Imran Research

RESEARCH REPORT “INTERPERSONAL CONFILCT BETWEEN SUPERVISIOR AND EMPLOYEE CREATES A JOB STRESS” (2009) Master of Business Administration Program

Sadia Fatima Muhammad Rashad Nawaz Ghulam Shabbir Imran Ullah

(03-Arid-459) (07 arid 525) (07-Arid-547) (07-Arid-514)

Specialization: Human Resource Management University Institute of Management Sciences University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi

Company Name: PTCL OCC Main Telephone No : 051-4846250 Fax No: 051-4846254 Postal Address: PTCL OCC Satellite town Exchange Rawalpindi

Evaluation

Sadia Fatima Muhammad Rashad Nawaz Ghulam Shabbir Imran Ullah

Research Report Submitted for the Final Evaluation in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Mas ter s in B us ine ss A dmi ni str ation It is certified that, the Research Report and the work contained in it conforms to all the standards set by the Institute for the evaluation of any such work. 1. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Mr. Shuja Ilyas

University Institute of Management Sciences University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi (2009)

DEDICATION To Our parents and friends In recognition of their worth An apology A feeling bears on itself the scars of its birth; it recollects as a Subjective Emotion its struggle for existence; it retains the impress of what might have been, but is not. To Our Teachers, all colleagues and manger OCC Mr.Ahmer Khan whose coordination and support always pave the way to success for us.

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and believe in yourself, vision, hardwork, determination and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All the praise for Allah, the most merciful and beneficial, who blessed us with the knowledge, gave us the courage and allowed us to accomplish this task. We are especially indebted to all teachers, for instilling in us enough knowledge to be able to carrying ourselves efficiently for doing this job. We learned a lot while doing this research and this will certainly help us in our forth coming life. It was a very first step in our life which provided us much knowledge and relevant experience in the field of HR and it is very helpful step in our forth coming lives. Secondly we are bound to thank to all staff at PTCL. In particular we great full to Mr.Ahmer Sajjad Khan, his inspiring guidance, remarkable suggestions, constant encouragement, keen interest, constructive criticism and friendly discussion, helped us to learn and enabled us to complete this report efficiently.

INTRODUCTION Title/Topic: Interpersonal conflict between supervisor and employee creates a job stress. Problem statement: Does interpersonal conflict create stress among supervisor and employees? Hypothesis: ♦ There is a positive relationship between interpersonal conflict among supervisor/leader and employee and job stress. ♦ Interpersonal conflict among supervisor and employ causes stress.

Operational definition of the variables: Interpersonal conflict: By defining interpersonal conflict we have explain it is an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals. Job stress: By defining job stress, in general I mean the stressors involved are work-related which comes through interpersonal conflict among 2 parties, the supervisor and the employees. Dependent and independent variables: In our study we define interpersonal conflict as independent variable, because it is the factor which is causing stress. On the other hand stress is due to interpersonal conflict, it depends on

conflict if there is conflict then there is stress. That if the level of conflict is increases then the level of the stress also increases.

Study type: It is quantitative study in order to take larger picture of the situation, to generalize the results and take true statistics whether the hypothesis is true or not.

Locale and Sample: For the locale we have chosen an organization PTCL (Pakistan telecommunication limited). The sample of the present study is Outbound Contact center, the department of PTCL. For this purpose supervisor of the department and 75 employees are selected as a sample

Data collection method: For this purpose we will use: 1. Job Stress Questionnaire

Procedures: The present study is concerned with interpersonal conflict between employ and supervisor and job stress as a result of that conflict. The procedure would carry out as follow: the locale of the research has been chosen for the study which is Pakistan telecommunication limited. The purpose of the study would be told to the supervisor, for this reference letter would be use in order to get permission to conduct research. After getting permission we visited and timings were decided. The outbound call center has been chosen as a sample of the study. 50 employees will be chosen to conduct the survey. For this purpose Job Stress Questionnaire, shorter version of job stress scale, Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire (short form) was used. After getting essential and complete information the results are deduced, which leads to conclusion of the study and which further told if the study is accepting the hypothesis or not.

1. Organization 1.1 What is Organization When two or more people get together and agree to coordinate their activities in order to achieve their common goals, an organization has been born. There is really no doubt about the present meaning of organization. Its purpose is to create an arrangement of positions and responsibilities through and by means of which an enterprise can carry out its work. An academic textbook definition of organization can be formulated as follows: A. The responsibilities by means of which the activities of the enterprise are dispersed among the (managerial, supervisory, and specialist) personnel employed in its service; B. The formal interrelations established among the personnel by virtue of such responsibilities.

