cedepdiary - cre learning · web viewdo you practice an active relaxation technique (yoga,...

ACCOUNTING STEP BY STEP

CRE - CREATIVE RELAXATION EXERCISE

AGL COPING WITH DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS

(one day or better two half days)

For publication - 2015

Dr. Bob Boland & Team FCA, CPA, DBA, ITP (Harvard)

Case: Despite the severe financial crisis and an inevitable restructuring, IBM continued to provide resources for stress management with: reward and recognition systems, job rotation programs, creative worker control groups, manager “open door” policies, stress seminars, exercise programs, ombudsman systems, telephone contact with a counsellor etc.

IBM’s program covered the promotion of POSITIVE stress for high motivation, and the prevention and reduction of NEGATIVE stress for efficient and effective working. Thus the best managers and workers were not lost to negative stress, but were kept fully operational.

This caring stress management policy became highly cost effective as IBM recovered so well from the financial crisis.

Source: EDW/DH et alia Audio: freely available in www.crelearning.comHelp: [email protected]: RGAB/2015

http://www.crelearning.com/

DEDICATION

This is a fun programme, is dedicated to memory of all hard working accountants (and auditors), who have always been the respected traditional honest man in the tough game of business, but have been relegated to the relatively humble job of scorekeepers.

In revenge the accountants keep the score, in such a complex way, that nobody other than skilled accountants, can know what the score really is ... was ... or will be ...

We believe that the programme will provide you with confidence, humour and motivation to learn well, about the wonderful world of accounting, which started with a book on debits and credits in 1425 ... and is still progressing.

Each year accountants find new, ever more creative ways, of keeping the score, such that, a manager with an MBA from a major international business school. who was CEO of a major (bankrupt) public company in USA (which shall be nameless), confessed to a US Congressional Committee, that he had no idea what the real score was.

However we still put our trust in the Professional Accountants and Auditors who always try to serve us well, and in new increasingly powerful International Accounting Standards, as the hope of the future. See also our new book: Ethics of Business – in 2007.

2

INDEX

Item Page No

Diary 4

Workpack 46

Guide 95

APPENDICES:

A - Glossary 109

B - Quiz 121

C – Further study 136

3

DIARYINDEX

Item Page No

1. Important note on the learning 3

2. Health review exercises 4

3. Summary Lecture 7

4. Learning maintenance 20

4. Local case studies 21

APPENDICES:

A - Other ExercisesB - Acknowledgements/bibliographyC - Simple Glossary D - Registration & Feedback

Note: the AGL course schedule provides for:

1. Pre-learning: Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl ( Simon & Schuster) Beyond Certainty: A Personal Odyssey – Charles Handy (HBSP) 2. Learning in groups with exercises, text and cases for one day or better for two half days-

3. Individual learning maintenance over about a month.

4

1. IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE LEARNING

1. AGL is specially designed as a stress free learning environment. Some parts may appear to be less challenging for the human resource manager with years of experience, but the learning comes from the group dynamics not just the learning materials.

2. AGL creates a very special group learning environment that may be new to some members. It is a highly effective but rather challenging learning experience. Members should therefore try to keep an open mind on their reactions until the end of the day.

3. Members can and do solve ALL the problems and answer ALL the questions, from the special materials provided and the experience of other members of the group.

4. The Organiser is not a teacher. The Organiser's job is to help members to:

a. Understand the AGL learning systemb. Use fully and effectively the special learning materials and the group

experiences.c. Solve administrative problems

5. The Organiser is not usually allowed under AGL Learning Systems to respond directly to technical questions, since the learning is better when members help each other. The critical skill of the Organiser is to HELP the participants to WORK TOGETHER to resolve successfully, all questions arising. Thus by the end of the program EVERY QUESTION is resolved!

6. The learning materials can be customised with local case studies, which emphasise priority issues for a particular client organisation.

7. AGL materials are used extensively in many different countries. Since 1970 over 40,000 executives have successfully completed AGL programmes throughout the world. This wide international experience s resulted in development of the "Learning Maintenance Program" which is designed to reinforce and sustain the learning achieved from each course.

6. We hope you will find AGL stimulating, efficient and effective for you!

5

2. HEALTH REVIEW EXERCISES

NO. 1 – DAILY STRESS LEVELS AT WORK

Quickly mark each item … as you feel … from 0 (no stress) to 5 (high stress):

Trouble with clients or customers Having to work lateConstant people interruptionsTrouble with a bossDeadlines and time pressures

Decision-makingDealing with bureaucracyTechnological breakdowns, computers etcTrouble with colleaguesJob not stimulating

Too much responsibilityTo many jobs to do at onceTelephone interruptionsTravelling to and from work Travelling associated with the job

Making mistakesConflict with organisational goalsJob interfering with home and family lifeCan't cope with the politicsCant say “no” when I should work

Not enough stimulating things to doToo many meetingsDon't know where career is goingWorried about job securitySpouse or partner not supportive about work

Family life adversely affecting workHaving to tell subordinates unpleasant things like firing

Scoring: 100 high stress, 40 low stress, average 70

6

2. HEALTH REVIEW EXERCISES (continued)

NO. 2 – CAS - COPING ABILITY SCORE - QUESTIONS

Mark each questions yes or no, and then refer to the score sheet to compute your CAS:

1. Do you have a supportive family and friends?

2. Do you have a hobby?

3. Do you belong to a social or activity group?

4. Do you practice an active relaxation technique (yoga, meditation, imagery, autogenic training etc.) on a daily basis?

5. Do you exercise for the 20 minutes three times a week?

6. Do you do something. just for yourself each week , that you really enjoy ?

7. Have you attended a stress management, relaxation, time management or assertiveness training course?

8. Do you show Type B behaviour?

9. Do you smoke?

10. Do you drink alcohol to relax?

11. Do you take sleeping pills?

12. Do you take work home?

13. Do you drink more than eight cups of caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, coke, chocolate)) each day?

14. Do you show Type A behaviour?

Scoring on the next page

7

2. HEALTH REVIEW EXERCISES (continued)

NO.2 – CAS - ANSWERS

Scoring for good coping strategies:

1. Yes 202. Yes 103. Yes 5 or 10 if more than once a month4. Yes 155. Yes 106. Yes 107. Yes 108. Yes 10 for each course9. Yes 15

Add up your score for good coping strategies

Scoring for poor coping strategies:

10. Yes subtract 10 for 20 pack of cigarettes11. Yes subtract 1 for each drink over 20 per week12. Yes subtract 1013. Yes subtract 5 for each night you take work home14. Yes subtract 1 for each up over 8 per day15. Yes check your Type assessment and subtract 5 (40-60) 10 (60-70) and 15 for over 70

Add up your score for poor coping strategies

Compute your overall CAS

EVALUATION - positive scores indicate good coping ability. while negative scores may indicate the need for some training.

8

3. SUMMARY LECTURE

12.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

a. To diagnose the causes of stress in different organisational and cultural environments.

b. To explore the effect of positive and negative stress, on the effectiveness and health of managers and workers.

c. To promote the positive stress, which inspires, motivates and rewards everyone in the organisation.

d. To prevent and reduce the negative stress, which encourages poor management decision-making and damages everyone in the organisation

e. To motivate further study in the future.

12.2 PARADIGMS – CONCEPTS OF MANAGEMENT

a. A bottle can be seen as half full or half empty. It all depends upon our paradigm and our perceptions!

b. Type A and Type B Managers have very different paradigms and are in danger of the Bomber Harris Syndrome..

12.3 STRESS LEVELS

S - struggling - too much – negativeT - tense - too much – negativeR - readiness - positive – HIGH MOTIVATION E - energising - positive – HIGH MOTIVATIONS - stodgy - too little – negativeS - sleeping - too little – negative

12.4 STRESS CONCEPTS

No one can stress us, unless WE ALLOW them to do so … we CAN be FREE to perceive things, people and actions … as we want to perceive them … NOT as others may want us to perceive them …

9

3. SUMMARY LECTURE (continued)

12.5 STRESS DIAGNOSIS

a. Stress symptoms include four types of responses: psychological, behavioural, physiological and health outcomes

b. Any experienced manager can detect the obvious stress symptoms if he feels concern and responsibility for the mental and physical health of his staff

12.6 IDENTIFYING THE STRESS DRIVERS

a. Identify the causes of stress – the key STRESS DRIVERS, by examining the workplace in terms of physical, job content, organisational culture, social environment, carreer development and personal situations.

b. The key positive stress drivers are often: power, prestige, promotion and money (as a symbol of achievement – not to spend!) …

c. The key negative stress drivers are often: job insecurity, isolation and loss of control, ambiguity, loss of idntity … and jealousy! Look out for some surprising special drivers in each culture.

12.8 THE OPPORTUNITY COST OF STRESS

a. Stress costs billions of dollars each year, but such computations are difficult to make and accept.

b. The visible cost for the enterprise is: higher health insurance, lost working days, decreased efficiency and effectiveness, “PRESENT-EEISM”, legal claims of compensation stress related illness claims etc.

However the key cost is: ORGANISATIONAL LOSS of experienced managers in which so much has been invested to build teams that are efficient and effective. Measured by Xerox as $600,000 per experienced senior executive.

c. The visible cost for the individual is: depression and insomnia.

However the key cost is : family distress, acute and chronic illness, accidents, drug problems etc.

d. The cost for Society is : productivity, health care costs. political and social stability etc. 40% of all disease, death, disability health care costs ARE stress related.

10

3.0 SUMMARY LECTURE (continued)

12.9 PROMOTION OF POSITIVE STRESS

A PPPP (purpose, passion, principles, partnership) leadership to provide the vision and mission that gives meaning to the work of everyone in the organisation.Reward and recognition systemsContinuous communication improvementPeer pressure and supportJob rotationContinuous development trainingTeam buildingTeam maintenance etc.

12.10 PREVENTION OF NEGATIVE STRESS

A new management paradigm Stress monitoring and audit Job rotation and security Delegating power Limiting overtime Increasing individual control Training managers for responsibility and competence in stress management Effective EAP ‘s etc.

12.11 REDUCTION OF NEGATIVE STRESS

CounsellingPeer support groupsExerciseMassageMeditation,Alcohol controlsDrug support (Prozak)Autogenic training etc.

12.12 REASONS FOR MANAGING STRESS

Avoid wasting and losing good management teamsImprove products and productivity. Reduce key staff turnover Improve working relationships and encourage better work attitudes and quality Reduce legal liability for health and welfare of staff and thus be ready for new EU regulationsImprove Health and Safety in the whole organisationReduce accidents and claims for health damageAttract new high calibre staff and ensure the long-term survival of the enterprise

11


12.13 INDIVIDUAL APPROACH TO STRESS

a. Welcome positive stress that inspires high motivation and gives meaning to the job with “allostasis” (mental/physical balance) – this equips the individual to cope with difficult environments.

b. Make EARLY diagnosis of potential negative stress (anxiety, sleep problems, drugs, depression, loss of concentration, irritability etc.),

c. Set up three personal job opportunities (in reserve), as an alternative to the current work environment , if the stress levels become too high to absorb….

12.14 MOVING TOWARDS A HEALTHY ORGANISATION

a. Convince the CEO that both positive and negative stress management is a strategic priority ,and thus develop an organisational structure which supports its managers and workers.

b. Recruitment policy which puts the right people are in (and continue to be in) the right jobs, with clear roles, objectives and support.

d. Communications (up, down and laterally) which incorporate formal and informal channels together with systems for dealing RAPIDLY with stress, conflict and grievances. Employee participation, decision- making and team work.

e. Measures that inspire positive stress as a motivation and meaning to the life of the workforce. Measures that prevent the negative stress caused by: poor communications, uncertainty, monotony lack of control and job insecurity.

f. Appropriate support for the workforce who might mean provision of family services, job sharing, or flexible working hours.

g. Training and development of managers, which will ensure that staff, are properly trained for the jobs to be done and are developing skills for the future.

h. A stress management strategy with continuous monitoring and assessment, with an annual external audit and published reporting.

12


12.15 ORGANISATIONAL APPROACH TO STRESS

a. Set a company strategy for positive and negative stress management with adequate resources to achieve it.

b. Train managers to make early negative stress diagnosis and take responsibility for the stress they create. Use stress management techniques. Continuous assessment and monitoring as a movement towards a sustainable healthy organisation.

c. EAP’s with resources to effect job and organisational change. Provide manager-peer support groups. Monitor legal changes to anticipate compliance for both physical and mental health of workers and managers.

d. Annual external stress management audit with published reporting to all stakeholders of the enterprise.

e. Bench-mark with comparable companies in the same industry, on the efficiency (doing things right) and the effectiveness (doing the right things) in stress PPR (see Exhibit 2).

f. Help the CEO to set an example of stress concern for every manager and worker in the organisation as a vital party of health and safety and success for all.

13

3.0 SUMMARY LECTURE (continued)

12.16 THE SEVEN KEY LEARNING POINTS FOR COPING

1. Failure to cope with stress, may have a high opportunity cost, when we start to lose our key managers.

2. Management “burn-out” is an organisational not a medical failure, and so we can help our managers to diagnose and feel responsible for negative stress.

3. Our “risk-taking capacity” is a key tool for motivation with positive stress and for prevention of negative stress; but this capacity becomes exhausted unless carefully maintained and reinforced.

4. Stress management strategies can fit our organisational culture; we have to be able to manage our own stress before we can help others; thus a deeper understanding of ourselves is essential for coping.

5. EAP services can provide creative practical alternatives for stress prevention (not merely reduction); but such programs need an annual external audit to test their real efficiency and effectiveness.

6. We can benchmark with other companies on stress monitoring and prevention; continuous research on what other companies are doing in practice, can reduce the opportunity cost of stress in our organisation.

7. We can help the CEO to set and example, of concern for “allostasis” (mental and physical well-being) for everyone in the organisation … as the key tool for us all to cope with difficult environments …

14

3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)

NOTE OF APPRECIATION

Thank you for being with us today … without stress … or work … or any

effort to remember anything … which is our ideal for efficient and effective learning …

We hope the AGL experience was a rewarding … experience which reinforced some creative ideas … for coping with difficult environments in the future … and that you will be able … to complete the full learning maintenance program …

And later … perhaps another AGL experience in finance and EVA … to prevent some of the Sam’s problems … it’s an the AGL is all about financial peanuts and coconuts … ?

… bye for now … RGAB/IR

15

3.0 Summary Lecture (continued)EXHIBIT 1 STRESS INIDICATOR CHECKLIST

These symptoms can indicate stress, especially when appearing in clusters and when they represent noticeable changes in behaviour. People may exhibit symptoms and suffer from stress even if they are not aware of feeling pressured.

16

Behavioural:Heavy smokingIncrease use of alcoholDrug use High risk behaviourViolenceOver eatingHyperactivitySleep disturbancesNightmaresOverwork

Attitudinal:BoredomGrandiosityCynicismDistrustDespairFeelings of powerlessnessSelf- righteousnessFeeling trappedSelf-doubt

Emotional:AnxietyFeeling of being overwhelmedFear and paranoiaFeeling out of controlGuiltDepressionAngerPanicFeeling disconnected from emotionsFeeling of tension and pressure

Social:Anger and irritabilityWithdrawal from friendsMarital relationship problemsRestricted social contactsCritical towards self and othersConflict with spouseOver-dependence on others

Physical:HeadachesAbdominal and chest painIndigestionDiarrhoeaNauseaFatigueFrequent coldsWeight loss or gainChanges in menstrual cycleHeart palpitationsVision problemsLowered sex drive

MentalDifficulty concentratingDistractabilityInability to make decisionsShort attention spanIntrusive imagesHyper-alertnessSelf-blamingDistorted thinkingFrequent daydreamsAvoidance of certain thoughts

17


EXHIBIT 2 – CREATIVE IDEAS FOR STRESS PPR

For major companies where managerial survival is a high stress issue … some new stress management approaches … could be highly cost-effective … and thus may be worthwhile to consider seriously:

Allow managers and staff to take leave of absence of up to one year for virtually any reason and return to a comparable job), and thus retain the best teams and people (Hewlett Packard)

Introduce stock options for managers, which reduce financial uncertainty, provide a counselling service by telephone and in person, set up stress workshops for all workers, insist upon a manager “open door” policy, so that anyone can see the manager face to face (IBM).

Increase social support from co-workers and peer groups of managers (ReliaStar).

Maintain job demands to healthy levels by controlling overtime working and changing workloads (Renault).

Provide healthy work schedules and flexi-time (ILO).

Encourage stable employment practices with more control over the work environment (ICI).

Offer stress management programs: exercise, relaxation, massage, autogenic training, counselling etc. (SBS)

Motivate exercise with cash benefits (Healthcare Delaware)

Schedule a daily exercise time for all managers and staff (Nissan)

Develop fallback situations which could give the stressed manager an escape to more secure and less stressful work (HBR).

Introduce a full time staff member as OMBUTSMAN with whom managers and staff can contact to discuss any feelings of being unjustly treated by the organisation (WHO).


(continued)

Set aside Fridays with no management meetings and freedom for managers to catch up on work or even sports (Microsoft).

Start a Staff Complaints Appeal Committee with access to all levels of management, which may make recommendations to the CEO (WHO)

Allow only one canteen where both managers and workers eat in the same location (Subaru).

Set up a relaxation room where managers and staff may find a peaceful environment (BP).

