Individual and Team Decision Making Under Stress: Theoretical Underpinnings

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Individual and Team Decision Making Under Stress: Theoretical Underpinnings 2 Individual and Team Decision Making Under Stress: Theoretical Underpinnings Janis A. Cannon-Bowers and Eduardo Salas As previously discussed, the Tactical Decision Making Under Stress (TADMUS) program was designed to (a)define the decision problem facing Navy tactical teams, (b) develop measures of tactical decision making (TDM) performance, (c) collect empirical data to document the impact of stress on TDM, and (d) develop and test principles for decision support, information display, training system design, and simulation that would mitigate these stress effects. Given the complexity of the environment (see Collyer & Malecki, chap. 1, this volume), the project team was presented with a formidable challenge: how to weed through the universe of things that we could do to improve performance and select only those interven- tions that would yield the most significant gains. We were motivated both practically and scientifically to answer this question. On the practical side, it was clear that a program afforded the resources and visibility of TADMUS needed to provide some demonstrable results fairly quickly. More important, we were committed from the outset to develop and test interventions that would actually be implemented in operational settings -we did not have the time or money to suffer many failures. From the scientific side, we were determined to make best use of what we considered to be a tremendous opportunity-the mandate and resources to study a difficult, real-world problem in depth. This was an opportunity that does not present itself very often. Given this dilemma, we fell back to an old adage that traces back to Kurt Lewin: “There’s nothing more practical than a good theory” (Marrow, 1969). Our reasoning was that if we adopted a few strong theoretical po- sitions and generated promising hypotheses from these, our chances of success would be greatly enhanced. Therefore, several emerging areas of theory and research were exploited as a means to drive empirical work. The purpose of this chapter is to review briefly these theoretical perspec- tives. To do this, we first provide a description of the boundaries of the problem we were dealing with and offer definitions of key concepts. Next, we discuss the way we approached the problem of selecting theories that we believed could drive the specification of training interventions. Follow- 17 18 CANNON-BOWERS AND SALAS ing this, we describe the major theoretical perspectives we adopted for the program. Finally, we summarize the major hypotheses associated with these theories and describe briefly the training interventions that were developed from them. Boundaries of the Problem To select theoretical perspectives appropriate for the problem with which we were dealing, it was necessary to establish the boundaries of the prob- lem and delineate important definitions. In the following sections, we pro- vide a description of the decision environment and task, the nature of stressors characteristic of the environment, and major definitions. Defining the Decision Environment Demands on the human decision maker in military tactical environments are becoming more complicated with advances in technology and changes in the world order. Modern combat scenarios are often characterized by rapidly evolving and changing conditions, severe time compression, and high degrees of ambiguity and uncertainty. In addition, such situations often present the decision maker with an overwhelming amount of data and require the coordinated performance of a team of operators who must gather, process, integrate, communicate, and act on these data in support of a tactical decision. A variety of other stressors (both physical and psy- chological) also exist in the operational setting, not the least of which is the catastrophic costs of making an error, which mitigate against effective individual and group performance. Coupled with the fact that the modern military scenario is likely to be complex and multinational, these factors have provided unprecedented demands on the human decision maker. An example may help to illustrate this contention (see Johnston, Poirer, & Smith-Jentsch, chap. 3, this volume, for details). One of the tasks facing a team of operators in a Navy combat information center (CIC) is to defend the ship against hostile aircraft. This task is accomplished by a hierarchically structured team of operators/decision makers, with final de- cision authority retained by a single individual. Team members perform a variety of functions in support of the final decision: They operate sensor consoles to detect aircraft, integrate information collected regarding the aircraft’s intent, make decisions about how and when to seek additional information, and make decisions about how and when to transmit perti- nent situation assessment information. Once information is passed to a final decision maker, it must be considered against the situational con- straints (e.g., rules of engagement) and potential consequences before a decision can be reached or action taken. To function in such a situation, team members must understand the system at several levels. First, they must understand the dynamics and control of the equipment (both hardware and software) with which they INDMDUAL AND TEAM DECISION MAKING 19 are interacting to extract information. Second, they must understand the demands of the task and how to accomplish them (e.g., the significance of information, types of information required, strategies to combine infor- mation, necessary