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Name

Hemal Patel
Subject

Executive Stress Study

Submitted To

Dr. D. M. Pestonjee
Date

19 November 2012

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1. Introduction
Stress can hit anyone at any level of the business and recent research shows that work related stress is widespread and is not confined to particular sectors, jobs or industries. HSE's formal definition of work related stress is: "The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work." Stress is not an illness it is a state. However, if stress becomes too excessive and prolonged, mental and physical illness may develop. Well-designed, organised and managed work is generally good for us but when insufficient attention to job design, work organisation and management has taken place, it can result in Work related stress. Work related stress develops because a person is unable to cope with the demands being placed on them. Stress, including work related stress, can be a significant cause of illness and is known to be linked with high levels of sickness absence, staff turnover and other issues such as more errors. There is a difference between pressure and stress. Pressure can be positive and a motivating factor, and is often essential in a job. It can help us achieve our goals and perform better. Stress occurs when this pressure becomes excessive. Stress is a natural reaction to too much pressure. a. Nature of executive stress

The experience of stress occurs when the demands and pressures which an individual encounters are not matched by that individuals ability to cope with those demands and pressures. It is also more likely to arise when an individual has insufficient control over events and inadequate support in coping with them. So stress cannot simply be equated with high demands and pressure, although it is often used in this way in everyday language. A certain amount of demand and pressure can be good for performance and may be necessary to keep employees active and motivated. However, when these demands and pressures are inadequately

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managed and become excessive they can then lead to the experience of stress, which is not beneficial. (Thompson) b. Relevance of studying stress Research commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive has indicated that:

about half a million people in the UK experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill up to 5 million people in the UK feel very or extremely stressed by their work stress-related illness is responsible for the loss of 6.5 million working days each year

costs society about 3.7 billion every year (at 1995/6 prices) (Cartwright, 2002)

In 2001, the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) provided funds to the University of Plymouth for a three-year nationwide study of occupational stress in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The primary aim of this study was to provide stress benchmarks for Higher Education, to enable comparisons with other professions and intra-sector comparisons with cognate HEIs (i.e. old versus new universities) (Tytherleigh). The main causes of stress identified in all HEI's were:

long hours job security, particularly in relation to terms of employment and stress levels work relationships resources and communications

So, the study of stress can help a person cope the stress, control and reduce the stress. Thats why it is important for the person to study stress and convey a message.

2. Psychometric Instruments
a. O.R.S (Pareek, 2011) The modem world, which is said to be a world of achievements, is also a world of stress. One finds stress everywhere, whether it be a family, a business organisation/ enterprise or any other social or economic organization. The extent

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of stress is, however, a matter of degree. Some organizations are more harmonious whereas others have greater friction and tension.

Role Space: Each individual occupies and plays several roles. A person 'X' is a son, a father, an executive, a member of a club and so on. Al these roles constitute role space. In the centre of the role space is the self. Role space, thus, can be defined as "the dynamic interrelationship both between the self and the various roles an individual occupies, and amongst these roles." Role Set: The individual's role in the organization is defined by the expectations of other significant roles, and those of the individual himself/herself. The role set is "the pattern of relationship between the role being considered and other roles. Pareek (1983) pioneered work on the role stress by identifying as many as ten different types of organisational role stresses. They are described here briefly. Inter-Role Distance (IRD): It is experienced when there is a conflict between organisational and non-organizational roles. For example, the role of an executive versus the role of a husband / wife Role Stagnation (RS): This kind of stress is the result of the gap between the demand to outgrow a previous role and to occupy a new role effectively. It is the feeling of being stuck in the same role. Such a type of stress results in perception that there is no opportunity for one's career progression. Role Expectation Conflict (REC): This type of stress is generated by different expectations by different significant persons about the same' role; and the role occupant's ambivalence as to whom to please. 4 Role Erosion (RE): This kind of role stress is the function of the role. Occupants feeling that some functions which should properly belong to his / her role are transferred to / or performed by some other role. This can also happen when the functions are performed by the role occupant but the credit for them goes to someone else. Another manifestation is in the form of underutilisation in the role. 5. Role Overload (RO): When the role occupant feels that there are too many expectations from the significant roles in his/her role set, he/she experiences role