Introduce a “Stress Card” for each manager, with a telephone number of a trained counsellor who has extensive business experience (Unilever).

Provide part-time MBA training for managers, which will reduce negative stress of possible job loss, and reassure them of finding alternative employment should they become redundant at some future time (Thomson).

Provide a two week training on personal health for senior executives to encourage allostasis as a personal priority (BASF)

Set up a STAYWELL program for 22,000 staff and family members (Control Data)

Set up a cardio-vascular fitness program which saves $3 million annually in absenteeism and health care costs (New York Telephone).

Set up a comprehensive fitness progam with extensive gymnastic facilities (Pepsico)

Consider introduction of a four day 40 hour week (American Management Association Survey of 1000 firms with over 100,000 employees).

3

3


(continued)

For VERY LARGE privately owned enterprises where survival is ALWAYS a high negative stress driver: convert to a public company; divide the senior post to at least three people; appoint outside directors; put family on the board (not in operations); hire professional operating managers; provide stock options for all stakeholders including the TU¨s; improve real communication at every level; restrict manager working hours to 60 and then 50 hours weekly (by hiring two managers to work together instead of one going to burnout); find another activity or role for the family founder entrepreneur, so that he becomes advisory, after 60 years of age; set up a code of conduct for managers to encourage delegation; monitor and benchmark what similar companies are doing (Mustafa Aysan Inc, Turkey).

In Sweden the idea of a year off, after certain period of work, is well institutionalised in a wide range of occupations. In the UK a major company allows 6 month sabbaticals to employees of 50 years of age with at least 25 years service, to do things they enjoy, which would not otherwise be possible (John Lewis).

Career-break schemes allow both male and female employees to interrupt their usual work for a number of years after which they can return to work without loss of seniority (Natwest Bank).

And others to be added … with the company name …

4

4


EXHIBIT 4 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ON CONTROL OF NEGATIVE STRESS

1. Impacts of negative stress:

a. Short term psychological and psycho-somatic responses – headaches, disturbed sleep patterns, digestive disorders, and raised cholesterol, heart rate and adrenalin levels.

b. Short term emotional, behavioural and social responses - job dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, frustration, break of relationships at home and work , alcohol and drug abuse, tobacco smoking, inability to relax etc.

c. Long term health responses – gastric ulcers, asthma, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension and mental ill-health etc.

d. Impact on the organisation – low morale, absenteeism, poor time keeping, high labour

turnover, high sickness rates, low productivity and industrial unrest etc.

2. Organisational benefits of stress control:

Improved overall productivity, more creative management, more cooperative relationships and work attitudes, more effective teamwork, reduced staff turnover, better quality control, reduced health insurance costs, reduction in accidents etc

3. Causes of high stress at work:

a. Organisation - lack of clear objectives, lack of control over the pace of work, major changes in the organisation, high uncertainty, lack of management support, inflexible or over demanding work schedules etc..

b. Job - fragmented or meaningless work, work overload or under load, shift working and unpredictable or unsociable work hours danger, exposure to human suffering, conflict with colleagues, sexual or racial harassment, lack of variety in work cycles etc.

c. Individual - conflicting demands of work and home , low levels of support, career uncertainty, feeling of poor status, job insecurity or redundancy, lack of training and or competence, lack of counselling, support and professional advice, unwillingness to admit to stress problems etc..

4. Health and safety management training:

Recognise stress, identify it’s causes and symptoms, take action to raise awareness of the issue among staff, acknowledge that work-related stress is not a personal weakness, encourage staff and managers to come forward with problems, be sensitive to the problems that staff may be experiencing, create a climate in which stress can be discussed openly etc.

5

5


(continued)

5. Action plan for negative stress control:

a. Identify the problem - by checking target areas where: work involves many stress factors, pressures are sustained over long periods, staff may lack support, skills and training to cope with job stress, there are major changes in work, conditions or organisational arrangements etc..

b. Develop and implement action - introduce measures to prevent or minimise the stress causes, and provide support and stress management training etc. Make objective evaluation of the results with internal monitoring systems and external annual audit.

6. Effective use of the key stress management techniques

a. CEO support - for a strategy to maintain a healthy organisational environment.

b. Staff involvement – with continuous communication on work planning, especially in times of major organisational change.

c. Training – for new skills to prevent and reduce stress and improve performance.

d. Planning and directing work – with targets that “stretch” but avoid both under and over load.Time management training – which helps staff to plan their time to meet management priorities.

e. Job enrichment and rotation – with new challenge, control and recognition, without overload.

f. Team work – to bring responsibility for planning, co-ordination and evaluatiion of results achieved.

g. Interpersonal skills – improved with training and with changes to reporting structures.

h. Support and reassurance – as the most effective way of managing stress – we all need it … at times …

i. Stress management – on communication, assertiveness, time management, relaxation and physical exercise etc.

j. Professional counselling – with telephone and personal access to confidential help and advice lines (recognise that a senior executive will usually only take advice from a counsellor he respects and who knows the hard realities of business and organisation).

k. Collective approaches – with peer group availability at all levels.

l. Monitoring, evaluation and external annual audit – to bring unbiased data on organisational stress levels, so that stress reduction and (much better) stress prevention may be implemented.

6

6


EXHIBIT 5 – THE KEY ALLOSTASIS ADVICE

COPING WITH DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS …

IS COPING WITH STRESS …

AND SRESS IS VERY VERY INFECTIOUS …

AND SO … ALWAYS … ALWAYS …

“ABSORB” THE POSITIVE STRESS GIVEN TO YOU … WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM …

BUT NEVER ,,, NEVER … ALLOW YOURSELF …

TO “ABSORB” THE HEAVY HEAVY …NEGATIVE STRESS …

THAT IS SOMETIMES SO FREELY GIVEN TO YOU BY OTHERS …

AND DON’T SPREAD IT ABOUT … IT’S INFECTIOUS …

JUST RESPOND VERY POLITELY WITH …

“THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT WITH ME” …

AND THEN VERY DISCRETELY “DUMP IT” …

BOTH MENTALLY … AND PHYSICALLY …

WITH A GENTLE GESTURE OF THE HAND …

OK? …

7

7

4. LEARNING MAINTENANCE

1. To get the best from today, reinforce the learning over the next month, with the activities suggested below.

2. But PLEASE don’t do it alone; try to do it with a partner to share and improve the learning experience:

Play the learning recall tape.

Review the glossary, local case studies, your notes and the summary lecture

Do the new exercises in the appendix.

Study the articles provided.

Follow up your action plan.

3. Send us your second feedback by email:[email protected] and we will send you the quiz to test your learning maintenance.

4. Do the latest OSI (Occupational Stress Indicator) published by NFER-NELSON Publishing Co. Ltd., Darville House, 2 Oxford Road East, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1DF, UK.

8

8

mailto:[email protected]

5. LOCAL CASE STUDIES

1. Tough Stress - In a US based pharmaceutical multi-national company, a senior manager reported a tough high stress environment, with no sympathy for any manager who could not meet the test. Such a manager would be quickly replaced with little loss to the company. No company obligation to prevent negative stress. No personal or company responsibility for the health effects of such stress on the staff or the managers. Contrast with IBM! Comments?

2. Infectious Stress – New staff joining the organisation with great enthusiasm and high positive stress, were surprised to find so many long serving staff, with gruesome stories of all the negative stress in the organisation. Why?

3. Reaction Stress – A manager trained in stress reaction techniques adopted the following system for responding to comments from colleagues:

a. Put a finger to the forehead and say: “Move from automatic to manual response” and then before any emotional reaction, decide:

b. If the comment is not true and not helpful – respond with: “Thank you for sharing that with me” and add (secretly) a dumping hand signal to show yourself that you are not going to carry that negative stress with you!

c. If the comment is true and helpful – respond with: “Thank you very much”,

and add a clear affirmative hand signal.

d. If the comment is true and really useful - respond with: “Thank you, I shall put that on my list of things to change”, and add a clear affirmative hand signal.

Comments on this mental and physical reaction system?

4. Change Stress – a manager trained himself to avoid quick emotional reactions to particular common stress driver/signals (anger, guilt, aggression, oppression, unfairness etc.), by using “spaced repetition” signals six times a day for 21 days to remind himself that: “My children would not expect me to react like that”. Comments?

9

9

5. LOCAL CASE STUDIES (continued)

5. Pink Stress – Nurses in a hospital were frequently verbally abused by a highly stressed surgeon, Dr. George. So they invented “Code Pink”. If a nurse was being unfairly treated by a surgeon, she could call Code Pink (like any emergency resuscitation code), and all free nurses would come immediately to stand around the abused nurse with no comment but hands folded. The effect was very dramatic. Comments?

6. Phased Stress – The human resources division of a major multi-national began to develop data on the five stages of stress in the organisation:

a. Euphoria – just hired, enthusiastic, keen to learn. High positive stress.

b. Interaction – beginning to be influenced by negative colleagues who delight in feeding the newcomer with the inside story of all the negative stress in the organisation. Still high positive stress.

c. Overwork – depression and acute illness; less motivation to learn and to work effectively. Negative stress developing.

d. Rigidity - survival mentality; high resistance to change; little initiative to learn new things; dreams of escape. High negative stress.

e. Burnout – withdrawal; complete loss of interest; acute and chronic illness.

How to help managers and staff to stay in stage 1?

7. Supervisor Stress - A long time staff member complained that when her former supervisor really wanted to give her a hard time, there was no limit to the negative stress! She even had a heart attack from the pressure. Comments?

10

10


8. Reorganisation Stress - A new manager wanted to re-organise his department to cut staff and costs against the advice of older staff members. Who thought he was merely trying to impress his boss. The manager hired an “independent” outside consultant to give a report which supported his viewpoint. Comments?

9. Discrimination Stress - A senior official lost a case of “unfair discrimination” brought against her by a staff member. The official then obtained a list of the witnesses from her staff and gave them all unfavourable annual evaluation reports. They started a group action against her. Comments?

10. Old Age Stress - The founder of the business (working 80 hours a week) was 78 years of age but refused to hand over to his “young son” because the stress of working 60 hours a week would be too much for him. Comments?

11. War Stress - During the Second World War, some British army infantry officers who were decorated for bravery in the North African campaign of 1942-3, were found to be unable to respond to the leadership challenges of the Second Front in Europe in 1944-5. Comments?

12. Professorial Stress – A very fat professor giving a formal lecture to 300 medical students. Was surprised by the quiet laughter, throughout the room. After some time one student dared to tell him that his trousers were unzipped revealing some private parts! The professor with his huge abdomen, turned di-stress to win-stress with the comment:: “Oh how lucky you are … I haven’t seen it for years”. Comments

13. Perceived Stress – A stress consultant, who was not a good driver, was sometimes greeted by other motorists with a rude a “hand/finger” sign. But she refused to be stressed by this rudeness, by insisting (to herself) that for her, she would perceive it as: “Have a good day!”. Thus she would not “absorb” the negative stress, and would always respond (without stress) with the same sign, and reply: “Have a good day” … Comments?

11

11

LOCAL CASE STUDIES (continued) Di-stress to win-stress – Managers and staff in a major multi-national in New York, noted that, one manager (Bill), seemed to be always so positive and cheerful … and ever ready to help anyone under stress.

When asked his about his attitude he said: “Every morning … I wake up and I ask myself … with all of my problems … what choice will I make today … to be sad or happy … and I choose to be happy”.

Later Bill’s story of stress became known … some years before while working very late as manager for another company … an outside door was left open … he was attacked by three robbers … and when he failed to open the safe quickly enough … they panicked and shot him several times … an ambulance eventually arrived …

On the way to the hospital the para-medics were very supportive … but on arrival at the emergency room … Bill was shocked by the expression on the faces of the doctors and nurses … which seem to indicate to him … that his case was hopeless and even with immediate surgery he was going to die … so when a rough nurse preparing him for surgery suddenly asked him: “Are you allergic to anything?” … Bill used all of his remaining strength to shout … “YES!”

The doctors and nurses working that night under high stress, were preparing for what seemed “hopeless surgery” … they stopped … to hear what Bill had to tell them …”What are you allergic to?” said the chief surgeon … and so Bill shouted back … “BULLETS … BUT I’M DETERMINED TO LIVE!” …

This so inspired the surgical team … that they did the “impossble” … and a month later … Bill walked out of the hospital …. Comments?

16. Appeal Stress - The organisation had an independent staff committee for staff appeals against unfair treatment by management. The committee would hear the case and advise action to CEO who generally rejected the advice and supported management. This forced staff to appeal to a higher authority, which almost always supported their legitimate complaints and the advice to the CEO. Comments?

12

12


17.Contract Stress – In the organisation, staff were generally hired on short term contracts of less than one year which were renewed many times at the option of the supervising manager. Such job uncertainty did not encourage creative management but rather a defensive “don’t rock the boat” attitude. Such staff were under high negative stress, they needed job security for: finance, family, schooling and even apartment leasing reasons. Comments?

18.Evaluation Stress – The “independent” evaluation team for a UN project in Africa had some difficulties. The project over five years for over a million dollars had failed to achieve its objectives. However if the team reported this objectively, it would be unacceptable to: the project manager, the donor agency, the African government or the UN body. Furthermore with such objective reporting, the team members would probably not be appointed for future project evaluation work. Comments?

19. Ombutsman Stress – To prevent negative stress the company appointed a manager as ombutsman to provide advice and help to managers and staff with organisational or personal problems. The manager was highly motivated but it hard to be effective (without staff) for an organisation with over 1500 staff members. Comments?

20. Professional Stress – With the rapid increase in the number of computers in the organisation, the professional specialist in occupational medicine providing service for clients, suggested a software program to prevent computer negative stress for staff in te organisation. After a brief evaluation, the personnel department, concluded that it was too costly for the current budget. No consideration was given to the “opportunity cost” of negative stress. In subsequent years the specialist did not “waste time” making suggestions to management in his own organisation. Comments?

21. Violin Stress – Paganini was giving a concert for 3500 violin lovers with a Stradavarius. First one then two then three strings broke, to the great distress of the audience. He turned di-stress to win-stress, with the comment: “Paganini and one string”; and gave a memorable concert. Comments?

13

13

(continued)

22. Rapport Anti-stress – Company stress management training program reduce the stress of certain inter-personal relationships. Uses the following simple steps for dealing with a “highly stressed” person: 1. calmly mirror his physical position, 2. calmly mirror his movements (lean forward or back, cross or uncross legs etc.), 3. calmly use his favourite words and tone of voice etc. Thus a calm, almost automatic rapport, is established. Comments ?.

23. Bank Stress – The bank manger aged 41 years with 20 years of service was made redundant in a strategic reorganisation. The bank offered early retirement with generous financial benefits. Four days later he committed suicide. Comments?

24. Delayed Ethical stress – A major multi-national company helped to overthrow the Caribbean Government to improve local business conditions. At the time one senior manager was aware of this action, but did nothing about it. He accepted it as part of “company culture” with no moral dilemma. However some years the incident became the source of severe personal stress. Comments?

25. Stress Contracts – When a work team began to experience severe negative stress, each member was asked to provide (anonymously) a sheet of complaints about other members and suggestions for change. The data was summarised for group discussion and a new written stress PPR contract was drawn up detailing work roles and expectations for the future. Comments?

26. Organisational Stress – The new organisational model is described as “fitter leaner and more hungry than its predecessor”. Fewer people do the same amount of work, budgets cut, targets raised, deadlines tightened, such that longer working hours and family difficulties become symbolic of managerial commitment. Comments?

27. Important Stress – “It is not just a matter of life or and death, it is more important than that!!!” - attributed to a former Liverpool football club manager prior to an important game. Comments?

14

14

(continued)

28.Moral Stress – Two monks Sancos and Xavier, were journeying in rough countryside back to their monastery, during a major storm. They discovered that a small stream in their pathway had turned into an overflowing river. Quite suddenly they noticed a very frightened young woman, who was hesitating about how to get across. Sancos immediately picked her up in his arms and carried her safely to the other side. On continuing their journey the monks did not speak until almost at the monastery. Then the Xavier (highly stressed) said: “I am ashamed of you Sancos. You know that in our Order, we have sworn to have no verbal or physical contact with women! I must report this to the Abbot!”. Sancos (with allostasis) calmly replied: “ I put her down on this side of the river. Are you still carrying her …?” Comments?

