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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...