procedures, etc.). They must also understand how var- ious facets of the environment affect the task and task demands (e.g., when workload increases as a function of air traffic in the area, or when radar reception is affected by weather conditions). Third, they must un- derstand sound decision-making process so that they optimize the use of available information and avoid errors. Fourth, they must understand their role in the task, that is, what their particular contribution is, how they must interact with other team members, who requires particular classes of information, and so forth. Finally, to perform optimally, tactical team members must be familiar with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, preferences, and other task-relevant attributes of their teammates. This is because expectations for the behav- ior of their teammates will vary as a function of the individuals who com- prise the team. When working with a particularly competent teammate, for example, a team member may alter his or her behavior so that it is consistent with how he or she thinks that teammate will perform. Defining Stressors in the Environment There are many definitions of stress in the literature (e.g., Hogan & Ho- gan, 1982; Ivancevich & Matteson, 1980; Janis & Mann, 1977). For our purposes, we adopted the definition of stress offered by Salas, Driskell, and Hughes (1996) as “a process by which certain environmental demands . evoke an appraisal process in which perceived demand exceeds re- sources and results in undesirable physiological, psychological, behavioral, or social outcomes” (p. 6). Practically, our initial investigations involved extensive interviewing and observing of actual Navy crews. As a function of this effort, we found that the following characteristics, which can be defined as stressors, all appear to be present in the operational environ- ment: 0 multiple information sources 0 incomplete, conflicting information 0 rapidly changing, evolving scenarios 0 requirement for team coordination 0 adverse physical conditions 0 performance pressure 0 time pressure 0 high workhnformation load 0 auditory overloadhnterference 0 threat A second benefit of these interviews and observations was to deter- mine which stressors are likely to have an impact on decision-making per- 20 CANNON-BOWERS AND SALAS formance. Of these, it was necessary to select a subset of stressors that could be induced reliably and safely in experiments. It was decided that the following stressors were candidates for manipulation in experimental studies. Task-related stressors workloadhime pressure 0 uncertainty/ambiguity 0 auditory overload Ambient stressors auditory interference performance pressure 0 fatigudsustained operations Once potential stressors for manipulation were identified, a survey of the literature was conducted to determine the most common ways these stressors have been manipulated in past research. Manipulation tech- niques were assessed on the basis of reliability with which stress could be created, the face validity of the procedure, ethical concerns, safety, and feasibility. On the basis of this review and interaction with fleet personnel, the following initial stress manipulations were established. Workloadtime pressure. Workload and time pressure were manipu- lated using the tactical task (problem) scenario. Specifically, the number of tasks an operator performed simultaneously was increased as a manip- ulation of workload. Time pressure was defined as the time allowed to process a radar contact, and manipulated by changing the distance at which a potentially hostile contact was inserted into the scenario (ie., the closer the contact was to own ship on initial detection, the less time the team had to prosecute it). Uncertaintylambiguity. Uncertainty was described as the amount of information available regarding a contact’s intent. Under high uncertainty conditions less information was available, as, for example, when an iden- tification mode was not available on a contact. Auditory overload.
Recommended publications
  • Stress Management Strategies
    How Can We Manage Work-related Stress? Louise Thomson, Research Fellow, IES Over the last decade, organisations have become increasingly aware of the need to manage stress. There have been two drivers for this. The first is the need for a motivated and productive workforce, where the negative effects of stress on attendance, performance, job satisfaction and commitment are minimised. The second is an organisation’s legal responsibilities for the care of their employees. The current health and safety legislation means that employers are legally bound to make sure that their employees aren’t made ill by their work, and this includes ill- health due to stress (EC, 1989; HSC, 1999). But what exactly is stress and what approaches to managing it are recommended? This paper aims to address these questions by summarising what is known about work-related stress and describing the three types of intervention strategies that can be used to manage it, which involve: ! preventing stress ! reacting to problems in a timely way ! treating the effects of stress once they have occurred. In doing so, it is hoped that organisations can review their existing activities as well as identify areas for the development of new stress management interventions. We begin by clarifying what we already know about work-related stress, its causes and its effects. What is work-related stress? It is now widely accepted that the experience of stress at work has undesirable consequences for the health of individuals and for the performance of their organisations. Work-related stress is recognised as one of the major occupational health problems for organisations to deal with.