29. Relocation Stress - etc. etc.

15

15

APPENDIX A – NEW EXERCISES NO. 1

NO. 1 – EASY RELAXATION ROUTINE

Now do this very old oriental “autogenic” exercise which is always helpful for immediate negative stress reduction … and rebuilding morale … and achieving allostasis … if practised carefully and regularly, over about 10 minutes each time with strong EI (emotional investment) …

1. Sit in a very comfortable position.

2. Breath very deeply three times and stretch out the arms and legs several times.

3. Then with eyes closed … relax progressively … very slowly … every part of your body … starting with the top of the head … the hair … the left side of the face … the right side … the neck … left shoulder … etc. …right down to the toes … very slowly and consciously … relaxing every muscle of the body …

4. Then imagine that your right arm is getting warmer … and lighter … and floating … and the whole body seems to be floating … in a very light and easy … relaxed … way …

5. Then imagine …that your brain is moving through your body … to rest in your heart …as you breathe gently … completely relaxed …

6. Then tell your unconscious mind … five times … with careful reassurance that …

Every day, in every way, everything is getting better and better … … every difficulty is … simply a new opportunity to learn …

7. Then relax … for five minutes … and then feel a new source of energy coming up from your feet … and filling your body with enthusiasm … and off you go … feeling calm and well again …

16

16

APPENDIX A – EXERCISE NO. 2

Some ideas to think about … and write something down on …very confidentially … not for discussion …:

1. What are your (very personal) positive stress drivers?

2. What are your negative stress drivers? What damage done to you?

3. How rigid is your concept of “The Meaning of Life”?

4. Do your have three job alternatives in reserve, which may fit your personality and character better?

5. Do you have a reliable and acceptable “Peer Support Group” which you can use when needed?

6. Do you create much negative stress which damages others?

7. Can you really afford to care or feel responsible for others?

8. How does culture influence stress in different countries?

9. How can you create and monitor the positive stress in your organisation?

10. How can you detect and evaluate the negative stress?

11. How can you identify other people’s STRESS DRIVERS?

12. Would an external stress audit be useful?

13. What tools do you have for negative stress prevention?

14. What tools do you have for negative stress reduction?

15. How can you find out what other companies are doing about stress PPR?

Results? … you are the judge and the jury …

17

17


Mark our checklist of 20 ways to pass on … before your time:

Ignore family history and genetics, especially if your parents died young. Don't exercise; avoid walking and save energy by using the car. Be careless and absent-minded. Don't wear seat belts. Day dream when using new

tools, knives, lawn mowers etc. Make really important telephone calls while driving the car in heavy traffic to and from

work. Smoke two packs a day; and spend lots of time with friends who do. Be a loner, avoid family or other strong support groups. Drink enough alcohol to keep cool (more than 20 shots a week). Be angry, hostile and aggressive about everything. Blame others. Refuse to take any

responsibility for the negative stress you create for others. Be a real manager and work 60 -70 hours every week. Ignore nature's warnings like:

frequent acute infections, insomnia, anxiety, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, numbness etc.

Be a pessimist. Perceive trouble as pain and not a chance to learn to be a better person. Convince yourself that nothing will ever go right for you. Just look forward, to being taken advantage of, again and again.

Do many things at the same time with a strong sense of constant urgency; which justifies your anger when someone gets in yo/ur way or slows you down.

Over-eat, especially high fat, high sugar, junk food; make a real effort to become morbidly obese.

Don’t think positively, but worry constantly, even in the face of contrary evidence. Each day, with a choice, choose misery rather than happiness.

Make no distinction between peanuts and coconuts. Polish them both with a very high level of emotional investment and satisfaction! Believe in no power higher than yourself. Faith in God nay not apply to business or the

UN, so don’t feel too obligated to help anyone under stress. Don't use hydrogen peroxide once a month as mouth wash to protect your gums, just

accept false teeth as inevitable. After 50 years of age, don’ take one aspirin a day to prevent heart disease.

Don’t take the risk of changing your job at your age, even if you hate the negative stress; just hold on somehow and play it safe.

Don’t worry too much about the family, because success in your job is the key priority for your life, and thus needs most of your time.

If possible take early retirement and don’t make a paradigm shift.. Don’t trust anybody, because to get something done correctly, you always have to do it yourself.Note: Of course, if you really don’t want to die prematurely …for some reason or other … then do the opposite and I guarantee … that you’ll live longer!

18

18


RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOUR IN GROUPS

Risk-taking behaviour in groups is one way of “stretching“ yourself for personal growth. Risk-taking is behaviour that ordinarily one would not engage in, because it poses a threat.

A risk for one person depends on whether it is new behaviour and whether there is a subjective sense of danger, involved in the behaviour.

Creative risk-taking in groups can be an effective way to increase the variety of your responses to different interpersonal situations. With more freedom in response, you have more choice, unrestricted by inhibitions. You also have more spontaneity of action and more flexibility in interpersonal relationships.

19

19

RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOUR IN GROUPS

No risk Small risk No feelings Some risk High risk -2 -1 0 +1 +2

_____________ 1. Disclosing certain negative feelings about myself to others._____________ 2. Revealing certain things about my past to others.__________ 3. Asking for help with my problems from others.__________ 4. Expressing anger towards someone in the group.__________ 5. Expressing affection towards someone in the group.__________ 6. Receiving affection from someone in the group.__________ 7. Asking for feedback from significant members in the group__________ 8. Touching someone else in the group.__________ 9. Having someone else touch me in the group.__________ 10. Becoming close and personal with another in front of the group.__________ 11. Making a statement which might anger someone else in the group.__________ 12. Expressing and dealing with a conflict I have with another group member.__________ 13. Giving another member negative feedback.__________ 14. Being the centre of attention in the group.__________ 15. Expressing my confusion and uncertainty in front of the other group members.__________ 16. Expressing anger or dissatisfaction with the group leader.__________ 17. Admitting that I was wrong about some other person in the group.__________ 18. Admitting to the group that I was wrong about an idea that I had.__________ 19. Talking about sexual feelings in the group.__________ 20. Sharing a fantasy I have about some member or the total group.__________ 21. Telling someone in the group that he or she has become very important to me.__________ 22. Expressing indifference towards other members.__________ 23. Expressing feelings about another member‘s physical characteristics.__________ 24. Talking about my feelings with regard to my physical characteristics in the group.__________ 25. Admitting that someone had hurt my feelings in the group.__________ 26. Telling the group members to leave me alone, to „get off my back“.__________ 27. Walking out of the group whilst under stress.__________ 28. Expressing sexual attraction towards another member in the group.Results: Average risk-taking score - 0

20

20


SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

Mark each question with one of the following: almost never – a, seldom – b, often – c, almost all the time – d.

During the last month have you:

1. Been easily irritated by people or trivial events?2. Felt impatient?3. Felt unable to cope?4. Felt a failure?5. Found itr difficult to make decisions?6. Lost interest in other people?

7. Felt you had no one to confided in or to talk to about your problems?8. Found it difficult to concentrate?9. Failed to finish tasks before moving on to the next one, leaving jobs

uncompleted?10 . Felt neglected in any way?11. Tried to do too many things at once?12. Felt anxious or depressed?

13. Been uncharacteristically aggressive?14. Felt bored?15. Changed your patterns of drinking, smoking or eating?16. Changed your level of sexual activity?17. Cried or wanted to?18. Felt tired and most of the time?

19. Suffered from any of the following more frequently: muscular aches and pains, cramps, loss of appetite, indigestion and nausea?. 20. Do two or more of the following apply to you: nail biting, fingers drumming, teeth grinding, foot tapping, trouble with falling or staying asleep?

Compute your score on the next page.

21

21

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

SCORING:

Questions 1,5,7,8,14,16,17, and 18:

Score: a. 0, b. 2, c. 4, d. 6

Questions 2,6,9,10,11,15,19, and 20

Score: a 0, b. 1, c. 2, d. 3

Questions 3, 4,12 and 13 Score: a. 0, b. 10, c. 20. d. 30

Evaluation:

Scores over 30 indicates some distress.Scores over 60 indicate some concern for your lifestyle.

22

22


DAILY STRESS AT WORK

Mark each item from 0 (no stress) to 5 (high stress):

Work overloadWork under-loadTime pressures and deadlinesThe amount of travel required by my workLong working hoursTaking my work homeLack of power and influenceAttending meetingsMy beliefs conflict with those of the organisationKeeping up with new technologyThreat of job loss

Competition for promotionHaving to move with my job to progress my careerDoing a job beyond the level of my competence Doing it job below my level of competenceInadequately trained subordinatesInterpersonal relationsHiring and firing personnelUnsympathetic bossIncompetent bossPerformance related compensation

Unrealistic objectivesDealing with conservation groupsDealing with shareholdersDealing with unionsMy spouse’s attitude towards my careerDemands of work and on my relationship with my familyDemands of work on my private and social lifeMy relationship with my colleaguesMy relationship with my subordinatesMaking mistakes

Feeling undervaluedPromotion prospectsRate of payManaging peopleOffice politics Lack of consultation and communication in my organisation

SCORE: 140 (HIGH STRESS), 50 (LOW STRESS), AVERAGE 8023

23

APPENDIX B – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acknowledgements:

Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl ,Simon & Schuster, New York, USA. Beyond Certainty: A Personal Odyssey Charles Handy, HBSP, Boston, Mass. USA. 1997 Case: Johan Tobler (A) and (B) INSEAD, Fontainbleau, France. Case: Eli Black: United Brands INSEAD, Fontainbleau, France. Mental Disorders in Primary Health Care WHO, Geneva, Suisse. 1997 Catalogue of ILO Publications on Occupational Safety and Health ILO , Geneva, Suisse. 2005 Conditions of Work Digest

ILO, Geneva, Suisse 1992 Stress in Industry

ILO, Geneva, Suisse. 1989

Short Bibliography (selected articles for learning maintenance):

The Damaging Effect of Stress MediatorsNEJM, Boston, Mass., USA. January 2005

Living with StressCooper et alia, Penguin 1988

Managing Workplace StressCooper et alia, Sage 1997

Managing Stress Looker et alia, Hodder & Stoughton, 1997

Stress – An Owners Manual Rowshan, One world,1997

Control of Stress at Work ILO Health & Safety Data File 1994 Managing Pressure Williams, Kogan page, When Executives Burn-out

HBS, Boston, Mass., USA. November 1997 How Much Stress is Too Much? HBR, Boston, Mass., USA. September 1993

Note: Since 1900 there have been over 50,000 articles and other publications on stress. Currently the internet gives over 1000 references..

24

24

APPENDIX D - REGISTRATION AND QUIZ ANSWER SHEETSPART I Basic data:

AGL: No. 20 – Coping with difficult environmentsDate and location:Name:Title:Organisation:Address, telephone, fax:

PART 2 PREVIOUS BACKGROUND

Please write 1-4 lines on your relevant training and experience in the subject area of the programme.

PART 3 OBJECTIVES

Please complete the attached sheet: "Learner Objective Setting".

Then list below, three objectives in your taking the programme.

1.

2.

3.

25

25

REGISTRATION (continued)

LEARNER OBJECTIVE SETTING

1. Briefly, what is your idea of a working knowledge of the subject area?

2. Briefly describe a situation you faced in the last six months which involved the subject area. How did it arise? What did you do? What was the result? What did you feel?

3. Can you now list (below) 20 technical words, relevant to the subject area, that you need to use frequently?

26

26

OPENING QUIZ ANSWER SHEET

Name: ...................................................

Put a cross on each correct answer … one only please …

1 a b c d 26 a b c d 2 a b c d 27 a b c d 3 a b c d 28 a b c d 4 a b c d 29 a b c d 5 a b c d 30 a b c d

6 a b c d 31 a b c d 7 a b c d 32 a b c d

8 a b c d 33 a b c d 9 a b c d 34 a b c d 10 a b c d 35 a b c d




Score: /50

Note of errors for correction later:

27

27

CLOSING QUIIZ ANSWER SHEET

Name: ...................................................

Put a cross on each correct answer … one only please … as a SG …


6 a b c d 31 a b c d 7 a b c d 32 a b c d

8 a b c d 33 a b c d 9 a b c d 34 a b c d 10 a b c d 35 a b c d



21 a b c d 46 a b c d 22 a b c d 47 a b c d 23 a b c d 48 a b c d 24 a b c d 49 a b c d

25 a b c d 50 a b c d

Score: /50

Note of errors for correction NOW:

28

28

APPENDIX E - FIRST FEEDBACK SUMMARY1. Basic data:

AGL: No. 20 Coping with difficult environments Date and location: Name of member: Title:

Organisation: Address, telephone, fax, email:

2. Previous background:

3. Quiz results:

Opening …/50 Closing …/50

29

29

APPENDIX E - FIRST FEEDBACK SUMMARY (CONTINUED)

4. To what extent did you achieve your personal objectives? Did anything surprise you?

5. Do you have any suggestions for improving the program?

6. What other programs might be useful to your company?

7. At this time , what is your overall evaluation of the program. in terms of content, presentation, administration and usefulness?

Score each item below, from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) :

Content:

Presentation:

Administration:

Usefulness :

8. Other comments:

Signature ...............………………....... date ................

30

30

WORK PACK

Quick fun test TO SEE IF YOU are a workaholic?

Answer yes or no, to each of the following eight questions :

1. Do you to take work home most nights?2. Do you frequently think about work problems at home?3. Do voluntarily work longer hours?4. Do work problems affect your sleeping habits?5. Do family and friends complain that you give them no time?6. Do you find it difficult to relax and forget work?7. Do you find it difficult to say no to work requests?8. Is your self-esteem based largely on your work?

Scoring:

If you answer a yes, to four or more questions … you are a

workaholic (like us) … and probably a negative stress “carrier”

… so on we go together … to try to do something about it …

31

31

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY1. Impacts of negative stress:

e. Short term psychological and psycho-somatic responses – headaches, disturbed sleep patterns, digestive disorders, and raised cholesterol, heart rate and adrenalin levels.

f. Short term emotional, behavioural and social responses - job dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, frustration, break of relationships at home and work , alcohol and drug abuse, tobacco smoking, inability to relax etc.

g. Long term health responses – gastric ulcers, asthma, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension and mental ill-health etc.

h. Impact on the organisation – low morale, absenteeism, poor time keeping,

high labour turnover, high sickness rates, low productivity and industrial unrest etc.

2. Organisational benefits of stress control:

Improved overall productivity, more creative management, more cooperative relationships and work attitudes, more effective teamwork, reduced staff turnover, better quality control, reduced health insurance costs, reduction in accidents etc

3. Causes of high stress at work:

d. Organisation - lack of clear objectives, lack of control over the pace of work, major changes in the organisation, high uncertainty, lack of management support, inflexible or over demanding work schedules etc..

e. Job - fragmented or meaningless work, work overload or under load, shift working and unpredictable or unsociable work hours danger, exposure to human suffering, conflict with colleagues, sexual or racial harassment, lack of variety in work cycles etc.

f. Individual - conflicting demands of work and home , low levels of support, career uncertainty, feeling of poor status, job insecurity or redundancy, lack of training and or competence, lack of counselling, support and professional advice, unwillingness to admit to stress problems etc..

4. Health and safety management training:

Recognise stress, identify it’s causes and symptoms, take action to raise awareness of the issue among staff, acknowledge that work-related stress is not a personal weakness, encourage staff and managers to come forward with problems, be sensitive to the problems that staff may be experiencing, create a climate in which stress can be discussed openly etc.

32

32

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (continued)

5. Action plan for negative stress control:

c. Identify the problem - by checking target areas where: work involves many stress factors, pressures are sustained over long periods, staff may lack support, skills and training to cope with job stress, there are major changes in work, conditions or organisational arrangements etc..

d. Develop and implement action - introduce measures to prevent or minimise the stress drivers, and provide support and stress management training etc. Make objective evaluation of the results with internal monitoring systems and external annual audit.

6. Effective use of the key stress management techniques

m. CEO support - for a strategy to maintain a healthy organisational environment.

n. Staff involvement – with continuous communication on work planning, especially in times of major organisational change.

o. Training – for new skills to prevent and reduce stress and improve performance.

p. Planning and directing work – with targets that “stretch” but avoid both under and over load.

q. Time management – which helps staff to plan their time to meet management priorities.

r. Job enrichment and rotation – with new challenge, control and recognition, without overload.

s. Team work – to bring responsibility for planning, co-ordination and evaluation of results achieved.

t. Interpersonal skills – improved with training and with changes to reporting structures.

u. Support and reassurance – as the most effective way of managing stress – we all need it … at times …

v. Stress management training – on communication, assertiveness, time management, relaxation and physical exercise etc.

w. Professional counselling – with telephone and personal access to confidential help and advice lines (recognise that a senior executive will usually only take advice from a counsellor he respects and who knows the hard realities of business and organisation).

x. Collective approaches – with peer group availability at all levels.

y. Monitoring, evaluation and external annual audit – to bring unbiased data on organisational stress levels, so that stress reduction and (much better) stress prevention may be implemented.

33

33

NOTE : THE KEY ALLOSTASIS ADVICE IS …

COPING WITH DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS …

IS COPING WITH STRESS …

AND SRESS IS VERY VERY INFECTIOUS …

AND SO … ALWAYS … ALWAYS …

“ABSORB” THE POSITIVE STRESS GIVEN TO YOU … WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM …

BUT NEVER ,,, NEVER … ALLOW YOURSELF …

TO “ABSORB” THE HEAVY HEAVY …NEGATIVE STRESS …

THAT IS SOMETIMES SO FREELY GIVEN TO YOU BY OTHERS …

AND DON’T SPREAD IT ABOUT … IT’S INFECTIOUS …

JUST RESPOND VERY POLITELY WITH …

“THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT WITH ME” …

AND THEN VERY DISCRETELY “DUMP IT” …

BOTH MENTALLY … AND PHYSICALLY …

WITH A GENTLE GESTURE OF THE HAND …

OK? …

34

34

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM

1. Good morning. Welcome to AGL No. 20 Coping with Difficult Environments. AGL. Automated group learning.

2. During this one day program, you will become better able to cope with difficult environments, by achieving a rapid grasp of the basics of stress management, for yourself and for others. This is one of a series of a management training programs in: strategy, finance, communication, accounting, risk management & forex etc. .

3. AGL courses represent many years of development and testing in thirty countries around the world, in nine languages by thousands of participants. Their criticisms and suggestions have been incorporated into the programme.

