Organizational Approach to Managing Stress

In terms of money and energy, stress-related problems such as injuries, non-attendance to work, and reduced profitability are a major expense to organizations. Focusing on efficient stress management is important for both the company and the personnel. In order to help workers handle their tension, there are different steps the company takes. These initiatives include clearly defining job requirements, developing positions where employees have self-rules and power, maintaining a favorable working atmosphere and constantly using outside-the-organization tools to help employees get proficient assistance when needed (Weinberg, Sutherland & Weinberg, 2015). A clear job description is very important in reducing an employee’s stress. It helps an organization to ensure that every worker is aware of their tasks and responsibilities in the organization. Employees are able to understand what is expected of them and how they will be evaluated hence keeping them focussed in carrying out their duties. For instance, if a secretary is well aware of their job, they are able to prioritize their day’s work thereby fulfilling the day’s tasks.

It is the responsibility of every organization to provide a conducive workplace for its staff. It helps to reduce stress within the organization, boost the staff morale, and increase productivity. A conducive workplace is created by ensuring each worker is comfortable, happy and motivated while performing their duties. It is achieved by providing the relevant equipment and facilities and involving workers in activities that help them have fun and come together as a team. For instance, a manager should organize activities such as football or small parties after completion of a certain project. Such activities create a chance for employees to bond, express their views and the management to appreciate them hence enabling them to carry out their tasks well without stress (Robbins & Judge, 2015).

Creating open communication channels within the organization is an effective tool for managing stress. The management should ensure that workers receive relevant information concerning the organization and are free to ask for any clarifications from the superiors. It should also plan for sessions where employees learn about stress, its effects and how to manage it. Through open communication workers respond to the management and ambiguity is avoided. For example, a company should put up a suggestion box where workers drop their views or complaints.

Individual Approach to Managing Stress

Individual stress management is also important. In an organization creating stress, awareness is critical because it enables workers to identify what causes stress to them and hence they are able to come up with effective ways of managing stress. One of the key approaches an individual can put in place to reduce stress is carrying out physical exercises (Robbins & Judge, 2015). These activities stimulate the brain to produce hormones such as endorphins which are responsible for better sleep, reduced stress and anxiety. After an exercise, a person is calm and concentrates on a particular task since the previous tension is already shed off. For instance, a person should create time during evenings for activities such as walking, swimming and jogging in order to refresh the mind and get ready for other duties.

Proper time management is another important aspect of stress management. When an employee loses control on his/her duties, they develop stress. Such a situation is prevented by ensuring that one sets aside time for planning at the beginning of each working day. It ensures that each task is allocated appropriate time and the priorities are set right hence avoiding stress. For instance, every worker should prepare a daily diary to outline all the day’s tasks and allocate the required time. It ensures that the predetermined time schedules are met.

Setting aside time for relaxation after working helps a worker to manage stress. Important relaxation practices such as meditation and deep breathing enable one to boost their energy, create a better bond, reduces one’s heart rate and lowers blood pressure that results in an appropriate working mood. For example, an individual should avoid continuing with the office work at home especially during the night so as to create enough time for rest and sleep.

PART B

Functional Organizational Chart

A company’s organizational chart is a diagram that outlines its structure, relationships, and positions. Below is an organizational chart for Smart Systems Company that offers ICT solutions.

Smart Systems utilizes a functional organization structure. Employees are grouped into departments according to their functions and their area of specialization. Each department is managed by a leader who is also an expert in that area and is responsible for the department’s performance. All the heads of these departments report to one general manager.

How Functional Structure Impacts an Organization’s Relations with Other Companies

Different organization structures greatly influence how a company relates to other companies. A functional structure facilitates effective communication with external companies such as competitors, suppliers, and buyers because each department monitors its operations and strategically communicates with the outside environment. Therefore, communication with other companies and stakeholders is made effective.

Implementing a functional structure within an organization helps in improving relations with external companies. The existence of departments with specialists working on them enables a company to produce high-quality products. External partners such as buyers tend to draw closer to a company that supplies them with quality output. Also, any issues from the outside companies are directed to the relevant department and hence handled effectively (Burton et al, 2011).

Merits, Limitations, and Impact of a Functional Structure

A Functional structure enables a company to enjoy specialization which in turn boosts productivity. Each functional manager who heads a department is a specialist in that particular department. It equips him/her with adequate skills to manage and assist the subordinates in accomplishing the predetermined targets. When employees work under an expert, they receive the necessary guidelines and support in performing their tasks.

Another advantage that a company derives from utilizing a functional structure is the reduction in the number of duties each employee is assigned. A company is divided into departments with workers being allocated to the departments which they are best suited. Division of work reduces the burden of tasks assigned to each employee hence creating time for a worker to carry out their duties in an ideal way (Burton et al, 2011). It helps in improving the quality of output per worker.

The cost of maintaining a functional structure is high and impracticable. Therefore, it might affect the company negatively by draining the resources. Employing specialists to run each department is expensive and it raises the company’s overhead consumption. Instead of a company ploughing back its profits to the business to improve productivity, it ends up using it on compensating the specialists.

Lack of coordination among different departments in the company might arise. In a functional structure, each department focuses on their specific area of work. Therefore, departments may fail to support each other posing a challenge in the accomplishment of the common goals of the organization. Some decisions might require the involvement of different functional managers, failure to coordinate leads to a delay in decision making hence affecting the company’s operations.

The role of managers in a company is greatly influenced by the company’s design because the existing structure outlines the authority, decision making power and management responsibility that each supervisor or manager possess. In a functional structure, the functional managers and supervisors are powerful because they have full control and authority over their departments. They make decisions concerning their departments and oversee the subordinates to ensure effective implementation.

Recommendation on the Functional Structure

Utilizing a functional structure helps each department achieve its set objectives. However, to ensure efficiency of Smart System Company, I would suggest having functional accountability between departments and implement a shared decision-making procedure where various departmental heads consult with each other before arriving at a decision for their specific department. Additionally, since communication flow between departments is expedient, work synchronization is hard to manage. I would suggest a centralized approach to task solving that borrows the attributes of a hybrid structure in that a single project lead and head manages projects that span different departments. This ensures there is controlled project management. Since employees in a functional structure are more focused on departmental success, they tend to forget the core company objectives and views. Therefore, having a centralized management to projects will ensure the lead does not deviate from the core company goals.

References

Burton, R. M., Obel, B., & DeSanctis, G. (2011). Organizational design: A step-by-step approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2015). Essentials of organizational behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Weinberg, A., Sutherland, V., Cooper, C., & Weinberg, A. (2015). Organizational Stress Management: A Strategic Approach. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.