Abstract
Stress and burnout has become an increasingly significant problem for the individual, organizations and society as a whole and the economic loss due to stressrelated
absenteeism alone are astronomical. Prior research on stress has almost exclusively focused on the individual and/or work‐related factors as
explanatory variables, but never research has drawn on areas such as social‐psychology, sociology and anthropology. This allows for a more integrated
approach highlighting the collective aspects of stress symptoms, perceived stress, and coping mechanisms. By applying social network analysis (SNA) and a
theoretical contribution from the areas of communication networks and social support in the workplace we present a model for the complex interplay
between network position and stress. One particularly interesting issue is the causality, since it can be argued convincingly that there are both effects of
network position on stress levels and vice versa. Therefore we’ve designed a longitudinal case study of one large department of a Danish pharmaceutical
company using both a series of SNA questionnaires with a comprehensive set of stress questions and a series of interviews. Besides the purely academic
interest there are obvious managerial implications in gaining a more nuanced insight into what causes stress and how it might possibly spread or be mediated
by social factors that are at least partially within their powers to change.
absenteeism alone are astronomical. Prior research on stress has almost exclusively focused on the individual and/or work‐related factors as
explanatory variables, but never research has drawn on areas such as social‐psychology, sociology and anthropology. This allows for a more integrated
approach highlighting the collective aspects of stress symptoms, perceived stress, and coping mechanisms. By applying social network analysis (SNA) and a
theoretical contribution from the areas of communication networks and social support in the workplace we present a model for the complex interplay
between network position and stress. One particularly interesting issue is the causality, since it can be argued convincingly that there are both effects of
network position on stress levels and vice versa. Therefore we’ve designed a longitudinal case study of one large department of a Danish pharmaceutical
company using both a series of SNA questionnaires with a comprehensive set of stress questions and a series of interviews. Besides the purely academic
interest there are obvious managerial implications in gaining a more nuanced insight into what causes stress and how it might possibly spread or be mediated
by social factors that are at least partially within their powers to change.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Publikationsdato | 2011 |
| Status | Udgivet - 2011 |
| Begivenhed | Sunbelt XXXI (2011) - St. Pete Beach, USA Varighed: 8 feb. 2011 → 13 feb. 2011 |
Konference
| Konference | Sunbelt XXXI (2011) |
|---|---|
| Land/Område | USA |
| By | St. Pete Beach |
| Periode | 08/02/2011 → 13/02/2011 |