bachelor of commerce programme organizational...

The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management (Pty) LtdRegistered with the Department of Education as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997. Registration No. 2004/

HE07/003

Bachelor of Commerce Programme

Organizational BehaviourDr Jan P Bosman, Ph.D

The material within this document is the intellectual property of The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management (Pty) Ltd and DMC Process Management (Pty) Ltd. Dissemination of this material to a third party or use of this material within your organisa-tion, outside of the scope of this proposal, will constitute a violation of the intellectual property rights of The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management (Pty) Ltd and DMC Process Management (Pty) Ltd.

© 2014

THE DA VINCI INSTITUTE

The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management (Pty) LtdRegistered with the Department of Education as a private higher education institution

under the Higher Education Act, 1997. Registration No. 2004/HE07/003


BACHELOR

OF COMMERCE

NQF LEVEL 6

ORGANISATIONAL

BEHAVIOUR

STRESS MANAGEMENT &

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Stress Tolerance

Stress is the demand, pressure or force we experience and how we respond to it.

Stress is not always bad. We need some stress to motivate us and cause us to grow and change. Stress becomes bad (distress) when it demotivates us and when it damages our health. This is when stress is chronic and too much to cope with.

There are many sources of stress, both internal (personality type, low self-esteem) and external (relationships, political climate, finances). Reactions to stress are unique to each individual.

Sources of stress

What does stress do to you?

Managing your stress

๏ Begin by balancing your life between work, leisure and socialising. Work on your physical health to help your immune system. Improve your diet. Start exercising.

๏ Release your emotional tension through talking or writing in a journal.

๏ Set boundaries in your life and be assertive with difficult people.

๏ Practice relaxation or a relaxing hobby. Arm yourself with life skills, such as time management and decision-making. Attend courses or read up on these areas!

๏ Set realistic goals and standards for yourself.

๏ Build your support system of friends and family. Change the stressor: change your work, end a bad relationship and/or change your location.

๏ This is a drastic measure!

DMC PROCESS DESIGN

4 | MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP ODYSSEY | THE DA VINCI INSTITUTE

๏ Seek help when necessary from professional people. No person is an island.

Holmes and Rahe (1967)

Rate yourself according to the life events that have occurred within the last year of your life or have been ongoing stressors.

No Life Event Value Rating

1 Death of Spouse 100

2 Divorce 73

3 Marital separation 65

4 Jail term 63

5 Death of close family member 63

6 Personal injury or illness 53

7 Marriage 50

8 Fired at work 47

9 Marital reconciliation 45

10 Retirement 45

11 Change in health of family member 44

12 Pregnancy 40

13 Sexual difficulties 39

14 Gain of new family member 39

15 Business readjustment 39

16 Change in Financial state 38

17 Death of close friend 37

18 Change to different line of work 36

19 Change in number of arguments with spouse 35

20 Mortgage more than R200 000 31


THE DA VINCI INSTITUTE | MANAGERIAL LEADERSHIP ODYSSEY | 5

No Life Event Value Rating

21 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30

22 Change in responsibility at work 29

23 Son or daughter leaving home 29

24 Trouble with in laws 29

25 Outstanding personal achievement 28

26 Spouse begin or stop work 26

27 Begin or end school 26

28 Change in living conditions 25

29 Revision of personal habits 24

30 Trouble with boss 23

31 Change in work hours or conditions 20

32 Change in residence 20

33 Change in schools 20

34 Change in recreation 19

35 Change in church activities 19

36 Change in social activities 18

37 Mortgage less than R200 000 17

38 Change in sleeping habits 16

39 Change in number of family get-togethers 15

40 Change in eating habits 15

41 Vacation 13

Total

Score

DMC PROCESS DESIGN


Score Range Interpretation Susceptibility

300+ Major life change Major illness within a year

250- 299 Serious life changeLowered resistance to disease

200 – 249 Moderate Life Change Depression

150 – 199 Mild life changeColds, flu, occasional depression

149 – 0 Very little life change Good health

Symptoms of stress

This self-assessment exercise will help you recognise signs of distress. Read each item and circle the number which best reflects how often you have had that symptom in the last three months, using the following scale:

Hardly Ever Sometimes OftenOften Very OftenVery Often

0 1 22 33

I achieving less than normalI achieving less than normal 0 1 2 3

My appetite has changed markedlyMy appetite has changed markedly 0 1 2 3

My sex drive is increased/reducedMy sex drive is increased/reduced 0 1 2 3

I sleep too long, stay in bedI sleep too long, stay in bed 0 1 2 3

I suffer from insomniaI suffer from insomnia 0 1 2 3

I have minor accidents or make mistakesI have minor accidents or make mistakes 0 1 2 3

I increase my medicationI increase my medication 0 1 2 3

I use more drugs, alcoholI use more drugs, alcohol 0 1 2 3

OtherOther 0 1 2 3

Personality Type



Circle the number that best describes your behaviour over the last 10 years. Circling a high number means you think the description fits you very well.

