.
However there were no subsequent developments.
From that time Sam seemed a bit disoriented, his speech
occasionally slurred, and his memory inaccurate. He seemed tired
and depressed and was having trouble sleeping. He began to lose
weight and eventually sought medical advice. He was diagnosed
as being mildly depressed and was given sleeping tablets to
combat insomnia.
1995
By February 3, 1995 it seemed that the worst was over for XYZ. So
it came as a great shock to everyone when at 08.20 a.m. on that
day, Sam smashed his attache case through the window of his
44th floor office and leapt to his death. A statement issued by XYZ
on the death of company‘s CEO explained that Sam was under
great strain during the past weeks because of business pressures
and severe depression.
On April 10 1995, XYZ publicly admitted a payment of one million
dollars to a Caribbean government official to reduce the country's
banana tax. In a letter to shareholders, XYZ stated that the
payment was made without the knowledge or authorisation of the
Board of Directors, that the payment did not violate US law; and
that the persons concerned believed they were acting in the
company's best interest.
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ASSIGNMENT 10.0 - ACTION PLANS (30 minutes)
10.1 INSTRUCTIONS
a.
Assemble in SG
b.
Record on the flip chart the seven key learning points of the day.
c.
Complete a brief five point personal action plan and discuss in SG.
d.
Reassemble in MG when the bell rings
ASSIGNMENT 11.0 – QUIZ (30 minutes)
11.1
INSTRUCTIONS SMALL GROUP WORK
a.
Assemble in SG
b.
As a SG, answer the quiz of 50 questions; mark your
answers a, b, c, or d with a clear "x" on the special form
provided in the diary
c.
Work as quickly as possible but don't guess.
d.
Then check with the Guide and discuss differences in SG.
e.
Reassemble in MG when the bell rings
ASSIGNMENT 12.0 – SUMMARY LECTURE (in the diary)
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CEDEPGUIDE
AUTOMATED GROUP LEARNING
(AGL)
AGL NO. 20 – COPING WITH DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS
GUIDE
(Not retained)
THE SEVEN KEY LEARNING POINTS
8.
Failure to cope with stress may have a high opportunity cost, when we start to
lose our key managers.
9.
Management “burn-out” is an organisational not a medical failure, and so we can
help our managers to diagnose and feel responsible for negative stress.
10.
Our “risk-taking capacity” is a key tool for motivation with positive stress and
for prevention of negative stress; but this capacity becomes exhausted unless
carefully maintained and reinforced.
11.
Stress management strategies can fit our organisational culture; we have to be
able to manage our own stress before we can help others; thus a deeper
understanding of ourselves is essential for coping.
12.
EAP services can provide creative practical alternatives for stress prevention
(not merely reduction); but such programs need an annual external audit to test
their real efficiency and effectiveness.
13.
We can benchmark with other companies on stress monitoring and prevention;
continuous research on what other companies are doing in practice, can reduce
the opportunity cost of stress in our organisation.
14.
We can help the CEO to set an example of concern for “allostasis” (mental and
physical well-being) for everyone in the organisation … as the key tool for us all
to cope with difficult environments …
Copyright RGAB 2006/1
Available for stress-free learning
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6.0 GUIDE TO DAVID HALLER
6.1 STORY OF THE CASE
E.
2
A.
DAVID HALLER WAS AN ENGINEER BORN IN VIENNA WITH VERY POOR
PARENTS WHO
STRUGGLED TO SURVIVE. HE WAS KNOWN AS A HIGHLY COMPETENT
EXECUTIVE WHO
WORKED VERY HARD TO ACHIEVE GREAT SUCCESS. HE MOVED UP FROM
ASSISTANT TO THE CHAIRMAN, TO HEAD OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AND
SEVERAL
FOREIGN ASSIGNMENTS.
B.
THE MOST RECENT ASSIGNMENT WAS AS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE
MAJOR
BELGIAN SUBSIDIARY OF ABC. AT JUNE 30, 1997 THE SUBSIDIARY WAS IN
FINANCIAL CRISIS DUE TO LOW COST COMPETITION IN ASIA WHICH CAUSED A
40%
FALL IN SALES AND BREAKEVEN IN EARNINGS. FAILURE TO SUCCEED MIGHT
ENDANGER THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF PRODUCTION FACILITIES IN
BELGIUM.
HENCE THIS WOULD BE A HIGH STRESS ORGANISATION.
C.
THE GROUP CEO (AN EXPERIENCED TYPE A MANAGER) HAD CHOSEN
DAVID FOR
THIS JOB. IN WHICH SUCCESS COULD MEAN PROMOTION FOR DAVID TO THE
GROUP
EXECUTIVE BOARD.
DAVID’S FAMILY LIFE WAS POOR.. WITH THE NEW APPOINTMENT HE
BECAME
ANXIOUS FOR SUCCESS AND BOTHERED BY POOR SLEEPING, DIFFICULT
BREATHING,
GENERAL WORRIES AND DECREASING ATTENTION SPAN.
D.
HE WONDERED HOW TO COPE WITH THIS DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE STRESS DRIVERS
a.
Positive - promotion, professional esteem, adrenal (stress) addiction.
b.
Negative - uncertainty, loss of control, failure, loss of the job.
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5
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AWARENESS OF STRESS LEVELS AND EFFECTS
a. Awareness – David is confused and unaware of his negative stress level. His CEO
appears not to care, colleagues are probably aware but feel powerless to help him.
b. Effects – David became a “stress carrier”. Acute High positive stress which motivates
hard work to achieve success; he began to experience psychological and physical
health symptoms.
c. Medical problem – stress prevention is a management problem. Stress treatment is a
combined management/medical problem.
LEGAL OR OTHER OBLIGATION TO BE CONCERNED FOR EFFECTS OF
STRESS? WOULD BE COST EFFECTIVE?
a. No legal obligation but high moral obligation to care for the physical and mental health
of every member of the organisation, especially when stress symptoms become
noticeable.
b. Concern justified in terms of effective team building and maintenance, illness or burnout
of team members could have a high opportunity cost.
c. Investment in stress management to support effective teams, could be highly cost
effective.
ALTERNATIVES FOR DAVID
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Ignore the stress symptoms and carry on
Resign
Take leave and slow down
Take a year off … do something else …
Get medical advice (Prozac?)
Consult his CEO
Get counselling
Take stress curative measures (exercise, relaxation etc.)
Take stress preventive measures – re-organise the work schedule
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7
8
83
ALTERNATIVES FOR THE CEO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Let David burn out and then replace him
Offer stress curative measures (exercise, relaxation etc.)
Fire him
Offer a sabbatical year
Get medical treatment
Send him to another job