Stinchcombe says in his book Handbook of Organizations, organization is defined as "A set of social relations deliberately created, with the explicit intention of continuously accomplishing some specific goals or purposes”. A system of structural interpersonal relations. Individuals are differentiated in terms of authority, status, and role with the result that personal interaction is prescribed... Anticipated reactions tend to occur, while ambiguity and spontaneity are decreased (R.V. Presthus) 1.2 Organization in sociology

In sociology "organization" is understood as planned, coordinated and purposeful action of human beings to construct or compile a common tangible or intangible product. This action is usually framed by formal membership and form (institutional rules). Sociology distinguishes the term organization into planned formal and unplanned informal (i.e. spontaneously formed) organizations. Sociology analyzes organizations in the first line from an institutional perspective. In this sense, organization is a permanent arrangement of elements. These elements and their actions are determined by rules so that a certain task can be fulfilled through a system of coordinated division of labor. Basically an organization is an entity or a social arrangement which is aimed to achieve some goals and objectives. The existence of an organization totally depends on the goals and the objectives on the basis of which, it came in to being. Organizations can be for-profit or nonprofit organizations and they have their own environments where people are responsible to achieve the mission of the organization. Someone has greatly said about it, that an organization makes the ordinary people to do some extraordinary things, that is why it exists. Most of the organizations tend to change over the period of time because those which do not change cannot survive in the demanding world of globalization. It is the rule for the goingconcern of organizations to keep bringing some change and innovations for the customers. There are various ways through which they can change over time like through expansion, diversification, and product or brand extension etc. For example, United Nation Organization started to bring social reforms in the world and today it is the most diversified organization in the world.

2. Organizational structure Organizational Structure OS is the framework that defines reporting relationships between different positions within the organization. Organizational structure determines the manner and extent to which roles, power, and responsibilities are passing on, controlled, and coordinated, and how information flows between levels of management. This structure depends entirely on the organization's objectives and the strategy chosen to achieve them.

2.1 Structural dimensions of an organization 2.1.1 Centralization It is a structure in which functions are separated in the organization, either in terms of integration with other functions or geographically. In this structure, the decision making power is concentrated in the top layer of the management and strong control is exercised over departments and divisions. 2.1.2 Decentralization In decentralized structure, the decision making power is distributed and the departments and divisions have varying degrees of autonomy. An organization chart illustrates the organizational structure;

3. Contextual Dimensions of an organization 3.1 Culture The values and beliefs shared by all (note that culture is often discerned by examining norms or observable behaviors in the workplace) 3.2 Environment The nature of external influences and activities in the political, technical, social and economic arenas 3.3 Goals Unique overall priorities and desired end-states of the organization 3.4 Size Number of people and resources and their span in the organization 3.5Technology The often unique activities needed to reach organizational goals, including nature of activities, specialization, type of equipment/facilities needed, etc.

4. Types of Organization Structure Organizational structure formally determines the hierarchy within an organization. In other words, who reports to whom? Types of organizational structure include: Functional structure, Divisional structure. Divisional structure is further broken down into three subtypes: product structure, market structure, and geographic structure, Matrix structure. 4.1 Functional Structure The functional structure group employees together based upon the functions of specific jobs within that organization. Functional structure is also called Traditional organization structure, based on the sub-division of disciplines into separate departments together with vertical

hierarchy. For e.g. a person who used to work for a division of an internet service provider (ISP). The organizational structure at that division was functional. The organizational chart was as follows: Vice president Sales Department (sales function) Customer Service Department (customer service function) Engineering Department (engineering function) Accounting Department (accounting function) Administration Department (administration function) 4.2DivisionalStructure Split into self-contained units, able to react to environmental changes as quickly as small companies, they are also described as multidivisional or 'M-form' organizations. The divisional structure is broken down into three areas: product, market, and geographic. 4.2.1 Product Structure Product structure groups employees together based upon specific products produced by the company. An example of this would be a company that produces three distinct products, "product a", "product b", and "product c". This company would have a separate division for each product.

4.2.2 Market Structure Market structure groups employees together based upon specific markets in which the company sells. When I worked at the ISP, we also used a form of market structure. We sold internet access to individual consumers and business customers. So the sales and customer

service departments were organized using market structure. Consumer sales and consumer customer service worked together, and corporate sales and corporate customer service worked together. Geographic structure groups employees together based upon specific geographic location. This is often used by large companies that operate in many areas throughout the United States or in both the U.S. and overseas. 4.3 Matrix Structure Matrix structure groups employees by both function and product. This structure can combine the best of both separate structures. An example would be a company that produces two products, "product a" and "product b". Using the matrix structure, this company would organize functions within the company as follows: "product a" sales department, "product a" customer service department, "product a" accounting, "product b" sales department, "product b" customer service department, "product b" accounting department. Matrix structure is the most complex of the different organizational structures.

ORGANIZATION UNDER STUDY

4. COMPANY BACKGROUND From the humble beginnings of Posts & Telegraph Department in 1947 and establishment of Pakistan Telephone & Telegraph Department in 1982, PTCL has been a major player in telecommunication in Pakistan. Despite having established a network of enormous size, PTCL workings and policies have attracted regular criticism from other smaller operators and the civil society of Pakistan. Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) took over operations and functions from Pakistan Telephone and Telegraph Department under Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Act 1991. This coincided with the Government's competitive policy, encouraging

private sector participation and resulting in award of licenses for cellular, card-operated payphones, paging and, lately, data communication services. Pursuing a progressive policy, the Government in 1991, announced its plans to privatize PTC, and in 1994 issued six million vouchers exchangeable into 800 million shares of the would-be PTCL in two separate placements. Each had a par value of Rs.10 per share. These vouchers were converted into PTCL shares in mid-1998.In the middle of 2005 Government of Pakistan had decided to sell at least 28 percent of this company to some private agency. There were three participants in the bet for privatization of PTCL. Etisalat, a Dubai based company was able to get the shares with a large margin in the bet. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) is proud to be Pakistan’s most reliable and largest converged services carrier providing all telecommunications services from basic voice telephony to data, internet, video-conferencing and carrier services to consumers and businesses all over the country. Whether it is an office in the largest city of Pakistan or a home in a small village, we are present in every corner of Pakistan to serve our customers.

