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Is Your Organization Causing You Stress?:
We live in a society
of “joiners.” We like to join churches, clubs, and fraternal
organizations. We like to join classes and magazine subscription drives.
We simply enjoy being with other people, and so we spend much of our
lives in groups. Certainly, this is a good thing—not only for
our own mental health, but also for the good of society as a whole.
And yet, no organization is a perfect entity. Organizations often
breed conflict within their ranks. The conflicts may be between people
on the same level, or between people at different levels of the organizational
hierarchy. The conflicts may be one-time disagreements, or bruising
fights which last for eons. While some conflicts can be attributed
to personality clashes, others stem from the organization itself.
Whether you’re involved in parent-teacher organizations or a
writers’ free speech group, you might find that you’re
running up against organization-induced stress. This can come in a
variety of forms. To begin with, it might be caused by the fact that
the organization seems to have lost its sense of purpose. It may be
wandering aimlessly and lack clearly-defined goals. As a result, you
might feel a great deal of stress since you aren’t certain where
the organization is headed—or even if you want to go along for
the ride. If you come across this problem, the best thing to do is
to air your concerns to someone in a position of authority. It is
entirely possible that the leadership will ignore your concerns, but
at least you’ve tried. If you fail to achieve a workable solution,
you might then be forced to leave the organization. But you’ll
leave knowing that you attempted to have a positive impact.
While most organizations have people in positions of leadership, many
groups lack true leaders. As a result, members of the organization
may experience a great deal of stress, having to deal with constant
uncertainty. A true leader takes charge of an organization. He or
she has a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished and promotes
a team atmosphere in order to get the job done. If you are in an organization
that appears to be leaderless, try to identify potential leaders.
Encourage them to seek leadership, and assure them that you will support
their candidacies. Such a strategy can help to alleviate the stress
of all concerned.
Another problem that can lead to stress is an uncooperative organizational
culture. There may be a feeling that each person in the organization
is on his or her own, that each person should be an independent operator.
As a result, the individuals within the organization may feel isolated
and alone. The best defense against such a situation is healthy communication.
Talk to other members of the group and find out if they are sensing
an uncooperative atmosphere too. Then, get together and confront the
person in charge. You might be amazed at what your small committee
can do to effect change within the organization—and you might
find your stress level subsiding considerably.
Yet another stress-inducing situation is organizational pessimism.
Do members feel as if things will never get better? Are they frustrated
and angry? Is there a sense of hopelessness in the ranks? If so, you
and other members of the group may be experiencing a great deal of
stress. You can lessen the stress by promoting a positive attitude.
Make sure that you offer positive input when confronted with problems,
and encourage other members of the organization to do the same. With
a little bit of effort, you can turn your organization around—and
lessen your stress in the process.
Organizational stress may take you by surprise. You might have joined
the organization to relieve your stress, so when stress occurs in
the group, you need to undergo a major attitude re-adjustment. The
important thing to remember in such a situation is that you are not
alone. Chances are other members of the group are experiencing the
same kinds of things that you are. Trust your judgment and don’t
be afraid to express your displeasure if things go wrong. The more
you express your feelings, the more likely you are to reduce your
stress. 
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