Stress-related issues in modern industrial organizations in Romania.

Oprean, Constantin ; Bucur, Viorel ; Titu, Mihail 等

1. INTRODUCTION

In countries like USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, a.o. stress-related issues are frequently approached in a number of research studies, scientific papers, where the authors attempt to identify the cause's for ever higher costs engendered by stress, which may reach an amount of hundreds or even billions of dollars per year.

The topic of the present paper is one of wide interest for specialists in the field, given the well-known stress-induced consequences on managers (and not only)--mention should be made of: discomfort, mental health, substance abuse, dissatisfaction, etc.--which decisively influence the quality of the decision-making process, work efficiency of employees. More and more often, the complexity of production processes and the high degree of automation, associated with various other social, technical or economic-related issues, represent a major source for work-related stress in modern industrial organizations, entailing negative consequences for the employees.

Stress management should be a primary concern for organization managers in the larger context of E.U. organizations who pool their efforts towards a common strategy for occupational health and safety.

All studies that approach the issue of stress (i.e. occupational, professional, work-related, etc.) highlight significant losses on the labor market generated by stress.

Theoretical explanations help to identify stress-related sources for persons involved in the decision-making process and they will also provide the necessary scientific support for any legal regulations of stress-related problems in our country. (Bucur, 2002)

2. GOALS FOR OPTIMIZATION OF MANAGERS' ACTIVITY

Of all effects mentioned in specialized literature, the ones that strongly affect managerial activity within an organization hold a prominent place. (Goupil, 1991)

These effects can manifest on various levels--behavioral, physiological and psychological--and they are generated by certain responses of managers affected by professional stress. (Oprean & Titu, 2008)

Their identification and understanding allow for the accomplishment of considered goals--part of the research program which includes the following activities:

* work-out a "methodology for identification of stress-related sources" and a "methodological guide", which are currently missing;

* delineation of theoretical explanation and stress-induced consequences, for various types of organizations;

* improvement of decision-making process and implementation of efficient managerial strategies;

* training "stress resistant" managers;

* diminishing stress-related costs;

* work-out a "theoretical pattern" of guidelines for human interaction, meant to determine them to assume managerial responsibilities;

* set forth a strategy for the result assessment;

* build up a theoretical explanation of the notion of stress in view of modeling situations faced by a decision-making person, as well to simulate potential minimizing of consequences induced by stress-related sources;

Solving specific problems of managerial activities from the point of view of diminishing stress impact on managers.

3. CASE STUDY. APPROACHES TO STRESS WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS

The following categories of conflict have been taken into consideration: (Titu & Oprean, 2007)

* family;

* professional;

* social;

* personal life.

The causes identified during a brainstorming session--the working group included 7 members and a chairperson (2 business people, 2 professors, 1 lawyer, 1 psychologist, 1 physician) have been classified according to "root" causes; (table 1). (Oprean & Titu, 2008)

The hierarchy emphasizes major causes as well as secondary ones.

Their understanding enables the identification of a series of "root" causes underlying stress-generating events.

These conclusions should be confirmed by questionnaires whose results will be interpreted during research.

Taking into account the regulations issued by the European Commission, particularly the Health and Safety Framework Directive--83/391 whose aim is to prevent, assess and avoid stress-induced injury, it is imperative that managers should increase their efforts in order to:

a) Identify the level of stress affecting managers before starting work;

b) Check and minimize the identified level of stress;

c) Identify the level of stress affecting managers at the end of the work.

In order to obtain information about the level of stress affecting managers before starting work, one can use (optionally) various methods of identification (personalized cards with PNC) while the results thus obtained will be "downloaded" on an information network. (Goupil, 1991)

The levels of stress--previously identified and distinguished by colors (red, black, blue, green, etc.)--may represent useful indicators for adopting proper measures.

It is a must to emphasize employers' responsibilities in order to take proper measures suitable for various identified levels of stress by means of specially designated areas for each level of stress. (Bucur, 2002)

Such areas can facilitate "relaxation" which induces an improved state for the whole body and positive detachment thus making the person able to start work over.