    [Show full text]
  • Managing Stress of Humanitarian Emergencies
    Staff Welfare Section Division of Human Resources Management UNHCR HQ Managing tress the S of Humanitarian Emergencies The UN Refugee Agency The UN Refugee Agency Table of Contents Pg. Foreword 4 1. Stress and UNHCR 5 1.1 Stress and Humanitarian Organisations 5 1.2 Risk of Stress to UNHCR Staff in Emergency Situations 5 1.3 Role of UNHCR Team Leaders 6 1.4 Using Information about Stress 6 2. Recognizing Signs and Sources of Stress 7 2.1 What is Stress? 7 2.1.1 What are sources of Stress for UNHCR? 7 2.1.2 How Do People Respond to Stress? 8 2.1.3 What Does Stress Look Like? 8 2.1.4 What Types of Stress Affect Humanitarian Workers? 9 2.2 Recognizing Signs of Cumulative Stress 9 2.2.1 Sources of Cumulative Stress in Humanitarian Operations 11 2.3 Recognizing Signs of Burnout 12 2.3.1 Signs of Burnout in Individuals 13 2.3.2 Signs of Burnout in the Work Groups 13 2.4 Crisis Situations and Critical Events 14 2.4.1 Staff Vulnerability and Resilience 15 2.4.2 Recognizing Critical Events 15 2.4.3 Recognizing Signs of Critical Event Stress 16 2.4.4 Recognizing “Covert” Critical Events 17 2.4.5 Sources of Stress in Critical Events 18 2.5 Communication and Stress 19 2.5.1 Personal Communication Styles 19 2.5.2 Communication in the Multicultural Work Group 19 3. Stress Management Strategies 20 3.1 Basic Stress Management 20 3.1.1 Self Care 20 3.1.2 Responsive Leadership 21 3.1.3 The Buddy System 22 3.2 Sustaining The Workforce: Checklist for Managers 22 3.2.1 Everyday Care 22 3.2.2 Support for Critical Incidents 24 3.3 Managing Transition 26 3.4 Addressing Burnout 27 4.
    [Show full text]
  • More Than Happy to Help Customerfocused Emotion
    PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY 2013, 66, 261–286 MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP? CUSTOMER-FOCUSED EMOTION MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES LAURA M. LITTLE University of Georgia DON KLUEMPER Northern Illinois University DEBRA L. NELSON Oklahoma State University ANDREW WARD Lehigh University This paper investigates the impact of customer service representative (CSR) customer-focused emotion management strategies on expressed customer emotions, beyond the influences of emotional contagion. We propose that problem-focused strategies (situation modification and cog- nitive change) are likely to reduce the intensity of negative customer emotions and increase the intensity of positive customer emotions, whereas emotion-focused strategies (attentional deployment and modu- lating the emotional response) will have the opposite impact. Further, we propose that customer negative emotions will affect the choice of strate- gies CSRs employ. Based on evaluator ratings of recorded customer service calls (N = 228), our findings confirmed the positive effects of problem-focused strategies and the negative effects of emotion-focused strategies on customer-expressed emotions. In addition, we found that initial customer emotions affected the strategy used by the CSR, whereby negative emotions expressed by the customer reduced the use of the most effective strategy and increased the use of the least effective strategy. Customer emotions have been an important topic of study in the ser- vice industry for decades. Hochschild (1983) pioneered this research by investigating the requirements that organizations place on employees to control their own emotional expressions in order to manage customer emotions. This work led to the study of emotional contagion, defined We thank Jim Quick and Mark Rosenbaum for helpful comments on drafts of this manuscript.
