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1.1 1.2 1.3. 1.4 1.5 2.1 2.2 2.2. Background of the study ................................................................. 2 Objectives of the study .................................................................... 3 1 Methodology .............................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Scope of the study ........................................................................ 4 Limitation of study ....................................................................... 5 Grameen Phone History .................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Grameen Phone Vision, Mission, GoalError! Bookmark not defined. 1 Vision ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 2 Mission ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3 Goal ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.3 Present scenario ............................................................................... 8 2.4 Contribution to the economy of our country... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.1 1 Stress ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 2 Meaning & Causes of stress ......... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3 Consequence performance and stress...16 3.2. 1 Personality .................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2 Meaning Type A , Type B ....................................................... 20 3 Dimensions of Big Five Model .... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.1 Identification of type A and type B behavior. Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.2 Relationship between personality and stress.. Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.3 Develop the stress model on the basis of data ............................. 32 4.4 Relationship between performance and stress ............................. 33 5.1 Analysis on the basis of survey reportError! Bookmark not defined. 6.1 Conclusion .................................................................................... 37 6.2 Recommendation .......................................................................... 41 References ........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Introduction
The books say a lot about the stress level of the employees and the factors moderating them but the real life scenario is quite different from what is written in the book. Our basic purpose was to relate the real life scenario and the concepts in the book. The text book states that there are many reasons behind stress but when we studied the GRAMEENPHONE respondents, we came to know that there are many stress factors which they tend to take casually.
1.3 Methodology:
For better information collection we have followed several options. Here some methodologies are mentioned
Strong analysis of interview questionnaire to generate related information Our course text Internet Team discussion Class lecture General sources (friends, relatives etc.) Survey entry level employee Used secondary data We collected background information of the Grameen phone from their website, PDF files etc.. Information on Type A & Type B behavior were collected from various books and websites. Details of the big five model was as well collected from the web. As the communities of personality vary among individuals, we have gone for individual discussion and interview. We have conducted survey among entry level respondents and questioned them about their job type and working hours. We have also used secondary data from different related sources and analyze them.
There were a lot of limitations we had to face. Some we had solved and some we had faced. Here weve highlighted some of the limitations Short semester Interview source finding Time limitation Finding less participation from the information providers
Group members busyness due to short semester pressure But we are happy to complete the assignment in a decent way in addition we would like to thank to the almighty.
We faced lots of problem to complete this term paper. Collecting information from Grameen phone corporate offices is very much tough, not only that we spent most of our time to prepare this term paper so that it looks better but also error free. This survey was conducted to analyze the behavior type of the entry level employees who have job experience between one to three years. This is a human nature to prove one superior in all aspects. Many employees did exactly the same when they came across the fact that this was based on their behavior. To prove themselves superior in behavior they were not honest while filling up the survey paper. This was a huge limitation to our study. Another limitation was time constraint. It was possible to overcome the first obstacle through conducting several more surveys among large number of companies but such could not be done due to lack of time.
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Last but not the list constraint is the employees did not want to talk much about their job performance and satisfaction. They were more concerned about the fact that this information might hamper their reputation at the work place and in front of the manager. Information what
we got is enough for general people, but insufficient for organizational behavior undergraduate students. But we hope and believe that we have succeeded to make a standard term paper at last after lots of struggling.
Company:
Today we have more than 6 mobile operators in Bangladesh. From those GRAMEENPHONE is stunningly growing its business here. Covering more than 20 million customers within just 15 year is not only a success but its a nations further step as well. Today our cell phone industry is in a place from where the world counts our industry & GP is a big part of this success. A connection exists between every person regardless of the distance that separates. And each person is designed to seek out those connections, to stay in touch. From this thinking GRAMEENPHONE is conducting its journey with a leading position in the telecommunication sector of BANGLASDESH. Actually we can find a level of dedication from reading the values statement of GP. Those are: Make it easy Keep promises Be inspiring Be careful Actually GPs strength is its HR & logistic which made them superior in market. They strongly made their employees to believe & work on their company mission as well as vision. Which is much necessary for a large companys success? Currently GP is having a employee group of almost 10000. To bring them under one roof, the top level managers of GP are working night & day. This believes of the internal employees of GP made them to perform significantly day by day.
