_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Report Information from ProQuest
November 22 2013 03:05
_______________________________________________________________

22 November 2013 ProQuest
Table of contents
Search Strategy................................................................................................................................................ iii
1. Theories of organizational stress.................................................................................................................. 1
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................................... 4
22 November 2013 ii ProQuest
Search Strategy
Set# Searched for Databases Results
S1 organizational stress
ProQuest Central
178007*
22 November 2013 iii ProQuest
* Duplicates are removed from your search, but included in your result count.
22 November 2013 iv ProQuest
Document 1 of 1

Theories of organizational stress
Author: Endler, Norman S; Corace, Kimberly M

Publication info: Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 74 (Dec 2001): 686-688.
ProQuest document link
Abstract: Theories of Organizational Stress, edited by C. L. Cooper, is reviewed.
Full text: Theories of organizational stress. Edited by C.L. Cooper. New York: Oxford University Press. 1998.
Pp. 275. $26.95. ISBN 0 1985 2279 7.
Coping, anxiety and stress are prevalent and enduring aspects of everyday life. Coping styles, in particular, play
an important role in mediating between antecedent stressful events and consequences such as anxiety,
depression, psychological distress, somatic complaints, and physical illnesses (Endler &Parker, 1999). The
coping construct is extremely prominent in the areas of personality, health psychology, and organizational
stress. This book focuses on the latter - organizational stress.
As we enter the 21st century, the 'world of work' promises to be more dynamic, diverse, and faster-paced than
ever before and in a continuous state of flux. Rapid advances in technology have allowed organizations to be
more productive with fewer employees than were previously required. These advances have resulted in
downsizing, outsourcing, elimination of some occupations, and insecure employment contracts (Greenberg,
Baron, Sales, &Owen, 2000). The unavoidable result of the rapidly changing work environment is occupational
stress. Occupational stress has important consequences for both employers and employees within
organizations as well as for their families and friends. For example, it has been estimated that stress-related
problems cost Canadian business $12 billion a year. Furthermore, it has been posited that the adverse effects
of stress costs the USA more than 10% of the gross national product. It has also been estimated that the costs
of sickness absence to the UK economy was over L12 billion, wherein 50% was estimated to be stress related
(cf. Cooper, this book). These exorbitant costs primarily result from stress-related health problems (e.g. high
blood pressure, heart disease), burnout, and decreased productivity (Greenberg et al., 2000).
Empirical research in the field of organizational stress far outweighs theoretical conceptual frameworks which
explain the mechanisms of stress and provide theory-driven interventions. This book seeks to close this gap by
providing, 'under one umbrella', a diverse range of theories of organizational stress which are anticipated to
supply the essential theoretical framework for future research and promote more systematic and theory-laden
practical interventions. The chapters in this book are organized into three parts: an explanation of the theory (or
theories), the associated empirical research, and the application of the theory (or theories) to
occupational/organizational stress prevention and intervention. Thus, this book attempts to integrate theory,
research, and practice.
The general theme of the book is that organizational stress is not only an important determinant of the
individual's psychological and physical well-being, but also affects the effectiveness of the organization. The
premise of the book is that therapeutic and preventative techniques should be aimed at the level of both the
individual and the organization. Nonetheless, empirical evidence, not just theoretical speculation, is necessary
to support this hypothesis.
Together the chapters in this book provide a diverse array of theories which focus on organizational stress and
behaviour. The book is somewhat of a 'one-stop-shop' for organizational stress theories. The theories range
from that of person-environment fit and cybernetics to theories of stress of the sojourner and ethological theory.
The theories presented are interactionist in nature since they attempt to incorporate personal, organizational,
and situational factors involved in the development and maintenance of organizational stress. In addition, many
moderator variables for the experience of stress are discussed throughout the chapters of this book, namely
22 November 2013 Page 1 of 4 ProQuest
coping, social support, defences, culture, control, self-efficacy, affective dispositions, personality traits, job
characteristics, innovation, initiative, effort, and reward.
The 12 chapters in this book take on the difficult feat of integrating theory, research and practice. Although
Edwards, Caplan, and Van Harrison's person-environment fit theory is strongly grounded in empirical research,
it lacks a sufficient discussion of the practical implications of the theory. However, Cummings and Cooper's
chapter on the cybernetic theory of organizational stress presents an in-depth account of the practical
implications of the theory, but lacks sufficient empirical evidence to support their suggested implications.