4. While you may be used to traditional educational methods, you will be agreeably surprised by your learning results of the day. We will provide you with a controlled environment for learning.

5. It may seem strange for you to learn without an instructor, but be assured that we have structured the course to enable you to find the answers to all your questions in the learning materials provided.

6. Your course organiser is trained to run the program and to help you obtain the most benefit from the course.

7. You will learn a great deal and retain the knowledge. So now let us start with the abbreviations which follow...

35

35

ABBREVIATIONS

AGL - AUTOMATED GROUP LEARNING

IND - INDIVIDUAL

SG - SMALL GROUP

CSG - COMBINED SMALL GROUP

MG - MAIN GROUP

L - LECTURE

D - DISCUSSION

CH - CHAPTER

LRT - LEARNING RECALL TAPE

Note: A special dedication of this program is to the inspiring work of: Prof. Viktor Frankl, Prof. Cary Cooper of the Manchester School of Management, Prof. Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries of INSEAD, Dr. T. Bedirhan Ustun of WHO and Dr. Coppee of ILO, and Prof. Claude Michaud of CEDEP/INSEAD, whose materials, inspiration and ideas has been used and adapted here.

36

36

THE PROGRAM

Activity Group Duration

1. Introduction MG 08.00 - 08.20SG (new) SG

2. Quiz IND 08.20 - 08.40 SG

3. Exercises – IND 08.40 - 09.20Health & Dr. Frankl SG

4. Study & Lecture: MG 09.20 - 10.00

Stress – Causes & Effects SG Coffee

5. Case: David Haller SG 10.15 - 11.00

Case: CSG 11.00 - 11.30.

6. Lecture: MG 11.30 - 12.00CSG Lunch

7. Study & Lecture - MG 12.45 - 13.30Stress – Promotion, Prevention SG (new) & Reduction

8. Video – Michel Tomas: Stress Free Learning MG 13.30 - 14.15

9. Case: Special cases or Samuel Williams SG 14.15 - 15.15

Tea- Case: CSG 15.30 - 16.00

10. Lecture: MG 16.00 - 16.30 CSG

11. Action Planning & Local Cases SG 16.30 - 17.00

12 Quiz and Feedback SG 17.00 - 17.45

13. Summary Lecture MG 17.45 - 1800

Note: Pre-learning and learning maintenance assigned.

37

37

ASSIGNMENT 1.0 – INTRODUCTION (30 MINUTES)

1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In the 1990’s, the rapid changes in the technological, political, economic, and social environments, have required dynamic response from organisations for: restructuring. strategy reformulation, meeting global challengea, trans-national operations, take-overs, etc. This is indeed an age of uncertainty!

To cope with such difficult and challenging environments, the manager must learn to promote positive stress, and yet prevent (not merely reduce) negative stress, for himself and for others in the organisation!

Learning objectives of the program:

a. To diagnose the causes of stress in different organisational and cultural environments.

b. To explore the effect of positive and negative stress, on the effectiveness and health of managers and workers.

c. To promote the positive stress, which inspires, motivates and rewards everyone in the organisation.

d. To prevent and reduce the negative stress, which encourages poor management decision-making and damages everyone in the organisation

e. To motivate further study in the future.

Note: The syllabus of the program includes: alternative meanings of stress: business paradigms; positive and negative stress drivers; short and long term effects on physical and mental health; opportunity cost of stress; promotion, prevention & reduction; stress-free learning, strategic planning for a healthy organisation.

NOTE: Pre-learning:Man’s Search for the Meaning of Ch. 1 - Viktor Frankl – Simon Schuster) Beyond Certainty: A Personal Odyssey (Charles handy – (HBSP).

38

38

1.2 AUTOMATED GROUP LEARNING (AGL)

The AGL method is designed to achieve rapid individual learning using special material and the stimulus of group activity without a formal instructor. The groups use the material to find the answers to all problems and questions.

1.3 GROUP ARRANGEMENTS

The work will be done:

(a) IND - Individually, or

(b) SG - Small Group (in small groups of four members which will change after lunch) ,or

(c) CSG - Combined Small Group (two small groups together), or (d) MG - Main Group (for short lectures with visual aids).

1.4 SG - SMALL GROUPS

Group names provided on name lists. Note the name of your SG and the names of the other members.

39

39

1.5 LEARNING MATERIALS

(a) Retained by the members

Textbook Notebook - for recording every key point Course Diary Learning Recall Tape Selected HBR and other articles

(b) Used but not retained by th members:

Workpack including: lectures, cases, exercises etc. Guide including: quiz, case solutions, key learning points etc.

NOTE: Please use your notebook for things you want to remember. Do not mark the workpack which must be returned at the end of the day, so please make notes of important things. You receive all the materials in your SG. Don't look ahead in the work pack until you are specifically asked to do so!

1.6 METHOD

Try to complete every task in the time allowed. A pattern of learning methods will be used including:

Exercises Case analysis Lectures Quizzes Learning patterns Homework reading Learning Recall Tape (LRT)

40

40

1.7 LEARNING PATTERNS - REVIEW

PRE-LEARNING EXERCISES

INDIVIDUAL LEARNING STUDY NOTES

SMALL GROUP LEARNING CASES

COMBINED SG LEARNING LOCAL CASES

MAIN GROUP LEARNING LECTURES

ALL DESIGNED TO PROVIDE

STRESS-FREE LEARNING FOR YOU

1.8 INSTRUCTIONS (15 MINUTES)

(a) Assemble in SG's to introduce yourself, indicate your past experience in stress and what you hope to contribute to and gain from the course.

(b) Complete the registration sheet in the Course Diary.

NOTE: Please check that you have a full set of learning materials.

41

41

ASSIGNMENT 2.0 - QUIZ (30 MINUTES)

2.1 INSTRUCTIONS SMALL GROUP WORK

a. Assemble in SG

b. Answer the quiz of 50 questions; mark your answers a, b, c, or d with a clear "x" on the special form provided in the course diary

c. Work as quickly as possible but don't guess - leave blanks.

d. Hand in your answer sheet to the Organiser who will mark it and give you a quantitative measure at the start of the course.

e. Reassemble in MG when the bell rings

ASSIGNMENT 3.0 - EXERCISE (45 MINUTES)

3.1 INSTRUCTIONS - INDIVIDUAL WORK

a. Assemble in SG.

b. Complete Exercise No. 1 - Personal Health Assessment .

c. Complete Exercise no. 2 - Lessons from Dr. Frankl

d. Discuss in SG, using the flip chart to record key points.

e. Record significant points in your notebook.

f. Reassemble in MG when the bell rings

42

42

EXERCISE NO. 1 – PERSONAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT

(30 minutes)

Complete the forms in the diary.

Discuss In SG.

EXERCISE NO. 2 – LESSONS FROM DR. FRANKL(15 minutes)

List ten ideas about stress from Dr. Frankl’s book, that could well be useful in stress management in business today.

Discuss in SG and record on the flip chart.

Then when the bell rings, refer to the notes in the Case Guide for further discussion.

Record key points in your notebook.

43

43

ASSIGNMENT 4.0 : STRESS – CAUSES AND EFFECTS(45 minutes)

4.1 METHOD

No work. No stress. Make NO effort to remember anything … Just read aloud, listen and respond verbally to any questions. … … and REMEMBER PLEASE … that no stress you face in business … will ever … compare to the stress experience of Viktor Frankl … who survived to develop “logo-therapy” …

4.2 PARADIGMS – CONCEPTS OF MANAGEMENT

a. A bottle can be seen as half full or half empty. It all depends upon our management paradigm and our perception!

b. Type A Manager perceives business as:

WAR for survival - some get killed (too bad!) Nobody’s fault - some legal rules but few ethics … Managers need no protection to work 50-70 hours a week High stress motivates performance Failure to cope is a personal problem CEO has no stress responsibility

Note: There is a quick fun test for Type A in Exhibit 1B

c. Type B Manager perceives business as:

Struggle for survival which needs effective managers with: Purpose – mission and vision

Passion – enthusiasm to succeed Principles – to avoid confused priorities

Partnerships – team co-operation Positive stress is inspiring to be promoted

Negative stress is destructive and to be prevented. Failure to cope is an organisational failure. CEO takes stress responsibility.

44

44

d. Every organisation has an unwritten “Psychological Contract” with managers and workers which sets the expectations for the work and reward system.

e. Some CEO’s demand from managers total commitment and yet provide no job or family securtiy. Where have they learned this?

4.3 STRESS LEVELS

a. Stress is a normal part of human life, which adapts to continual change in the environment. Stress levels depending upon individual characteristics stress, and they can be positive or negative.

b. A simple approach is:

S - struggling - too much – negative T - tense - too much – negative

R - readiness - positive – HIGH MOTIVATION E - energising - positive – HIGH MOTIVATION

S - stodgy - too little – negative S - sleeping - too little – negative

c. Positive stress stimulates “fight and flight” hormone production which must be burned off by some physical or relaxing exercise to achieve “allostasis” (mental/physical balance).

Such stress is infective and associated with: enthusiasm, creativity, easy co-operation, team spirit etc. However excess positive stress ("adrenal addiction") can become negative.

d. Negative stress, is what a PARTICULAR individual cannot cope with, and thus fails to achieve “allostasis”. Fight and flight hormones

cause damage to both mental and physical health.

Such stress is associated with: fear, guilt, mistrust, selfishness etc.; it is infectious and it pollutes the emotional environment. It encourages very poor management.

45

45

e. The health effects of negative stress include:

1. Short-term acute illness – infections, poor sleeping, depression, neuroses, alcohol and drug problems etc .

2. Long term chronic illness - heart and cerebral vascular disease, hypertension, peptic ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, depression and muscular skeletal problems, altered immune function etc

f. Coping with stress depends the inividual and the HERO concept:

1. H - Happening – how we become aware of the problem 2. E - Evaluation – how we assess and seek creative alternatives 3. R - Result - how we make a positive response4. O - Outcome - how we achieve allostasis

g. With “allostasis” (mental and physical well-being) the manager can cope with the positive and negative stress of changing difficult environments.

4.4 STRESS COMPLEXITIES

a. Management protects workers from toxic chemical POLLUTION, to avoid legal claims for damages.

b. Stress is a more elusive POLLUTION - you can't see it, you can't touch it; it affects some people, not others; it is so often denied. Some people react negatively others positively. It is addictive and there are carriers! Older managers regard stress health damage, as an indication of personal weakness with no legal claim! But legal claims are coming either directly or through higher health care costs?

c. Stress is dependent on individual perception and ability to take and absorb risk! Stress depends upon the relationship between the individual and his/her environment.

46

46

d. Negative stress occurs when demands exist which are beyond the individual capacity for adjustment; positive stress becomes negative with: fear, guilt, mistrust, selfishness etc.

e. Negative stress is involved in 75% of the cases of cardiac failure.

f. Work satisfaction (without negative stress) is the best predictor of old age

g. A job which is repetitive and monotonous may be asking too much of the individual to adjust to the under-stimulation.

h. Stress as a positive motivator, with excessive pressure, becomes a very negative damaging influence.

i. Remember - no one can stress us, unless we ALLOW them to do so … we are FREE to perceive things, people and actions … as we want to perceive them … NOT as OTHERS may want us to perceive them … …

4.5 STRESS DIAGNOSIS

a. There are many instruments for measuring positive and negative stress in an organisation, but an experienced manager can “feel” it very quickly!

b. Stress symptoms include four types of responses:

1. Psychological responses - a. Positive – stimulated, excited, high moraleb. Negative - loss of sleep, depression, inability to relax,

irrational behaviour, anxiety, withdrawal, and reluctance to become involved etc.

2. Behavioural responses – a. Positive - helpful, efficient, lively, understanding, creative,

highly productive, balanced family lifeb. Negative - heavy smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, changes

is sleeping or eating patterns, marital and sexual problems, poor relationships with other workers, absenteeism, poor time keeping, accidents or near accidents, high level of complaints about trivia.

47

47

3. Physiological –

a. Positive – physical well-being, regular diet, exercise etc., b. Negative - changes in heart and blood pressure;

biochemical changes in the levels of cholesterol and catecholamines in the blood and urine.

4. Health outcomes –

a. Positive – rarely sick, few infections, few accidents etc.b. Negative - short-term acute infections and long-term chronic

hypertension, cardiac, gastro-intestinal problems, cancer etc.

c. Initial stress diagnosis needs no medical experts. Any experienced manager can detect the obvious symptoms, if he FEELS concern and responsibility for the mental and physical health of his staff. A useful check list in given in Exhibit 1. New jobs can be designed to prevent negative stress.

4.6 IDENTIFYING THE STRESS DRIVERS

a. Managers can identify the STRESS DRIVERS - for themselves and for their staff, by examining the workplace:

1. Physical environment – noise, temperature extremes, physical and chemical hazards, ISOLATION etc. which directly produce physiological stress and indirectly produce anxiety, threat or LACK OF CONTROL etc

2. Job content - work over-load or under-load, monotony uncertainty , RISK OF LOSING THE JOB etc.

48

48

3. Organisational structure and culture – role conflict, ambiguity, differing expectations etc. TYPE A management values of the CEO etc.

4. Social environment - personal disagreements, conflicts of interest overcrowding, anxiety, LACK OF CONTROL etc.

5. Career development - REDUNDANCY, pay structure, promotion etc.

6. Personal situations - family problems, bereavement, divorce, lack of time for a BALANCED RELATIONSHIP etc.

b. Key positive stress drivers: power, prestige, promotion and money (as a symbol of achievement – not to spend!).

c. Key negative stress drivers: time pressures, job insecurity, isolation

and loss of control, ambiguity, sudden change, loss of identity etc. Cross cultural stress studies also indicate some additional negative stress drivers:

USA – lack of power and influence, incompetent bosses, conflict with organisational beliefs.

Japan – keeping up with new technology,

Sweden – work encroachment on private life

Germany – working with poorly trained subordinates,

Singapore – inability to transmit ambition and skills to those below

Brazil – job dissatisfaction and mental health problems

Egypt – taking work home

e. Managers need to be aware and concerned about the special stress drivers, that are currently the MOST powerful in their particular organisation.

49

49

4.7 THE OPPORTUNITY COST OF NEGATIVE STRESS

a. Stress costs billions of dollars each year, but such computations are difficult to make and to accept.

b. The visible cost for the enterprise is: higher health insurance, lost working days, decreased efficiency and effectiveness, “PRESENT-EEISM”, legal claims of compensation stress related illness claims etc.

However the key cost is: ORGANISATIONAL LOSS of experienced managers in which so much has been invested to build teams that are efficient and effective. Measured by Xerox as $600,000 per experienced senior executive.

c. The visible cost for the individual is: depression and insomnia.

However the key cost is : family distress, acute and chronic illness, accidents, drug problems etc..

d. The cost for Society is : productivity, health care costs. political and social stability etc., since 40% of all disease, death, disability health care costs and stress related.

50

50

4.8 UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS - 2005

a. Is admitting to stress still perceived as weakness?

b. Are senior managers stress-addicted? Do they deliberately create excessive stress as the only way to manage? Are they "carriers"?

c. Is stress management cost-effective?

d. Are managers responsible for the negative stress they create in their staff.

e. Should stress management failures be kept secret?

f. Is fear of job loss and continuing unemployment the major cause of negative stress?

g. Is stress part of the overall health and safety policy?

h. Can organisations afford to support managers who are unable to cope with the stress levels?

i. Do managers need a stress assessment and monitoring systems? Should it emphasise prevention or reduction?

j. What is a balanced approach to managing the opportunity cost of stress?

51

51

EXHIBIT 1- STRESS INDICATOR CHECKLIST

These symptoms can indicate stress, especially when appearing in clusters and when they represent noticeable changes in behaviour. People may exhibit symptoms and suffer from stress even if they are not aware of feeling pressured.

52

52

Behavioural:Heavy smokingIncrease use of alcoholDrug use High risk behaviourViolenceOver eatingHyperactivitySleep disturbancesNightmaresOverwork

Attitudinal:BoredomGrandiosityCynicismDistrustDespairFeelings of powerlessnessSelf- righteousnessFeeling trappedSelf-doubt

Emotional:AnxietyFeeling of being overwhelmedFear and paranoiaFeeling out of controlGuiltDepressionAngerPanicFeeling disconnected from emotionsFeeling of tension and pressure

Social:Anger and irritabilityWithdrawal from friendsMarital relationship problemsRestricted social contactsCritical towards self and othersConflict with spouseOver-dependence on others

Physical:HeadachesAbdominal and chest painIndigestionDiarrhoeaNauseaFatigueFrequent coldsWeight loss or gainChanges in menstrual cycleHeart palpitationsVision problemsLowered sex drive

MentalDifficulty concentratingDistractabilityInability to make decisionsShort attention spanIntrusive imagesHyper-alertnessSelf-blamingDistorted thinkingFrequent daydreamsAvoidance of certain thoughts

54

54

EXHIBIT 1B QUICK FUN TEST FOR TYPE A

GIVE YOURSELF A SCORE (1 TO 11 POINTS) FOR EACH ITEM BELOW … AND THEN ADD UP YOUR TOTAL POINTS … ARE YOU …?