Set up a stress management program
Take negative stress preventive measures throughout the organisation
Re-organise the work schedules
PLANS OF ACTION
a. David – job rotation or support; counselling for high negative stress levels as evidenced
by symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, depression and lack of concentration, which could
soon have critical physical health, impacts.
b. Organisation – Immediate support for David to avoid losing a good man to burn-out; set
up a stress management program for early diagnosis and treatment of negative stress,
and more important - negative stress prevention.
c. Justification – positive stress is vital for an effective organisation, but negative stress is
harmful infectious, inefficient and poor management. It destroys team building and has
high opportunity costs. If Johan becomes a burn-out then both he and the organisation
will suffer losses..
INFLUENCE OF THE (B) CASE (DATA PROVIDED BY THE ORGANIZER)
a. The (B) case illustrates the mental and physical impacts of positive stress
which becomes very negative. Such burn-out incidents have serious
impacts on the surviving managers and efficiency and effectiveness of the
whole organisation
b.
The strategy for managing stress, should not be merely stress reduction and treatment,
but stress negative prevention with a system of monitoring and audit to ensure that it is
cost effective.
c.
Stress management in 1999 therefore should not be just: exercise, massage,
counselling, Prozak, autogenic training, yoga, sauna etc. but a much deeper
understanding of how to manage for the future …
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LEARNING POINTS
a.
Positive stress as a most effective motivating force for a manager, can suddenly (by
the last straw), become very negative with serious health outcomes, with the manager
almost unaware of what is happening to him.
b.
Current medical research has associated 75% of heart attacks with negative stress.
“Allostasis” (mental and physical well being) is the key to coping with difficult
environments.
c.
Acute negative stress is easily recognised by the symptoms of: insomnia (poor
sleeping), anxiety, depression, loss of concentration etc.
d.
Chronic negative stress may be recognised from symptoms of: hypertension, chest
pain, back pain, alcohol addiction etc.
e.
The CEO and colleagues may well be aware or unaware of the negative stress felt by
a manager, but may feel unconcerned or unqualified to help.
f.
A manager must learn to manage his own stress before he can help others.
g.
Deeper understanding of oneself is essential for stress management.
h.
Stress management solutions must be done in time to prevent serious mental and
physical damage to the individual and to the organisational culture.
I.
The opportunity cost of poor stress management is very high, with burn-out
of good managers and the post traumatic effects on other managers and
staff (guilt, depression etc.).
j.
Management burnout is an organisational not a medical failure. It is also a
personal failure.
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.10 LEARNING PATTERNS
STRESS FROM THE JOB:
MANAGERIAL ROLE
RELATIONSHIPS
CAREER AND ACHIEVMENT
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
HOME/WORK INTERFACE
STRESS FROM THE PERSONAL FACTORS:
ATTITURE TO LIVING
STYLE OF BEHAVIOUR
INDVIDUAL INFLUENCES
TYPE A OR B MANAGEMENT STYLE
ALLOSTASIS DEPENDING ON:
MENTAL HEALTH
PHYSICAL HEALTH
.11 INSTRUCTIONS
a. Assemble in CSG
b. Compare the lecture with your CSG flip chart solution.
c. Discuss key points arising and record them in your notebook
d. Reassemble in MG when the bell rings
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SOME LESSONS FROM DR FRANKL
1.
The critical factor to surviving stress is the personal freedom to decide
HOW we will react to it.
2.
The Meaning of Life for us, can come from creative work, or experience
of some thing or someone, or from turning a personal tragedy into an
achievement.
3.
With a MEANING on WHY we must LIVE … the HOW can generally be
found.
4.
Health experts do not know the absolute physical and mental limits for
human survival under extreme stress.
5.
In some stress cultures, there is a collective neurosis, whereby people
are no longer conscious of the harm they do to others.
6.
There are three phases of stress: shock, accustomization, and post
traumatic stress reaction (which is often rage and shame).
7.
There are definite stress survival skills, which are reinforced by strong
religious faith and a concern to help others.
8.
Perhaps younger people can better adapt to stress.
9.
Logo therapy makes a focus on the future, despite, pain, guilt and
death; it uses “paradoxical intention” to help with a change of attitudes
and values.
10. Happiness can only be achieved as a bi-product of some other activity.
11. There are indeed some good people and some very and bad people in the world.
There are people who get great pleasure in finding an excuse to hurt others …
physically and mentally …
12.
MISERY IS A CHOICE, BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS SEVEN ALTERNATIVES THE
INDIVIDUAL’S “ RISK BEARING CAPACITY” RELATES DIRECTLY TO HIS ABILITY
TO COPE WITH STRESS; BUT EVENTUALLY, EVEN THE HIGHEST CAPACITY,
CAN BE USED UP UNLESS CAREFULLY MAINTAINED.
13.
THE BEST DEFENCE AGAINST STRESS IS TO HAVE ALTERNATIVES. THE BEST
WAY TO COPE WITH ONE’S OWN STRESS, IS TO HAVE AN EVEN GREATER
CONCERN FOR THE STRESS OF SOMEONE ELSE …
14.
UNDER EXTREME STRESS, “GROUP SUPPORT OF COMRADES” CAN BE THE KEY
TO INDIVIDUAL SURVIVAL …
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SOME LESSONS FROM MICHEL TOMAS
1. High stress levels can block our learning.
2. Our best learning should be without effort or work or stress.
3. Our learning should be exciting from the progress achieved.
4. We learn best with a partner or a small group.
5. In efficient and effective learning, we need not make any effort to remember
anything or to keep checking ourselves.
6. We should follow a learning process with partner or a group … and help each
other to learn …
7. In stress-free environments, the mind becomes a sponge for learning.
8. We must be sure that the learning environment is comfortable … and without
distractions …
9. Motivation is the key to learning. We must perceive the use of what we are
learning …
10. The sub-conscious mind improves our learning during sleep.
11. We often learn better from another learner.
12. What gets checked up on … gets done … we need to feel that someone really
cares … that we learn …
13. Stress-free learning will amaze you …
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.2
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9.0 GUIDE TO SAM WILLIAMS
STORY OF THE CASE

