Organizational role stress-the stress caused by the occupation of an organizational role-depends on an individual's perception about situations, constraints, opportunities or threats encountered during role performance. Individuals at different management (hierarchical) levels have different perspectives, focus and thrust and hence, their perceptions differ. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that there are significant differences in the role stress experienced across management levels. Ten types of role stress were measured across management levels (junior, middle and senior) in a public sector organization, using the Organizational Role Stress (ORS) Scale, involving 453 randomly selected executives. Statistical analysis has revealed significant differences in the perception of role stress across the management levels in the organization, even though Role Erosion is the most predominant stress across the three management levels. Role Stagnation, Role Erosion and Total Role Stress are weaker at the senior management level as compared to junior and middle management levels. Personal Inadequacy is stronger at the junior management level as compared to middle and senior management levels. Self-Role Distance is stronger at the junior management level as compared to the senior management level.
Stress is experienced when an individual encounters an opportunity, constraint, demand or threat, provided the outcome of the episode is both important and uncertain (Robbins, 2003, p. 577). Stress may involve: (i) not being able to do/get what one likes to do/get, (ii) losing something which someone likes to possess, (iii) an opportunity linked to a potential gain, (iv) a threat of an impending punishment/failure/other negative consequences. Stress is a dynamic phenomenon dependent on individual perceptions and reactions. It is individualistic and additive. What may be highly stressful for one individual may not be stressful for others. What may be stressful for an individual under certain conditions may not be stressful for him under some other conditions. Stress at home gets added to stress in office and vice-versa. Stress is inevitable and cannot be avoided in our daily life (Pestonjee, 1999, pp. 15-34).
Role (Pareek, 1993, pp. 3-20; 2002, pp. 477-491) refers to the position one occupies in a social system (or organization), as defined by the expectations of significant persons. The role occupant performs various functions in the organization to meet the expectations raised by the significant people in the organization with whom he has to interact, for the success of his role performance. An organization is a system of roles and role itself is a system. Organizational roles constitute the basic HR infrastructure on which the success of HR Systems and processes depends (Srivastav, 2005 c). Membership of an organization and the concept of an organizational role (Pareek, 2004, pp. 209-224) have in-built potential for stress. Stress due to occupation of a role in an organization is known as Organizational Role Stress (ORS). |
