COPING WITH STRESS Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 16, 1989 69 COPING WITH STRESS Lee A. Graf, Illinois State University Masoud Hemmasi, Illinois State University INTRODUCTION Stress can have negative effects on employee health that, in turn, can significantly impact employee contributions to the effectiveness of the organization. This experiential exercise will provide you with the opportunity to evaluate whether you are a person prone to stress tendencies, judge the amount of stress with which you presently cope, identify the situations you encounter that are particularly stressful, and determine techniques for coping with these stressful situations. Complete the experiential exercise as directed. (NOTE: The instructor's material that supports this experiential exercise appears at the end of the exercise.) Exercise 1 Your instructor will provide you with additional information related to stress. Use the space provided below to record your reactions to this added stress-related information.1 Exercise 2 The first step in effectively managing stress is to take an inward look at yourself and make an evaluation of whether you are a person prone to stress tendencies. Please follow the directions provided to complete the “Type A/Type B Self-Test”2 and the “Self-Assessment Student Questionnaire”3 below. Your instructor will explain how to interpret the results of your efforts. Exercise 3 Record pertinent information from the “Extended Stress Lecturette” in the space provided below. Exercise 4 a. Utilizing information provided in the stress lecturette, jot down the degree of stress with which you are faced (refer back to Exercise 2). 1 While the paper is worded as an exercise, space for recording student reactions is not provided due to space limitations in these proceedings. 2 Adapted from R.W. Bortner, “A Short Rating Scale as a Potential Measure of Patterning a Behavior,” Journal of Chronic Diseases, Vol. 22, 1966, pp. 87-91. 3 T.H. Holmes and R.H. Rahe, “Social Readjustment Rating Scale,” Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 11, 1967, pp. 213-218. b. List below the situations that you are presently encountering that are particularly stressful. Number these situations using 1 to denote the most stressful situation, 2 the second most stressful, and so forth. TYPE A/TYPE B SELF-TEST To determine your “Type A” or “Type B” profile, circle the number on the continuums (the verbal descriptions represent endpoints) that best represents your behavior for each dimension. Next, total the circled numbers and multiply this total by 3 to obtain your score. Finally, use this point total (number of total points) to determine your personality type. Am casual about 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Am never late appointments Am not competitive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Am very competitive Never feel rushed, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Always feel rushed even under pressure Take things one 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Try to do many things at a time at once; think about what I am going to do next Do things slowly 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Do things fast (eating, walking, etc.) Express feelings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sit" on feelings Have many interests 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Have few interests outside work Total your score: ________. Multiply it by 3: ________. The interpretation of your score is as follows: Number of Points Type of Personality Less than 90 B 90 to 99 B+ 100 to 105 A- 106 to 119 A 120 or more A+ Exercise 5 From information provided in Figure 3 (“Extended Stress Lecturette”), what technique(s) or approach(es) will you utilize to try to cope with each stressful situation identified in Part b of Exercise 4? Explain in the space provided below. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 16, 1989 70 Exercise 6 Return to the stress quiz that you took earlier in the class period. Correct any mistakes that you made before having the insight gained from the "Extended Stress Lecturette." Your instructor will then provide you with the correct answers and reasoning behind those answers. SELF-ASSESSMENT STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE Below are listed events, which may occur in the life of a college student. Place a check in the left-hand column for each of those events that have happened to you during the last 12 months. Point Life Event Values — Death of a close family member 100 — Jail term 80 — Final year or first year in college 63 — Pregnancy (you or caused by you) 60 — Severe personal illness or injury 53 — Marriage 50 — Any interpersonal problems 45 — Financial difficulties 40 — Death of a close friend 40 — Arguments with your roommate 40 (more than every other day) — Major disagreements with your family 40 — Major change in personal habits 30 — Change in living environment 30 — Beginning or ending a job 30 — Problems with your boss or professor 25 — Outstanding personal achievement 25 — Failure in some courses 25 — Final exams 20 — Increased or decreased dating 20 — Change in working conditions 20 — Change in your major 20 — Change in your sleeping habits 18 — Several-day vacation 15 — Change in eating habits 15 — Family reunion 15 — Change in recreational activities 15 — Minor illness or injury 15 — Minor violations of the law 11 Score: ____ After checking the items above, add up the point values for all of the items checked. Your instructor will explain how to interpret your score. Exercise 7 Meet with 4 or 5 other classmates and discuss the two situations that you currently face that are most stressful for you and how you plan to cope with these stressful situations. Make notes in the space provided below on other suggestions made by group members that