At fifty-three years of age, Sam Williams was president and a major shareholder in a
billion-dollar public company, which he had built up with a series of daring financial
deals.

He had followed family tradition by starting his career as a rabbi and spent four years
with a congregation on Long Island.

Unconvinced that sermons could change other people‘s attitudes, he grew frustrated.
He moved into business world determined to demonstrate that commercial success
could be combined with sensitivity and a social conscience.

All went well until a financial crisis in1974 which destroyed his world and organisation.
He recovered financially, but killed himself in February 1975.
STRESS DRIVERS

Positive – integrity, power, success, eminence, social responsibility

Negative - Loss of control, personal integrity, power and respect of his
Organization.
LEADERSHIP STYLES – THREE PHASES

PHASE I - 1959-73 Compulsive-dramatic leadership style with a corresponding
dependency culture. The characteristics of such a compulsive leader were:
1. Insistence that others submit to his own way of doing things, shown in
his intolerance of advisers or criticism.
2. Perceiving relationships into terms of dominance and submission.
3. A preoccupation with details and trivia.
4. Lack of spontaneity, meticulous, inability to relax, dogmatism his public
declaration of his business and social ethics.pectation to maintain these
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LEADERSHIP STYLES – THREE PHASES (continued)
.3
.4

PHASE II - 1974 - Depressed-detached leadership style and a resulting “fight-flight
culture” in which the organisation disintegrated into factions preoccupied with selfsurvival. Symptoms:
1. Detached and withdrawn.
2. Lacking enthusiasm.
3. Vacillating and indecisive strategies due to unclear goals.
4. Signs of depression.
In the resulting chaos, individual managers began to take command in an
attempt to resolve the situation. There was no one person identified as
deputy to Sam and executives began to compete with each other for the top
position.

PHASE III - 1975 - Suspicious leader, defending withholding information and expelling
opposition, characterised by internal intimidation and distrust:
COPING WITH THIS DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT


Signs of depression. including the physical symptoms of insomnia, weight loss and
exhaustion which were treated by his doctor.
The psychological changes:
1. Diminished ability to think clearly, the memory lapses and disorientation
noted by some of his senior executives.
2. A sense of helplessness and hopelessness, hinted at in his increasing
pre-occupation and concern that losing control of the company.
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.6
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ACTION TO HELP SAM TO COPE

Need to re-establish allostasis (mental and physical well being). Possible earlier
medical or psychological support could have helped him to contain his depression and
begin to resolve his fragmented view of world

Dominating personality, age and the very fundamental nature of his pathology, may
make the prognosis poor, but not impossible.

Even if any of his colleagues or friends recognised the situation, offers of help to Sam
would have been received with suspicion.

Help could only come from a stress therapist with extensive top level business
experience. . Perhaps counselling by an experienced business professional could
help him to:
1. Perceive alternative new work, which would be more suited to his personal
qualities and character.
2. Take responsibility for and take positive action to care for the stress he created in
his managers
3. Recognise some alternatives to his basic perception of the Meaning of his Life.

With a new PPPP approach perhaps he could have coped with the difficult
environment.
PROBLEMS OF SUCCESSION: GUILT, ANXIETY, GRIEF ETC.

Sam’s successor would face the very demoralised and unsettled work force with a
highly charged emotional atmosphere.

Guilt – close associates would feel partially responsible, having failed to
recognise his distress and therefore would fear in some way to have
contributed to his death. This may be seen as anger, disobedience,
rigidity, others and depression.

Anxiety - will it would happen again. Dramatic concern for everyone’s well-being

Grief - for those who had a long association with Eli, and his business ideals. A
period of mourning may be necessary with agreed limits.
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
Distrustfulness - especially in a suspicious board of directors. Likely to
restrict the power of Eli’s successor and divide the senior positions.

Over-cautiousness – reluctance to take risks to re-establish the business in a safe and
stable position before considering any adventurous venture. Many of Eli’s policies and
strategies will be rejected out of hand. May demoralise the more active and
independent thinking managers who tend to leave the company.
.7 CONCERN WITH STRESS EFFECTS IS COST EFFECTIVE

No legal obligation yet, but the laws on employee health and safety are changing,
/and/ thus it may well become possible for a manager to sue the company for damage
to his mental health. Thus senior managers may have to be concerned.

Perhaps good management creates an obligation to care for the general physical and
mental welfare of all workers and managers in a company, as part of effective team
building and support.

Concern is probably highly cost effective when it helps a company to attract, hire and
retain the best workers and managers.
.8 STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME SUCCESSION DIFFICULTIES.

Reassure executives that their new boss can cope with uncertainty, can discuss
decisions freely, and can carry out agreed strategies.

Establish a counselling network for those people who appear unduly an unsettled by
the affair.

Set up management a review body to re-examine organisation and communication
channels.

Encourage manager initiatives in expressing original thinking and in achieving
solutions to new problems.

Give out information about plans and intentions, so that there is no feeling of secrecy.