Analogous comments can be made about other chapters. In addition, the average undergraduate student might
experience difficulty understanding the complex mathematical nature of the two chapters on cybernetic theory.
Thus, these chapters are better suited to more advanced undergraduate and graduate students.
This book, with its emphasis on theory-informed research, adds a unique contribution to the field of
organizational stress. It represents a compilation of theories with emphasis on integrating theory, research, and
practice. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the book, three major problems arise: a lack of over-arching
integration, an overemphasis on theory, and an underemphasis on coping with organizational stress. The book
would have benefited from better integration among the chapters. Only a few chapters are related to one
another, but these chapters do not always follow each other sequentially. Cooper, however, states that the
chapters are intended to 'stand alone' and that the book does not purport to synthesize information into a grand
theory. Nonetheless, it would have been more useful if there was a logical flow between chapters. Perhaps a
summary chapter debriefing the reader on the various models, interventions, and future directions would have
served the purpose of better integration.
The second major problem is the overemphasis on theory and the underemphasis on practice. Cooper claims
each chapter explains a theory, presents research, and dicusses the application of the theory to prevention or
intervention. However, not all the chapters related theory to interventions, and the empirical evidence for most
models was quite sparse. This is understandable, given the difficult feat of integrating theory, research and
practice in fewer than 20 pages per chapter. Thus, the book is targeted more at researchers in the field of
organizational behaviour than at practitioners due to its underemphasis on empirically based methods of
intervention and prevention. This book might also prove useful as a textbook in an advanced undergraduate or
graduate course on organizational psychology or organizational behaviour. However, this book could not 'stand
alone' as a textbook since the book focuses more on theories than general issues in the field of organizational
behaviour.
Thirdly, there is an underemphasis on the role of coping throughout the various theories presented in this book.
Most of the chapters mention the role of coping in mediating occupational stress; however, very few of the
chapters provide an in-depth analysis of the role of coping within the model being discussed. This is surprising
considering the proliferation of research which indicates a stong linkage between stress and coping in a variety
of social and psychological contexts (Endler &Parker, 1999; Folkman &Lazarus, 1988).
Another minor, but unfortunate, omission from the book is the lack of an author index. In a book which posits to
be a 'compendium' of theories from established international researchers, an author index is a necessary
addition to the book. Also, the book claims to contain theories from international researchers in the field of
organizational stress. Despite this claim, all of the authors are from Western Europe and the USA. Although this
does not detract from the effectiveness of the book, an international group of authors would have been an
asset.
In general, this book is a valuable contribution to theory and research in the field of organizational psychology.
Its greatest contribution is in the fact that it brings together a multitude of theories of organizational stress and
attempts to integrate them with research and practice. This book may provide the impetus towards an influx of
more theory-driven research within the field of organizational stress. As the field of coping, stress, and
organizational behaviour develops and more research is conducted in specific areas, the need for an over-
22 November 2013 Page 2 of 4 ProQuest
arching theory of organizational stress will become more apparent. The theories presented within this book will
no doubt be useful in future research which relates stress and coping to organizational behaviour.
AuthorAffiliation
NORMAN S. ENDLER &KIMBERLY M. CORACE (Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto,
Canada)
Subject: Organizational behavior; Stress; Theory;
Classification: 2500: Organizational behavior; 9130: Experimental/theoretical
Publication title: Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
Volume: 74
Pages: 686-688
Number of pages: 3
Publication year: 2001
Publication date: Dec 2001
Year: 2001
Publisher: British Psychological Society
Place of publication: Leicester
Country of publication: United Kingdom
Publication subject: Psychology
ISSN: 09631798
CODEN: JOCCEF
Source type: Scholarly Journals
Language of publication: English
Document type: Book Review-Mixed
ProQuest document ID: 199350778
Document URL: http://search.proquest.com/docview/199350778?accountid=15533
Copyright: Copyright British Psychological Society Dec 2001
Last updated: 2010-06-06
Database: ProQuest Central
22 November 2013 Page 3 of 4 ProQuest
Bibliography
Citation style: APA 6th - American Psychological Association, 6th Edition
Norman, S. E., & Kimberly, M. C. (2001). Theories of organizational stress. Journal of Occupational and
Organizational Psychology, 74, 686-688. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/199350778?accountid=15533

_______________________________________________________________

Contact ProQuest
Copyright 2013 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. - Terms and Conditions
22 November 2013 Page 4 of 4 ProQuest