Module 4

Question 1

What is stress?

Answer 1

Stress is a psychological response to demands that tax or exceed a person’s capacity or resources

Question 2

What are stressors?

Answer 2

the demands (positive or negative) that cause stress

Question 3

What are strains?

Answer 3

the consequences that occur / the stress reaction

Question 4

What are the four main types of work-hindrance stressors?

Answer 4

1. role conflict (conflicting expectations that other people may have of us)
2. role ambiguity (a lack of info about what needs to be done in a role + unpredictability regarding the consequences of performance int hat role)
3. role overload (the number of demanding roles a person holds is so high that the person simply cannot perform some or all of the roles effectively)
4. daily hassles (the relatively minor day-to-day demands that get in the way of accomplishing the things that we really want to accomplish)

Question 5

How do individuals differ in their handling of stress?

Answer 5

people may chose a particular coping strategy based on their set of beliefs about how well different coping strategies can address different demands

Question 6

How do hindrance stressors affect job performance and organizational commitment? Why?

Answer 6

JP: hindrance stressors have a weak negative relationship with job performance
OC: hindrance stressors have a strong negative relationship with organizational commitment
WHY: hindrance stressors result in strains and negative emotions that reduce the overall level of physical, cognitive, and emotional energy that people could otherwise bring to their job duties

Question 7

What steps can organizations take to manage employee stress?

Answer 7

Step 1 assessment: conduct a stress audit
Step 2 reducing stressors: two options, eliminate/significantly reduce stressful demands (job sharing), or offer sabbaticals
Step 3 providing resources: organizations can do this through training interventions or supportive practices (eg. flexible hours, work from home)
OR!
Reducing strains: the 3 practices that an org. can implement is relaxation techniques, cognitive-behavioural techniques, or health and wellness programs

Question 8

What is motivation?

Answer 8

a set of energetic forces that originates both within and outside an employee, initiates work-related effort, and determines its direction, intensity, and persistence

Question 9

What three beliefs help determine work effort, according to expectancy theory?

Answer 9

1. expectancy (the belief that exerting a high level of effort will result in the successful performance of some task)
2. instrumentality (the belief that successful performance will result is some outcomes - a set of subjective probabilities)
3. valence (the anticipated value of the outcomes associated with performance. - can be positive, negative, or zero)

Question 10

What is the transactional theory of stress?

Answer 10

Explains how stressors are perceived and appraised, as well as how people respond to those perceptions and appraisals.
the starting point is called the primary appraisal (what is this stressor?, is it stressful?) then, the secondary appraisal (how can I cope?)

Question 11

What does the transactional theory of stress help us understand?

Answer 11

helps us understand the effects of stress and stress responses and the whole process involved

Question 12

Job demands that tend not to be appraised as stressful are called what?

Answer 12

Benign job demands

Question 13

What are hindrance stressors? What emotions do they most often trigger?

Answer 13

stressful demands that people tend to perceive as hindering their progress toward personal accomplishments or goal attainment. They most often tigger negative emotions such as anxiety and anger

Question 14

What are challenge stressors? What emotions do they most often trigger?

Answer 14

stressful demands that people tend to perceive as opportunities for learning, growth, and achievement. While they can be exhausting, they often trigger positive emotions such as pride and enthusiasm.

Question 15

What are the 3 types of work-challenge stressors?

Answer 15

1. time pressure (a strong sense that the amount of time you have to do a task is not enough)
2. work complexity (the degree to which the requirements of the work exceed the capabilities of the person who is performing the work)
3. work responsibility (the nature of the obligations a person has towards others)

Question 16

What is coping?

Answer 16

the behaviours and thoughts that people use to manage both the stressful demands they face and the emotions associated with those stressful demands

Question 17

What are the (first) two dimensions that refer to the method of coping?

Answer 17

1. behavioural methods
2. cognitive methods

Question 18

What are the (second) two dimensions that refer to the focus of coping?

Answer 18

1. problem solving / problem-focused
2. regulation of emotions / emotion-focused

Question 19

What are the three types of strains?

Answer 19

1. physiological strains
2. psychological strains
3. behavioural strains

Question 20

What are type A vs. type B people?

Answer 20

type A: strong sense of time urgency and tend to be impatient, hard-driving, competitive, controlling, aggressive, and even hostile
type B: generally patient, relaxed, easygoing, and at times lacking an overriding sense of urgency)

Question 21

Why are some employees more “stressed” than others?

Answer 21

It depends on whether the individual is a Type A or Type B, whether the employee has sufficient recovery, and whether the employee has a high or low amount of social support.

Question 22

How do challenge stressors affect job performance and organizational commitment? Why?

Answer 22

JP: challenge stressors have a weak positive correlation with job performance
OC: challenge stressors have a moderate positive relationship with organizational commitment
WHY: although challenge stressors result in strains, they also tend to trigger the type of positive emotions and problem-focused coping strategies characteristic of employees who are highly engaged in their jobs

Question 23

What are cognitive- behavioural techniques?

Answer 23

various practices that help workers cope with life’s stressors in a rational manner

Question 24

What two qualities make goals strong predictors of task performance, according to goal setting theory?

Answer 24

specific and difficult assigned goals

Question 25

What does it mean to be equitably treated according to equity theory?

Answer 25

being equitably treated is when you inputs and outcomes are equal to those of other’s inputs and outcomes

Question 26

What is psychological empowerment?

Answer 26

reflects an energy rooted in the blief that work tasks contribute to some larger purpose

Question 27

How does motivation affect job performance? + what is the level ranking for the following: equity, self-efficacy/competence, goal difficulty, and the valence-instrumentality-expectancy combination?

Answer 27

motivation has a strong positive effect on job performance
levels ranking strongest to weakest:
1. self-efficacy/competence
2. goal difficulty
3. the valence-instrumentality-expectancy combination
4. equity

Question 28

How does motivation affect organizational commitment?

Answer 28

less is known about the effects of motivation on org. commitment, but equity has a moderate positive effect

Question 29

How do organizations use compensation practices to increase employee motivation?

Question 30

What is intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation?

Answer 30

intrinsic: motivation felt when task performance serves as its own reward (eg. enjoyment, accomplishment, skill development)
extrinsic: motivation controlled by some contingency that depends on task performance (eg. pay, praise, bonuses)

Question 31

What represents an employee’s “total motivation” level?

Answer 31

extrinsic + intrinsic motivation

Question 32

What are the three moderators that affect the strength of the relationships between variables in the goal setting theory?

Answer 32

1. feedback
2. task complexity
3. goal commitment

Question 33

How do employees respond to under-rewarded inequity, according to the equity theory?

Answer 33

grow outcomes by talking to your boss or stealing from the company, or shrink inputs by lowering the intensity or persistence of effort

Question 34

How do employees respond to over-rewarded inequity, according to the equity theory?

Answer 34

shrink outcomes (highly unlikely), or grow inputs through more high-quality work or through some “cognitive distortion”

Question 35

What four beliefs determine empowerment levels?

Answer 35

1. meaningfulness
2. self-determination
3. competence
4. impact

Question 36

What are sources of eficacy

Answer 36

• past accomplishments
• vicarious experience
• verbal persuasion
• emotional cues

Question 37

Commonly studied needs in OB

Answer 37

• existence
• relatedness
• control
• esteem
• meaning

Question 38

Individuals in the stress process

Answer 38

• recovery:
• social support
• instrumental support
• emotional support

Question 39

What are the three types of strains?

Answer 39

• physiological strains (harms the body)
• psychological strains (anger, depression, burnout)
• behavioural strains (negative behaviours)