4.1 Company Profile PTCL operates in one of the most dynamic, deregulated and competitive markets in the world; Pakistan with a population of 185 million people is a fast growing economy with relatively low penetration of Information Communication Technology (ICT) services. PTCL intends to be the leading ICT provider in the region by achieving customers' satisfaction and maximizing shareholders' value and as such PTCL perceives its future as a customer centric organization enhancing its infrastructure and investing in people.

4.2 History Having its origin in the Post & Telegraph Department established in 1947, the Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) was established in December 1990, taking over

operations and functions from the Pakistan Telephone and Telegraph Department under the Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Act 1991. The Pakistan Government's policy to promote competition encouraged private sector participation and resulted in the award of licenses to cellular companies, card-operated payphones, paging and, lately, data communication services. Pursuing a progressive policy, the Government in 1991, announced its plans to privatize PTC, and in 1994 issued six million vouchers exchangeable into 800 million shares of the would-be PTCL in two separate placements. Each had a par value of Rs.10/- per share. In 1995, the Pakistan Telecommunication (Reorganization) Ordinance paved the way for the establishment of an independent regulatory regime. A milestone was crossed in 1998 as the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) was formed and formally listed on all Stock Exchanges of Pakistan. Since then, PTCL has been working vigorously to meet the dual challenge of telecom development and socio-economic uplift of the country. In keeping with the convergence of technologies in the telecom sector PTCL’s mobile and internet subsidiaries were created in 1998. Ufone, the country’s second largest mobile service provider, boosted its operations by rolling out the country’s largest ever expansion of its network, worth US$ 525 million. The new investment aims to expand capacity and coverage in existing and new cities, as well as providing high speed cellular mobile and wireless data services. By mid-2008 the two major expansions will give Ufone coverage in over 4,500 cities, towns and villages, and all major highways in the country.

Etisalat and PTCL In 2008, Pakistan's Privatization Commission held open bidding to sell 1.328 billion shares, along with management control of PTCL. The Etisalat International Pakistan, a 100 % owned

subsidiary of Emirates Telecommunications Corporation - Etisalat was the highest bidder for a 28 per cent stake in PTCL with a $1.98 (118 rupees) per share offer. Etisalat takes pride in being a partner in progress wherever it goes. To realize the dream of human progress, Etisalat is ever ready to harness new technologies, build new partnerships and embrace the future as it comes. This is the vision that drives Etisalat and directs the Etisalat-PTCL interaction. Subsequent to the takeover of management control by Etisalat International Pakistan, PTCL continues its drive to transform into a modern, customer-focused communication and information provider with a new vigour and commitment. By focusing on customer satisfaction, partnering with innovation, investing in training and human resources and enhancing its infrastructure, PTCL is evolving continuously. PTCL is one of the largest employers in the country with its work force spread all over the country to provide an essential service to the people of Pakistan. The changed telecom environment requires PTCL to bring about changes in its corporate culture to thrive more in the new environment.

Corporate and Commercial Initiatives As part of the transformation of PTCL, the management initiated work on the re-branding of the Company as a modern and customer-centric national carrier. Externally changing the logo was carried out to reflect the commitment to the customers and the modernizing of the infrastructure. Internally it gave employees a new zeal to stimulate the mindset change from a technology and operations focused company to a competitive carrier that has customer services as its hallmark. PTCL made several investments in infrastructure development and added network capacity to enhance services and expand its reach across the country. The market in Pakistan is extremely competitive and PTCL has the largest nationwide installed network infrastructure capability

including switching, transmission, fibre optic backbone, co-location and international capacity. This gives PTCL a unique position in terms of providing to carriers and individual consumers alike. With the introduction of Vfone, the new CDMA-based WLL platform of PTCL, is poised to become the largest fixed wireless telephony network in Pakistan. On the wireless broadband front, a major upgrade of the WLL CDMA network was rolled out in order to provide wireless broadband services in 17 major cities. Broadband Pakistan offers DSL services with unmatched reliability, affordability and connectivity. Customers have the option to packages with varying speeds from 512Kb to 2Mb with unlimited downloads. Broadband customer service is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at 1238 with highly trained and professional representatives. As part of offering converged services, expanding its service portfolio and improving customer retention and acquisition, PTCL initiated the multi-channel Inter Protocol Television (IPTV) project during 2008-07. This will be a landmark addition to the PTCL service portfolio and will enable the company to provide Triple Play (voice, video and data) services over a single fixed line connection. With IPTV the customer will be provided with a single interface to satisfy his communication and entertainment needs along with single billing. Keeping in mind customer convenience, PTCL is actively engaged in bringing an array of bill payment options to its customers PTCL customers now have the flexibility to choose between dropping a cheque in a drop box at a location near them to sending their payments through mail at a nearby post office. PTCL has also offered a dedicated service to provide billing information to its valued subscribers who can simply dial '1200' to access instant billing information of the required PTCL service. With the introduction of this service, customers no longer need to personally visit customer service centers to find out what their bill amounts are and the automated service is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to further facilitate customers.