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Our Mission:
Leading the industry and exceed customer expectations by providing the best wireless services, making life and business easier
Our Vision:
We exist to help our customers get the full benefit of communications services in their daily lives. We want to make it easy for customers to get what they want, when they want it. We're here to help
Goal:
Present scenario:
At present the telecom industry is one of the fastest growing industries in Bangladesh. The rapid pace of growth that began in the 1990s attracted several companies to invest in this sector; the major players are Grameen Phone Ltd, Robi, Banglalink and Citycell. Airtel to become a major player in the near future. Among them Grameenphone is the leader and the largest mobile phone company in Bangladesh. Grameenphone strive to provide superior network coverage, connectivity, quality and reliability, as well as to continue their product and service innovations through continued investment in their network and products. However the topic of this report is the Current scenario of Post-Paid package & its Future prospects- An analysis on Grameenphone. The research will be aimed at fulfilling the following specific objectives: to describe the Service that Grameenphone provides for its postpaid customers, to describe the product features of post paid package the organization is currently providing. to compare the service offered by the Grameenphone with regards to their customers expectation, to find out the problems behind the service offered by the Post-Paid Service provider (Grameenphone) with regards to the customers expectation. to analyze whether the service is demandable for the Mobile market, and to determine that is there any special feature that differentiates Pre-Paid service from others. There are many variables based on which the report is done. Some of them are the following: - Satisfied with Grameenphone postpaid package. Network coverage is pleasing and does not bother about the call rate. Continuous advertising of prepaid package affect Postpaid. Attractive offer of prepaid package affect to switch from postpaid connection.
The interpretation and analysis on these are done in the report. As far as the recommendation and the conclusion is concerned it can be said that when it comes about postpaid packages of Grameenphone, general views of people have a great impact on its quality perceptions. When it comes to its future prospects, it plays an important role in addition to general views on consumer promotion and price perception in order to retain old and acquire new consumers.
Grameenphone has so far invested more than BDT 17,093 crore to build the network infrastructure Grameenphone is one of the largest taxpayers in the country, having contributed more than BDT 24,517 crore in direct and indirect taxes to the Government Exchequer over the years. There are now more than 1600 GP Service Desks across the country covering nearly all upazilas of all districts and 94 Grameenphone Centers in all the divisional cities Grameenphone has more than 5000 full and temporary employees. 300,000 people are directly dependent on Grameenphone for their livelihood, working for the Grameenphone dealers, retailers, scratch card outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors and others.
cannot afford to own a telephone to avail the service while providing the VP operators an opportunity to earn a living. The also contribute to the society. These are 1. Safe Motherhood & Infant Care Project- More than 1.7 million free primary healthcare services to underprivileged pregnant mothers & their infants[ 2. Free eye care support for around 28,780 people- 3,458 eye sights restored so far. 3. Awareness building on varied national issues- AIDS, National Immunization Day. 4. Information boats with digitized livelihood contents and internal access for remote riverine communities 5. Economic freedom for more than 400,000 Village Phone Operators. 6. More than 500 Community Information Centers- connecting life and learning 7. Proud sponsor of Bangladesh Special Olympics team. 8. Proud sponsor of Bangladesh National Cricket team. 9. Employment opportunity to acid survivors. 10. Scholarship for underprivileged meritorious students. 11. Blood donation camps for underprivileged Thalassaemia patients. 12. Establishment of Blood Bank at Bogra for underprivileged patients. 13. Emergency relief effort in natural calamities. The Village Phone initiative was given the "GSM in the Community" award at the global GSM Congress held in Cannes, France in February 2000.Grameenphone was also adjudged the Best Joint Venture Enterprise of the Year at the Bangladesh Business Awards in 2002.Their brand promise STAY CLOSE
Theoretical background
3.1 Stress:
A dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, a demand, or a resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important. (Robbins & Judge)
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Stress may be defined as "a state of psychological or physiological imbalance resulting from the disparity between situational demand and the individual's ability or motivation to meet those demands."
Dr. Hans Selye, one of the leading authorities on the concept of stress, described stress as "the rate of all wear and tear caused by life." Stress can be positive or negative. Stress can be positive when the situation offers an opportunity for a person to gain something. It acts as a motivator for peak performance. Stress can be negative when a person faces social, physical, organizational and emotional problems.
Recently, researchers have argued that challenge stressors- stressors associated with work load, pressure to complete tasks, and time urgency- operate quite differently from hindrance stressorsor stressors that keep you from reaching your goals (red tape, office politics, confusion over job responsibilities). Although research on challenge and hindrance stress is just starting to accumulate, early evidence suggests that challenge stressors are less harmful (produce less strain) than hindrance stressors.
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More typically, stress is associated with demand and resources. Demands are responsibilities, pressures, obligations, and even uncertainties that individuals face in the workplace. Resources
are things within an individuals control that can be used to resolve the demands. People can get stressed for many, many reasons. For example, some people get stressed at school or work because they have a deadline to meet and they worry if they will finish it. Or things like you are having trouble with family or finance, anything really. Just thing about something that you are finding hard mentally or psychically, think about your life and the answer will come.