Establish clear goals with defined strategies, initially conservative, but gradually
becoming more adventurous as the situation stabilises.

Spend time and money on public relations programmes to clear up the image of the
company as quickly as possible.
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ADVICE FOR STRESS PREVENTION?

Do not take too much personal power. Splitting top positions brings the opportunity for
moderation and reality testing of ideas.

Avoid isolation. Work on relationships with others. Share your ideas. Listen objectively
to suggestions without feeling threatened.

If you cannot fraternise with your subordinates at work, then cultivate relationships
with similar professionals or business colleagues. Participation in executive seminars
might be a way.

If you feel you are unable to relax with people, seek professional help from a
psychotherapist with business background.

Monitor to your own health. Take all of your holidays. If you get over tired you only
make worse mistakes. You may even be surprised by what your subordinates can
cope with him in your absence.

Reality test your expectations. Work on tolerating mistakes. Be vigilant about
compromising your own moral judgement. Remember if you do something illegal or
contrary to your believes, you have to live with that knowledge for the rest day of your
life, and that may be worse than on the true consequences of not doing it.

Be kind to yourself. Respect yourself like another human being. Try taking your own
advice. Don't be afraid to admit you are only human, or the reality may smash your
delusions in he end.

Always keep some alternative job options in hand, which might well fit well your
personality and character.

Take responsibility for the negative stress that you create in your staff and work to
prevent and treat it. You will then cope much much better with your own stress.
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9.10 LEARNING POINTS

Welcome positive stress as it motivates managers and give meaning to life.

Recognise negative stress drivers due to: uncertainty, insecurity and loss of power
and integrity.

Recognise the Type A Manager who may be completely unaware of the negative
stress he carries to others.

Recognise the symptoms of negative stress as: anxiety, insomnia, depression and
loss of concentration.

Recognise the reactions to a stress tragedy which may include: guilt, anxiety, grief,
distrust, caution etc.

We must learn to manage our own stress before we can help others.

Deeper understanding of oneself is essential for stress management.

Stress management solutions must fit the organisational culture.

EAP (Employee Assistance Programs) that concentrate on techniques to cope with
higher stress are failing to deal with the real key issue of stress prevention.

EAP programs need annual external audit for efficiency (doing things right) and
effectiveness (doing the right things).

The opportunity cost of poor stress management is very high.

Management burn-out is an organisational not a medical failure. It is also a personal
failure.