    [Show full text]
  • Stress at Work: What We Can Learn from EAP Utilization INTRODUCTION
    Stress at work: What we can learn from EAP utilization INTRODUCTION Stress has been called the “health epidemic of the 21st century” by the World Health Organization and is estimated to cost American businesses up to $300 billion a year. Stress results from any change one must adapt to, ranging from extreme danger to the exhilaration of falling in love or achieving some long-desired success(Davis, Eschelman & McKay, 2008). The relationship between stress and work has been well documented. According to a recent study, 69% of employees report that work is a significant source of stress, while 51% report feeling less productive at work as a result of stress (American Psychological Association, 2009). While it is known that stress can lead to a decline in work performance, there is limited data on whether or not there are gender and/or age differences in the ways stress affects employee productivity. The purpose of this document is to share key findings on the impact of personal problems and stress on work performance, and the role gender and age may play. An analysis of data from employees accessing Morneau Shepell’s Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) reveals insightful similarities and striking differences between genders and age groups. Our data also indicates EAP services positively influence employee work performance. We have included recommendations for EAPs, human resource professionals and managers to minimize the impact of stress on work performance as well as recommendations for further investigation. METHODOLOGY When employees and family members seek employee assistance services they first speak with one of Morneau Shepell’s master’s level clinicians who conduct a telephone-based assessment to provide support and help determine the most appropriate level of service.
    [Show full text]
  • Taking the Stress out of Stress a Guide for Managers
    Taking the Stress out of Stress A Guide for Managers HEALTH Taking the Stress out of Stress – A Guide for Managers The Project “Mental Health in the World of Work– psyGA-transfer“ Project management: BKK Dachverband, Berlin Cooperation partners: BAHN BKK BKK Braun Gillette BKK Gildemeister Seidensticker Novitas BKK BKK vor Ort Deutsche BKK pronova BKK IKK classic Aktionsbündnis Seelische Gesundheit Berufsgenossenschaft Nahrungsmittel und Gastgewerbe Diakonie Deutschland – Evangelischer Bundesverband Institut für Arbeits- und Sozialmedizin des Uniklinikums Aachen Institut für Betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung BGF GmbH Landeshauptstadt München Landesinstitut für Arbeitsgestaltung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen Institut für interdisziplinäre Arbeitswissenschaft der Leibniz-Universität Hannover Unfallkasse des Bundes Unternehmensnetzwerk zur betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung in der Europäischen Union e. V. Hochschule Neubrandenburg Vivantes - Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH G.I.B. – Gesellschaft für innovative Beschäftigungsförderung mbH Dortmunder Forschungsbüro für Arbeit, Prävention und Politik Institut für angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft e. V. IMPRINT Published by: Initiative Neue Qualität der Arbeit Geschäftsstelle c/o Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin Nöldnerstraße 40– 42 10317 Berlin Telefon 030 51548-4000 E-Mail [email protected] www.inqa.de Editors: Dr. Gregor Breucker, Brigitte Jürgens-Scholz, Dr. Reinhold Sochert, Dr. Viola Weber (BKK Bundesverband) Michaela Mißler (Team Gesundheit Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsmanagement
    [Show full text]
  • Stress in Organizations: Management Strategies Nasir Karim
    Stress in Organizations: Management Strategies Nasir Karim Abstract Stress management is set to become a primary strategic and operational concern for all organizations because of the direct relationship between decency and humanity, good employment practice, and successful business. Stress places a cost burden on organizations in all locations and sectors, and there is also a human price among those who work in stressful situations or suffer from stress-related injuries and illnesses. Forgoing in view, the nature of the research study is kept descriptive and exploratory, to help in identifying causes for potential stress and how it creates a significant effect on workforce performance. Finally conclusions are drawn from the discussion and strategies are recommended based on organizational needs Keywords: Management, Stress Management, Strategic Management Introduction An organization is a social arrangement for the controlled performance of collective goals (Buchanan, Huczynski, 2005). The organizations operate through division of labor and allocation of functions, and well defined hierarchy of authority and responsibility. However, each organization is faced with internal and external pressures which may cause psychological stress. Stress “an adoptive response, mediated by individual characteristic and psychological processes, that is consequence of any external action, situation or event that places special physical, psychological demands upon a person” (J M Ivancevich and M T Matteson, 1980) may result into high labor turnover and absenteeism Dr. Nasir Karim, Associate Professor, Dept. of Management Sciences, CECOS University, Peshawar Stress in organizations: Management Strategies Nasir Karim rate, low productivity, reduced performance, ineffectiveness, and inefficiency levels will also affect the psychological, social and physical health of the employees.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study Into the Levels of Decision Making and Coping Wıth Stress of the Students of Physıcal Education and Sports College
    African Journal of Business Management Vol.5 (9), pp. 3614-3622, 4 May 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJBM DOI: 10.5897/AJBM11.091 ISSN 1993-8233 ©2011 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper A study into the levels of decision making and coping wıth stress of the students of physıcal education and sports college Murat Tekin Karamanolu Mehmetbey University College of Physical Education and Sports, 70100 Karaman , Turkey. E-mail:[email protected]. Accepted 18 February, 2011 The purpose of the current study is to investigate the levels of decision making and coping with stress of students of physical education and sports college. The research group was made up of 413 girls and 590 boys ( X age=21.4607±1.8792), 1003 in total, studying at the physical education and sports colleges of Gazi University, Selçuk University, Kocaeli University, Arı brahim Çeçen University and Karamanolu Mehmet Bey University. To achieve the purpose of the research, “The Inventory of the Attitudes of Coping with Stress” and “Melbourne Scale of Decision Making” were based on and applied to the students that participated in the research. In the analysis and assessment of the data, multiple linear regression test was used and significance was taken as P<0.05 and in the evaluation of the data and the determination of the calculated values, SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) package program was used. At the end of the study, a significant relation was found between the levels of decision making and coping with stress of the students studying at the physical education and Sports College.