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overload. There are two aspects of this stress: quantitative and qualitative. The former refers to having too much to do, while latter refers to things being too difficult and the accountability in the role. 6. Role Isolation (RI): This type of role stress refers to the psychological distance between the occupant's role and other roles in the same role set. It is also defined as role distance which is different from inter-role distance (IRD), in the sense that while IRD refers to the distance among various occupied by the same individual, role isolation (RI) is characterized by the feelings that others do not reach out easily, indicative of the absence of strong linkages of one's role with other roles. This can be geographic or systematic. 7. Personal Inadequacy (PI): This type of stress arises when the role occupant feels that he/she does not have the necessary skills and training for effectively performing the functions expected from his/her role. This is bound to happen when the organizations do not impart periodic training to enable the employees to cope with the fast changes both within and outside the organization. 8. Self-Role Distance (SRD): When the role a person occupies goes against his/her self-concept, then he/she feels self-role distance type of stress. This is essentially a conflict arising out of mismatch between the person and his/her job. 9. Role Ambiguity (RA): It refers to the lack of clarity about the expectations of the role which may arise out of lack of information or understanding. It may exist in relation to activities, responsibilities, personal styles, and norms and may operate at three stages: When the role sender holds his expectations about the role, when he/she sends it, and when the occupant receives those expectations. 10. Resource Inadequacy (RIN): This type of stress is evident when the role occupant feels that he/she is not provided with adequate resources for performing the functions expected from his/her role.

b. Role Efficacy The performance of a person working in an organization depends on his own potential effectiveness, technical competence, managerial experience as well as the design of the role that he performs in the organization. It is the integration of

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the two that ensures a persons effectiveness in the organization. Unless a person has the requisite knowledge, technical competence and the skills required for the role, he cannot be effective. If the role does not allow the person to use his competence, and if he constantly feels frustrated in the role, his effectiveness is likely to be low. The integration of a person and the role comes about when the role is able to fulfil the needs of the individual, and when the individual in turn is able to contribute to the evolution of the role. The more we move from role taking to role making, the more the role is likely to be effective. Effectiveness of a person in a role in an organization will depend on his own potential effectiveness the potential effectiveness of the role, and the organizational climate. Role efficacy would mean potential effectiveness of an individual occupying a particular role in an organization. Role efficacy is the potential effectiveness of a role. Role Efficacy Scale is a structured instrument consisting of 20 triads of statement in each triad which describes his role most accurately. A respondent marks one statement in each triad which describes his role most accurately. These three alternatives are pre-weighted. There are two statements for each dimension of role efficacy and the scoring pattern is as followed: Each aspect can be given one of the three scores: +2, +1, or -1. After trying out various ways of scoring, this was the method decided upon: give a score of 2 on each aspect, if that particular aspect is present; score of 1 when that aspect is present to some extent; -1 if the negative side of the aspect is shown. (Abey)

c. Depression Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can have a negative effect on a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings, world view and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, worried, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, hurt or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating,

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have problems concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions and may contemplate or attempt suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of energy, or aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may also be present. (Sadock, 2003) Depressed mood is not necessarily a psychiatric disorder. It is a normal reaction to certain life events, a symptom of some medical conditions and a side effect of some medical treatments. Depressed mood is also a primary or associated feature of certain psychiatric syndromes such as clinical depression.

d. Anxiety Anxiety (also called angst or worry) is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. It is the displeasing feeling of fear and concern. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness, and dread. However, anxiety should not be confused with fear, it is more of a dreaded feeling about something which appears intimidating and can overcome an individual. Anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to a stressor. It may help an individual to deal with a demanding situation by prompting them to cope with it. However, when anxiety becomes overwhelming, it may fall under the classification of an anxiety disorder. People often experience a general state of worry or fear before confronting something challenging such as a test, examination, recital, or interview. These feelings are easily justified and considered normal. Anxiety is considered a problem when symptoms interfere with a person's ability to sleep or otherwise function. Generally speaking, anxiety occurs when a reaction is out of proportion with what might be normally expected in a situation. (Today)

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3. Interpretation of Results
Here are the results of a sample of 5 people: Rishabh Pandey IRD RS REC RE RO RI PI SRD RA RIN Result 5 2 2 3 2 4 4 3 3 3 12 7 2 0 11 6 4 4 1 8 Garvit Singh Bhavik Mistry 7 3 5 9 5 6 7 5 2 7 Kalpit Shah 0 7 5 13 3 7 2 5 4 8 7 5 4 7 1 4 8 7 4 2 Pooja Shah

There is an He is having He is having a He is having The level of issue of Inter stress due to moderate a problem of stress is low

role distance. many issues level of stress role erosion but person is But still at like IRD, RO but having a and very level. low and Role having issue in Personal inadequacy.