A key defence is taking responsibility for the stress of someone else,

And finally the best defence is having a firm (Viktor Frankl) Meaning to Life … and
three alternative job opportunities … in quiet reserve …
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9.11 LEARNING PATTERNS
.12
OCCUPATIONAL STRESS INDICATORS
EVENTS AROUND YOU:
ORGANISATIONAL FORCES
MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCES
JOB SATISFACTION:
ACHIEVEMENT
PERSONAL VALUES
THE JOB ITSELF
ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN
RELATIONSHIPS
COPING WITH STRES:
SOCIAL SUPPORT GROUPS
TASK STRATEGIES BY PROJECTS
LOGIC WITHOUT EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT
HOME/WORK RELATIONSHIPS
TIME MANAGEMENT
INVOLVEMENT WITH REALITIES
ALLOSTASIS DEPENDING UPON:
MENTAL HEALTH
PHYSICAL HEALTH
INSTRUCTIONS
a. Assemble in CSG
b. Compare the lecture with your CSG flip chart solution.
c. Discuss key points arising and record them in your notebook
d. Reassemble in MG when the bell rings.
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APPENDIX C – SIMPLE GLOSSARY
ABDOMINAL PAIN
May be caused by stress, indigestion, acute infection, ulcers,
carcinoma of the stomach etc.
ACTUAL/IDEAL POSITION
Contrast of values, indicated by the way the manager believes he
would behave under stress, which is different from his actual
performance.
ALEXITHYMIA
The individual’s inability to perceive his or her own affect or anxiety, often
related to violence or stress.
ACUTE ILLNESS
Short term illness which resolves in weeks with treatment. Contrast
with chronic illness which may last for months or years.
.
AGORAPHOBIA
May be caused by stress. Dread of being in or crossing open spaces.
ALCOHOL USE DISORDER
May be caused by stress. Alcohol dependence and abuse resulting
in health impairment, dizziness, pounding heart, sweating, insomnia,
shakes, fits, seizures etc. 14-21 drinks per week is indicative.
ALLOSTASIS
Mental/physical balance. The ability to achieve mental/physcal
stability through change. Re-establishment of physical and mental
balance after abnormal “fight and flight hormone” production.
Normally needs some physical energy expenditure or relaxation to
burn off such unneeded hormones before they do damage.
ANOMIE
Cultural disintegration so that cultural norms and valus have no influence.
ANXIETY DISORDER
May be caused by stress .Worry about many things. May be a generalised
anxiety or more specific panic disorder, agoraphobia or social phobia.
ASSIMILATION
A psychosocial process by which a dominant culture absorbs another.
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AUTOGENIC TRAINING
With visual imagery relax your body by holding a picture in your mind, and
communicating with your body through mental images. With autogenic
training, practice and confidence, and you can literally tell your body to
relax
BODY LANGUAGE
Communication of thoughts and feelings through gestures , body position
and body movements.
BOMBER HARRIS SYNDROME
Erroneous conviction that: “There is only one way to manage”,
regardless of the stress it may cause; and absolutely refusal to
consider any alternatives. Source: Harris was the chief of the RAF
Bomber Command in the second world war. He was convinced that
the only way to break German industry and win the war, was to
destroy the cities. In Dresden 70,000 people died in one night of raids.
Post war research indicates that this city bombing had little effect on
German production; thus Harris was absolutely wrong … but nothing
could convince him that there was any other way … to win the war.
Hence the “Bomber Harris Syndrome”.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
A stress driver due to the uncertainty of redundancy, pay structure,
promotion etc.
.
CARGO THINKING
The expectation that material goods should be forthcoming without any
effort on one’s own part.
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
Break free from the logic trap. Challenge your assumptions. Break
the perceptual, legal and moral rules. Ask foolish questions. See
problems from a child’s point of view, or upside down or the wrong
way around. Adopt an attitude of play and enjoy the exercise. Use
stress as an ally. Take risks. Have something at stake.
CULTURAL BELIEF
An unsubstantiated but widely held belief within a particular culture, which
may be mistaken for a delusion.
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CULTURAL BLINDNESS
The inability to perceive cultural characteristics in others belonging to
different cultures.
CULTURAL LAG
Persistence of a custom or norm beyond its time of functional contribution
to a culture or organisation..
DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
May be caused by stress. Loss of mood, sadness, loss of interest or
pleasure, decreased energy, appetite disturbance, concentration difficulty,
guilt feelings, fear of death or suicide .
DIARRHEA
May be caused by stress Abnormally frequent discharge of fluid fecal
matter from the bowel. Also caused acute infection or chronic disease.
EATING DISORDER
Psychiatric disorder related to eating, which may be related to cultural
Ideals regardless of body image i.e. starving and purging in societies that
value the slim-ness, overeating in societies that value obesity as a sign of
wealth or power.
FATIGUE COMPLAINTS
Caused by stress and many other factors. Lessened capacity for work and
reduced efficiency, accompanied by weariness, sleeplessness and
irritability.
FOLIE A DEUX
Shared delusional ideas between closely associated people.
FRANKL, VIKTOR
Eminent Jewish psychiatrist, who after spending three years in the
camps during World War II, wrote the classic book. “In Search of the
Meaning of Life”. He developed logo-therapy as a new approach to
the treatment of stress.
GENERALIZED ANXIETY
Caused by stress and many other factors Anxiety which cannot be
associated with any specific disease or health problem.
GENETICS
Branch of science that deals with heredity and it’s influence on behaviour.
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GUILT
Feelings of remorse and responsibility for the tragedy of another person.
Associated with organisations where stress has caused a death or suicide.
Often accompanied by depression or rage and a tendency to find
someone else to blame.
HEADACHES
May be a caused by stress, acute or chronic infection.
HORMONES – STRESS
Threatening experiences in the “fight or flight syndrome” stimulate high
levels of fats, glucose and the defensive stress hormones: adrenaline,
ACTH, cortisol etc. Very persistent stimulation of such hormones
damages the heart and other body organs, giving chronic illness.
ILLNESS BEHAVIOUR
Behaviour of a person who feels ill and is seeking social sanction for the
sick role; includes both verbal and non verbal expression of symptoms,
health care seeking, and compliance with healing regimens.
JOB CONTENT
A stress driver-work over-load or under-load, monotony, uncertainty, risk
of job loss etc..
KARAOSHO
A Japanese syndrome in which an individual is presumed to have died of
overwork; most prevalent in YOUNG adults.
KORO
Fear of sexual organs shrinking into the body.
LAUGHTER
Viktor Frankl used laughter to survive negative stress. Despite the
incredible human suffering in the camp environment, he set himself
a target to find every day at least one incident to laugh about.
LIBIDO
Sexual drive. May be diminished or even extinguished by severe stress.
LIFESTYLE CHANGE
Result of a change of personal values on the meaning of life. Difficult for a
Type A manager to stop creating stress for others
LOGO-THERAPY
New approach by Dr. Viktor Frankl for the treatment of stress, with a
philosophy of positive thinking towards the future.
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MEDITATION
Used for stress reduction. Twenty minutes with a passive attitude to let
your thoughts go where they will, as your body eases you into a feeling of