Technological uncertainty can cause stress because new innovations can make an employee's skills and experience obsolete in a very short period of time. 2. Organizational factors Pressures to avoid errors or complete tasks in a limited time period, work overload, a demanding and insensitive boss, and unpleasant coworkers are a few examples. Task demands are factors related to a person's job. They include the design of the individual's job (autonomy, task variety, degree of automation) working conditions, and the physical work layout. Role demands relate to pressures that are a function of the role an individual plays in an organization. (a). Role conflicts create expectations that may be hard to reconcile or satisfy.
(b). Role overload is experienced when the employee is expected to do more than time permits. (c). Role ambiguity is created when role expectations are not clearly understood. (d). Interpersonal demands are pressures created by other employees. (e). Organizational structure defines the level of differentiation in the organization, the degree of rules and regulations, and where decisions are made. Excessive rules and lack of participation in decisions might be potential sources of stress. Organizational leadership represents the managerial style of the organization's senior executives. CEOs by virtue of their managerial styles create an organizational culture which reflects tension, fear and anxiety. They overemphasize tight control, hire and fire policies which keep organizational members on hot seat and create stress among them.
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(f). Individual factors: (g). these are factors in the employee's personal life. Primarily these factors are family issues, personal economic problems, and inherent personality characteristics. (h). Broken families, wrecked marriages and other family issues may create stress at workplace as well. (i). Economic problems created by individuals overextending their financial resources. Spending more than earnings stretches financial positions, create debt situation leading to stress among individuals. (j). A significant individual factor influencing stress is a person's basic dispositional nature. Over-suspicious anger and hostility increases a person's stress and risk for heart disease. There individuals with high level of mistrust for others also cause stress for themselves. (k). Stressors are additive- stress builds up. Others Factors that cause stress are called Stressors. The following are the sources or causes of organizational stress.
Career Concern If an employee feels that he is very much behind in corporate ladder, then he may experience stress and if he feels that there are no opportunities for self-growth he may experience stress. Hence unfulfilled career expectations are a major source of stress. Role Ambiguity It occurs when the person does not known what he is supposed to do on the job. His tasks and responsibilities are not clear. The employee is not sure what he is expected to do. This creates confusion in the minds of the worker and results in stress.
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Work Overload Excessive work load leads to stress as it puts a person under tremendous pressure. Work overload may take two different forms:(i) Qualitative work overload implies performing a job that is complicated or beyond the employee's capacity. (ii) Quantitative work overload arises when the number of activities to be performed in the prescribed time is many. Work Under load In this case, very little work or too simple work is expected on the part of the employee. Doing less work or jobs of routine and simple nature would lead to monotony and boredom, which can lead to stress.
Interpersonal and Intergroup Conflict Interpersonal and intergroup conflict takes place due to differences in perceptions, attitudes, values and beliefs between two or more individuals and groups. Such conflicts can be a source of stress to group members. Organizational Changes When changes occur, people have to adapt to those changes and this may cause stress. Stress is higher when changes are major or unusual like transfer or adaptation of new technology.
Lack of Social Support When individuals believe that they have the friends and support of others at work their ability to cope with the effects of stress increase. If this kind of social support is not available then an employee experiences more stress. Individual differences 1. Five individual difference variables moderate the relationship between potential stressors and experienced stress:
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Physiological Symptoms:
Symptoms of stress include headache, neck or back pain, dizziness, rashes, hives, nausea, diarrhea, passing gas, sweating, ringing or buzzing in the ears, swallowing problems, shaking hands or feet, dry mouth, heartburn, constipation, stomach pain, gas, frequent urination, trouble breathing, palpitations, chest pains, sleep disturbances, low libido or problems with sexual performance, and weight gain or loss. Living with stress can cause heart disease, autoimmune disorders, skin disorder, digestive problems and chronic pain.
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Psychological Symptoms:
The psychological symptoms can be just as dangerous as the physical manifestations of stress. You may notice that you have difficulty concentrating and often feel disorganized and overwhelmed by routine tasks. You may feel lonely and worthless, and in extreme cases, even think about suicide. Your stress level may negatively affect your relationships with your family and friends, particularly if you begin to overreact to minor annoyances, become defensive or hostile or withdraw from relationships. The longer you experience significant stress, the greater the chances that you will begin to seek relief from your stress by abusing drugs, alcohol or cigarettes or participating in self-destructive activities. Some common psychological effects of stress are:
Mood swings Irritability Resentment Feeling of powerlessness Low self esteem Low self worth Lack of interest in activities Cognitive effects of stress Effects of stress on memory Anxiety Depression Panic attacks Feeling of guilt Angry outbursts Increased cynicism Isolation/few close friends Feeling overwhelmed Unable to feel happy Feeling of hopelessness
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Behavioral Symptoms:
Behavior-related stress symptoms include changes in productivity, absence, and turnover, as well as changes in eating habits, increased smoking or consumption of alcohol, rapid speech, fidgeting, and sleep disorders.