No Description 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 Being hard working and ambitious

2 Always rushed

3 Being forceful and dominating

4 Having a strong need to excel in most things

5Anticipating what others are going to say and finishing their sentences

6 Never late

7 Liking and looking for leadership roles

8 Doing many things simultaneously

9 Very competitive

10 Eating, talking, etc. fast

11 Bottling things up when angry

12 Few interests outside work

13 Difficulty finding time to relax

14 Having time but then finding it hard to relax

How do you feel at the end of the working day:How do you feel at the end of the working day:How do you feel at the end of the working day:How do you feel at the end of the working day:How do you feel at the end of the working day:How do you feel at the end of the working day:How do you feel at the end of the working day:How do you feel at the end of the working day:

15 Uncertain and dissatisfied with my performance

16 Stretched to the limit of my capacity

17 That I cannot stop thinking about it.

Total

Interpreting your score :

Look at the behaviours in which you have a high score. Count the number of scores that rated 4 or higher. If more than 50% of your answers fall into this category, then you are a type A personality. If less than 50% fall into this category then you are a type B personality.

Type A – Coronary prone behaviour

DMC PROCESS DESIGN


Generally these people thrive on this kind of behaviour. They are workaholics. They are stressed and agitated and very achievement orientated. They have a sense of urgency and are hostile to anything that gets in their way.

Type B – Achievers who live longer!

This type of person has an ability to let things drift along. Type B people generally are creative and exhibit constructive success. They achieve in a placid manner and generally get on better with people.

Note that type A is a learned behavioural response and can be unlearned! Relaxation and self-monitoring can contribute greatly to lowering these scores (Friedman, Rosenman, 1974).

Techniques to help manage stress

Daily pressures will not just disappear. We need to learn coping and survival skills to help us deal with the daily stresses. It is also important for us to live a balanced and healthy life, to enable us to fight stress.

Somebody shared with me the following techniques on how to handle stress. Although these techniques may not be very helpful and may merely be humorous, this humour can in actual fact help relieve stress, as we will see later on!

๏ Stick 39 tiny marshmallows up your nose and try sneezing them out.

๏ Make a list of “things to do” that you have already done.

๏ Dance naked in front of your pets.

๏ Fill out your tax return using Roman numerals.

๏ Tape pictures of your boss onto watermelons and launch them from high places.

๏ Pay your electricity bills with five-cent coins.

๏ Drive to work in reverse.

๏ Sit naked on a hard boiled egg.

๏ Start a nasty rumour and see if you recognise it when it comes back to you.

๏ Send your doctor a bill for the time spent in his waiting room.



๏ Stare at people through the prongs of a fork and pretend they are in jail.

(Author Unknown)

As previously mentioned, these techniques may merely provoke a smile. A smile can, however, be a wonderful stress reliever, since our bodies secretes serotonin when we smile.

ABCDE

As we have seen, stress is caused by our perceptions. The ABCDE model that was discussed earlier in the book is, therefore, one of the best techniques to help us manage our stress levels.

Healthy lifestyle

Extensive research conducted by Nadia Belloc and Lester Breslon in Southern California showed that a simple lifestyle, rather than income, physical conditions, or genetic inheritance, makes for a longer life. A healthy lifestyle is a proactive way to harness oneself to cope better with daily stresses.

Breslon and Belloc found that the following contributed to a healthy lifestyle:

๏ Sleeping seven or eight hours a night

๏ Eating breakfast almost every day

๏ Not eating between meals

๏ Maintain a normal weight: not more than 5% underweight; and overweight - 10% for females; 20% for males

๏ Regular physical activity such as sports, exercising, gardening

๏ Moderate drinking, i.e. not more than two drinks a dayBelloc discovered that a 45-year-old male who abides by three of these habits could extend his life span by 21,6 years, whilst people who follow seven or eight of these habits can increase their life span by 33 years. Isn’t it interesting that a person can extend his/her life span by 11 years, by merely eating breakfast every day and getting enough sleep? The research results are just as dramatic for women. If a 45-year-old woman follows six of these good habits, she can extend her life span by 7,2 years. It was also found that middle-aged people (55-64) who follow all seven

DMC PROCESS DESIGN


of these habits might be just as healthy as young adults between the ages of 25 – 34 who only follow one or two of the habits.

Nutrition

Exercise

Please keep the following in mind when exercising:

๏ Every session should include a warm-up period, an active period, and cooling down period.