Score of 1 Score? Score of 11

1. Casual about appointments Never late

2. Not competitive Very competitive

3. A good listener Am interrupter

4. Never rushed Always rushed

5. Patient while waiting Impatient while waiting

6. Taking things one at a time Doing many things at once

7. A slow deliberate talker A fast and forceful talker

8. Working to satisfy your standards Working for recognition

9. Slow doing things Fast eating, walking etc.

10. Easy-going Hard driving

11. Expressing feelings Hides feelings

12. Having many outside interests Few outside interests

13. Un-ambitious Ambitious

14. Casual Eager to get things done

Score: Type A over 120, Type B under 60, Average 90

55

55


KEY OCCUPATIONAL STRESS INDICATORS

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU?

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PRESSURES?

HOW DO THEY AFFECT YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH?

WHAT IS YOUR STYLE OF DEALING WITH PRESSURES?

HOW MUCH CAN YOU INFLUENCE WHAT GOES ON AROUND YOU?

WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE KEY PRESSURES?

HOW DO YOU COPE?


a. Reassemble in SG.

b. Study the lecture very carefully and record key points in your

notebook.

c.Discuss any outstanding questions in SG.

d.When the bell rings carry on with the case study, which follows.

56

56

ASSIGNMENT 5.0 CASE - DAVID HALLER

5.1 INSTRUCTIONS

(a) General:

David Haller is a practical case study. The questions are to help you to analyse the problems.

(b) Individual and SG work (45 minutes)

Read the case and study it carefully. Analyse all the key problems. Answer all the questions in your notebook and on the SG flip chart provided.

Discuss all the points together and formulate a specific plan of action; you need not all agree but you must decide.

(c) Combined small group work (30 minutes)

Groups will assemble as follows:

A+D B+E C+F

Groups A, B and C will present the answers to all of the questions on

the SG flip chart; they should try to achieve a consensus of the CSG on what has happened and what should be done.

(d) Re-assemble in MG when the bell rings.

Note: This case has been adapted from the longer INSEAD case Johan Tobler.

57

57

ASSIGNMENT 5.0 CASE – DAVID HALLER

QUESTIONS ON THE CASE

1. What is story of the case? What are the key facts?

2. What stress drivers do you think might be in this organisation? Where do they come from?

3. How far do you think David and other managers are aware of these factors? What effects on David and the business? Is this a mainly a medical problem?

4. Is there any legal or other obligation, for anyone in the organisation to be concerned by the actual and potential effects of such stress? Would such concern justified or cost effective?

5. Set out seven alternatives open to David.

6. What alternatives are open to his CEO?

7. What plan of action do you suggest for David and for the organisation, to help him to cope and thus turn di-stress into win-stress?

8, Could this happen in your organisation?

58

58

ASSIGNMENT 5.0 CASE STUDY – DAVID HALLER

Based in Germany, ABC was world class supplier of process automation systems, robotics, high-speed locomotives and environmental and pollution control equipment. The group had more than 150,000 employees and 800 separate legal entities operating in 140 foreign countries. Group 1997 earnings were forecast at over $300 millions on sales of $18 billions.

In June 1997 David Haller was appointed general manager of a major subsidiary in Belgium for which the 1997 budget required earnings $20 millions on sales of $300 millions. However at June 30 intense competition from Asia had forced a drop in sales by 40 per cent with earnings only breakeven. Failure to achieve target could endanger the continued existence of production facilities in Belgium.

The ABC Group Chief Executive Officer was an experienced Type A manager, and he chose David to cope with this very difficult environment, because David was known as an extremely competent executive who could be counted on to handle difficult assignments. Although very domineering and aggressive at times, David was a well organised hard worker who usually got things done on time.

His career with ABC had been a series of successes. Each promotion had given him enormous satisfaction; because he really liked to face challenge. There had been no major setbacks, a factor which occasionally troubled him. Sometimes he wondered if his success was more luck than effort. The kind of industry he worked in, with its great fluctuations in costs and prices and dependency on exchange rates, often reinforced these worries.

David was born in Austria in 1945. His parents were small tradesmen and with great financially difficulty, they sent him to an expensive private high school. He eventually studied engineering at a major university and after graduation, did military service, leaving as an officer. He was married and had two children, a son and a daughter when he joined ABC where he spent his entire career. Over the years, he moved up from being assistant to the group chairman, to head of the strategic planning department, to his most recent foreign assignment as managing director of a key project abroad.

59

59

His marriage had been difficult and had almost broken down; but for the sake of the children he and his wife (a former librarian who had to give up her career) eventually worked out their differences. However recently, his wife had become depressed and he began to realise that, now the children had left home, she would no longer be satisfied with simply spending more time on the golf course.

David acknowledged that his latest assignment, heading the group’s important subsidiary, was causing him some uneasiness. Everything seemed fine, but he found himself asking what his next step should be. Was he really Board material? Two out of the last three general managers of the Brussels subsidiary were now members of the Group Executive Board. But most of the other high flyers in the company who were already on the Board, were younger than he was.

David recently had become very concerned about the future of his children. He was worried about the kind of world they would live in. He was haunted by Germany's and Austria's war record. Could such a war happen again? And what was happening to the Environment? Would there be new ecological disasters? He also worried about the instability in Eastern Europe. These and other questions took up a lot of his energy.

He was also not sleeping very well, and sometimes had problems with shortness of breath and stomach pains. He was increasingly irritable at work and it took him a greater effort to control his anger about what were really trivia at the office. He also noticed that his attention span had decreased.

David Haller began to wonder how to cope with this difficult environment …

60

60

ASSIGNMENT 7.0 - EXERCISE - STRESS FREE LEARNING (30 MINUTES)


a. Assemble in MG for the video.

b. Individually, list ten useful learning points.

c. Discuss in SG and record agreed points on the flip chart.

d. Then check with the guide and discuss outstanding questions.


61

61

ASSIGNMENT 8.0 STRESS PPR – PROMOTION,PREVENTION AND REDUCTION (45 minutes)

8.1 PROMOTION OF POSITIVE STRESS

A PPPP (purpose, passion, principles, partnership) leadership which gives meaning to everyone in the organisation

Reward and recognition systems Continuous communication monitoring and improvement Peer pressure and support groups Job rotation Continuous development training Team building Team maintenance etc.

8.2 PREVENTION OF NEGATIVE STRESS

A new management paradigm Stress level monitoring Audit of the stress drivers in the organisation Job rotation and security Delegating power Limiting overtime Increasing individual control Training managers for responsibility and competence in stress management Effective EAP ‘s etc.

8.3 REDUCTION OF NEGATIVE STRESS

Counselling Peer support groups Exercise Massage Meditation Self talk training Telephone hotline help Transactional training Alcohol controls Autogenic training Drug support (Prozak) etc.

62

62

8.4 REASONS TO MANAGE STRESS

a. Increase profitability by maintaining experienced management teams, improve productivity, reduced key staff turnover, Improved working relationships attracting new high calibre staff etc.

b. Reduce costs of: health insurance, legal claims for stress

relgted disability, compliance with EU Health and Safety standards, accidents and claims for damages.

c. Keep up with others in the competitive market and thus ensure

survival of the organisation.

8.5 MOVING TOWARDS A HEALTHY ORGANISATION

c. A CEO convinced that both positive and negative stress management is a strategic priority, and thus an organisational structure which supports both managers and workers.

d. Recruitment policy which puts the right people in (and continue

to be in) the right jobs, with clear roles, objectives and support.

e. Communications (up, down and laterally) which incorporate formal and informal channels together with systems for dealing RAPIDLY with stress, conflict and grievances.

f. Employee participation, decision-making and team work.

g. Measures that inspire positive stress as a motivation and meaning to the life of the workforce.

h. Measures that prevent the negative stress caused by: poor communications, uncertainty, monotony lack of control and job insecurity.

i. Appropriate support for the workforce who might mean provision of family services, job sharing, or flexible working hours.

j. Training and development of managers, which will ensure that staff, are properly trained for the jobs to be done and are developing skills for the future.

k. A stress management strategy with continuous monitoringand assessment, with an annual external audit and published reporting.

63

63

8.6 INDIVIDUAL APPROACH TO POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE STRESS

a. Welcome positive stress that inspires high motivation and gives meaning to the job with “allostasis” (mental/physical balance) – this equips the individual to cope with difficult environments.

b. Make EARLY diagnosis of potential negative stress (anxiety, sleep problems, drugs, depression, loss of concentration, irritability etc.), with monitoring systems for awareness, contact and counselling.

c. Consider alternative coping strategies: social support groups, task reorganisation by project, logical objective approach without emotional investment, home & outside activities, time management, and finally direct involvement to determine the real priorities.

d. Always seek critical incident support for post-trauma (death, disease etc.) stress.

e. Prevent negative stress by change in job,

location, method, supervision, pay, hours, security etc.

f. Reduce negative stress by: counselling, exercise, relaxation, autogenic training, meditation, massage, bio-feedback etc. and reading again Viktor Frankl … to get your personal values back into perspective …!!!

g. Set up three personal job opportunities (in reserve), as an alternative to the current environment , if the stress levels become too high to absorb …

64

64

8.7 ORGANISATIONAL APPROACH TO POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE STRESS

a. Set a company strategy for positive and negative stress management with +adequate resources to achieve it., by answering the following questions for the last year:

1. What is the total value of your organisation’s human assets?

2. Is it appreciating or being depleted?3. How much spent to recruit and select new

people?4. How much spent to train and develop people?5. How many days lost to absenteeism or minor

stress related sickness?6. Does the organisation make any effort to monitor

and maintain the mental/physical well-being (allostasis) of key managers and staff?

7. How many managers lost to accident, disability or premature retirement?

8. How many younger people did you lose due to your promotion and or mobility policy?

9. What was the opportunity cost of losing these people?

10. Does the organisation reward managers for increasing the value of their subordinates to the organisation?

11. Does your promotion system reflect the manager’s value to the organisation?

12. Does the organisation assess the effects of corporate strategies upon its human resources in quantitative terms?

13. How do you benchmark stress management with the new and creative ideas used by other companies? .

b. Design jobs for stress PPR (Exhibit 1) and train managers both for early

stress diagnosis and for taking responsibility for the negative stress they may (deliberately or even instinctively) create.

c. Use stress management techniques:

1. Continuous assessment and monitoring as a movement towards a sustainable healthy organisation.

2. EAP’s with resources to effect job and organisational change . Provide manager-peer support groups.

65

65

3. Monitor of legal changes to anticipate compliance for both physical and mental health of workers and managers.

4. Stress monitoring and annual external stress management audit with published reporting to all stakeholders of the enterprise.

66

66

d. Bench-mark stress PPR, with comparable companies in the same industry, on the their PPR efficiency (doing things right) and the effectiveness (doing the right things), by being open to new creative ideas. (Exhibit 2).

e. Help for the CEO to set an example of stress concern for every

manager and worker in the organisation, as a normal part of the health and safety policy..

8.8 BUSINESS PARADIGMS – THE KEY TO STRESS PPR

8.9 UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS

a. Are the long working hours with inevitable family problems, as efficient and effective as they appear to be? They may be merely a mechanism to show company commitment, so that managers feel too guilty leaving on time.

b. Organisational cultures that deliberately create high stress and make no attempt to diagnose opportunity cost of the stress levels?

c. EAP's (Employee Assistance Programs) that emphasise "getting used to higher and higher level/s of stress" rather than preventing negative stress. Thus no concern for longer-term manager/team support.

f. The CEO who takes pride in creating "impossible" levels of stress in

the belief that it can NEVER be detrimental to business success and survival.

g. Is “burnout” a personal weakness, or a management failure, or just

another medical problem?

h. Are most major organisations now setting up efficient and effective stress

management strategies and systems with adequate resources? How to evaluate stress management as a cost-effective activity?

i. Can the manager in a high stress environment feel actively responsible for they the opportunity cost of the negative stress he himself creates in his staff?

67

67

i. Is stress management a relatively minor problem in 1999 or will new EU and US legal, health and safety regulations require a new management approach? What is the stress industry doing to help? E.g. Steven Covey and 1000 others … .

68

68

EXHIBIT 1 – DESIGNING JOBS FOR STRESS PPR

1. Decision Latitude: Skill Discretion

Bad: Nothing is being learned, nothing is known of the product’s destination. There is no hint of future development on the job. New technologies are difficult to understand, and knowledge is limited by secrecy requirements.

Good: The job offers possibilities to make the maximum use of one’s skill and provides further opportunities to increase skills on the job. New technologies are created to be effective tools in the workers hands, extending their powers of production.

2. Decision Latitude: Autonomy

Bad: The worker’s actions are prescribed and monitored by machine or by supervisor. There is no freedom to independently perform even the most basic tasks. New technologies restrict workers to rigid, unmodifiable information formats.

Good: There is freedom from rigid work as factory discipline. Machine interfaces allow workers to assume control. Workers have influence over selection of work routines and my colleagues and can participate in long-term planning. It may be possible to work at home during flexible hours.

3. Psychological Demands

Bad: There are long periods under intense time pressures, with the threat of unemployment at the end. Or there are long periods of boredom, but with a constant threat of crisis requiring huge efforts. There is great disorganisation of work processes, with no resources to facilitate order.

Good: The job has routine demands mixed with a liberal element of new learning challenges, in a predictable manner. The magnitude of the demands is mediated by inter-personal decision-making between parties of relatively equal status.

69

69

(continued)

4. Social Relations

Bad: Workers are socially isolated from their colleagues. Random switching of positions prevents development of lasting relationships. Competition sets worker against worker.

Good: Social contacts are encouraged as a basis for a new learning and are augmented by new telecommunications technologies that allow contact when isolation was previously a necessity. New contacts multiply the possibilities for self- realisation through collaboration.

5. Social Rights

Bad: The implied level of trust in the worker is nil. Management is a very remote “Big Brother"; the worker is a second class citizen with no rights or true responsibilities.

Good: There are democratic procedures in the workplace. A bill of rights protects workers from arbitrary authority. Workers are represented by a real grievance council or union, which reviews common worker problems periodically.

6. Meaningfulness: Customer/Social Feedback

Bad: There is no feeling of social value to the job: the worker either has no understanding about what customers really need or is doing something that lowers personal pride (producing poor quality goods, misleading customers, producing more war materials in peacetime).

Good: Workers gain direct feedback from customers, because they can complete enough of products or service that the customer can evaluate their contribution. The power of new production technologies, placed in workers’ hands, enables customers and workers to work together, customising the product to meet customers needs and providing new challenges to workers.

7. Family/Work Interface

Bad: Work roles are separated from community and family roles. Unrestrained job competition, for both men and women, forces family disintegration. Sex-role conflicts worsen.

Good: Workload sharing between sexes promotes sharing of family responsibilities and allows more energy for stable family survival.

70

70

EXHIBIT 2 – NEW CREATIVE IDEAS FOR STRESS PPR

For major organisations with high stress levels, the management of positive and negative stress, is now recognised as highly cost effective. Thus we must continually think about ADAPTING new creative stress management ideas, to the priorities of our own organisations:

Allow managers and staff to take leaves of absence of up to one year for virtually any reason and return to a comparable job), and thus retain the best teams and people (Hewlett Packard)

Introduce stock options for managers, which reduce financial uncertainty, provide a counselling service by telephone and a in person, set up stress workshops for all workers, insist upon a manager “open door” policy so that anyone can see their manager.in person (IBM).

Increase social support from co-workers and peer groups of managers (ReliaStar).

Maintain job demands to healthy levels by controlling overtime working and changing workloads (Renault).

Provide healthy work schedules and flexi-time (ILO).

Encourage stable employment practices with more control over the work environment (ICI).

Offer stress management programs: exercise, relaxation, massage, autogenic training, counselling etc. (SBS)

Motivate exercise with cash benefits (Healthcare Delaware) Schedule a daily exercise time for all managers and staff (Nissan)

Develop fallback situations which could give the stressed manager an escape to more secure and less stressful work (HBR).

Introduce a full time staff member as OMBUTSMAN with whom managers and staff can contact to discuss any feelings of being unjustly treated by the organisation (WHO).

71

71

(continued)

Set aside Fridays with no management meetings and freedom for managers to catch up on work or even sports (Microsoft).

Start a Staff Complaints Appeal Committee with access to all levels of management, which may make recommendations to the CEO (WHO)

Allow only one canteen where both managers and workers eat in the same location (Subaru).

Set up a relaxation room where managers and staff may find a peaceful environment (BP).

Introduce a “Stress Card” for each manager, with a telephone number of a trained counsellor who has extensive business experience (Unilever).

Provide part-time MBA training for managers, which will reduce negative stress of possible job loss, and reassure them of finding alternative employment should they become redundant at some future time (Thomson).

Provide a two week training on personal health for senior executives to encourage allostasis as a personal priority (BASF)

Set up a STAYWELL program for 22,000 staff and family members (Control Data)

Set up a cardio-vascular fitness program which saves $3 million annually in absenteeism and health care costs (New York Telephone).

Set up a comprehensive fitness progam with extensive gymnastic facilities (Pepsico)

Consider introduction of a four day 40 hour week (American Management Association Survey of 1000 firms with over 100,000 employees).

72

72

(continued)

For VERY LARGE privately owned enterprises where survival is ALWAYS a high negative stress driver: convert to a public company; divide the senior post to at least three people; appoint outside directors; put family on the board (not in operations); hire professional operating managers; provide stock options for all stakeholders including the TU¨s; improve real communication at every level; restrict manager working hours to 60 and then 50 hours weekly (by hiring two managers to work together instead of one going to burnout); find another activity or role for the family founder entrepreneur, so that he becomes advisory, after 60 years of age; set up a code of conduct for managers to encourage delegation; monitor and benchmark what similar companies are doing (Mustafa Aysan & Partners, Turkey).