3.2Personality:
When we talk of personality, we dont mean that a person has charm, a positive attitude toward life, a smiling face, or a place as a finalist for Happiest and Friendliest in this years Miss Universe contest. When psychologists talk of personality, they mean a dynamic concept describing the growth and development of a persons whole psychological system. Rather than looking at parts of the person, personality looks at some aggregate whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. The definition of the personality we most frequently use was produced by Gordon Allport nearly 70 years ago. He said personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychological systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment. For our purpose, you should think of personality as the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others. We most often describe it in terms of the measurable traits a person exhibits. There are a number of different theories about how personality develops. Different schools of thought in psychology influence many of these theories. Some of these major perspectives on personality include:
Type theories are the early perspectives on personality. These theories suggested that there are a limited number of "personality types" which are related to biological influences.
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Trait theories viewed personality as the result of internal characteristics that are genetically based.
Psychodynamic theories of personality are heavily influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, and emphasize the influence of the unconscious on personality. Psychodynamic theories
include Sigmund Freuds psychosexual stage theory and Erik Eriksons stages of psychosocial development.
Behavioral theories suggest that personality is a result of interaction between the individual and the environment. Behavioral theorists study observable and measurable behaviors, rejecting theories that take internal thoughts and feelings into account. Behavioral theorists include B. F. Skinner and John B. Watson.
Humanist theories emphasize the importance of free will and individual experience in the development of personality. Humanist theorists include Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.(Kendra Cherry, About.com Guide)
Originally published in the 1950s, the Type A and Type B personality theory (also known as the "Jacob Goldsmith theory") is a theory which describes two common, contrasting personality typesthe high-strung Type A and the easy-going Type Bas patterns of behavior that could either raise or lower, respectively, one's chances of developing coronary heart disease. Though it has been widely controversial in the scientific and medical communities since its publication, the theory has nonetheless persisted, both in the form of pop psychology and in the
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general lexicon, as a way to describe one's personality. Such descriptions are still often equated with coronary heart disease or other health issues, though not always as a direct result of the theory.(Friedman, M. (1996); New York) Since researchers started studying Type A personality over 50 years ago, its become a household term. Most people now know that Type A personality characteristics have something to do with being competitive and work-obsessed, and can bring an increased risk of health problems, but its not always understood exactly what traits constitute Type A Behavior, or exactly how these traits impact health and wellbeing. This report explains more about Type A, how it affects people, and how to deal with stress if you have a Type A Personality, or if you work closely with someone who does! Type A: While the term Type A is thrown around often, its not always fully known what specific characteristics make up Type A personality, even among experts. For example, some people, the term applies to rude and impatient people. Others see workaholics as Type A. Many see competitiveness as the main characteristic. According to research, the following characteristics are the hallmark characteristics of Type A Behavior (TAB):
Time Urgency and Impatience, as demonstrated by people who, among other things, get frustrated while waiting in line, interrupt others often, walk or talk at a rapid pace, and are always painfully aware of the time and how little of it they have to spare.
Free-Floating Hostility or Aggressiveness, which shows up as impatience, rudeness, being easily upset over small things, or having a short fuse, for example. Additionally, Type A behavior often includes:
Competitiveness Strong Achievement-Orientation Certain Physical Characteristics That Result From Stress and Type A Behavior Over Years
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Physical Characteristics
Facial Tension (Tight Lips, Clenched Jaw, Etc.) Tongue Clicking or Teeth Grinding Dark Circles Under Eyes Facial Sweating (On Forehead or Upper Lip)
Over the years, the type of extra stress that most Type A people experience takes a toll on ones health and lifestyle. The following are some of the negative effects that are common among those exhibiting TAB: Hypertension: High blood pressure is common among Type A personalities, and has been documented by research to be as much as 84% more of a risk among those with Type A characteristics.
Heart Disease: Some experts predict that, for those exhibiting TAB, heart disease by age 65 is a virtual certainty.
Job Stress: Type A people usually find themselves in stressful, demanding jobs (and sometimes the jobs create the Type A behavior!), which lead to metabolic syndrome and other health problems.
Social Isolation: Those with TAB often alienate others, or spend too much time on work and focus too little on relationships, putting them at risk for social isolation and the increased stress that comes with it.