RIN. high level in inadequacy.

Other are at Role Erosion. low level.

Type

of B

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Behaviour Role Efficacy Scale:

Respondent Name Rishabh Pandey

Role Efficacy Index 83.33%

Interpretation A very high level of role efficacy. He thinks of his role very effective and a influential role in organisation.

Garvit Singh

43.33%

A very low level of role efficacy. He thinks of his role not effective in the organisation and is not happy.

Bhavik Mistry

76.66%

A moderately high level of role efficacy. He thinks of his role somewhat effective in the organisation and morally he is happy.

Kalpit Shah

45%

A low level of role efficacy. He has some high expectation and thats why he does not think of his role very effective in the organisation

Pooja Shah

78.33%

She has moderately high level of role efficacy and she is happy in what she is doing and the effectiveness of her role.

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Depression: Respondent Name Rishabh Pandey Result total 22 Interpretation The person has very low level of depression or we can say is not suffering from depression. Garvit Singh 26 The person has very low level of depression, but some issues can cause the depression. Bhavik Mistry 37 The person is suffering from some depression, but still there are many issues which can lead to high level. Suggest him to solve the issues Kalpit Shah 35 The person is suffering from low level of depression, and there are some issues which are to be solved. Pooja Shah 46 The person is suffering from moderately high level of depression and there are many issues which are going to lead to very high level.

Anxiety: Respondent Name Rishabh Pandey Result total 24 Interpretation The anxiety level is low and person has no fear or worry Garvit Singh 21 The anxiety level is very low or near to nothing. So the person is feeling good and has no worry. Bhavik Mistry 41 The anxiety level is at moderate level. He needs to confront issues and need to remove the fear out.

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Kalpit Shah

29

The person is suffering from very low level of anxiety. He needs to see to some of the issues and solve it.

Pooja Shah

32

The person is suffering from low level of anxiety. She needs to confront some of the problem and issues to get away from further anxiety.

Self-Analysis- I (Present Feeling) Respondent Name Rishabh Pandey Result Total 17 Interpretation The person presently felt no such problem of stress, burnout or frustration. So he is almost normal. Garvit Singh 16 The person is not feeling any problem of frustration or burnout. Bhavik Mistry 38 The person is feeling and having some serious problems of burnout. With a very high level. Consultation and social support is needed. Kalpit Shah 19 The person is almost normal, just some of the feeling may become an issue in future if not solved. Pooja Shah 15 The person is normal and has no feeling or problem of frustration or burnout.

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Self-Analysis- II (General Feeling) Respondent Name Rishabh Pandey Result Total 27 Interpretation The person is feeling some moderate level of burnout generally. And need to have to fix some of the issues. Garvit Singh 29 The person is feeling some moderate level of burnout and frustration and need to consult some issues with relatives and friends to solve it. Bhavik Mistry 36 The person is having above moderate level of burnout generally and need to have a high social support. Kalpit Shah 25 The person are having a below moderate level of burnout but, still some issues might cause problem in the future. Pooja Shah 23 The person is having a low level of burnout. And need to fix the few issues.

4. Suggestion and Conclusions

There are some suggestions and conclusions. I have found that there are people who presently do not feel any burnout or stress, but generally have a problem of burnout or stress, though at a moderately low level, but still there is some present. Suggestion are the person with some experience are actually having some high level of stress, depression and anxiety, need to have some high social support, related to the person having a low experience. I would suggest that they should be involved in social activities and meditation exercises to relax them from such problems.

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My conclusion would be after studying that there is always some level of frustration, stress and burnout, which can be due to depression and anxiety. So to remove self from this kind of situation, a person must get involved with the colleagues and friends, and should not be left alone, which can help them in coping this kind of stress and burnout.

Works Cited
Abey, F. (n.d.). Role Efficacy: Meaning. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from MBAKnol: http://www.mbaknol.com/human-resource-management/role-efficacy-meaningaspects-andmeasurement/ Cartwright, S. a. (2002). ASSET: An Organisational Stress Screening Tool The Management Guide. Manchester, RCL Ltd. Pareek, U. (2011). Understanding Organizational Behaviour. Oxford. Sadock, K. &. (2003). Synopsis Of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Thompson, L. (n.d.). How can we manage work related stress. Today, M. N. (n.d.). what is anxiety. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from MNT: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/ Tytherleigh, M. W. (n.d.). Occupational stress in UK Higher Education Institutions: a comparative study of all staff categories (Vol. 24:1). Higher Education Research & Development.