Moreover, PTCL has introduced a variety of valued added services for its customers while a number of others are in the pipeline. Alongside the many packages and services PTCL is continually seeking ways to facilitate its customers of which payment cards and electronic modes of payments are just a part. On the technical front, PTCL has laid an Optical Fiber Access Network in the major metropolitan centers of Pakistan and local loop services have started to be modernized and upgraded from copper to an optical network. PTCL has invested in the capacity of two SEA-ME-WE submarine cables to meet the increasing demand of international traffic. Additionally, PTCL is also part of a consortium that will put in place a high-capacity fiber-optic submarine cable that stretches from India to Italy and France via the Middle East, named I-ME-WE, to provide effective resilience to the existing cable systems (SMW3 & SMW4). PTCL has also signed an agreement with Huawei Technologies Pakistan and Hewlett Packard (HP) to jointly launch the ‘Network Operation Center’ project which has state-of-the-art fault detection and resolution technology. This project would establish one main network operation center and three regional ones with the implementation of an alarm management system across the entire PTCL network in an integrated manner. Beyond improved packages and new products, PTCL, as a socially responsible corporate entity, has been pursuing different social causes touching on areas of culture, sports, music, environment and general welfare by supporting different initiatives.

5. PTCL Outbound In today's ever-changing world, PTCL has established an Outbound Contact Center which is equipped and committed to provide PTCL with the expertise, the personnel and the facilities

from ‘Lead Generation” and “Product Sales” to “Database Enhancement” and “Management” to handle all of PTCL’s telemarketing needs.

PTCL Vision Statement “To be the leading Information and Communication Technology Service Provider in the region by achieving customer satisfaction and maximizing shareholders' value'. The future is unfolding around us. In times to come, we will be the link that allows global communication. We are striving towards mobilizing the world for the future. By becoming partners in innovation, we are ready to shape a future that offers telecom services that bring us closer”

Contact Center Mission Statement The mission of the PTCL Outbound Contact Center is to support the corporate goals of 100% customer satisfaction on every transaction by providing services that emphasizes: Customer loyalty and keeping customers for life Value of every customer Professionalism via phone and multimedia channels

6. Conflict Conflict has been defined as "an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals". Important concepts in this definition include "expressed struggle," which means the two sides must communicate about the problem for there to be conflict. Another important idea is that conflict often involves perceptions. The two sides may only perceive that their goals, resources, and interference is incompatible with each other's.

We define conflict as a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns. A conflict can be internal (within oneself) or external (between two or more individuals). Conflicts occur when people (or other parties) perceive that, as a consequence of a disagreement, there is a threat to their needs, interests or concerns. It is important to remember that conflict can be creative. Conflict is sometimes necessary to bring justice where injustice exists. It can provide an opportunity for new social and political systems to be established and can help to shape the future. However, when conflict becomes violent it will usually do more harm than good. After violent conflict, it is often difficult to see the opportunities for a better future due to the widespread destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods, the breakdown of trust and the

suffering caused through bereavement, trauma, grief and anger. It is also likely that such social change could have occurred before the conflict became violent.

6.1 Types of conflict There are many different types of conflict experienced by communities all around the world. We suggest four categories into which most conflicts will fall:

1. No conflict Any peaceful community is likely to face conflict sometimes, although communities in this category are good at resolving conflict before it develops. 2. Surface conflict This has shallow or no roots. It may be due to misunderstanding of goals, which can be addressed by improved communication and the conscious effort of opposing groups to understand each other’s needs and opinions. 3. Latent conflict This is conflict below the surface. It might need to be brought out into the open before it can be effectively addressed. 4. Open conflict This conflict is very visible and has deep roots, sometimes over several generations. Both the causes and the effects need to be addressed. No conflict

surface conflict

Chart showing different dimensions of conflict

Latent conflict

open conflict

Communities experiencing surface or latent conflict are those where the disagreement can quickly turn into open conflict. Open conflict can cause more physical, social, psychological and environmental damage than the other types. It affects people who are not involved in the conflict as well as those who are.

6.3 Organizational conflict Organizational conflict is a state of dispute caused by the actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests between people working together. Conflict takes many forms in organizations. There is the inevitable clash between formal authority and power and those individuals and groups affected. There are disputes over how revenues should be divided, how the work should be done and how long and hard people should work. There is also conflict within individuals between competing needs and demands to which individuals respond in different ways. The conflict can also be raised at jurisdictional disagreements among individuals, departments, and between unions and management. In an organization the conflict can take many forms. 6.3.1 Types of organizational conflict As it is discussed above that there are many forms of conflict on personal level, group level, management level, etc, as these types directly influence effectiveness of an organization.