๏ If one is unable to keep up a conversation while exercising due to shortness of breath, one needs to slow down.

๏ Wait at least 90 minutes after a meal before exercising.

๏ Do not exercise if not feeling well.

๏ If one experiences dizziness or chest discomfort/palpitations, nausea, or loss of muscle control, stop the activity immediately and consult a doctor.

Stop worrying

Stop technique

As soon as a worrying thought or belief enters your mind, shout loudly “STOP”. You can gradually begin to say this word more softly to yourself (in your mind).

You can condition yourself by saying the word “STOP” to rid yourself of any unwanted worrying thought.

Worry stop

๏ Define your worry or concern.

๏ What is the worst possible thing that could happen?

๏ Could it kill you?

๏ Decide how you would deal with it if the worst happened.



๏ What steps could you take to improve the worst possible outcome?

Breathing

Self-disclosure

Humour

Positive emotions

One-minute stress exercise

Step one: Identify a situation with which you associate a very positive feeling/emotion. This situation will be different for each of us. For me, I associate a very positive emotion with being on the beach at Hartenbos, overlooking the blue seas; the warm sun shining down on me; my family around me. Every time I think of my two sons, I experience a very positive emotion.

Now, identify a situation you associate with a very positive emotion.

Step two: Lie down and relax completely or sit comfortably in a chair and close your eyes.

Step three: Focus on your breathing for a count of ten. Breathe slowly and focus on your breathing, specifically in the area of your heart.

Step four: After a count of ten, reflect for at least one minute on the situation that evokes a positive emotion for you.

This exercise can be done several times a day, but you may leave out step one the second time, and continue as follows :

This exercise can be done several times a day, but you may leave out step one the second time, and continue as follows:

๏ Time out – clear your mind and relax.

๏ Breathe slowly and focus on the area of your heart for a count of ten.

๏ Feel your positive emotion for at least one minute.

Type A behaviour

DMC PROCESS DESIGN


As previously mentioned, the connection between type A behaviour and heart attacks can be viewed in a slightly different manner than before, but this type of behaviour does lead to a great deal of stress. People with this type of behaviour need to make quite a few adjustments, to assist them in coping more effectively with a stressful life.

Type A people regularly display excessive degrees of anger, impatience, irritability and urgency in situations where these reactions can not really change the situation, e.g. in traffic jams or queues at a traffic light that is not working.

The type A person must learn to relax, as he/she seems to deem relaxation as a waste of time.

People with type A behaviour must learn to practice patience in situations that are beyond their control.

Such people must learn to laugh at themselves. They must learn to delegate and to believe that others can handle minor tasks and mundane issues. List some items that can be done by others at work and at home.

People with type A behaviour must learn to stop competing at all costs.

They need to slow down. If waiting in a slow queue at the shop, allow others to step in before you – to discipline yourself to do things at a slower pace.

We must not allow type A behaviour to cause the narrowing of our arteries, affect our family lives, take away the joy of living, or to lead to an early death! We should remember what the leadership guru, Peter Drucker, once said: “To make a living is no longer enough. Work also has to make a life.”

In order to achieve our goals, ambitions, targets and lifestyle in a more relaxed and healthy manner, we need to alter our behaviour to a type B behaviour.

Meditation

A UCLA psychologist proved in his doctoral work that meditation not only has a calming effect on us, but results in significant changes in our breathing, heartbeats and blood pressure. In the work he carried out at the beginning of 1978, he found that people who had been practicing meditation for even less than five years had an average biological age that was twelve years younger than their actual chronological age! Research has shown



that meditation leads to an increase in DHEA Interesting, as we have learnt that cortisol depletes the body’s reservoir of DHEA.

Other research has proved that meditation not only has an effect on one’s health and quality of life, but reduces the thickening of coronary arteries, thus lowering the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Meditation can also reduce arteriosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries, accompanied by a build up of fat in the arteries, without any dieting or exercise. It can even reduce our biological ages.

One of the reasons meditation is such an underrated technique in the Western world is perhaps because so many people tend to view this as a religion that is often not acceptable to those with Calvinistic backgrounds. This is quite unfortunate, as meditation can in fact be very healthy for one, as well as an excellent stress reliever. Have some courage and try it!

Exercise to begin meditation

Sit comfortably in a relaxed manner, in a quiet place. Listen and concentrate on your breathing. If your mind tends to drift away, pull it back and focus again on your breathing.

Begin with a 5-minute exercise and build this up over time to about 20 minutes. Try to meditate twice a day. Even if you are unable to do so more than a couple of times a week, it will have a healthy effect on your body.

Mindfulness meditation

Deepak Chopra in his book, Healing the Heart, describes the following meditation technique. He recommends that you spend 20 to 30 minutes on the exercise, and that you try to do this twice a day, in the morning and early evening.