comfort. With practice the basic steps are: sitting in a quiet place, closing
the eyes, breathing deeply, scanning the body to release tension areas,
continual repetition of a one soft word (e.g. um or calm or quiet), breathing
slowly and deeply and letting the mind wander freely.
MID-LIFE CRISIS
Difficulty in adjusting to the biological and social changes that accompany
middle-aged; may be more common in cultures that value youth and
disdain ageing
MOTIVATION
Behaviour resulting from positive stress drivers.. The pressure of positive
stress stimulates motivation, negative stress extinguishes it.
MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME
Deliberate production of false signs and symptoms suggestive of medical
disorders, in order to fool doctors can gain access to medical treatment.
NARCOLEPSY
Sudden uncontrollable disposition to sleep at irregular internvals without
any clear cause.
NAUSEA
Caused by stress or acute infection. A sickness in the stomach causing
an inclination to vomit.
NEGATIVE STRESS
Occurs when demands exist which are beyond the individual‘s capacity for
adjustment, : Positive stress can become negative stress. The demands
are not always too much work, or tasks which are too difficult; a job which
is repetitive and monotonous may be asking too much of the individual to
adjust to the under-stimulation. Negative stress is associated with: fear,
guilt, mistrust, selfishness etc.; it is infectious and it pollutes the emotional
environment.
NEURO-LINGUIST PROGRAMMING
Technique for personal development using a range of auto-hypnotic
psychological tools to change personal attitudes, communication and
behaviour. Uses deep breathing as a very effective way of reducing
personal stress levels.
NORM
And ethical standard of behaviour considered desirable and acceptable
for a culture.
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OBESITY
Caused by stress and many other factors. Fatness. Corpulence generally
caused by over-eating, but is sometimes due to genetic factors.
ORGANISATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE
A stress driver – role conflict, ambiguity, differing expectations etc. Type A
or B management values of the CEO set the stress culture of the
organisation.
ORIENTATION
Identifying oneself and one's associates (orientation to person), and
placing oneself in culturally appropriate space and time (orientation to
place and time).
OTAKU
In Japan, the syndrome in which adolescents spend their lives profoundly
focused on a virtual reality, video games, and music heard through
stereo-phonic headphones, while ignoring social interaction, grooming,
education, and personal maturation.
PANIC DISORDER
May be caused by stress. A +violent unreasoning anxiety and fear.
PARADIGM
A perception of the reality of life. Difficult but not impossible to
change (paradigm shift).
PERSONAL SITUATION
A stress driver - family problems, bereavement, divorce, lack of time for a
balanced relationship etc.
PERSON – ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY PERCNT
A person who has strong identity in two ethnic groups and must
exert considerable energy in coping with functioning in those two
groups.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
A stress driver – noise, temperature extremes, physical and chemical
hazards, ISOLATION etc. which directly produce physiological stress and
indirectly produce anxiety, threat or LACK OF CONTROL etc
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POSITIVE STRESS
Pressure which creates meaning and enthusiasm for life and work. It
involves “fight and flight” hormone production which must be burned off by
some physical activity or relaxation to achieve “allostasis”. Positive stress
is infectious and gives energy, motivation and meaning to life. May be
maintained with; S – singing using music as a source of peace, T –
thinking positively, R – rest both emotionally and physically, E – exercise,
S – seeking good in people and the environment, S – survival. See
responses
PPP PARADIGM
Paradigm of a type B manager which recognises the need
for effective managers with:
Purpose – mission and vision
Passion – enthusiasm to succeed
Principles – to ensure that priorities do not
become confused
Partnerships – team co-operation
PRESSURE.
Stress which stimulates behaviour
PSYCHOMOTOR AGITATION
Disturbance of psychological and motor (movement) factors, which cause
anxiety.
PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION..
Technique for stress reduction by emphasising physical relaxation.
Tense each group of muscles for seven seconds and then relax
them for thirty seconds, beginning with arms, and progressing to
face, neck, throat, chest, abdomen, legs and feet. Very effective with
practice.
QWL
Quality of working life. Key objective of stress promotion, prevention
and reduction for building a healthy organisation..
ROLE
The part played by the individual in society as a result of their
responsibilities and status attached to his or her social position, whether
as a function of birth, personal achievement, or demographic
characteristics (age, sex, marital status).
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ROLE CONFLICT
Incompatibility between two or more of the roles that a person is expected
to perform, or between the individual's role and his or her personality;
often the result of irreconcilable demands or ambiguous role definitions.
ROLE - SICK
A social role in which an individual lays claim to certain social advantages
(e.g. release from work, access to care and treatment) in return for certain
social obligations (e.g. treatment-seeking compliance with healing
recommendations).
SAPIR-WHARF HYPOTHESIS
A hypothesis, advanced by two linguists, that culture shapes language,
and language in turn, influences the way in which people view the world,
perceive relationships and conduct their lives; language accomplishes this
through vocabulary, grammar, syntax and phonetics. Thus a new
language is a new life ….
SECONDARY GAIN
Practical advantages that may be realised by virtue of having some agreed
impairment, such as sickness, disability, job loss etc. thereby gaining time
off, pension, compensation payments etc.
SELF TALK
Very effective auto-hypnosis technique. Uses frequent repetition
of phrases and ideas, which influence the sub-conscious mind to
stimulate new instinctive attitudes and behaviour patterns.
SEIZURES
Attack of morbid sensations such as vertigo, palpitations, and temporary
disturbance of consciousness with or without uncontrollable muscle
movements.
SHAKES
Trembling and lack of control of arms and legs, associated with alcohol
problems.
SHORTNESS OF BREATH
Symptom of stress, anxiety, cardiac arrest and many acute and chronic
illnesses.
SLEEP APNEA
Stress symptom. Cessation of breathing during sleep, leading to anxiety
on awakening.
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SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
A stress driver - personal disagreements,
overcrowding, anxiety, LACK OF CONTROL etc.
conflicts
of
interest
SOCIAL PHOBIA
Morbid dread or fear of social interaction
SOCIAL SUPPORT
Advocacy, emotional reassurance, and other resources that members of
his or her social network bring to the individual.
SOCIAL NETWORK
Those persons with whom an individual has regular contact, reciprocal
relationships, and close emotional ties.
SOCIAL DRINKING
Alcohol drinking in a group at a social event or ceremony, often in amounts
prescribed by the culture; social drinking is not necessarily synonymous
with moderate drinking.
SOMATIC COMPLAINTS
Sleeping problems. A stress indicator.
STATUS
A designated position in a system of culturally structured social
relationships
STATUS ACHIEVED
Status that depends on the individual's own skills, knowledge, efforts, and
achievement.
STATUS ASCRIBED
The social status of the individual that depends on the status of the class,
caste, or subculture into which he or she was born, rather than on his or her