Conflict can be viewed as a dynamic process which includes antecedent conditions, cognitive states, affective states and conflicting behavior. Some of types are going to discuss here more elaborately. Conflicts between an Individual and a Group It is also called intragroup conflict, one of important factor and which is a part of organizational conflict and that is a conflict between an individual and a group. This conflict is between individuals based on incompatible goals and values. Usually, it is very difficult for an individual to remain a group-member, at the same time, substantially deviate from the group norm. So, in most cases, either he conforms to the group norm or quits (or is rejected by) the group. These types of intragroup conflicts arise frequently due to an individual’s inability to conform to the group norms. Conflict between Individuals It is also called interpersonal conflict. Conflict between individuals takes place owing to several factors, but most common are personal dislikes or personality differences. Conflict can be technical, when there are only differences of opinion between individuals about taskrelated matters, it can be construed as technical conflict rather than interpersonal conflict. Of course, technical and interpersonal conflicts may influence each other due to role-related pressures. Conflict within an Individual It is also called personal conflict. Personal conflict refers to an individual's inner workings and personality problems. Conflict can locate at various levels. There could be conflict within oneself-the intrapersonal conflict. Basically, there are three types of such conflicts. For example if a person may have an excellent job offer in a city he is not wiling to go to. In such a case, he is attracted to and repelled by the same object-an approach-avoidance conflict. Similarly he may be attracted to two equally appealing alternatives like seeing a movie or going for a picnic-an approachapproach conflict. He may also be repelled by two equally unpleasant alternatives like the

threat of being dismissed if you fail to report against a friendly colleague who is guilty of breaking the organization’s rules-an avoidance-avoidance conflict. Conflict between groups It is also called intergroup conflict. Conflict between groups is a sometimes necessary, sometimes destructive, event that occurs at all levels and across all functions in organizations. Intergroup conflict may help generate creative tensions leading to more effective contributions to the organization's goals, such as competition between sales districts for the highest sales. Intergroup conflict occurs in two general forms. Horizontal strain involves competition between functions: for example, sales versus production, research and development versus engineering, purchasing versus legal, line versus staff, and so on. Vertical strain involves competition between hierarchical levels: for example, union versus management, foremen versus middle management, shop workers versus foremen. A struggle between a group of employees and management is an example of vertical strain or conflict. A clash between a sales department and production over inventory policy would be an example of horizontal strain.

7. Organizational conflict theories 7.1 Maturity-immaturity theory According to Maslow, Argyris, McGregor, Rogers, and other writers of the so-called growth schools, there is a basic tendency in the development of the human personality toward selffulfillment, or self-actualization. This implies that as an individual matures, he wants to be given more responsibility, broader horizons, and the opportunity to develop his personal potential. This process is interrupted whenever a person's environment fails to encourage and nurture these desires. Formal organizations are rational structures that, based on their assumption of emotions, feelings, and irrationality as human weaknesses, try to replace individual control with institutional control. Thus the principle of task specialization is seen as a device that simplifies

tasks for the sake of efficiency. As a consequence, however, it uses only a fraction of a person's capacity and ability. The principle of chain of command centralizes authority but makes the individual more dependent on his superiors. The principle of normal span of control, which assigns a maximum of six or seven subordinates to report to the chief executive, reduces the number of individuals reporting to the head of the organization or to the manager of any subunit. Although this simplifies the job of control for the manager, it also creates more intensive supervision of the subordinate, and therefore permits him less freedom to control himself. Under such conditions, subordinates are bound to find themselves in conflict with the formal organization, and sometimes with each other. They advance up the narrowing hierarchy where jobs get fewer, and "fewer" implies competing with others for the decreasing number of openings. Task specialization tends to focus the subordinate's attention on his own narrow function and divert him from thinking about the organization as a whole. This effect increases the need for coordination and leads to a circular process of increasing the dependence on the leader. They may respond to organizational pressures and threats by defensive reactions such as aggression against their supervisors and co-workers, fixated behavior or apathy, compromise and gamesmanship, or psychological withdrawal and daydreaming. All of these defense mechanisms reduce a person's potential for creative, constructive activity on the job. Finally, employees may organize unions or unsanctioned informal groups whose norms of behavior are opposed to many of the organization's goals. As a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, all of these reactions to the constraints of the formal organization merely serve to reinforce and strengthen them. The conflict between the formal organization and the individual will continue to exist wherever managers remain ignorant of its causes or wherever the organizational structure and the leadership style are allowed to become inconsistent with the legitimate needs of the psychologically healthy individual. Everyone recognizes the necessity for order and control in

organizations. Those of us who enter management, however, must learn to recognize in addition that order and control can be achieved only at the expense of individual freedom. Subordinates adapt to these conditions in the organization in several ways. In the extreme, they may find the situation intolerable and leave the organization. Or they may strive to advance to positions of higher authority, there to adopt the controlling style they are trying to escape.