    [Show full text]
  • Stress Managment Fact Sheet.Pub
    STRESS MANAGEMENT FACT SHEET Stress is not just an inconvenience, it can become a serious health concern. Chronic high stress is a associated with increased risk of Cardiovascular disease, Hypertension, chronic fatigue and infections. Did you know that: • Stress is the leading cause of visits to General Practitioners each year - up to 70% of cases. • Controllable lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep and time management have a significant effect on stress levels. • Alcohol is a common but highly ineffective stress management tool. Whilst the consumption of Alcohol may make you feel more relaxed, it can cause sleep disturbances, preventing the good quality sleep needed for effective rest and relaxation. • Your physical environment can help or hinder stress management. Is your workstation set up correctly for your body size? Can you maintain a good posture? Is the lighting appropriate? What about noise levels? Reducing physical stress can help to reduce overall stress. • Participating in “passive” recreation such as watching television is not as effective at reducing stress as “active” recreation such as talking a walk on the beach or enjoying a game of squash. • Many factors that contribute to stress are outside of your control, but ensuring that you are doing everything you can to maintain a healthy body Tips for Managing Stress and mind, will maximise your ability to cope. The Symptoms of Stress • Manage your time. Learn to say “no” more often • Physical: Fatigue, headaches, muscle • Eat a balanced, nutritious diet tension or stiffness, heart palpita- • Get at least 30mins of exercise each tions, chest pain, trembling, shaking.
    [Show full text]
  • Work Organisation & Stress
    PROTECTING WORKERS HEALTH SERIES NO 3 WORK ORGANISATION & STRESS SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM APPROACHES FOR EMPLOYERS, MANAGERS AND TRADE UNION REPRESENTATIVES Protecting Workers Health Series No. 3 Authors: Stavroula Leka BA MSc PhD Professor Amanda Griffiths CPsychol AFBPsS FRSH Professor Tom Cox CBE INSTITUTE OF WORK, HEALTH & ORGANISATIONS University of Nottingham Nottingham Science and Technology Park University Boulevard William Lee Buildings 8 Nottingham NG7 2RQ United Kingdom WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Leka, Stavroula. Work organisation and stress : systematic problem approaches for employers, managers and trade union representatives / Stavroula Leka, Amanda Griffiths, Tom Cox. (Protecting workers health series ; no. 3) 1. Stress, Psychological prevention and control 2. Occupational Health 3.Occupational diseases prevention and control 4. Risk assessment. 5.Work psychology I.Griffiths, Amanda II.Cox, Tom III.Title IV.Series ISBN 92 4 159047 5 (NLM classification: WA 440) © World Health Organization 2003 All rights reserved. Publications of the World Health Organization can be obtained from Marketing and Dissemination, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland (tel: +41 22 791 2476; fax: +41 22 791 4857; email: [email protected]). Requests for permission to reproduce or translate WHO publications whether for sale or for noncommercial distribution should be addressed to Publications, at the above ad- dress (fax: +41 22 791 4806; email: [email protected]). The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organiza- tion concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Organizational Role Stress of Customer Service Representatives (On Desk) and Its Relationship with Their Level of Emotional Intelligence
    International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education (IJCDSE), Special Issue Volume 3 Issue 2, 2013 Organizational Role Stress of Customer Service Representatives (On Desk) and its relationship with their level of Emotional Intelligence R. Shah, P. Maheshwari India Abstract what is referred to as Emotional Intelligence (as cited in Rivers and Salovey, 2010). The present study aimed at finding out the level of According to The Center for Creative Leadership, Organizational role stress and Emotional (1994), “75% of careers are derailed for reasons Intelligence in Customer Service Representatives related to emotional competencies, including inability (CSR) and the relationship between the two. The to handle interpersonal problems; unsatisfactory team sample comprised of 60 CSR’s working in different leadership during times of