own efforts; characteristic of traditional societies with little or no
socioeconomic mobility, in which family affiliation serves as the basis for
occupation, employment, residence, marriage, wealth, and other important
aspects of life.
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STRESS
See positive stress and negative stress. Stress is elusive - you can't see
it, you can't touch it; it affects some people, not others; it is so often
denied. Some people react negatively others positively. It is addictive and
there are carriers! Old senior managers regard stress damage to
managers as a indication of personal weakness with no claim to damages!
Stress is a difficult concept to define and measure because it is largely
dependent on individual perception of ability to take and absorb risk!
Stress depends upon the relationship between the individual and his/her
environment.
An simple approach for managing negative stress: S - singing (use music
to achieve emotional balance), T – think positively, R – rest, E – exercise,
S – seek the good in everything and everybody, and S – survive with the
universal LLLL paradigm: L – living, L – loving, L – learning and L legacy.
STRESS - ACCULTURATIVE
Stress during the process of individual or group acculturation, which may
be due to factors in the acculturating group of (e.g. difficulty in modifying
their cultural identity) or in the other group (e.g. opposition to integration of
the acculturating group).
STRESS - DRIVERS
Causes of stress. The manager can stress drivers both himself, and for his
staff, by examining the workplace by different aspects: physical conditions,
job content, organisational structure & culture, social environment, career
development etc.
Positive stress drivers are often: power, prestige, promotion and money
(as a symbol of achievement – not to spend!), are the key positive stress
drivers in business today.
Negative stress drivers in business are often: job insecurity, isolation and
loss of control etc.
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STRESS RESPONSES – BEHAVIOURAL
Increases in: smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, changes is sleeping or
eating patterns, marital and sexual problems and poor relationships with
other workers. Short term absenteeism, poor time keeping, increase in
accidents or near accidents, increased after an over or high level of
complaints about trivial matters.
STRESS RESPONSES – HEALTH OUTCOMES
Health outcomes – short-term acute infections and long-term chronic
hypertension, cardiac, gastro-intestinal problems, cancer etc
STRESS REPONSES – PHYSIOLOGICAL
Changes in heart and blood pressure; biochemical changes in the levels of
cholesterol, glucose and stress hormones, in the blood and urine.
STRESS REPONSES – PSYCHOLOGICAL
Loss of sleep, depression, inability to switch off or relax, irrational
behaviour and attacks of anxiety which cannot be linked to a particular
source. Alternatively some individuals may become withdrawn, left out or
indecisive, showing a general reluctance to become involved in work
activities.
STRESS SYMPTOMS
Stress symptoms include four types of responses:
physiological and psychological and health outcomes.
behavioural,
TAIJIN-KYOFU-SHOU
A Japanese syndrome associated with fear of losing the goodwill of
others because of all one's imagined deplorable shortcomings; symptoms
include social fears, tremulousness, self- consciousness, and a sense of a
physical defect or deformity in one's self-.
TENSENESS
Restricted muscle movement from anxiety.
TIME OUT
Culturally sanctioned time was when individuals are temporarily relieved
of their social roles, obligations, responsibilities years, and/or constraints
(e.g., carnival, New Y/ear's celebrations, Xmas etc.).
TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS
A useful way to analyse interactions between organisational members.
Recognises the parent, adult and child ego states and how they interact
with each “communication transaction” which may cause stress.
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TYPE A BEHAVIOUR
The pattern of behaviour characterised by anger, impatience, irritation,
aggravation, a sense of urgency, competitiveness, easily aroused
hostility /and aggressivity, facial tension, and/or muscular set; describing
in association with specific cardio-vascular disorders, it made me more
prone ins certain cultures. See Bomber Harris syndrome.
TYPE A PERSONALITY
Personality characterised by a consistent pattern of Type A behaviour.
TREMBLING
Symptom of stress from anxiety and many causes.
ULCERS
A surface lesion with loss of tissue. Stomach ulcers associated with
stress.
VALUE
That which is esteemed, prized or deemed worthwhile and desirable by
an individual or a culture.
VOMITING
Nausea
WORK-AHOLISM
Excessive commitment to work, over-valuation and over-reliance on the
workplace as an exclusive source of identity and support, so the time and
commitment to non-work entities (e.g. family, community, vacations) are
neglected.
ZOOPSIA
A form of hallucinations in which the sufferer sees animals in the office …
could it be due to negative stress … or alcohol abuse …?
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QUIZ
Choose the most correct answer a, or b or c, or d.
1.
Positive stress is closely associated with:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Energy
Motivation
All of these
Meaning of life
2.
The key to coping with difficult environments is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Age & experience
Exercise
Allostasis
Relaxation
3.
Stress is always:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Rewarding
Fun
Healthy
Infectious
4.
The major cause of negative stress in business is usually:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Uncertainty
Budgets
Sexual
Money
5.
Early diagnosis of negative stress can best be made by a:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Doctor
Manager
Psychiatrist
Woman
6.
Stress, which motivates a manager, is usually:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Positive and negative
Negative
Positive
Miserable
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7.
The common symptom of negative stress are:
a.
b.
c.
d.
8.
The key motivations in a healthy organisation come from:
a.
b.
c.
d.
9.
Anxiety
Insomnia
Acute infection
All of the above
Cost drivers
Positive stress drivers
Sex drivers
Good bus drivers
The key negative stress driver in business is usually:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Fear of job loss
Age
CEO’s wife
Meeting the budget
10. The CEO who creates negative stress is usually:
a.
b.
c.
d.
11.
Seeing no alternative for success
Aware and enjoying it
Not wanting to know
Unaware
Research indicates that the major positive and negative stress in
business is usually on:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Sales managers
Workers
Accountants
Female managers
12. Older managers often create negative stress because of:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Experience
The "Bomber Harris Syndrome"
Error
Myopia
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13. "I am pleased with your business success, but must tell you that you
have become one of the most boring men I know". This is a quote from:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Mrs. Charles Handy
Viktor Frankl
Mrs Clinton
Dr Bob Boland
14.
The most critical learning point on negative stress and survival, from
the Viktor Frankl book is the:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Meaning of life
Soup from the bottom of the pot
Physical health
Freedom to perceive y situation differently
15. Acute infections, insomnia (sleep problems) and anxiety indicate:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Acute stress
Poor health
ETOH (alcohol) problems
Chronic stress
16. When the manager experiences symptoms of: low mood, sadness, loss