๏ Close your eyes (10 seconds).

๏ Focus on your breathing while inhaling and exhaling (30 seconds).

๏ Remain focused on your breathing, without trying to alter it (15 seconds).

๏ Your breathing rate may change in terms of speed, depth or rhythm – do not try to resist this – calmly observe the changes (1 minute).

๏ If your mind drifts away, bring it back and refocus on your breathing (20 – 30 minutes).

DMC PROCESS DESIGN


๏ Open your eyes and turn your attention to the things around you.

Two quick relaxation techniques

The following two techniques are based on the rationale that if one can stiffen or tense one’s body, one can also relax it. A lot of research has gone into this, but for our purposes we need not go into too much detail.

These exercises can be done any time during the day, as often as you like, in your office or any other place where you can sit down without having people staring at you:

And how does your stress level influence your own:

๏ No 1: Clench your fist for a count of 10. Release it and let your whole body go totally limp – just like a rag doll. Do this a few times.

๏ No 2: Stretch your arms and legs out in front of you. Tense your whole body for a count of 10 then let the whole body go completely limp. Do this a few times.

Your sources of stress and your level of strain

You will find this questionnaire in the Annexure to this manual for you to complete. After doing so, you will be able to interpret your individual scores by plotting your scores n the following scales:

Changes on the Job (Total Score)Changes on the Job (Total Score)Changes on the Job (Total Score)Changes on the Job (Total Score)Changes on the Job (Total Score)Changes on the Job (Total Score)Changes on the Job (Total Score)Changes on the Job (Total Score)Changes on the Job (Total Score)

94 151 192 243 280 327 373 430 503

Low RiskLow RiskLow Risk Moderate RiskModerate RiskModerate Risk High RiskHigh RiskHigh Risk

Changes on Job (High Impact Score)Changes on Job (High Impact Score)Changes on Job (High Impact Score)Changes on Job (High Impact Score)Changes on Job (High Impact Score)Changes on Job (High Impact Score)Changes on Job (High Impact Score)Changes on Job (High Impact Score)Changes on Job (High Impact Score)

0 0 32 60 87 116 160 219 292


Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)Changes in Personal Life (Total Score)

46 75 99 122 146 173 209 263 340


Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)Changes in Personal Life (High Impact Score)



0 0 0 37 58 85 124 176 245


Chronic Stressful Conditions on the JobChronic Stressful Conditions on the JobChronic Stressful Conditions on the JobChronic Stressful Conditions on the JobChronic Stressful Conditions on the JobChronic Stressful Conditions on the JobChronic Stressful Conditions on the JobChronic Stressful Conditions on the JobChronic Stressful Conditions on the Job

12 22 26 29 33 36 43 47 50


Chronic Stressful Conditions in Personal LifeChronic Stressful Conditions in Personal LifeChronic Stressful Conditions in Personal LifeChronic Stressful Conditions in Personal LifeChronic Stressful Conditions in Personal LifeChronic Stressful Conditions in Personal LifeChronic Stressful Conditions in Personal LifeChronic Stressful Conditions in Personal LifeChronic Stressful Conditions in Personal Life

10 12 16 20 25 28 34 39 44


The Strain ResponseThe Strain ResponseThe Strain ResponseThe Strain ResponseThe Strain ResponseThe Strain ResponseThe Strain ResponseThe Strain ResponseThe Strain Response

13 17 22 27 32 36 41 49 58


Psychological OutlookPsychological OutlookPsychological OutlookPsychological OutlookPsychological OutlookPsychological OutlookPsychological OutlookPsychological OutlookPsychological Outlook

68 64 59 55 53 48 42 38 35


General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)General Lifestyle (Importance to Health)

60 60 58 56 54 52 51 47 42


General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)General Lifestyle (Present Effectiveness)

54 51 49 46 43 39 36 33 29


Social SupportSocial SupportSocial SupportSocial SupportSocial SupportSocial SupportSocial SupportSocial SupportSocial Support

49 45 41 39 37 35 32 29 24


Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)Nutritional Habits and Awareness (Total Score)

69 62 55 49 44 37 29 20 15

DMC PROCESS DESIGN



Physical Exercise Habits and AwarenessPhysical Exercise Habits and AwarenessPhysical Exercise Habits and AwarenessPhysical Exercise Habits and AwarenessPhysical Exercise Habits and AwarenessPhysical Exercise Habits and AwarenessPhysical Exercise Habits and AwarenessPhysical Exercise Habits and AwarenessPhysical Exercise Habits and Awareness

47 42 38 35 32 28 23 19 13


And how does your stress level influence your own:

Thoughts

Emotions

Behaviour



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