These relaxation areas may include:

* rooms for cardio fitness or medical therapy;

* aquarium, waterfalls;

* art room (it may include paintings of famous artists);

* room for meditation or recreation

Daily visits to these recreation areas or direct involvement in specific activities, with a time range of 2-5 minutes, may have positive effects aimed to minimize the level of stress.

The information thus obtained will allow for an increase of the "data bank" storage, its updating, and if the information is turned to good account it may render a picture of health condition as well as avoiding some stress-inducing agents, thus leading to the optimization of managerial activity and increase of "stress resistance". (Bucur, 2002)

4. CONCLUSION

Studies that approach stress analysis highlight the necessity of identifying stress-inducing causes.

Hierarchy of causes may also contribute to a better understanding of their role in generating various types of stress (i.e. professional, occupational, work-related, etc.), so that the multiple effects induced by stress can be checked.

Proper knowledge and understanding may lead to efficient dealing with stress-related issues (e.g. some causes mentioned in the present paper) as well as adopting preventive measures in order to do away with or minimize the effects with impact on certain activities (performing or managerial) within modern industrial organizations.

It is imperative that organisations insure training programmes for managers, and therefore convey specific management-related concepts allowing:

* an objective assessment of employees and their performances;

* identifying the causes of lower performances;

* supporting employees to cope with stress;

* encouraging continuous creative professional development;

* studying human qualities.

Managers should be aware that "emotions determine temperament", and intelligence control of our emotional life is a consequence of the knowledge and study of human qualities.

The word conflict can be interpreted--according to the Romanian Encyclopedic Dictionary--as "misunderstanding, conflict of interests, disagreement, quarrel, argument (violent, too)."

Therefore, conflict may be defined as "any form of socio-human relationships where the parts evince opposing, diverging interests." (Goupil, 1991)

Conflict is a ubiquitous notion in our daily lives, and it is a result of differences among people--their needs and perspectives being different from one another--however, to deny its existence or to disguise it on purpose will not lead to its alleviation, but to psychic disturbances, such as: diminishing concentration abilities, delayed answers, accompanied by the inability to make the right decisions, confusion, a feeling of uneasiness, etc. (Bucur, 2002)

Whenever two or more individuals or groups of people have diverging interests, aspirations, options, sets of values, information they acquired, understanding of events, etc. the outcome is disagreement--whether verbalized or not--which is the first, and easy, stage of conflict.

Wherever there are people, there are conflicts!

Conflict is an inherent element in the life of couples, the relationships between parents and children, siblings, professors and students, teachers and pupils, employers and employees, citizens and state authorities, ethnicities, parties or political supporters, races, etc. (Goupil, 1991)

So, in work teams, there may be task-related conflicts (which refer to ideas and methods used) and people-related conflicts (which refer to the competition for leadership, personality differences and unequally assigned tasks).

According to the effects they produce, we distinguish:

* destructive conflicts--characterized by total or partial destruction of competitors, while there is always a winner (e.g. wars);

* beneficial conflicts--facilitating changes and leading to increasing creativity and productivity (e.g. industrial revolution).

(Titu & Oprean, 2008)

5. REFERENCES

Bucur, V. (2002). Management. Management of Organisation, Napoca Star Publishing House, Cluj Napoca

Goupil, G. (1991). Stress Intelect, Coresi Publishing House, Bucharest

Oprean, C. & Titu, M. (2008). Quality Management in the Economy and Organisation Based on Knowledge, AGIR Publishing House, Bucharest

Titu, M. & Oprean, C. (2007). Quality Management, University of Pitesti Publishing House, ISBN 978-973-690-646-6, Pitesti

Titu, M. & Oprean, C. (2008). Strategic Management, University of Pitesti Publishing House, Pitesti

Table 1. Hierarchy of some stress-inducing causes.

 FAMILY PROFESSIONAL

Children marriage Potential Work
and parents promotion acknowledgement

Siblings In-laws Level of Inappropriate
 Extra-marriage payment work relations
 Relatives

 Employees

Living Dissatisfaction
conditions regarding work
 assessment

Material
conditions

Working Inferiority Difficult
conditions complex socio-
 professional
 integration

Phonic
pollution

Cold
environment

 SOCIAL PERSONAL