8. Stress What is stress? Stress is your body's way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals give people more energy and strength, which can be a good thing if their stress is caused by physical danger. But this can also be a bad thing, if their stress is in response to something emotional and there is no outlet for this extra energy and strength. This class will discuss different causes of stress, how stress affects you, the difference between 'good' or 'positive' stress and 'bad' or 'negative' stress, and some common facts about how stress affects people today. What Causes Stress? Many different things can cause stress such as physical (fear of something dangerous) to emotional (such as worry over your family or job.) Identifying what may be causing you stress is often the first step in learning how to better deal with your stress. Some of the most common sources of stress are:

Survival Stress - You may have heard the phrase "fight or flight" before. This is a common response to danger in all people and animals. When you are afraid that someone or something may physically hurt you, your body naturally responds with a burst of energy so that you will be better able to survive the dangerous situation (fight) or escape it all together (flight). This is survival stress. Internal Stress - Have you ever caught yourself worrying about things you can do nothing about or worrying for no reason at all? This is internal stress and it is one of the most important kinds of stress to understand and manage. Internal stress is when people make themselves stressed. This often happens when we worry about things we can't control or put ourselves in situations we know will cause us stress. Some people become addicted to the kind of hurried, tense, lifestyle that results from being under stress. They even look for stressful situations and feel stress about things that aren't stressful. Environmental Stress - This is a response to things around you that cause stress, such as noise, crowding, and pressure from work or family. Identifying these environmental stresses and learning to avoid them or deal with them will help lower your stress level. Fatigue and Overwork - This kind of stress builds up over a long time and can take a hard toll on your body. It can be caused by working too much or too hard at your job(s), school, or home. It can also be caused by not knowing how to manage your time well or how to take time out for rest and relaxation. This can be one of the hardest kinds of stress to avoid because many people feel this is out of their control. Later in this course we will show you that you DO have options and offer some useful tips for dealing with fatigue.

8.1 Types of stress The major types of stress can be broken down into four different categories: Eustress, Hyper stress, Hypo stress, and Distress. 8.1.1 Eustress: Eustress is one of the helpful types of stress. It is the type of stress a person experience right before he or she have the need to exert physical force. Eustress prepares the muscles, heart, and mind for the strength needed for whatever is about to occur.

When the body enters the fight or flight response, it will experience eustress. The eustress prepares the body to fight with or flee from an imposing danger. This type of stress will cause the blood to pump to the major muscle groups, and will increase the heart rate and blood pressure to increase. If the event or danger passes, the body will eventually return to its normal state. 8.1.2 Distress: Distress is one of the negative types of stress. This is one of the types of stress that the mind and body undergoes when the normal routine is constantly adjusted and altered. The mind is not comfortable with this routine, and craves the familiarity of a common routine. There are actually two types of distress: acute stress and chronic stress.

8.1.3Acute Stress Acute stress is the type of stress that comes immediately with a change of routine. It is an intense type of stress, but it passes quickly. Acute stress is the body's way of getting a person to stand up and take inventory of what is going on, to make sure that everything is ok. 8.1.4 Chronic Stress Chronic stress will occur if there is a constant change of routine for week after week. Chronic stress affects the body for a long period of time. This is the type of stress experienced by someone who constantly faces moves or job changes. 8.1.5 Hyper stress Hyper stress is the type of negative stress that comes when a person is forced to undertake or undergo more than he or she can take. A stressful job that overworks an individual will cause that individual to face hyper stress. A person who is experiencing hyper stress will often respond to even little stressors with huge emotional outbreaks. It is important for a person who thinks they might be experiencing hyper stress to take measures to reduce the stress in their lives, because hyper stress can lead to serious emotional and physical repercussions.

8.1.6 Hypo stress The final of the four types of stress is hypo stress. Hypo stress stands in direct opposite to hyper stress. Hypo stress is basically insufficient amount of stress. That is because hypo stress is the type of stress experienced by a person who is constantly bored. Someone in an unchallenging job, such as a factory worker performing the same task over and over, will often experience hypo stress. The effect of hypo stress is feelings of restlessness and a lack of inspiration.

8.2 Job stress What is job stress? Job stress is also called work place stress. Professional stress or job stress poses a threat to physical health. Work related stress in the life of organized workers, consequently, affects the health of organizations. Job stress is a chronic disease caused by conditions in the workplace that negatively affect an individual's performance and/or overall well-being of his body and mind. One or more of a host of physical and mental illnesses manifests job stress. In some cases, job stress can be disabling. In chronic cases a psychiatric consultation is usually required to validate the reason and degree of work related stress. Symptoms of job stress The signs of job stress vary from person to person, depending on the particular situation, how long the individual has been subjected to the stressors, and the intensity of the stress itself. Typical symptoms of job stress can be:

•

Insomnia. (Sleep disorder).

•

Loss of mental concentration.

•

Anxiety, stress

•

Absenteeism

•

Depression.

•

Fatigue and stress

•

Substance abuse.

•

Extreme anger and frustration,

•

Family conflict

•

Physical illnesses such as heart disease, migraine, headaches, stomach problems, and back problems.