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Fixed Characteristic vs. Situational Reaction: While many personality traits, such as extroversion, are innate, most researchers believe that Type-A personality characteristics are more of a reaction to environmental factors, or tendencies toward certain behaviors, and are influenced by culture and job structure. For example, Many jobs put heavy demands on time, making it necessary for workers to be very concerned with getting things done quickly if theyre to adequately get their jobs done. Some workplaces put heavy penalties on mistakes, so efficiency and achievement becomes extremely important. Other jobs just create more stress, making people less patient, more stressed, and more prone to 'Type A' behaviors. Other people do have a natural tendency toward being more intense, but this tendency can be exacerbated by environmental stress, or mitigated by conscious effort and lifestyle changes (which Ill discuss next).(By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com Guide Updated October 27, 2011) Final Words for Type As Learning how to manage your stress levels is an essential life skill you should have else you will be exposing your health to severe damage. If you managed to eliminate this stress you will have the strengths of a Type A and the good health of a Type B. Type B personality Definition of type B personality tells us that it is a temperament characterized by moderate ambition and drive, accommodating attitude, cooperativeness, focus on quality over quantity and, in general, an easy going approach to life.(http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/type-B-personality.html)
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Characteristics of Type B: These are people who prize the domestic world over the work world and the private over the public. B types want their leisure, their hobbies and their family to take a primary part in their life. They may be hard workers, but work is not their only priority, nor will they sacrifice family and personal time to it happily. They will bypass opportunities if they collide with their lifestyle. The good news about being both B's is that each person wants couple time and family time and is not maximizing work time, nor juggling too many things at once. The downside: Work issues may not be taken care of and could complicate the couple's lifestyle. One B might like the other B to be more ambitious or aggressive, even if he or she is not.(Pepper Schwartz, Author and relationship expert TODAY 7/19/2007) The "B" type loves to party, travel and be part of groups, and is often the center of attention. They love excitement and are often impatient and demanding as a result of being a "high energy" type. They love the limelight and the "hype" and often do very well in sales, advertising, marketing, public speaking, party planning, travel and other positions where they can have a "good time" while working. The "B" personality is as Supportive of others as they are direct in their approach. Most people enjoy being around them or watching or listening to them "perform". Many radio and TV personalities, actors and high-profile speakers are often "B" personalities. It is very important for the "B" personality to be liked by others and can be easily hurt if they think someone doesn't care for them. They may take it very personally. A good example of a "B" personality was the part Bette Midler played in the movie "Beaches" where her character was a big success in movies and on the stage. An outstanding line from the movie was, when having her best friend over who she hasn't seen in years, she takes her on a whirlwind tour of her elaborate apartment then says: "... enough about ME, let's talk about YOU. So, what do you think if ME?"
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Certainly, most "B" personalities are not that "strong", but it does provide a good mental picture of some of the characteristics to look for in the "B" type. This type often does well in sales as they tend to be very talkative and outgoing with people and are normally quite persuasive. Reactions of Type B: The Type B personality generally lives at a lower stress level and are typically:
They work steadily, enjoying achievements but not becoming stressed when they are not achieved.
When faced with competition, they do not mind losing and either enjoy the game or back down.
They may be creative and enjoy exploring ideas and concepts. They are often reflective, thinking about the outer and inner worlds.(Friedman, M,1996).
In an Organizational Behavior class, I learned the two distinctive different personality types: Type A and Type B. Type A, (being one myself) are the go-getters, ambitious, time oriented, and tend to stress themselves out by carrying a lot of different projects on their shoulders. Type A personalities are also known to be the impatient kind; thus, as a manager of Type As, I would refer to my last blog post, about job enrichment. By vertically job loading them, this will well suit them, in the fact that they will feel like they are able to handle any task given to them. As an overseer, I would check in to see how things are going, without them feeling as though I am babysitting them. Now, for the Type Bs in the group, a different approach may be needed. Even though the same expectations are requested of both the A and the B type personalities, I foresee myself giving the Type B a different approach. Traditionally, Type B personalities are ones that dont seem to look at work as a place of competition; rather, they rely on their creative side in order to complete each task. Type Bs also dont get very stressed out, since they have a very patient
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work ethic. The trade-off between Type A and Type B could possibly be seen through the quality of the finished task. Type As will do their work very quickly, spending less time on the detail oriented aspect, while Type Bs will take their time and complete their work. Type Bs will most likely have a better presentation in the end, due to the fact that their mind is set on one task at a time. While giving Type B a set of tasks to complete may seem easy, I may need to set up additional requirements: due dates, rough drafts, etc. By putting such requirements in place, this will motivate the Type B personalities to have a better sense of time awareness. As far as deciding which type of personality is the best, that is uncertain. Having both types of personalities within a work place will set up a sense of diversity with coming up with ideas, future plans, and ways to effectively approach work problems. A work environment with only one type of personality will easily disintegrate, which is why I would say Type A and Type B personalities are like a balancing act; one needs the other to survive.
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Conscientiousness: The conscientiousness dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable. Emotional Stability: The emotional stability dimension-often labeled by its converse, neuroticism- taps a persons ability to withstand stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. Those with high negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure. Openness to experience: The openness to experience dimension addresses ones range of interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the openness category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar. How to use results from the Big Five personality test? The Big Five personality test gives you more insight into how you react in different situations, which can help you choose an occupation. Career professionals and psychologists use this information in a personality career test for recruitment and candidate assessment.