In Sweden the idea of a year off after certain period of work is well institutionalised in a wide range of occupations. In the UK a major company allows 6 month sabbaticals to employees of 50 years of age with at least 25 years service, to do things they enjoy, which would not otherwise be possible (John Lewis).

Career-break schemes allow both male and female employees to interrupt their usual work for a number of years after which they can return to work without loss of seniority (Natwest Bank).

And others to be added … with the company name …

73

73


ALTERNATIVE COPING STRATEGIES

SOCIAL SUPPORT – WITH RELATIONSHIPS THAT ALLEVIATE PRESSURE

TASK STRATEGIES – REORGANIZATON OF WORK BY PROJECT

LOGIC - an OBJECTIVE APPROACH WITHOUT EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT

HOME/WORK RELATIONS – OUTSIDE INTERESTS TO ALLEVIATS STRESS

TIME MANAGEMENT – MORE EFFICIENT USE OF TIME AT WORK

INVOLVEMENT – COMMITMENT TO KNOW THE REALITY OF THE PROBLEMS


(a) Reassemble in SG

(b) Study the lecture carefully

(c) Record key points in your notebook

(d) Discuss outstanding questions

(e) When the bell rings, carry on with the case study which follows.

74

74

ASSIGNMENT 9.0 - CASE STUDY: SAMUEL WILLIAMS

9.1 INSTRUCTIONS

(a) In SG study the case carefully and answer all the questions in your notebook and on the SG flipchart (45 minutes)

(b) Work in CSG as follows:

A + E B + F C + D

With groups D, E, and F responsible for the CSG discussion (30 minutes)

(c) Reassemble in MG when the bell rings

Note: This case has been adapted from a longer INSEAD case Eli Black – United Brands

75

75

ASSIGNMENT 9.0 – CASE SAMUEL WILLIAMS

QUESTIONS ON THE CASE

1. What is story of the case? What are the key facts?

2. Identify the positive and negative stress drivers of Sam?

3. What are the leadership styles and effects on the Organisation, for the three periods: 1974-1993, 1994 and 1995?

4. What indications were there to suggest that Sam had difficulty in coping with the pressures of his work?

5. What action could have been taken to help him to cope with this difficult environment?

6. What problems will Sam’s successor face regarding morale and working relationships including the negative stress from: guilt, anxiety, grief, mistrustfulness and over-cautiousness?

7. Is there any legal or other obligation, for anyone in the organisation to be concerned by the actual and potential effects of such stress? Would such concern justified or cost effective?

8. Suggest strategies, which his successor could employ to overcome the

difficulties.

9. Could this happen in your company? What advice would you give to senior executives for stress prevention?

76

76

ASSIGNMENT 9.0 - CASE: SAMUEL WILLIAMS

Introduction

Monday, February 3, 1995, began as a normal day for Samuel Williams, chairman and CEO of XYZ a $2 billion multinational food company. He left his Park Avenue apartment and was driven by his chauffeur to the mid-Manhattan Pan A building in which he had his office on the 44th floor .

At fifty-three years of age, Sam had an unusual business philosophy. Following family tradition he started as a Rabbi and spent four years with a congregation on Long Island. Unconvinced that sermons could change other people‘s attitudes, he grew frustrated. He moved into business determined to demonstrate that commercial success could be combined with sensitivity and social conscience.

Sam believed life was sacred. He held close those he loved, his family and friends. He was a gracious man, someone reserved and formal. He frequently smiled but never laughed. No one recalls that he ever lost his control or shouted in anger. He took an interest in the business and family affairs of his employees and often offered financial or other assistance to those in difficulty.

1974-1993

XYZ was in food conglomerate built up by several daring financial deals. Starting in 1974 with ASK Corporation, an old five million dollar firm producing milk bottle caps, Sam purchased the JM Company, a meat Company twenty times larger. In 1990 he merged with another large company, and thus controlled XYZ as a major multinational food industry group.

The key food industry activity, involved growing bananas in Caribbean countries and importing them to the United States. Despite the opportunities to exploit to cheap labour and impoverished conditions in developing, Sam insisted that his company pay six times the usual salary for plantation workers and offered free housing, electricity, and the opportunity to buy homes for less than the construction cost.

77

77

As XYZ grew larger, Sam assumed more and more responsibility and as its fortunes changed he felt the responsibility more keenly. He once confided to a friend, that if it were just up to him, he would retire, but that his job was a public trust. He thus created a role for himself by imbuing his job with his own sense of social accountability. Sam ruled his company with an iron hand and was not comfortable with people who disagreed with his views. He placed a premium on executive loyally, although he frequently overruled his executives and played one against the other.

1994

Sam anticipated 1994 as a banner year for his new group, but instead, he was beset by a series of /disasters which seemed likely to bankrupt XYZ. In 1993 there had been a 16 million dollar profit, but 1994 looked like a 40 million dollar loss.

In April 1994, three Caribbean banana producing countries introduced an export tax on bananas which would increase the consumer price beyond competitive limits. They set up a bill to XYZ of 11 million dollars for the new tax.

In August 1994 a VP of XYZ was quietly informed by a senior Caribbean government official, that a “private” payment of about a million dollars could avoid the banana tax. When he talked to Sam about the offer Samuel refused all discussion, and told the VP to talk only to his senior VP. However, in early September 1994 a payment was made in direct conflict with Samuel’s business ethics. Samuel later confided to his family that such payment could be used against him if there was ever a company power struggle.

In late September 1994, a hurricane destroyed 70 percent of the company's banana plantations at an estimated cost of 20 million dollars. At the same time the JM Company, a major subsidiary, faced difficulties with the rising cost of animal feed. Instead of the budget JM profit of ten million dollars for 1994, there was a probable loss of eight million dollars.

With the company's financial situation deteriorating, working relationships among senior managers came into conflict, because of the difficulty of communication with the CEO. Problems also arose in the Group Board Meeting on October 1994, leading to the resignation of one director, an old family friend of 20 years.

78

78

In November 1994, to overcome these problems and save the XYZ, Sam decided to sell his personal shareholdings in other companies to provide new cash for XYZ. This he achieved with a healthy profit, enabling him to regain capital to invest in XYZ.

In December 1994 Sam’s fear of losing control of the board of the company, were further fuelled by a request. by an outside director at the Board Meeting, to discuss the Caribbean banana tax situation. This was waived as a non-agenda item, but it was now to clear to Sam, that the “private” payment was no longer confidential. However there were no subsequent developments.

From that time Sam seemed a bit disoriented, his speech occasionally slurred, and his memory inaccurate. He seemed tired and depressed and was having trouble sleeping. He began to lose weight and eventually sought medical advice. He was diagnosed as being mildly depressed and was given sleeping tablets to combat insomnia.

1995

By February 3, 1995 it seemed that the worst was over for XYZ. So it came as a great shock to everyone when at 08.20 a.m. on that day, Sam smashed his attache case through the window of his 44th floor office and leapt to his death. A statement issued by XYZ on the death of company‘s CEO explained that Sam was under great strain during the past weeks because of business pressures and severe depression.

On April 10 1995, XYZ publicly admitted a payment of one million dollars to a Caribbean government official to reduce the country's banana tax. In a letter to shareholders, XYZ stated that the payment was made without the knowledge or authorisation of the Board of Directors, that the payment did not violate US law; and that the persons concerned believed they were acting in the company's best interest.

79

79

ASSIGNMENT 10.0 - ACTION PLANS (30 minutes)

10.1 INSTRUCTIONS

a. Assemble in SG

b. Record on the flip chart the seven key learning points of the day.

c. Complete a brief five point personal action plan and discuss in SG.

d. Reassemble in MG when the bell rings

ASSIGNMENT 11.0 – QUIZ (30 minutes)


a. Assemble in SG

b. As a SG, answer the quiz of 50 questions; mark your answers a, b, c, or d with a clear "x" on the special form provided in the diary

c. Work as quickly as possible but don't guess.

d. Then check with the Guide and discuss differences in SG.


ASSIGNMENT 12.0 – SUMMARY LECTURE (in the diary)

80

80

CEDEPGUIDE

AUTOMATED GROUP LEARNING (AGL)

AGL NO. 20 – COPING WITH DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS

GUIDE(Not retained)

THE SEVEN KEY LEARNING POINTS

8. Failure to cope with stress may have a high opportunity cost, when we start to lose our key managers.

9. Management “burn-out” is an organisational not a medical failure, and so we can help our managers to diagnose and feel responsible for negative stress.

10. Our “risk-taking capacity” is a key tool for motivation with positive stress and for prevention of negative stress; but this capacity becomes exhausted unless carefully maintained and reinforced.

11. Stress management strategies can fit our organisational culture; we have to be able to manage our own stress before we can help others; thus a deeper understanding of ourselves is essential for coping.

12. EAP services can provide creative practical alternatives for stress prevention (not merely reduction); but such programs need an annual external audit to test their real efficiency and effectiveness.

13. We can benchmark with other companies on stress monitoring and prevention; continuous research on what other companies are doing in practice, can reduce the opportunity cost of stress in our organisation.

14. We can help the CEO to set an example of concern for “allostasis” (mental and physical well-being) for everyone in the organisation … as the key tool for us all to cope with difficult environments …

Copyright RGAB 2006/1Available for stress-free learning

81

81

82

82

6.0 GUIDE TO DAVID HALLER

6.1 STORY OF THE CASE

A. DAVID HALLER WAS AN ENGINEER BORN IN VIENNA WITH VERY POOR PARENTS WHO

STRUGGLED TO SURVIVE. HE WAS KNOWN AS A HIGHLY COMPETENT EXECUTIVE WHO

WORKED VERY HARD TO ACHIEVE GREAT SUCCESS. HE MOVED UP FROM ASSISTANT TO THE CHAIRMAN, TO HEAD OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AND

SEVERAL FOREIGN ASSIGNMENTS.

B. THE MOST RECENT ASSIGNMENT WAS AS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE MAJOR

BELGIAN SUBSIDIARY OF ABC. AT JUNE 30, 1997 THE SUBSIDIARY WAS IN FINANCIAL CRISIS DUE TO LOW COST COMPETITION IN ASIA WHICH CAUSED A

40% FALL IN SALES AND BREAKEVEN IN EARNINGS. FAILURE TO SUCCEED MIGHT ENDANGER THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF PRODUCTION FACILITIES IN

BELGIUM. HENCE THIS WOULD BE A HIGH STRESS ORGANISATION.

C. THE GROUP CEO (AN EXPERIENCED TYPE A MANAGER) HAD CHOSEN DAVID FOR

THIS JOB. IN WHICH SUCCESS COULD MEAN PROMOTION FOR DAVID TO THE GROUP

EXECUTIVE BOARD.

D. DAVID’S FAMILY LIFE WAS POOR.. WITH THE NEW APPOINTMENT HE BECAME

ANXIOUS FOR SUCCESS AND BOTHERED BY POOR SLEEPING, DIFFICULT BREATHING,

GENERAL WORRIES AND DECREASING ATTENTION SPAN.

E. HE WONDERED HOW TO COPE WITH THIS DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT.

6.2 POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE STRESS DRIVERS

a. Positive - promotion, professional esteem, adrenal (stress) addiction.

b. Negative - uncertainty, loss of control, failure, loss of the job.

83

83

6.3 AWARENESS OF STRESS LEVELS AND EFFECTS

a. Awareness – David is confused and unaware of his negative stress level. His CEO appears not to care, colleagues are probably aware but feel powerless to help him.

b. Effects – David became a “stress carrier”. Acute High positive stress which motivates hard work to achieve success; he began to experience psychological and physical health symptoms.

c. Medical problem – stress prevention is a management problem. Stress treatment is a combined management/medical problem.

6.4 LEGAL OR OTHER OBLIGATION TO BE CONCERNED FOR EFFECTS OF

STRESS? WOULD BE COST EFFECTIVE?

a. No legal obligation but high moral obligation to care for the physical and mental health of every member of the organisation, especially when stress symptoms become noticeable.

b. Concern justified in terms of effective team building and maintenance, illness or burnout of team members could have a high opportunity cost.

c. Investment in stress management to support effective teams, could be highly cost effective.

6.5 ALTERNATIVES FOR DAVID

1. Ignore the stress symptoms and carry on2. Resign3. Take leave and slow down4. Take a year off … do something else …5. Get medical advice (Prozac?)6. Consult his CEO7. Get counselling 8. Take stress curative measures (exercise, relaxation etc.)9. Take stress preventive measures – re-organise the work schedule

84

84

6.6 ALTERNATIVES FOR THE CEO

1. Let David burn out and then replace him2. Offer stress curative measures (exercise, relaxation etc.)3. Fire him4. Offer a sabbatical year5. Get medical treatment6. Send him to another job7. Set up a stress management program8. Take negative stress preventive measures throughout the organisation

9. Re-organise the work schedules

6.7 PLANS OF ACTION

a. David – job rotation or support; counselling for high negative stress levels as evidenced by symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, depression and lack of concentration, which could soon have critical physical health, impacts.

b. Organisation – Immediate support for David to avoid losing a good man to burn-out; set up a stress management program for early diagnosis and treatment of negative stress, and more important - negative stress prevention.

c. Justification – positive stress is vital for an effective organisation, but negative stress is harmful infectious, inefficient and poor management. It destroys team building and has high opportunity costs. If Johan becomes a burn-out then both he and the organisation will suffer losses..

6.8 INFLUENCE OF THE (B) CASE (DATA PROVIDED BY THE ORGANIZER)

a. The (B) case illustrates the mental and physical impacts of positive stress

which becomes very negative. Such burn-out incidents have serious impacts on the surviving managers and efficiency and effectiveness of the whole organisation

b. The strategy for managing stress, should not be merely stress reduction and treatment, but stress negative prevention with a system of monitoring and audit to ensure that it is cost effective.

c. Stress management in 1999 therefore should not be just: exercise, massage, counselling, Prozak, autogenic training, yoga, sauna etc. but a much deeper understanding of how to manage for the future …

85

85

86

86

6.9 LEARNING POINTS

a. Positive stress as a most effective motivating force for a manager, can suddenly (by the last straw), become very negative with serious health outcomes, with the manager almost unaware of what is happening to him.

b. Current medical research has associated 75% of heart attacks with negative stress. “Allostasis” (mental and physical well being) is the key to coping with difficult environments.

c. Acute negative stress is easily recognised by the symptoms of: insomnia (poor sleeping), anxiety, depression, loss of concentration etc.

d. Chronic negative stress may be recognised from symptoms of: hypertension, chest pain, back pain, alcohol addiction etc.

e. The CEO and colleagues may well be aware or unaware of the negative stress felt by a manager, but may feel unconcerned or unqualified to help.

f. A manager must learn to manage his own stress before he can help others.

g. Deeper understanding of oneself is essential for stress management.

h. Stress management solutions must be done in time to prevent serious mental and physical damage to the individual and to the organisational culture.

i. The opportunity cost of poor stress management is very high, with burn-out

of good managers and the post traumatic effects on other managers and staff (guilt, depression etc.).

j. Management burnout is an organisational not a medical failure. It is also a

personal failure.

87

87

6.10 LEARNING PATTERNS

STRESS FROM THE JOB:

MANAGERIAL ROLERELATIONSHIPSCAREER AND ACHIEVMENTORGANISATIONAL STRUCTUREHOME/WORK INTERFACE

STRESS FROM THE PERSONAL FACTORS:

ATTITURE TO LIVINGSTYLE OF BEHAVIOURINDVIDUAL INFLUENCESTYPE A OR B MANAGEMENT STYLE

ALLOSTASIS DEPENDING ON: MENTAL HEALTHPHYSICAL HEALTH

6.11 INSTRUCTIONS

a. Assemble in CSG

b. Compare the lecture with your CSG flip chart solution.

c. Discuss key points arising and record them in your notebook

d. Reassemble in MG when the bell rings

88

88

SOME LESSONS FROM DR FRANKL

1. The critical factor to surviving stress is the personal freedom to decide HOW we will react to it. 2. The Meaning of Life for us, can come from creative work, or experience of some thing or someone, or from turning a personal tragedy into an achievement.

3. With a MEANING on WHY we must LIVE … the HOW can generally be found.

4. Health experts do not know the absolute physical and mental limits for human survival under extreme stress.

5. In some stress cultures, there is a collective neurosis, whereby people are no longer conscious of the harm they do to others.

6. There are three phases of stress: shock, accustomization, and post traumatic stress reaction (which is often rage and shame). 7. There are definite stress survival skills, which are reinforced by strong religious faith and a concern to help others.

8. Perhaps younger people can better adapt to stress.

9. Logo therapy makes a focus on the future, despite, pain, guilt and death; it uses “paradoxical intention” to help with a change of attitudes and values.

10. Happiness can only be achieved as a bi-product of some other activity.

11. There are indeed some good people and some very and bad people in the world.

There are people who get great pleasure in finding an excuse to hurt others … physically and mentally …

12. MISERY IS A CHOICE, BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS SEVEN ALTERNATIVES THE INDIVIDUAL’S “ RISK BEARING CAPACITY” RELATES DIRECTLY TO HIS ABILITY TO COPE WITH STRESS; BUT EVENTUALLY, EVEN THE HIGHEST CAPACITY, CAN BE USED UP UNLESS CAREFULLY MAINTAINED.

