GRA 2231 Stress and Productivity in Organizations
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APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/2013
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GRA 2231 Stress and Productivity in Organizations Responsible for the course Astrid Richardsen Department Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Term According to study plan ECTS Credits 6 Language of instruction English Introduction Work stress imposes a high cost on individual health and well-being as well as on organizational productivity. As organizations and businesses today are facing challenges in their efforts to perform effectively, the high price of a poor fit between people and their work environments is increasingly recognized. In the area of human resource management, there is increasing agreement that in order to be successful, organizations need to focus on their human capital for unique competitive advantage. The shift toward positive psychology represents a framework to understand how to enhance work engagement, motivation and job performance, thus increasing employee health and well-being and ultimately building more effective organizations. Learning outcome This course will provide students with an overview of sources and consequences of job-related stress, knowledge about various methods used to assess levels of stress and strain, and strategies to prevent or minimize work-related stress and health problems. Students will acquire knowledge and skills on how to reduce work-related stress and increase individuals’ ability to cope with work demands, and at the same time enhancing job resources to build work engagement and commitment so that workers continue to be productive and effective in their jobs. In this way students will be able to help organizations to identify, obtain, preserve and manage valued work resources in order to unleash the talents of their people. The course will prepare students to critically assess or advise on work organization and health-promotion programs that will protect the individual from stress and enhance organizational performance. Prerequisites GRA 2205 Organizational Behaviour or equivalent Compulsory reading Books: Cooper, Cary L., Philip J. Dewe, Michael P. O'Driscoll. 2001. Organizational stress : a review and critique of theory, research, and applications. Sage Linley, P. Alex, Susan Harrington, Nicola Garcea. 2010. Oxford handbook of positive psychology and work. Oxford University Press. Uvalgte kapitler Collection of articles: A collection of research articles will be made available by semester start Other: During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination. Recommended reading Course outline The changing nature of work Sources and consequences of job-related stress Stress and productivity Psychological burnout Methodological issues in job stress research Issues and interventions Positive psychology Work engagement, flow and optimal functioning Organizational health and well-being Case studies of organizational restructuring Computer-based tools Power-Point Presentations, It's learning/homepage Learning process and workload The course is structured as a combination of lectures, discussions, in-class activities, and compulsory student presentations. It requires a substantial amount of preparation by the students and active involvement during class. A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours. Class attendance is mandatory and unexcused absence may result in a lower score. Please note that it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/It's learning or text book.
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