Final Thoughts Always remember that behavior involves an interaction between a person's underlying personality and situational variables. The situation that a person finds himself or herself in plays a major role in how the person reacts. However, in most cases, people offer responses that are consistent with their underlying personality traits. These dimensions represent broad areas of personality. Research has demonstrated that these groupings of characteristics tend to occur together in many people. For example, individuals who
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are sociable tend to be talkative. However, these traits do not always occur together. Personality is a complex and varied and each person may display behaviors across several of these dimensions.( Kendra Cherry, About.com Guide)
Analysis
Behavior Type
No. of Respondent 1 2 3 1 3 0 0
Hard core type A Moderate type A Low Type A Type X Low type B Moderate Type B Hard-core Type B
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Behaviour Type
Personality:
The way to, react or communicate with other. Personality, when we talk about it, we dont mean that a person has charm, a positive attitude toward life, a smiling face, or a place as a finalist for Happiest and Friendliest in this years Miss universe contest. When psychologists talk of personality, they mean dynamic concepts describing the growth and development of a persons whole psychological system. Rather than looking at parts of the person, personality looks at some aggregate whole that is greater than the sum of the parts.
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Gordon Allport state that The dynamic organization with in the individual of those psychological system that determine his unique adjustments to his environment .The sum total of ways in which an individuals reacts to and interacts with others. Measuring personality Helpful in hiring decisions. Most common method: (i) self reporting surveys (with which individuals evaluate themselves by rating themselves on a series of factors such as I am worry a lot about the future. Though self-report measures work well when well constructed, one weakness of these measures is that the respondent might lie or practice impression management that is, the person could fake good on the test to create a good impression. This is especially a concern when the survey is the basis for employment. Another problem is accuracy. In other words, a perfectly good candidate could have just been in a bad mood when the survey was taken.) (ii) Observer rating survey provides an independent assessment of personality. Instead of self-reporting, a coworker or another observer does the rating (sometimes with the subjects knowledge and sometimes not). Even though the results surveys and observer rating surveys are strongly correlated, research suggests that observer- ratings surveys are a better predictor of success on the job. However, each can tell us something unique about an individuals behavior in the work place. Assessment of personality often better predictors.
Personality Determinants: The Heredity Approach argues that genes are the source of personality. Twin studies: raised apart but very similar personalities. Parents dont add much to personality development There is some personality change over long time periods. Environment is one of the factor to change personality.
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Stress:
Most of us are aware that employee stress is an increasing problem in organizations. Friends tell us they are stressed out from greater workloads and having to work longer hours because of downsizing at their companies. Parents talk about the lack of job with stability in todays world and reminisce about a time when a job with a large company implied life times security. We read surveys in which employees complain about the stress created in trying to balance work and family responsibilities. In this section well look at the causes and consequences of stress and then consider what individuals and organizations can do to reduce it. Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individuals with an opportunities, demand or a resources related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important. Stress is not necessarily bad in and of itself. Although stress is typically discussed in a negative context, it also has a positive value. Its an opportunity when it offers potential gain. For example, the superior performance, that, an athlete or stage performer gives in clutch situations. Such individuals often use stress positively to rise to the occasion and perform at or near their maximum. Similarly, many professionals see the pressures of heavy workloads and deadlines as positive challenges that enhance the quality of their work and the satisfaction they get from their job. Challenge Stressors: Stressors associated with work load, pressure to complete tasks and time urgency. Hinder Stressors: Stressors that keep you from reaching your goals. ( red tape, office politics, confusion over job responsibilities. Relationships We all have certain features to our personality that make us unique as people; however there are many aspects of our personality that are similar to other people. These similar personalities
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factors are called Personality Traits. Research has indicated that certain personality traits can make us more vulnerable to stress. People with such traits are known as Type A personalities. Type A's tend to be more competitive, more impatient, have time urgency when compared to the more relaxed and laid back Type B personalities. It's important to realize that we are all a mixture of type A and B personality traits but if we are excessively type A this can make us more vulnerable to stress. We have included a Stress and Personality Self Test at the end of session one in the course materials for you to fill in. We can reduce our Type A personality traits through the techniques taught on this course. Here is some Type A and some Type B Personality Traits:
Type A Personality Traits Must get things finished Type B Personality Traits Do not mind leaving things unfinished for a while Calm and unhurried about appointments Not excessively competitive Can listen and let the other person finish speaking Never in a hurry even when busy Can wait calmly Easy going Can take one thing at a time Do not mind things not quite perfect Slow and deliberate speech Do things slowly Can express feelings Quite satisfied with work/life Many social activities/interests If in employment, will limit working to work hours 31
Never late for appointments Excessively competitive Can't listen to conversations Always in a hurry Do not like to wait Very busy at full speed Trying to do more than one thing at a Want everything to be perfect Pressurized speech Do everything fast Hold feelings in Not satisfied with work/life Few social activities/interests If in employment, will often take work home
Environmental Factors
Physiological symptoms Headaches Asthmatic attacks Digestion disorders Hyper tension Heart disease
Experienced Stress
Psychological symptoms Frequent mood swing Frustration Increased job dissatisfaction Less attentive
Individual differences Perception Job Experience Social Support Belief in locus of control Self-efficacy Hostility
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Stress can be either helpful or harmful to job performance, depending upon its level. When stress is absent, it limits job challenges and performance becomes low. As stress increases gradually, job performance also tends to increase, because stress helps a person to gather and use resources to meet job requirements.
