Stress in Japan, Thailand and the US in Regard to Employees - Coursework Example

Name Professor Title Course Date Stress Management Introduction Different philosophers have come up with various ways to explain and define stress for both the work environment and in personal lives. It explains a situation where a person experiences strain and pressure from both the internal and external environment. This is to mean that it can also be from within a person (Linden 2005). This research aims at analyzing causes of stress to individuals, their signs and methods of handling such situations in a workplace. It accomplishes this by analyzing stress theories by certain philosophers and how they apply to individuals in organizations. This study analyzes positive and negative job stress and theories that managers in US, Japan and Thailand use to address job stress. This essay looks at causes of stress in three countries in regard to employees in organizations in these countries. It also seeks to analyze three theories of stress management under these three countries. They include Thailand, U.S.A and Japan (Richard 2006). It investigates the impacts of stress in an individual to organizations in the three countries above. The essay also seeks to analyze methods and theories that senior managers in Japan, Thailand and the US apply to their organizations to manage job stress. Job stress and its causes to an individual and an organization According to this essay, there are certain causes of job stress among individuals depending on their environment and working conditions as well as living conditions in a country. This calls for the need to employee managers to deal with such issues in an organization. Employing managers who are experts in this field will ensure that they can handle job stress from employees to ensure success of an organization (Singh 2009). This is the case in most multinational organizations in such countries like US, Thailand, Japan to assist in the management of internal factors in an organization to avoid job stress. These managers have an obligation of responding well to different cultures of their employees; hence, creating a favorable working environment. The cause of this strain or pressure is the interaction between a person and his environment. In this case, the external forces may include other people, living condition or the work place environment. Some people get more stress under certain situations in their lives unlike others; therefore, stress levels range from one individual to another (Richard 2006). However, regardless of the causes of stress, it is important to note that a person under stress cannot work effectively in his place of work. This is because they are not in their right senses to work effectively and efficiently. They cannot achieve goals at work and also at individual levels. It is vital to remember that situations or causes of stress are unavoidable and uncontrollable; thus, an individual could always avoid such situations. There are various signs of stress depending on causing factors and an individual. Experts in this field classify signs of stress as acute and mild. These signs vary depending on the sources of stress in a work environment. Research shows that some sources of job stress include working under time pressures, work overload and physical working conditions among many others. Roles that one holds in an organization can also cause conflict that leads to job stress (Linden 2005). Such factors like role conflict and responsibilities in an organization can cause job stress among its employees. Other factors that cause stress in an organization in Japan, Us and Thailand include relationships at work. For instance, poor relationship between an employee and his boss will lead to job stress because an employee does not feel comfortable working under such conditions. Failure to involve employees in decision making process also causes job stress. According to this essay from research carried out in Japan, US and Thailand, senior managers in organizations have the responsibility of ensuring that they create a favorable working environment for its employees. This will ensure that they do not undergo any kind of job stress whatsoever. Lack of job stress in organizations ensures that employees work under favorable conditions to ensure success in an organization. Senior managers should ensure that employees relate well with each other and with top managers to create success of such an organization. The essay analyzes management styles that mangers use in different countries to address this issue of job stress in an organization. It aims at looking at management styles from Japan, US and Thailand. It also looks at cross-cultural management by senior managers in Thailand, US and Japan. Job satisfaction Experts argue that employee satisfaction inventory (ESI) is an effective way to measure job satisfaction of employees and their physical and mental health. Frederick Herzberg is a famous psychologist who led to the introduction of two factor theory explaining employee motivation (Richard 2006). In his theory, Frederick argues that job satisfaction is the major factor that causes job stress because employees are not comfortable under the current working conditions. It is for this reason that he brought the two factor theory to curb job stress. He carries out his research from a group of accountants and engineers in his country. According to Frederick, the two factors include hygiene and motivational factors (Singh 2009). He explains that there are certain extrinsic conditions like pay, working conditions, job security and other benefits. He explains that these conditions to do not have a positive impact on employee motivation; rather, they create employee satisfaction and avoid dissatisfaction. Frederick also explains that there are intrinsic conditions that include opportunities for workers to develop, growth, recognition and promotion. The intrinsic factors play a major role in motivational of workers; therefore, they bring satisfaction to workers in an organization. Due to the above factors, managers in Japan, Thailand and US have come up with various management styles to ensure job satisfaction of its employees. The US uses management style known as the International Organization Model whose major responsibility is to enable experts adapt to multi-cultural environment. This model in the US enables headquarters to come up with strategies for subsidiaries to apply. Managers in the US also must learn culture of employees in an organization so that they incorporate them in the strategic plans (Linden 2005). The International Organization Model provides a channel that encourages flow of information between subsidiaries and headquarters in an organization. This creates opportunities for subsidiaries to