of interest or pleasure, fatigue, sleep and appetite disturbance,
concentration difficulty, guilt, loss of libido, this is indicative of :
a.
b.
c.
d.
Anxiety
Depression
Chronic tiredness
Unexplained somatic complaints
17. When a manager, under extreme business stress, has a heart attack or
even commits suicide, his senior manager is partly responsible.
a.
b.
c.
d.
18.
a.
b.
c.
d.
No, this is a family problem
No, this is a medical problem
True
Not if done during vacation time
When the manager experiences symptoms of: feeling tense, worrying
about such a lot of things, sudden fears, sweating, or numbness, this is
indicative of :
Depression
Anxiety
Chronic tiredness
Unexplained somatic complaints
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19.
Every manager has some degree of responsibility for the health and
safety of his staff.
a.
b.
c.
d.
20.
a.
b.
c.
d.
No, not in my company
No, not in business
True
No, that is women's work
The manager bought a Mercedes, which went so well that he did no
maintenance checks at 2000, 10,000 or 50,000 km. At 51,000 km it
exploded. For stress management this story is:
Irrelevant
Indirectly comparable
Not very cool
Directly comparable
21. Sexual harassment in business has become a major concern of senior
management, because of:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Legislative penalties
Mr. Clinton’s new dog
Old fashioned norms
Moral issues
22. The opportunity cost of failure in stress management are:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Minimal
Potentially very high
Not relevant
Impossible to compute
23. Negative stress is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Contagious
Always present with positive stress
Essentially a personal matter
Always necessary
24. Generation of negative stress is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Never deliberate
Deliberate
Groovy
Often not fed back to senior managers
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25. The colour which stimulates the highest emotional reaction is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
26.
a.
b.
c.
d.
27.
a.
b.
c.
d.
28.
a.
b.
c.
d.
29.
a.
b.
c.
d.
30.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Blue
Green
Yellow
Red
The best defence against negative stress is usually:
Discussion with a good CEO
Oriental massage
Relaxation and autogenic training
Having personal alternatives available
Recent research on negative stress, has revealed that prevention is:
Possible
Not usually necessary
Not really practical in business
Difficult
Negative stress in business may be caused by:
Intensive activity
Success
All of these
Boredom
Negative stress in relationships comes mainly from:
Communication difficulties
Differing objectives
Romantic aspirations
Differing time schedules
Excess negative stress can promote outstanding performance in:
Nobody
Everybody
Most people
A small minority
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31.
a.
b.
c.
d.
32.
a.
b.
c.
d.
33.
a.
b.
c.
d.
34.
a.
b.
c.
d.
35.
a.
b.
c.
d.
When negative stress promotes aggression, then the manager‘s
role is to be a:
Policeman
Sponge
Judge
Negotiator
Continually aggressive managers always produce:
Excellent results
Negative stress
Burn-outs
Highly effective managers
The most critical feature in managing one’s own stress, is:
Family life
Diagnosing the stress drivers
Understanding the CEO
Understanding oneself
In an organisation, effective stress management needs:
Better doctors
Monitoring of stress levels
Better drugs (Prozak)
Rest rooms with relaxation facilities
The key to the prevention of negative organisational stress is usually:
Training available
Prozak in the coffee breaks
The CEO’s value system
Exercise
36. When the manager experiences symptoms of: feeling tired all the time,
easily tired doing every day tasks, without physical pains or low mood,
this is indicative of :
a.
b.
c.
d.
Chronic tiredness
Anxiety
Depression
Unexplained somatic complaints
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37. Negative stress can arise from too much or too little work.
a.
b.
c.
d.
38.
Exercise for negative stress, is mainly designed to:
a.
b.
c.
d.
39.
Become really efficient
Make greater efforts
Cheat
Die young
Acute negative stress may best be treated with:
a.
b.
c.
d.
41.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Improve the manager muscle tone, so that they feel younger
Burn off cortisol and other hormones
Improve libido
Use the sports facilities to capacity
Negative stress from tough budgets helps managers to learn how to:
a.
b.
c.
d.
40.
Always true
Sometimes true
False
Only on weekends
Counselling
Exercise
Relaxation
All of the above
New laws to allow managers to claim for stress related damage:
Are not relevant to business
Would motivate higher CEO concern
Would be ignored by management
Are unenforceable
42.
The “Bomber Harris Syndrome” relates to management which is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Cool
Refusing to see alternatives
Enthusiastic
Dynamic
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43.
Positive stress is best promoted by:
a.
b.
c.
d.
All of the these
Inspiring leadership
Job rotation
Reward and recognition
44.
a.
b.
c.
d.
The key value of positive stress, is that it helps to create:
Meaning to life
Enthusiasm
Action
Exhaustion
45. Effective managers mainly need:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Purpose
All of the these
Passion
Principles and partnerships
46. When the manager experiences symptoms of: difficulty falling asleep,
early morning awakening, un-refreshing sleep etc. without conscious
anxiety or low mood, this is indicative of:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Anxiety
Alcohol use disorders
Chronic tiredness
Sleep problems
47. In the army, the responsibility for the negative stress of a junior officer
is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Himself
His commanding officer
His wife
The other woman
48. Healthy business organisations requires:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Positive and negative stress
Prozak
Positive stress
No stress
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49.
Recent research indicates that best forecast of old age is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
General health
Giving up jogging
Smoking
Work satisfaction
50.
a.
b.
c.
d.
In 1999, the best treatment for negative stress is:
Prozak every day
Prevention
Exercise
Radiation
Extra questions (you decide the answers):
1.
a.
True
b.
c.
e.
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
3.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Like AIDS, negative stress can be passed on to others.
Yes, but not consciously
Not comparable
Irrelevant to effective management
When a manager experiences symptoms of unusual aches, pains,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, shortness of breath, chest pain,
headaches,
without conscious feelings of anxiety or worry, this is indicative of :
Anxiety
Alcohol use disorders
Unexplained somatic complaints
Sexual frustration
Negative stress is closely associated with:
All of these
Fear
Guilt
Emotional pollution
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OUR ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ
Note:
1
2
3
4
5
C
A
D
A
B
26
27
28
29
30
D
AorD
C
A
D
6
7
8
9
10
C
D
B
A
A
31
32
33
34
35
B
C
D
B
C
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
D
B
A
D
A
B
C
B
C
D
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
A
A
B
C
D
B
B
A
B
C
21
22
23
24
25
B
A
B
A
D
46
47
48
49
50
D
B
C
D
B
One of these answers may be wrong ... you can decide which
one it is ... if the whole SG agrees …
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APPENDIX C – FUTURE STUDY
Man’s Search for Meaning –
Viktor Frankl (Simon & Schuster)
Beyond Certainty: A Personal Odyssey –
Charles Handy (HBSP)
www.nvc-resolutions.co.uk/aboutnvc.htm
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