13. THE BEST DEFENCE AGAINST STRESS IS TO HAVE ALTERNATIVES. THE BEST WAY TO COPE WITH ONE’S OWN STRESS, IS TO HAVE AN EVEN GREATER CONCERN FOR THE STRESS OF SOMEONE ELSE …

89

89

14. UNDER EXTREME STRESS, “GROUP SUPPORT OF COMRADES” CAN BE THE KEY TO INDIVIDUAL SURVIVAL …

90

90

SOME LESSONS FROM MICHEL TOMAS

1. High stress levels can block our learning.

2. Our best learning should be without effort or work or stress.

3. Our learning should be exciting from the progress achieved.

4. We learn best with a partner or a small group.

5. In efficient and effective learning, we need not make any effort to remember anything or to keep checking ourselves.

6. We should follow a learning process with partner or a group … and help each other to learn …

7. In stress-free environments, the mind becomes a sponge for learning.

8. We must be sure that the learning environment is comfortable … and without distractions …

9. Motivation is the key to learning. We must perceive the use of what we are learning …

10. The sub-conscious mind improves our learning during sleep.

11. We often learn better from another learner.

12. What gets checked up on … gets done … we need to feel that someone really cares … that we learn …

13. Stress-free learning will amaze you …

91

91

92

92

9.0 GUIDE TO SAM WILLIAMS

9.1 STORY OF THE CASE

At fifty-three years of age, Sam Williams was president and a major shareholder in a billion-dollar public company, which he had built up with a series of daring financial deals.

He had followed family tradition by starting his career as a rabbi and spent four years with a congregation on Long Island.

Unconvinced that sermons could change other people‘s attitudes, he grew frustrated. He moved into business world determined to demonstrate that commercial success could be combined with sensitivity and a social conscience.

All went well until a financial crisis in1974 which destroyed his world and organisation. He recovered financially, but killed himself in February 1975.

9.2 STRESS DRIVERS

Positive – integrity, power, success, eminence, social responsibility

Negative - Loss of control, personal integrity, power and respect of his Organization.

9.3 LEADERSHIP STYLES – THREE PHASES

PHASE I - 1959-73 Compulsive-dramatic leadership style with a corresponding dependency culture. The characteristics of such a compulsive leader were:

1. Insistence that others submit to his own way of doing things, shown in his intolerance of advisers or criticism.

2. Perceiving relationships into terms of dominance and submission.

3. A preoccupation with details and trivia.

4. Lack of spontaneity, meticulous, inability to relax, dogmatism his public declaration of his business and social ethics.pectation to maintain these

93

93

9.3 LEADERSHIP STYLES – THREE PHASES (continued)

PHASE II - 1974 - Depressed-detached leadership style and a resulting “fight-flight culture” in which the organisation disintegrated into factions preoccupied with self-survival. Symptoms:

1. Detached and withdrawn.

2. Lacking enthusiasm.

3. Vacillating and indecisive strategies due to unclear goals.

4. Signs of depression.

In the resulting chaos, individual managers began to take command in an

attempt to resolve the situation. There was no one person identified as

deputy to Sam and executives began to compete with each other for the top

position.

PHASE III - 1975 - Suspicious leader, defending withholding information and expelling opposition, characterised by internal intimidation and distrust:

9.4 COPING WITH THIS DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT

Signs of depression. including the physical symptoms of insomnia, weight loss and exhaustion which were treated by his doctor.

The psychological changes:

1. Diminished ability to think clearly, the memory lapses and disorientation

noted by some of his senior executives.

2. A sense of helplessness and hopelessness, hinted at in his increasing

pre-occupation and concern that losing control of the company.

94

94

9.5 ACTION TO HELP SAM TO COPE

Need to re-establish allostasis (mental and physical well being). Possible earlier medical or psychological support could have helped him to contain his depression and begin to resolve his fragmented view of world

Dominating personality, age and the very fundamental nature of his pathology, may make the prognosis poor, but not impossible.

Even if any of his colleagues or friends recognised the situation, offers of help to Sam would have been received with suspicion.

Help could only come from a stress therapist with extensive top level business experience. . Perhaps counselling by an experienced business professional could help him to:

1. Perceive alternative new work, which would be more suited to his personal qualities and character.

2. Take responsibility for and take positive action to care for the stress he created in his managers

3. Recognise some alternatives to his basic perception of the Meaning of his Life.

With a new PPPP approach perhaps he could have coped with the difficult environment.

9.6 PROBLEMS OF SUCCESSION: GUILT, ANXIETY, GRIEF ETC.

Sam’s successor would face the very demoralised and unsettled work force with a highly charged emotional atmosphere.

Guilt – close associates would feel partially responsible, having failed to recognise his distress and therefore would fear in some way to have contributed to his death. This may be seen as anger, disobedience, rigidity, others and depression.

Anxiety - will it would happen again. Dramatic concern for everyone’s well-being

Grief - for those who had a long association with Eli, and his business ideals. A period of mourning may be necessary with agreed limits.

95

95

Distrustfulness - especially in a suspicious board of directors. Likely to restrict the power of Eli’s successor and divide the senior positions.

Over-cautiousness – reluctance to take risks to re-establish the business in a safe and stable position before considering any adventurous venture. Many of Eli’s policies and strategies will be rejected out of hand. May demoralise the more active and independent thinking managers who tend to leave the company.

9.7 CONCERN WITH STRESS EFFECTS IS COST EFFECTIVE

No legal obligation yet, but the laws on employee health and safety are changing, /and/ thus it may well become possible for a manager to sue the company for damage to his mental health. Thus senior managers may have to be concerned.

Perhaps good management creates an obligation to care for the general physical and mental welfare of all workers and managers in a company, as part of effective team building and support.

Concern is probably highly cost effective when it helps a company to attract, hire and retain the best workers and managers.

9.8 STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME SUCCESSION DIFFICULTIES.

Reassure executives that their new boss can cope with uncertainty, can discuss decisions freely, and can carry out agreed strategies.

Establish a counselling network for those people who appear unduly an unsettled by the affair.

Set up management a review body to re-examine organisation and communication channels.

Encourage manager initiatives in expressing original thinking and in achieving solutions to new problems.

Give out information about plans and intentions, so that there is no feeling of secrecy.

Establish clear goals with defined strategies, initially conservative, but gradually becoming more adventurous as the situation stabilises.

Spend time and money on public relations programmes to clear up the image of the company as quickly as possible.

96

96

9.9 ADVICE FOR STRESS PREVENTION?

Do not take too much personal power. Splitting top positions brings the opportunity for moderation and reality testing of ideas.

Avoid isolation. Work on relationships with others. Share your ideas. Listen objectively to suggestions without feeling threatened.

If you cannot fraternise with your subordinates at work, then cultivate relationships with similar professionals or business colleagues. Participation in executive seminars might be a way.

If you feel you are unable to relax with people, seek professional help from a psychotherapist with business background.

Monitor to your own health. Take all of your holidays. If you get over tired you only make worse mistakes. You may even be surprised by what your subordinates can cope with him in your absence.

Reality test your expectations. Work on tolerating mistakes. Be vigilant about compromising your own moral judgement. Remember if you do something illegal or contrary to your believes, you have to live with that knowledge for the rest day of your life, and that may be worse than on the true consequences of not doing it.

Be kind to yourself. Respect yourself like another human being. Try taking your own advice. Don't be afraid to admit you are only human, or the reality may smash your delusions in he end.

Always keep some alternative job options in hand, which might well fit well your personality and character.

Take responsibility for the negative stress that you create in your staff and work to prevent and treat it. You will then cope much much better with your own stress.

97

97

9.10 LEARNING POINTS

Welcome positive stress as it motivates managers and give meaning to life.

Recognise negative stress drivers due to: uncertainty, insecurity and loss of power and integrity.

Recognise the Type A Manager who may be completely unaware of the negative stress he carries to others.

Recognise the symptoms of negative stress as: anxiety, insomnia, depression and loss of concentration.

Recognise the reactions to a stress tragedy which may include: guilt, anxiety, grief, distrust, caution etc.

We must learn to manage our own stress before we can help others.

Deeper understanding of oneself is essential for stress management.

Stress management solutions must fit the organisational culture.

EAP (Employee Assistance Programs) that concentrate on techniques to cope with higher stress are failing to deal with the real key issue of stress prevention.

EAP programs need annual external audit for efficiency (doing things right) and effectiveness (doing the right things).

The opportunity cost of poor stress management is very high.

Management burn-out is an organisational not a medical failure. It is also a personal failure.

A key defence is taking responsibility for the stress of someone else,

And finally the best defence is having a firm (Viktor Frankl) Meaning to Life … and three alternative job opportunities … in quiet reserve …

98

98

9.11 LEARNING PATTERNS

OCCUPATIONAL STRESS INDICATORS

EVENTS AROUND YOU:

ORGANISATIONAL FORCESMANAGEMENT PROCESSESINDIVIDUAL INFLUENCES

JOB SATISFACTION:

ACHIEVEMENTPERSONAL VALUESTHE JOB ITSELFORGANISATIONAL DESIGNRELATIONSHIPS

COPING WITH STRES:

SOCIAL SUPPORT GROUPSTASK STRATEGIES BY PROJECTSLOGIC WITHOUT EMOTIONAL INVESTMENTHOME/WORK RELATIONSHIPSTIME MANAGEMENTINVOLVEMENT WITH REALITIES

ALLOSTASIS DEPENDING UPON:

MENTAL HEALTHPHYSICAL HEALTH

9.12 INSTRUCTIONS

a. Assemble in CSG

b. Compare the lecture with your CSG flip chart solution.

c. Discuss key points arising and record them in your notebook

d. Reassemble in MG when the bell rings.

99

99

APPENDIX C – SIMPLE GLOSSARY

ABDOMINAL PAINMay be caused by stress, indigestion, acute infection, ulcers, carcinoma of the stomach etc.

ACTUAL/IDEAL POSITIONContrast of values, indicated by the way the manager believes he would behave under stress, which is different from his actual performance.

ALEXITHYMIAThe individual’s inability to perceive his or her own affect or anxiety, often related to violence or stress.

ACUTE ILLNESS Short term illness which resolves in weeks with treatment. Contrast with chronic illness which may last for months or years.

.AGORAPHOBIA May be caused by stress. Dread of being in or crossing open spaces.

ALCOHOL USE DISORDERMay be caused by stress. Alcohol dependence and abuse resulting in health impairment, dizziness, pounding heart, sweating, insomnia, shakes, fits, seizures etc. 14-21 drinks per week is indicative.

ALLOSTASISMental/physical balance. The ability to achieve mental/physcal stability through change. Re-establishment of physical and mental balance after abnormal “fight and flight hormone” production. Normally needs some physical energy expenditure or relaxation to burn off such unneeded hormones before they do damage.

ANOMIECultural disintegration so that cultural norms and valus have no influence.

ANXIETY DISORDER May be caused by stress .Worry about many things. May be a generalised anxiety or more specific panic disorder, agoraphobia or social phobia.

ASSIMILATION A psychosocial process by which a dominant culture absorbs another.

100

100

AUTOGENIC TRAININGWith visual imagery relax your body by holding a picture in your mind, and communicating with your body through mental images. With autogenic training, practice and confidence, and you can literally tell your body to relax

BODY LANGUAGECommunication of thoughts and feelings through gestures , body position

and body movements.

BOMBER HARRIS SYNDROMEErroneous conviction that: “There is only one way to manage”, regardless of the stress it may cause; and absolutely refusal to consider any alternatives. Source: Harris was the chief of the RAF Bomber Command in the second world war. He was convinced that the only way to break German industry and win the war, was to destroy the cities. In Dresden 70,000 people died in one night of raids. Post war research indicates that this city bombing had little effect on German production; thus Harris was absolutely wrong … but nothing could convince him that there was any other way … to win the war. Hence the “Bomber Harris Syndrome”.

CAREER DEVELOPMENTA stress driver due to the uncertainty of redundancy, pay structure, promotion etc. .

CARGO THINKINGThe expectation that material goods should be forthcoming without any effort on one’s own part.

CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVINGBreak free from the logic trap. Challenge your assumptions. Break the perceptual, legal and moral rules. Ask foolish questions. See problems from a child’s point of view, or upside down or the wrong way around. Adopt an attitude of play and enjoy the exercise. Use stress as an ally. Take risks. Have something at stake.

CULTURAL BELIEFAn unsubstantiated but widely held belief within a particular culture, which

may be mistaken for a delusion.

101

101

CULTURAL BLINDNESSThe inability to perceive cultural characteristics in others belonging to

different cultures.

CULTURAL LAGPersistence of a custom or norm beyond its time of functional contribution

to a culture or organisation..

DEPRESSIVE DISORDERMay be caused by stress. Loss of mood, sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, decreased energy, appetite disturbance, concentration difficulty, guilt feelings, fear of death or suicide .

DIARRHEAMay be caused by stress Abnormally frequent discharge of fluid fecal matter from the bowel. Also caused acute infection or chronic disease.

EATING DISORDER

Psychiatric disorder related to eating, which may be related to cultural Ideals regardless of body image i.e. starving and purging in societies that value the slim-ness, overeating in societies that value obesity as a sign of wealth or power.

FATIGUE COMPLAINTSCaused by stress and many other factors. Lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency, accompanied by weariness, sleeplessness and irritability.

FOLIE A DEUXShared delusional ideas between closely associated people.

FRANKL, VIKTOREminent Jewish psychiatrist, who after spending three years in the camps during World War II, wrote the classic book. “In Search of the Meaning of Life”. He developed logo-therapy as a new approach to the treatment of stress.

GENERALIZED ANXIETYCaused by stress and many other factors Anxiety which cannot be associated with any specific disease or health problem.

GENETICSBranch of science that deals with heredity and it’s influence on behaviour.

102

102

GUILTFeelings of remorse and responsibility for the tragedy of another person. Associated with organisations where stress has caused a death or suicide. Often accompanied by depression or rage and a tendency to find someone else to blame.

HEADACHESMay be a caused by stress, acute or chronic infection.

HORMONES – STRESSThreatening experiences in the “fight or flight syndrome” stimulate high levels of fats, glucose and the defensive stress hormones: adrenaline, ACTH, cortisol etc. Very persistent stimulation of such hormones damages the heart and other body organs, giving chronic illness.

ILLNESS BEHAVIOURBehaviour of a person who feels ill and is seeking social sanction for the

sick role; includes both verbal and non verbal expression of symptoms, health care seeking, and compliance with healing regimens.

JOB CONTENTA stress driver-work over-load or under-load, monotony, uncertainty, risk of job loss etc..

KARAOSHO A Japanese syndrome in which an individual is presumed to have died of overwork; most prevalent in YOUNG adults.

KORO Fear of sexual organs shrinking into the body.

LAUGHTER Viktor Frankl used laughter to survive negative stress. Despite the incredible human suffering in the camp environment, he set himself a target to find every day at least one incident to laugh about.

LIBIDOSexual drive. May be diminished or even extinguished by severe stress.

LIFESTYLE CHANGEResult of a change of personal values on the meaning of life. Difficult for a Type A manager to stop creating stress for others

LOGO-THERAPYNew approach by Dr. Viktor Frankl for the treatment of stress, with a

philosophy of positive thinking towards the future.

103

103

MEDITATION Used for stress reduction. Twenty minutes with a passive attitude to let your thoughts go where they will, as your body eases you into a feeling of comfort. With practice the basic steps are: sitting in a quiet place, closing the eyes, breathing deeply, scanning the body to release tension areas, continual repetition of a one soft word (e.g. um or calm or quiet), breathing slowly and deeply and letting the mind wander freely.

MID-LIFE CRISISDifficulty in adjusting to the biological and social changes that accompany middle-aged; may be more common in cultures that value youth and disdain ageing

MOTIVATIONBehaviour resulting from positive stress drivers.. The pressure of positive stress stimulates motivation, negative stress extinguishes it.

MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROMEDeliberate production of false signs and symptoms suggestive of medical disorders, in order to fool doctors can gain access to medical treatment.

NARCOLEPSYSudden uncontrollable disposition to sleep at irregular internvals without any clear cause.

NAUSEACaused by stress or acute infection. A sickness in the stomach causing an inclination to vomit.

NEGATIVE STRESSOccurs when demands exist which are beyond the individual‘s capacity for adjustment, : Positive stress can become negative stress. The demands are not always too much work, or tasks which are too difficult; a job which is repetitive and monotonous may be asking too much of the individual to adjust to the under-stimulation. Negative stress is associated with: fear, guilt, mistrust, selfishness etc.; it is infectious and it pollutes the emotional environment.

NEURO-LINGUIST PROGRAMMINGTechnique for personal development using a range of auto-hypnotic psychological tools to change personal attitudes, communication and behaviour. Uses deep breathing as a very effective way of reducing personal stress levels.

NORM And ethical standard of behaviour considered desirable and acceptable for a culture.

104

104

OBESITYCaused by stress and many other factors. Fatness. Corpulence generally caused by over-eating, but is sometimes due to genetic factors.

ORGANISATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND CULTUREA stress driver – role conflict, ambiguity, differing expectations etc. Type A or B management values of the CEO set the stress culture of the organisation.

ORIENTATIONIdentifying oneself and one's associates (orientation to person), and placing oneself in culturally appropriate space and time (orientation to place and time).