Constructive stress inculcates encouragement among employees and helps them to tackle various job challenges. Eventually, a time comes when stress reaches its maximum saturation
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point that corresponds approximately to the employee's day to day performance capability. Beyond this point, stress shows no signs of improvement in job performance. Finally, if stress is too high, it turns into a damaging force. Job performance begins to decline at the same point because excessive stress interferes with performance. An employee loses the ability to cope, fails to make a decision and displays inconsistent behavior. If stress continues to
increase even further it reaches a breaking point. At this breaking stage, an employee is very upset and mentally devastated. Soon he/she completely breaks down. Performance becomes zero, no longer feels like working for their employer, absenteeism increases, eventually resulting into quitting of a job or getting fired. Stress should neither be very high nor too low. It must be within the range and limits of employee's capacity to tolerate and his performance level. A controlled stress which is within limits is always beneficial and productive than an uncontrolled one. Management of every organization must always consider their employees as assets of their firm and not work slaves. Efforts should be made regularly to monitor and study stress levels in working environment. Necessary adjustments and arrangements should be made to control stress and its causes. Co-operation, Kindness, Respect, Good Manners and Discipline among members of an organization always create a stress free, healthy, friendly and productive environment in a workplace. Understanding emotional aspect of a human factor also plays a key role in determining the success prospect of an organization. No matter how intelligent a work force is, it is emotions and not logic that drives them to give their best.
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Occupational stress has become a common problem throughout the industrial world. Over the years its prevalence has increased, thus affecting the individual's mental health and well being. In order to understand its effect on health, it becomes important to define 'health' itself. The World Health Organization (WHO) terms health1 as a 'state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity'. In more recent years, this
Statement has been modified to include the ability to lead a 'socially and economically productive life'.
Research2 in organizational behavior has shown that an individual could suffer from significant health complications - backaches, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, anxiety and depression amongst others - if subjected to stress over a long time. Behavioral changes in the form of excessive tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption, nervous disorders, heart diseases, diabetes, obesity etc are also related to stress. Job dissatisfaction is known to lead to job stress, which in turn reduces the productivity (Madeline, 1983). Over the years, a lot of research has been carried out in the realm of work place stress and it has been emphatically proven that intense or prolonged stress leads to a negative impact on one's mental and physical well being. (Health & Safety Executive, 2001; Cooper et al, 2001). Even though a fair degree of stress may be felt in all occupations, some work places have been known to experience more stress compared to others.
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Varying Degrees of Stress: People in some work places experience more stress than others, particularly those in occupations where workers are required to display emotions like nursing, social work and teaching (Travers and Cooper, 1993, Cooper et al., 1999, Kahn, 1993, Young and Cooper, 1999). An extreme form of this stress has been categorized as 'burnout', a stage when a person starts
treating his clients as objects (depersonalization), evaluates himself negatively and feels emotionally exhausted (Sheena et al, 2005). In such extreme cases, performance has been known to dip considerably and this drop in productivity can be attributed to the stress. Hence,
it is imperative to define stress, understand its implications and counter the risk of productivity loss by effectively managing stress in oneself and in others.
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5.0 Analysis
Analysis on the basis of survey report
(i)
Apel Mahmud- He feels stressed while working but this stress helps him perform better regarding his job tasks. He said it acts as a motivating factor for him. Thus he is satisfied. But according to our survey, he scored a total of 113 and so is said to be a Moderate Type A personality, which means he feels stressed in almost every situation.
(ii)
Mohammad Sazzat Rahman Khan- This respondent says that he is very stressed with his work and that he is not at all satisfied with his job. He would easily switch his job if opportunity permits. But according to our survey, his total score is 103 which indicate that he has a Moderate Type A personality which include low stress feature. So we can conclude that his stress is not related to his personality.
(iii)
Ridwan Efaz Bhuiyan- This employee claims to experience stress in his workplace, yet he says that he is fully satisfied. So in that case, his stress acts as a motivating factor and has a positive relationship with his performance. His stress is a challenge stressor. In our survey we found his total score to be 92. This means that He has Low type A-personality. He is not willing to change his job to any other industry. Therefore, his satisfaction matches with her personality.