develop and grow by allowing them to come up with strategies and products in their work areas. The Japanese management style is known as Global Organization Model. This particular style that Japan senior managers use aims at centralization of resources and responsibilities in an organization with the aim of improving economic status of the country. Under this management style, subsidiaries have the responsibility of producing products, assembling them and selling to consumers. Headquarters have the role of formulating goals, policies, roles and procedures in the organization. Christopher compares management style in Japan and that of the US on the basis of roles and opportunities that subsidiaries have. He concludes that Japanese management style gives its subsidiaries more independence in comparison to the US management style. Thailand uses a management style known as the paternalistic management style. This style indicates that employees in this country acknowledge the aspect of power and superiority among certain levels in an organization (Hiriyappa 2012). This style accepts the fact that rank, position, title and status are of much significance to employees in any organization in Thailand. Thailand management style incorporates certain values and they include high position and authority, considerate, indebted goodness and criticism avoidance. All these values are of importance in an organization in Thailand. Under the value of high position or authority, there are certain people in an organization with the responsibility of decision making while the others have experience, knowledge and carry more responsibility than others. Considerate value explains that subordinates must not question or bother people of higher position than them because they view it as a form of respect. The value of criticism avoidance is common in the culture of Thailand (Richard 2006). Face saving demands that subordinates cannot criticize or insult their seniors in presence of a third party. The fourth value in the Thailand management style is the indebted goodness which creates a bond. It creates a reciprocal relationship between the given and the received and requires the return regardless of time and distance. Cross cultural management is a common aspect of the management styles in Thailand, Japan and US as they research on manners of handling diversity of cultures in their organizations. Research from mangers from approximately 40 countries indicates that this issue varies in five dimensions (Singh 2009). They include power distance, individualism versus collectiveness, masculine versus feminine, uncertainty avoidance and lastly short term versus long term. The five dimensions indicate variances of cultures in different countries and how they affect individuals in an organization. For instance, cultures encourage collectiveness rather than individualism, which most cultures consider it to be a loose framework. Masculine versus feminine dimension entails a cultural value where gender roles and responsibilities vary from one culture to another. For instance, according to culture should be tough and assertive while women should be sweet, kind and have motherly love. Long term versus short term dimension includes people from cultures that have the two orientations. Short term cultures find value in the past and present, while long term cultures value the future. The five dimensions explain behavior of employees on the basis of their countries of origin. For instance, in US, their culture encourages them to have a sense of individualism while in Japan and Thailand, they embrace collectiveness. Culture in the US teaches them to listen and ask questions, while in Japan and Thailand, it teaches them to listen and trust whatever they learn. Experts have come up with a cultural dimension table to analyze cultural dimensions in Japan, US and Thailand. Positive and negative stress In US, their management style has both negative and positive stress on employees. Senior managers in the US encourage their employees to have self development plans in order to be successful not only in the organization but also as individuals. However, senior managers in the same country create negative stress on their employees (Singh 2009). For instance, they tend to look more at the weak points in their employees and dispatch them to training with the expectation that they will work better after that. This has negative stress effects on workers because they feel that they are working under pressure to be perfect; rather than looking at their strengths and dwelling on them. In Japan, their management styles also encourage both positive and negative stress. Negative stress under this management style causes stress and anxiety among employees. Management styles in Japan gives priority to a certain class of people; hence, get very important treatment. That includes allowing them to violate certain rules in an organization (Richard 2006). This creates tension and anxiety among employees in a bid to please senior managers. This is the same case in Thailand, where in the case study above, an employee feels that she might loose her job without warning or notice. This impacts negative stress on an employee under such working conditions. This research points out certain ways that employees give in relation to how they manage their job stress issues. Stress management varies from one individual to another (Hiriyappa 2012). An employee in the US explains that she goes out for shopping when under job stress. She goes further and explains that she walks around to buy goods as a way of managing stress. In Japan, research shows that an employee would opt for stress relaxation by doing adventurous activities so that he is recharged with energy. In Thailand, a case study shows that an employee opts to stop doing her work immediately and rest for about twenty minutes before proceeding. These are some of the ways that employees manage stress in the three countries. Bibliography Cary, L. Cooper (2000): Theories of organizational stress: OUP Oxford: P. 23-67. Richard, S. L. (2006): Stress and emotion: Springer Publishing Company: Pg. 245-299. Stavroula, L & Jonathan, H. (2010): Occupational health psychology: John Wiley & Sons: Pg. 89-107. Greenberg, J. (2003): Organizational behavior: the state of the science: Routlegde: Pg. 345-378. Landy, F. J & Conte, J. M. (2009): Work in the 21st century: an introduction to the industrial and organizational psychology: John Wiley & Sons: Pg. 675-700. Singh, A. (2009): Stress management: mission to fight pressure, mental and emotional strain: Global India Publications: Pg. 256-278. Linden, W. (2005): Stress management: from basic science to better practice: SAGE: Pg. 145- 178. Hiriyappa, B. (2012): Stress management: leading to success: Book tango: Pg. 45-67. Read More