Ravalier PhD Theis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

3
ABSTRACT
ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE & EDUCATION
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Managing Workplace Stress: An Appreciative Approach
By JERMAINE RAVALIER
January 2013
The presented thesis discusses an investigation conducted into the improvement
of employee experiences of stress in the workplace. It is estimated that 11.4
million working days were lost in 2008-2009 due to stress-related outcomes, and
that stress was described as the top cause of long-term sickness absence in 70%
of all public-sector organisations in 2010-2011 (CIPD, 2011a). Indeed major
studies have associated chronic stress with individual outcomes such as
increased cardiovascular disease, depression and burnout.
The work, conducted within one department of a borough council organisation in
the East of England, had two main objectives: the discovery of 'daily hassles' that
comprise organisational stressors for staff and the intervention design aimed at
improvement of stress. A novel mixed-methods approach combining quantitative
surveys with Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was utilised, with five phases of inquiry
conducted. The surveys (Stages 1 and 5) were utilised to assess the experience
of work-related stress and Burnout. Stages 2, 3 and 4 were employee completion
of daily logs, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The ultimate aim of
the qualitative work was to design a number of interventions for the
improvement of stress.
A local stress theory, designed via the mixing of convergent qualitative and
quantitative outcomes, found that professional efficacy, relationships and
creativity buffered the impact of three major stressors: (too many) demands,
(lack of) managerial support and (poorly communicated) organisational change.
These translated into concrete examples of procedural 'hassles' and a number of
organisational interventions were designed with staff and subsequently
implemented into the organisation.
It is concluded that the methodology used was fruitful without being largely
resource-demanding for either employees/participants or the organisation. Also
while the mixing of AI methodologies with quantitative surveys can appear
contradictory, it is demonstrated that the pragmatic approach taken led to strong
research and practitioner-based outcomes. Lastly the work has demonstrated
both originality and new knowledge in a variety of areas, as well as opening a
number of future research questions and avenues.
Key Words:
Appreciative Inquiry; Daily Hassles; Management Standards;
Organisational Stress; Stress; Workplace Stress