8.2.1What causes job stress? Job stress results from the interaction of the worker and the conditions of work. Views differ on the importance of worker characteristics versus working conditions as the primary cause of job stress. The differing viewpoints suggest different ways to prevent stress at work. According to one school of thought, differences in individual characteristics such as personality and coping skills are very important in predicting whether certain job conditions will result in stress. A person's status in the workplace can also affect levels of stress. While workplace stress has the potential to affect employees of all categories; those who have very little influence to those who make major decisions for the company. However, less powerful employees (that is, those who have less control over their jobs) are more likely to suffer stress than powerful workers. Managers as well as other kinds of workers are vulnerable to work overload (Primm, 2005). Other factor leads to job stress Job Insecurity

Organized workplaces are going through metamorphic changes under intense economic transformations and consequent pressures. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers, downsizing and other changes have become major stressors for employees, as companies try to live up to the competition to survive. These reformations have put demand on everyone, from a CEO to a mere executive. High Demand for Performance Unrealistic expectations, especially in the time of corporate reorganizations, which, sometimes, puts unhealthy and unreasonable pressures on the employee, can be a tremendous source of stress and suffering. Increased workload, extremely long work hours and intense pressure to perform at peak levels all the time for the same pay, can actually leave employees physically and emotionally drained. Excessive travel and too much time away from family also contribute to an employee's stressors. Technology The expansion of technology—computers, pagers, cell phones, fax machines and the Internet —has resulted in heightened expectations for productivity, speed and efficiency, increasing pressure on the individual worker to constantly operate at peak performance levels. Workers working with heavy machinery are under constant stress to remain alert. In this case both the worker and their family members live under constant mental stress. There is also the constant pressure to keep up with technological breakthroughs and improvisations, forcing employees to learn new software all the times. Workplace Culture Adjusting to the workplace culture, whether in a new company or not, can be intensely stressful. Making one adapt to the various aspects of workplace culture such as communication patterns, hierarchy, dress code if any, workspace and most importantly working and behavioral patterns of the boss as well as the co-workers, can be a lesson of life.

Maladjustment to workplace cultures may lead to subtle conflicts with colleagues or even with superiors. In many cases office politics or gossips can be major stress inducers. Personal or Family Problems Employees going through personal or family problems tend to carry their worries and anxieties to the workplace. When one is in a depressed mood, his unfocused attention or lack of motivation affects his ability to carry out job responsibilities.

LITERATURE REVIEW Studies shows that Job stress results when there is a poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or needs of workers. Stress-related disorders encompass a broad array of conditions, including psychological disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder) and other types of emotional strain (e.g., dissatisfaction, fatigue, tension), maladaptive behaviors (e.g., aggression, substance abuse), and cognitive impairment (e.g., concentration and memory problems). In turn, these conditions may lead to poor work performance or even injury. A study which is conducted by Scott Schieman and Sarah Reid, University of Toronto. Using data from a 2005 sample of 1,785 working adults in the United States, the authors examine the association between job authority and the exposure to interpersonal conflict in the workplace and potential gender and age contingencies in that association. A positive association was observed between authority and conflict, but that association was more positive among men and younger workers. Moreover, the authors rule out occupation, job sector, role-set multiplicity, and work conditions as alternative explanations for these associations. These observations have implications for theoretical views about social status variations in job authority and its link to interpersonal stress in the workplace. In an other study

L De Raeve et.al,

Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University,

Maastricht, the Netherlands. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between interpersonal conflicts at work and subsequent self-reported health outcomes (self-reported general health, need for recovery, and prolonged fatigue and stress). Data from the Maastricht

Cohort Study on fatigue at work (n = 5582 for co-worker conflict; n = 5530 for supervisor conflict) were used. Interpersonal conflict with either co-workers or supervisors was assessed between baseline and 1-year follow-up. Outcomes were studied every 4 months between 1year and 2-year follow-up. Logistic regression analyses using generalized estimating equations were conducted for each of the dichotomous outcomes, while controlling for demographic factors, the presence of a long-term illness, other workplace stressors, coping, and outcome at baseline. Analyses were conducted for men only. At baseline, conflicts with co-workers occurred in 7.2% of the study population, while conflicts with supervisors occurred in 9.5% of the study population. Supervisor conflict was a significant risk factor for the onset of an elevated need for recovery, prolonged fatigue, external occupational mobility, and internal occupational mobility. Another study was to identify work-related risk factors for the onset of interpersonal conflicts at work. Longitudinal data from the Maastricht Cohort Study on "fatigue at work" (N=9241) were used. After the respondents who reported an interpersonal conflict at baseline were excluded, logistic regression analyses were used to determine the role of several workrelated risk factors at baseline in the onset of a conflict with coworkers or supervisors after 1 year of follow-up. Higher psychological job demands, authority demands, supervisory demands, higher levels of role ambiguity, the presence of physical demands, higher musculoskeletal demands, a poorer physical work environment, shift work, overtime, and higher levels of job insecurity significantly predicted the onset of both a coworker conflict and a supervisor conflict. This study shows that there are many risk factors of generating conflict at work place and supervisory demands is one of them. Maria T. M. Dijkstra, 2006 conduct a dissertation in Amsterdam. It addresses the relationship between workplace conflict and individual well-being. The six studies that were reported advance our knowledge about the influence that is exerted on this relationship by personality characteristics, conflict management strategies and organizational stress.