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(iv)
Niaz Md. Ashraful Haque- This person says that he feels stressed at the workplace but to him the stress is a challenge stressor because it helps to motivate him in completing his tasks accurately on time. His survey result was 94, which means that he is a Low type A -personality and so is supposed to have some stress. And this stress acts as a positive factor for him in his job performance. This person is fully satisfied with his work and is not ready to switch his job to any other place.
(v)
Maruf Ahmed Rafi- This employee said that he is satisfied with his work and says that his stress level at work is moderate. According to our survey, he revealed to have a hard core Low type B personality with a total score of 79. He also says that his stress acts as a positive factor for him as it helps him to fulfill his responsibilities appropriately. Regarding turnover, he says that if he finds a better opportunity at some other job, he will prefer that.
(vi)
Ashikur Rahman Khan- This employee mentions that he feels stressed at work yet he would like to continue his job. He is satisfied with his job. In the survey we discovered that his personality is Low type B with a total score of 78 and is supposed to be moderately stressed. His stress is also a motivating factor for him and has a positive relation with his performance.
(vii)
Kinchan Kumar Saha- This Person revealed that he does feel stressed in his workplace and is fully satisfied with her job. She scored a total of 126 which means that she has a personality of Hard Core type A and is little stressed. So in this case, his stress may be due to other factors which are not related to his work. And he also said that he will not turnover. Hence, the relation between her stress and performance is not clear.
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(viii) Abdullah- Al-Fathah- He is a senior officer and says that he does not feel stressed with his work and is quite satisfied with the tasks assigned to him. He enjoys his work. His total score in the survey was 93 which is a Low type A personality which shows that he is a bit stressed. This stress might also be due to other variables and do not affect his performance. He is reluctant to switch his job with any other job.
(ix)
Lutfur Nahar Bashar- This employee says that she is stressed in the workplace but enjoys the stress. She says that is not satisfied. This respondent also mentioned that if fair evaluation is carried out in the workplace she will be happier. This means that her satisfaction depends on other factors. Here, her stress has a positive relationship with her performance and her stress does not have any relation with her satisfaction. In our survey, her total result was 84 which is a Type X personality.
(x)
Shantanu Ghose- Our last respondent mentioned that he feels low stress at his work and is eighty percent satisfied. So his stress and satisfaction go hand in hand. According to our survey, his total marks were 77 which reveal that he is a low type B personality. This personality of his, further add to his satisfaction. The low stress may be such that it helps him to be motivated while performing his tasks. The relationship between his stress and performance is unclear.
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Managing stress can help you have less pain and feel healthier. It can also help you cope with the extra demands made on you by your Scleroderma. By following these suggestions, you may be able to get stress to work for you instead of against you. Learn to identify those situations you can do something about and those you can't. Work at reducing the cause of your stress by communicating better, and respecting your limits of energy and pain. Simplify your life, "look on the bright side," and develop and keep a sense of humor. Prepare for stressful events by getting extra rest. Remember that you can't change others. Keep in mind that no one is perfect. Seek professional help for serious problems. Practice relaxation methods to overcome the effects of stress that you can't avoid. Engage in hobbies and simple pleasures that give you joy. Finally, remember that managing stress is your job. With stress under control, it'll be easier to keep your disease under control. Stress is inevitable, but it doesn't have to make you tense, irritable, upset, and unhappy. You have the choice to GET BETTER or BITTER. Be productive, GET BETTER! Make the commitment to manage stress and enhance your health and happiness.
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Finally we came to the end of our that topic. Hopefully we could say that stress is the part of our life. We all have stress in our professional and personal life. We feel stress more or less in our every sphere of life. So we have to overcome with it.
6.2 Recommendation:
As telecom jobs are more pressurizing than other cross industry service oriented jobs it is likely to get stressed easily. We observe our datas on Grameen phones overall situation as well as we focus more on their contact center. The managers should periodically observe their employees behaviors.
If they find any normal or unwanted change in the employees behaviors, they should talk to their employees and if needed should send them to have a private conversation.
As stressors are additive one may become highly stressed due to tight work schedule as the employees, say on an average, Sometimes they dont even get leisure time in lunch hours. In office time they need more extra break time to fulfill their tasks. Managers should arrange flex-time i.e. flexible work hours.
In contact center here stress means huge call pressure so in here people call frequently for their problem and employees give service at a stress. So management should provide more man power to reduce stress.
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References: We have used many sources to complete this task. Those sources are given belowI. II. III. IV. Encyclopedia Wikipedia Text Book Internet
a) wiki.answers.com b) www.prenhall.com c) www.wikipedia.org d) www.grameenphone.com
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