Management of Organisational Stress : Understanding Harmony Between Individuals and the Environment

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction to stress management. 2. Organisational stress: theoretical framework. 3. Stress management: Indian and global perceptions. 4. Stress experiences and environment: organisational dimensions. 5. Strategies to cope with stress. 6. Stress as a constructive force. Appendices: 1. Basics of management. 2. Stress: nature, causes and remedial measures. Bibliography. Index.

"Stress is a perceived dynamic state involving uncertainty about something important. The dynamic state can be associated with opportunities, constraints and demands.

Stress (or tension, as we commonly call it), is a force inside us which creates a charge and is felt in the form of energy, both physical and mental. As is the case with over-charging of electrical appliances, so is the case with human mind. The greater the amount of charge which is unutilised, the greater are the chances of bursting.

Stress results mainly because the individual wants an interaction and not a transaction with the environment. In other words, stress is caused by the absence of an answer, lack of return on invested time and effort and/or lack of a two-way relationship with the environment. These forces compel a person to either change the environment or himself. If a person cannot change the environment, he feels dejected and his morale goes down, giving a complex of insecurity and inefficiency. The result is tension, leading to stress. We sometimes forget that certain things in the environment are unchangeable hence should be left to the superior most force.

This book on management of organisational stress takes a comprehensive view of the nature and causes of stress and explains the remedial measures for coping with the problem. It would prove useful for academicians, teachers and students of management and commerce and would be a handy guide for working executives." (jacket)