OTAKUIn Japan, the syndrome in which adolescents spend their lives profoundly focused on a virtual reality, video games, and music heard through stereo-phonic headphones, while ignoring social interaction, grooming, education, and personal maturation.

PANIC DISORDERMay be caused by stress. A +violent unreasoning anxiety and fear.

PARADIGMA perception of the reality of life. Difficult but not impossible to

change (paradigm shift).

PERSONAL SITUATIONA stress driver - family problems, bereavement, divorce, lack of time for a balanced relationship etc.

PERSON – ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY PERCNT A person who has strong identity in two ethnic groups and must

exert considerable energy in coping with functioning in those two groups.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

A stress driver – noise, temperature extremes, physical and chemical hazards, ISOLATION etc. which directly produce physiological stress and indirectly produce anxiety, threat or LACK OF CONTROL etc

105

105

POSITIVE STRESSPressure which creates meaning and enthusiasm for life and work. It involves “fight and flight” hormone production which must be burned off by some physical activity or relaxation to achieve “allostasis”. Positive stress is infectious and gives energy, motivation and meaning to life. May be maintained with; S – singing using music as a source of peace, T – thinking positively, R – rest both emotionally and physically, E – exercise, S – seeking good in people and the environment, S – survival. See responses

PPP PARADIGMParadigm of a type B manager which recognises the need for effective managers with:

Purpose – mission and visionPassion – enthusiasm to succeedPrinciples – to ensure that priorities do not become confusedPartnerships – team co-operation

PRESSURE. Stress which stimulates behaviour

PSYCHOMOTOR AGITATIONDisturbance of psychological and motor (movement) factors, which cause anxiety.

PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION..Technique for stress reduction by emphasising physical relaxation. Tense each group of muscles for seven seconds and then relax them for thirty seconds, beginning with arms, and progressing to face, neck, throat, chest, abdomen, legs and feet. Very effective with practice.

QWLQuality of working life. Key objective of stress promotion, prevention and reduction for building a healthy organisation..

ROLE

The part played by the individual in society as a result of their responsibilities and status attached to his or her social position, whether as a function of birth, personal achievement, or demographic characteristics (age, sex, marital status).

106

106

ROLE CONFLICTIncompatibility between two or more of the roles that a person is expected to perform, or between the individual's role and his or her personality; often the result of irreconcilable demands or ambiguous role definitions.

ROLE - SICKA social role in which an individual lays claim to certain social advantages (e.g. release from work, access to care and treatment) in return for certain social obligations (e.g. treatment-seeking compliance with healing recommendations).

SAPIR-WHARF HYPOTHESIS

A hypothesis, advanced by two linguists, that culture shapes language, and language in turn, influences the way in which people view the world, perceive relationships and conduct their lives; language accomplishes this through vocabulary, grammar, syntax and phonetics. Thus a new language is a new life ….

SECONDARY GAINPractical advantages that may be realised by virtue of having some agreed impairment, such as sickness, disability, job loss etc. thereby gaining time off, pension, compensation payments etc.

SELF TALK Very effective auto-hypnosis technique. Uses frequent repetition of phrases and ideas, which influence the sub-conscious mind to stimulate new instinctive attitudes and behaviour patterns.

SEIZURESAttack of morbid sensations such as vertigo, palpitations, and temporary disturbance of consciousness with or without uncontrollable muscle movements.

SHAKESTrembling and lack of control of arms and legs, associated with alcohol problems.

SHORTNESS OF BREATHSymptom of stress, anxiety, cardiac arrest and many acute and chronic illnesses.

SLEEP APNEAStress symptom. Cessation of breathing during sleep, leading to anxiety on awakening.

107

107

SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTA stress driver - personal disagreements, conflicts of interest overcrowding, anxiety, LACK OF CONTROL etc.

SOCIAL PHOBIA Morbid dread or fear of social interaction

SOCIAL SUPPORTAdvocacy, emotional reassurance, and other resources that members of his or her social network bring to the individual.

SOCIAL NETWORKThose persons with whom an individual has regular contact, reciprocal relationships, and close emotional ties.

SOCIAL DRINKINGAlcohol drinking in a group at a social event or ceremony, often in amounts prescribed by the culture; social drinking is not necessarily synonymous with moderate drinking.

SOMATIC COMPLAINTS Sleeping problems. A stress indicator.

STATUS A designated position in a system of culturally structured social

relationships

STATUS ACHIEVEDStatus that depends on the individual's own skills, knowledge, efforts, and achievement.

STATUS ASCRIBED The social status of the individual that depends on the status of the class, caste, or subculture into which he or she was born, rather than on his or her own efforts; characteristic of traditional societies with little or no socioeconomic mobility, in which family affiliation serves as the basis for occupation, employment, residence, marriage, wealth, and other important aspects of life.

108

108

STRESS

See positive stress and negative stress. Stress is elusive - you can't see it, you can't touch it; it affects some people, not others; it is so often denied. Some people react negatively others positively. It is addictive and there are carriers! Old senior managers regard stress damage to managers as a indication of personal weakness with no claim to damages!

Stress is a difficult concept to define and measure because it is largely dependent on individual perception of ability to take and absorb risk! Stress depends upon the relationship between the individual and his/her environment.

An simple approach for managing negative stress: S - singing (use music to achieve emotional balance), T – think positively, R – rest, E – exercise, S – seek the good in everything and everybody, and S – survive with the universal LLLL paradigm: L – living, L – loving, L – learning and L legacy.

STRESS - ACCULTURATIVE

Stress during the process of individual or group acculturation, which may be due to factors in the acculturating group of (e.g. difficulty in modifying their cultural identity) or in the other group (e.g. opposition to integration of the acculturating group).

STRESS - DRIVERS

Causes of stress. The manager can stress drivers both himself, and for his staff, by examining the workplace by different aspects: physical conditions, job content, organisational structure & culture, social environment, career development etc.

Positive stress drivers are often: power, prestige, promotion and money (as a symbol of achievement – not to spend!), are the key positive stress drivers in business today.

Negative stress drivers in business are often: job insecurity, isolation and loss of control etc.

109

109

STRESS RESPONSES – BEHAVIOURAL Increases in: smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, changes is sleeping or eating patterns, marital and sexual problems and poor relationships with other workers. Short term absenteeism, poor time keeping, increase in accidents or near accidents, increased after an over or high level of complaints about trivial matters.

STRESS RESPONSES – HEALTH OUTCOMESHealth outcomes – short-term acute infections and long-term chronic hypertension, cardiac, gastro-intestinal problems, cancer etc

STRESS REPONSES – PHYSIOLOGICAL

Changes in heart and blood pressure; biochemical changes in the levels of cholesterol, glucose and stress hormones, in the blood and urine.

STRESS REPONSES – PSYCHOLOGICAL Loss of sleep, depression, inability to switch off or relax, irrational

behaviour and attacks of anxiety which cannot be linked to a particular source. Alternatively some individuals may become withdrawn, left out or indecisive, showing a general reluctance to become involved in work activities.

STRESS SYMPTOMSStress symptoms include four types of responses: behavioural, physiological and psychological and health outcomes.

TAIJIN-KYOFU-SHOU A Japanese syndrome associated with fear of losing the goodwill of others because of all one's imagined deplorable shortcomings; symptoms include social fears, tremulousness, self- consciousness, and a sense of a physical defect or deformity in one's self-.

TENSENESS Restricted muscle movement from anxiety.

TIME OUTCulturally sanctioned time was when individuals are temporarily relieved of their social roles, obligations, responsibilities years, and/or constraints (e.g., carnival, New Y/ear's celebrations, Xmas etc.).

TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS A useful way to analyse interactions between organisational members. Recognises the parent, adult and child ego states and how they interact with each “communication transaction” which may cause stress.

110

110

TYPE A BEHAVIOURThe pattern of behaviour characterised by anger, impatience, irritation, aggravation, a sense of urgency, competitiveness, easily aroused hostility /and aggressivity, facial tension, and/or muscular set; describing in association with specific cardio-vascular disorders, it made me more prone ins certain cultures. See Bomber Harris syndrome.

TYPE A PERSONALITYPersonality characterised by a consistent pattern of Type A behaviour.

TREMBLING Symptom of stress from anxiety and many causes.

ULCERSA surface lesion with loss of tissue. Stomach ulcers associated with stress.

VALUEThat which is esteemed, prized or deemed worthwhile and desirable by an individual or a culture.

VOMITINGNausea

WORK-AHOLISM Excessive commitment to work, over-valuation and over-reliance on the workplace as an exclusive source of identity and support, so the time and commitment to non-work entities (e.g. family, community, vacations) are neglected.

ZOOPSIA A form of hallucinations in which the sufferer sees animals in the office …could it be due to negative stress … or alcohol abuse …?

.

111

111

QUIZChoose the most correct answer a, or b or c, or d.

1. Positive stress is closely associated with:

a. Energyb. Motivationc. All of these d. Meaning of life

2. The key to coping with difficult environments is:

a. Age & experienceb. Exercisec. Allostasis d. Relaxation

3. Stress is always:

a. Rewardingb. Func. Healthyd. Infectious 4. The major cause of negative stress in business is usually:

a. Uncertainty b. Budgetsc. Sexuald. Money

5. Early diagnosis of negative stress can best be made by a:

a. Doctor b. Managerc. Psychiatrist d. Woman

6. Stress, which motivates a manager, is usually:

a. Positive and negativeb. Negativec. Positived. Miserable

112

112

7. The common symptom of negative stress are:

a. Anxiety b. Insomnia c. Acute infectiond. All of the above

8. The key motivations in a healthy organisation come from:

a. Cost drivers b. Positive stress drivers c. Sex driversd. Good bus drivers

9. The key negative stress driver in business is usually:

a. Fear of job loss b. Age c. CEO’s wifed. Meeting the budget

10. The CEO who creates negative stress is usually:

a. Seeing no alternative for successb. Aware and enjoying itc. Not wanting to know

d. Unaware

11. Research indicates that the major positive and negative stress in business is usually on:

a. Sales managers b. Workers c. Accountants d. Female managers

12. Older managers often create negative stress because of:

a. Experience b. The "Bomber Harris Syndrome" c. Error d. Myopia

113

113

13. "I am pleased with your business success, but must tell you that you have become one of the most boring men I know". This is a quote from:

a. Mrs. Charles Handy b. Viktor Frankl c. Mrs Clintond. Dr Bob Boland

14. The most critical learning point on negative stress and survival, from the Viktor Frankl book is the:

a. Meaning of lifeb. Soup from the bottom of the potc. Physical healthd. Freedom to perceive y situation differently

15. Acute infections, insomnia (sleep problems) and anxiety indicate:

a. Acute stressb. Poor healthc. ETOH (alcohol) problemsd. Chronic stress

16. When the manager experiences symptoms of: low mood, sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, fatigue, sleep and appetite disturbance, concentration difficulty, guilt, loss of libido, this is indicative of :

a. Anxietyb. Depressionc. Chronic tirednessd. Unexplained somatic complaints

17. When a manager, under extreme business stress, has a heart attack or even commits suicide, his senior manager is partly responsible.

a. No, this is a family problem b. No, this is a medical problemc. Trued. Not if done during vacation time

18. When the manager experiences symptoms of: feeling tense, worrying about such a lot of things, sudden fears, sweating, or numbness, this is indicative of :

a. Depressionb. Anxietyc. Chronic tirednessd. Unexplained somatic complaints

114

114

19. Every manager has some degree of responsibility for the health and

safety of his staff.

a. No, not in my companyb. No, not in business

c. True d. No, that is women's work

20. The manager bought a Mercedes, which went so well that he did no maintenance checks at 2000, 10,000 or 50,000 km. At 51,000 km it exploded. For stress management this story is:

a. Irrelevantb. Indirectly comparablec. Not very cool d. Directly comparable

21. Sexual harassment in business has become a major concern of senior management, because of:

a. Legislative penaltiesb. Mr. Clinton’s new dogc. Old fashioned normsd. Moral issues

22. The opportunity cost of failure in stress management are:

a. Minimalb. Potentially very highc. Not relevantd. Impossible to compute

23. Negative stress is:

a. Contagious b. Always present with positive stressc. Essentially a personal matterd. Always necessary

24. Generation of negative stress is:

a. Never deliberateb. Deliberatec. Groovyd. Often not fed back to senior managers

115

115

25. The colour which stimulates the highest emotional reaction is:

a. Blueb. Greenc. Yellowd. Red

26. The best defence against negative stress is usually:

a. Discussion with a good CEOb. Oriental massagec. Relaxation and autogenic trainingd. Having personal alternatives available 27. Recent research on negative stress, has revealed that prevention is:

a. Possibleb. Not usually necessaryc. Not really practical in businessd. Difficult

28. Negative stress in business may be caused by:

a. Intensive activityb. Success c. All of these d. Boredom

29. Negative stress in relationships comes mainly from:

a. Communication difficulties b. Differing objectivesc. Romantic aspirationsd. Differing time schedules

30. Excess negative stress can promote outstanding performance in:

a. Nobodyb. Everybody c. Most people d. A small minority

116

116

31. When negative stress promotes aggression, then the manager‘s role is to be a:

a. Policemanb. Spongec. Judged. Negotiator

32. Continually aggressive managers always produce:

a. Excellent resultsb. Negative stressc. Burn-outs d. Highly effective managers

33. The most critical feature in managing one’s own stress, is:

a. Family lifeb. Diagnosing the stress driversc. Understanding the CEOd. Understanding oneself

34. In an organisation, effective stress management needs:

a. Better doctors b. Monitoring of stress levelsc. Better drugs (Prozak)d. Rest rooms with relaxation facilities

35. The key to the prevention of negative organisational stress is usually:

a. Training availableb. Prozak in the coffee breaksc. The CEO’s value systemd. Exercise

36. When the manager experiences symptoms of: feeling tired all the time, easily tired doing every day tasks, without physical pains or low mood, this is indicative of : a. Chronic tirednessb. Anxietyc. Depression d. Unexplained somatic complaints

117

117

37. Negative stress can arise from too much or too little work.

a. Always trueb. Sometimes truec. Falsed. Only on weekends

38. Exercise for negative stress, is mainly designed to:

a. Improve the manager muscle tone, so that they feel youngerb. Burn off cortisol and other hormones c. Improve libidod. Use the sports facilities to capacity

39. Negative stress from tough budgets helps managers to learn how to:

a. Become really efficientb. Make greater effortsc. Cheat d. Die young

40. Acute negative stress may best be treated with:

a. Counsellingb. Exercisec. Relaxationd. All of the above

41. New laws to allow managers to claim for stress related damage:

a. Are not relevant to businessb. Would motivate higher CEO concern c. Would be ignored by managementd. Are unenforceable

42. The “Bomber Harris Syndrome” relates to management which is:

a. Coolb. Refusing to see alternativesc. Enthusiastic d. Dynamic

118

118

43. Positive stress is best promoted by:

a. All of the theseb. Inspiring leadershipc. Job rotationd. Reward and recognition

44. The key value of positive stress, is that it helps to create:

a. Meaning to lifeb. Enthusiasmc. Actiond. Exhaustion

45. Effective managers mainly need:

a. Purposeb. All of the thesec. Passiond. Principles and partnerships

46. When the manager experiences symptoms of: difficulty falling asleep, early morning awakening, un-refreshing sleep etc. without conscious anxiety or low mood, this is indicative of:

a. Anxietyb. Alcohol use disordersc. Chronic tirednessd. Sleep problems

47. In the army, the responsibility for the negative stress of a junior officer is:

a. Himselfb. His commanding officerc. His wifed. The other woman

48. Healthy business organisations requires:

a. Positive and negative stress b. Prozak c. Positive stressd. No stress

119

119

49. Recent research indicates that best forecast of old age is:

a. General health b. Giving up joggingc. Smoking d. Work satisfaction

50. In 1999, the best treatment for negative stress is:

a. Prozak every dayb. Prevention c. Exercised. Radiation

Extra questions (you decide the answers):

1. Like AIDS, negative stress can be passed on to others.

a. True b. Yes, but not consciously c. Not comparablee. Irrelevant to effective management

2. When a manager experiences symptoms of unusual aches, pains,

nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches,

without conscious feelings of anxiety or worry, this is indicative of :

a. Anxietyb. Alcohol use disordersc. Unexplained somatic complaintsd. Sexual frustration

3. Negative stress is closely associated with:

a. All of theseb. Fearc. Guiltd. Emotional pollution

120

120

OUR ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ

1 C 26 D 2 A 27 AorD 3 D 28 C 4 A 29 A 5 B 30 D

6 C 31 B 7 D 32 C 8 B 33 D 9 A 34 B 10 A 35 C

11 D 36 A 12 B 37 A 13 A 38 B 14 D 39 C 15 A 40 D 16 B 41 B 17 C 42 B 18 B 43 A 19 C 44 B 20 D 45 C 21 B 46 D22 A 47 B 23 B 48 C24 A 49 D25 D 50 B

Note: One of these answers may be wrong ... you can decide which one it is ... if the whole SG agrees …

121

121

APPENDIX C – FUTURE STUDY

Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl (Simon & Schuster)

Beyond Certainty: A Personal Odyssey – Charles Handy (HBSP)

www.nvc-resolutions.co.uk/aboutnvc.htm

122

122

cedepdiary - cre learning · web viewdo you practice an active relaxation technique (yoga,...

Documents