difficulty or conflict; or sectors-travel, private banks and mobile networks, inability to adapt to change or elicit trust." having an 8hr job. Non-probability sampling was (http://www.susandunn.cc/emotional_intelligence_qu used to select the sample. Self constructed scales to otations.htm). measure Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Customer Service is considered as an important role Stress were administered on the selected part of any business today. “To thrive, excellence in participants. The data was supported with qualitative technology, quality and customer service along with information acquired through an interview schedule. cost competitiveness is a prerequisite” [12]. The cost Findings revealed that majority of the CSR’s (41) of retaining customers is much lower than acquiring perceived themselves as below average to average in new ones. Acquiring new customers is important, but their levels of emotional intelligence, average to holding on to existing customers is crucial.
    [Show full text]
  • Manage Stress Workbook
    Manage Stress workbook U.S. Department of Veterans Aairs Veterans Health Administration Patient Care Services Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Contents Stress Goal 1 This workbook was designed by the National Keys to Managing Your Stress 2 Center for Health Promotion and Disease Tools for Managing Stress 4 Prevention (NCP). It will guide you through Mindfulness 7 steps to identify and track your stress, and practice a variety of strategies that have been Other Factors for Managing Stress 13 shown to counteract stress. Appendix A: My Health Choices 15 Appendix B: Pleasant Activities Tip Sheet 17 It goes without saying that you have probably experienced periods of high stress and danger. You probably are well acquainted with the depression, aggressive behavior, and low energy ‘fight or flight’ feeling that often occurs in such are other common symptoms. situations. This heightened feeling occurs when our bodies release stress hormones in response You can learn specific techniques for managing to the stress. The hormones keep us alert and your stress more effectively. These techniques ready to deal with whatever is happening or is can help you lower your stress and improve about to happen. your readiness to respond in stressful situations. You’ll also deal more easily with While this natural response serves us well in stress when it comes up. the short term, our bodies need time to recover. Prolonged, high stress can cause high blood It’s important to remember that you cannot pressure, a weakened immune system, heart always control the causes of your stress, but you disease, and digestive problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Effective Stress Management and Employee Productivity in the Nigerian Public Institutions; a Study of National Galary of Arts, Abuja, Nigeria
    Effective Stress Management and Employee Productivity in the Nigerian Public Institutions; A Study of National Galary of Arts, Abuja, Nigeria Marcus Garvey Orji1, Gloria Nankling yakubu2 1Department of Business Administration, Veritas University, Abuja, Nigeria 2National Gallery of Art, Abuja, Nigeria [email protected] Abstract Keywords physical stress; psychological The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of stress management on employee productivity in the Nigerian public stress; emotional stress; institutions with particular emphasis on National Gallery of Arts, environmental stress; economic Abuja. The study is a survey research and the population of the stress; employee productivity; study consists of employees of the institution with sample size of Nigerian public institutions 171 determined using Taro Yamane’s formula. Primary data was used through the administration of questionnaire, and the formulated hypotheses tested by regression method. The findings revealed that there is a significant impact of physical stress management on employee productivity. Furthermore, the results also revealed that there is an insignificant impact of psychological stress management on the employee productivity. Equally there is a significant impact of emotional stress management; environmental stress management and economic stress management on employee productivity. The study concluded that effective stress management can mitigate the negative factors that distressed employees which also have a negative effect on their productivity;
    [Show full text]