A study shows that, which was reported in Chapter 2, set out to examine the mediating influence of conflict responses on the relationship between workplace conflict and employee

well-being. Based on the existing conflict and stress literature the hypothesis was formulated that conflict at work and its responses would result in the experience of more organizational stress and therefore in reduced well-being. This hypothesis was tested in a sample of nurses and members of the ancillary staff of a healthcare institution (Study 1, N =191). Using structural equation modeling it was found that conflict was negatively related to perceived control, and that these responses mediated the relationship between conflict and organizational stress. Results of this study confirmed the important role of conflict as a stressor at work. Moreover these findings suggest that conflict ‘shrinks’ the amount of control an employee perceives, resulting in a preference for passive ways of responding to conflict, thereby bringing on the negative consequences. To gain further insight into the relationships that have been found between conflict and individual well-being, the moderating influence of the Big Five factors of agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional stability was examined in Chapter 3. Two field studies, one involving a healthcare organization (Study 2.1, N = 173) and one involving a manufacturing organization (Study 2.2, N = 308) were conducted. On the basis of the literature it was argued that agreeableness most likely buffers people from conflict experiences and it was thus predicted that the negative relationship between conflict at work and individual well-being would be stronger for individuals low rather than high in agreeableness. Results revealed that, as predicted, conflict was negatively related to well-being, but only when individuals are low and not high in agreeableness.

ANXIETY STRESS QUESTIONAIRE An initial set of 26 items, including some form of (Tylor, 1953) were administered to 200 managerial, professional and technical employees in a single organization, factor analysis and item analysis were employed to reduce these 17 statements falling in to 3 sub scales. Job induction (7 items), somatic tension (5 items), and general fatigue and uneasiness (5 items). Responses are true and false, scored 2 or 1 respectively and averaged. Less than half items refer directly to work.

1.

I would consider my self in a good or excellent health.

2.

I would ease my self in frustration.

3.

I don’t have very good health.

4.

I am often bothered by acid indigestion or heart burn.

5.

I sometimes feel weak all over.

6.

I wake up with stiffness and aching in joints or muscles.

7.

I have had trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep.

8.

My job tends to directly affect my health.

9.

I work under great of tension.

10.

I have felt fidgety or nervous as a result of my job.

11.

I get irritated or annoyed over the way things are going.

12.

If I had a different job, my health would be probably improved.

13.

I seem to tire quickly.

14.

Problems associated with my job have kept me awake at night.

15.

I may now have an ulcer but I am not sure of it.

16.

I have felt nervous before attending meeting in the company.

17.

I often “take my job have with me” in the sense that I think about it when doing other things.

CONCLUSION

Table 1 Reliability analysis of Anxiety Stress Questionnaire (N=75)

Scale Anxiety Stress

N of items 17

Alpha reliability .084

Questionnaire

The above reliability analysis shows that the scale is highly reliable and is applicable in the research. Table 2 Demographic characteristics of sample (N=75) Gender Characteristics

Frequency

Percent

MALE FEMALE Total

35 40 75

46.7 53.3 100.0

Education Characteristics B.A/BSC M.A/MSC Total

Frequency 41 34 75

Marital status

Percent 54.7 45.3 100.0

Characteristics

Frequency

Percent

61 14 75

81.3 18.7 100.0

Single Married Total Table 3

Correlation of gender with Anxiety Stress Questionnaire (N=75)

Scale Anxiety stress

Gender .437**

Questionnaire p**< 0.01 The above table represents the correlation between gender and anxiety stress. The results show that anxiety stress is positively correlated with gender. The above table demonstrate that correlation is .437**, which shows that the correlation is significant at the level of 0.01. It means that the results are highly significant.

Table 4 Comparison of males and females in having Anxiety Stress (N=75)

Anxiety Stress

Gender

N

Mean

Std. Deviation

t

p

Male

35

24.08

2.26

-4.151

.012

Female

40

25.92

1.54

-4.049

.012

The above table shows the comparison of two group males and females in having Anxiety stress. The results shows that males are 35 in number and females are 40. The mean of males is 24.08 and females are 25.92. Thus result shows that there is no significant difference in males and females in having anxiety stress due to supervisory conflict. Table 5 Comparison of education level with Anxiety stress Questionnaire having Anxiety Stress (N=75)

Scale Anxiety stress

Education B.A/BSC M.A/MSC

N

Mean

Std. Deviation

t

p

41 34

24.9756 25.1765

2.39257 1.74895

-.407 .-419

.685 .676

The above table shows the comparison of education level and anxiety stress. The number of employees of having B.A/BSC education is 41 and M.A/MSC is 34. The mean of B.A/BSC is 24.97 and M.A/MSC is 25.17. This result representation shows that there is no significant difference in having anxiety stress among several employees having different education levels.