Table 5.1 Will Is Experiencing Stress at Work Because He Is Not

question 50

Multiple Choice

Table 5.1
Will is experiencing stress at work because he is not clear about what to do in his new job, what his work priorities should be. His boss is out due to major surgery, and no one else knows what his job is. Jane is a typical 2010 woman; good career, married, and with a small child. As her career advances she is experiencing more and more stress because her husband wants her home more. Her parents are proud of her career success, yet they keep saying things like, "No sense having children if you're going to let someone else raise them." Tom is in a matrix reporting relationship with several other people. His boss has authority over the whole matrix; Tom does not, yet Tom is responsible for the performance of the people in the matrix. He isn't sure who he can tell what to do and who he has to let his boss tell. A deadline is approaching, and Tom is stressed out. Tom's boss, John, is also stressed. He isn't clarifying who reports to whom because he worries about everyone and doesn't want to let go of watching over them. He thinks that he may have to terminate Jane because her home situation is interfering so much with work that it is creating problems for the project. He is agonizing over this. Having been fired once in his career, he knows how painful it can be.
-Refer to Table 5.1. Which of the following strategies would be of the most help to Will at this point in his career?

• A) More information about his job duties
• B) Family-supportive practices
• C) A stress management program
• D) Life balancing through exercise and diet

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Definitions:

Position Power

The authority and influence bestowed upon an individual by virtue of their role or office within an organizational hierarchy.

Force Change

The act of compelling or driving a group, organization, or system to undergo significant transformation or adjustment.

Restraining Forces

Factors or forces that resist or oppose change within an organization, hindering progress or implementation of new ideas.

Unfreezing

The initial stage in the change process where existing behaviors, attitudes, or norms are challenged to facilitate change.