would appear helpful in dealing with the stressful situations you face. Be prepared to share the two most unique situations discussed in your group with the remainder of the class. Exercise 8 Explain what you personally have gained from involvement in this experiential exercise and how you will apply what you have learned as a prospective manager. Use the space provided below for your answer. INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES Purpose of this Experiential Exercise This experiential exercise was designed to increase participant’s general understanding of the increasingly important topic of stress. More specifically, it will give each participant exposure to: 1. How personal stress can be measured 2. The individual’s own proneness to stress tendencies 3. The amount of stress with which each individual presently copes 4. The situations the individual encounters that are particularly stressful 5. The techniques the individual may use to cope with these stressful situations How This Experiential Exercise Can Be Used and Sample Results Exercises 1 through 6 and 8 of this experiential exercise are best completed on an individual basis. Exercise 7, a group discussion exercise involving 5-6 participants permits individuals to “bounce” their ideas off other exercise participants and, resultantly, receive feedback on the soundness of their stress reduction strategies. The class discussion that results from Exercise 7 is always quite lively. This experiential exercise usually takes approximately 75 minutes to complete. Please follow the procedure outlined below to carry out the exercise. Step 1-Setting Up the Exercise a. On the day just preceding the class period in which this experiential exercise is to be administered, ask participants to stop past your office to pick up a reading assignment related to stress. Tell them that an envelope with multiple copies of the assignment will be taped to the outside of your office door. This, however, is a ploy. Do not provide participants with any outside reading material. If individual participants stop past your office to Inquire regarding the whereabouts of the assignment, tell them that someone picked up the entire packet, that twice the number of assignments needed for the entire class were in the envelope, and that the participant should check with fellow classmates as to the whereabouts of the other copies of the assignment. However, try not to show a great deal of concern related to the "disappearance" of the handout. You want to create the proper climate (set the stage) for what will occur in the upcoming class period (see below for more details). b. Duplicate a sufficient number of copies of the "Stress Quiz” in Figure 1 below so that one copy is available for distribution to each participant in your class. This will be handed out on the day Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 16, 1989 71 the exercise is to be administered. More details regarding the quiz are provided below. Step 2-Administering the Experiential Exercise a. On the day of the exercise, handout one of the Biodots4 (Biodots can be obtained for a very minimal charge from the source listed below) to each member of your class and ask them to attach it to the gentle dip of the juncture between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand - for a right handed person; or right hand - for a left handed person (see below). [ALLOW 2-3 MINUTES] b. As you are just beginning to explain the function of the Biodot, instruct your graduate assistant, student grader, or other responsible individual (i.e., departmental secretary) to interrupt the class with the delivery of the pop-quiz (Figure 1). Tell participants that you will come back to the explanation of the Biodot and proceed to administer the pop-quiz. Inform participants that the subject of the pop-quiz is the information that was presented on the stress handout that they were to pick up on your office door (of course, no handout on stress was ever made available to participants). This statement is designed to create a stressful environment so that the Biodot's function can be observed. Disregard the uproar of participant contents (be assured that they will be arguing that they did not get a copy of the stress handout). Administer the pop-quiz over their complaints. (ALLOW 6-8 MINUTES) c. After participants have had 5 minutes to complete the quiz and, more than likely, to grumble to their neighbor regarding the pop-quiz, ask them to turn the quiz face down on their desk (do not pick up the quiz, it will be used later in the experiential exercise in Exercise 6). Then instruct them to look at the Biodot attached to their hand and make a mental note of its color. At this point in the exercise tell participants that they had been “set-up,” explain why this was done (i.e., to create a stressful environment), and assure them that the quiz will not count 15% of their course grade, as indicated in the directions at the top of Stress Quiz (Figure 1). Explain the information provided in Figure 2. Space is provided in Exercise 1 for participants to record their reactions to the first part of this experiential exercise; encourage each participant to record in this space the information provided in Figure 2 and to jot down the Biodot color that each had made a mental note of at the end of the pop-quiz. Also, tell participants not to 4 Biodots can be ordered from Biodots International, Inc., P.O. Box 29099, Indianapolis, Indiana 46229. remove their Biodots, they will be utilized one more time later in the experiential exercise. (ALLOW 5 MINUTES) d. Ask participants to turn to Exercise 2 and complete the “Type A/Type B Self-Test” and the “Student Self- Assessment Questionnaire.” Tell participants that after a short stress lecturette they will be able to interpret the meaning of the information they recorded on these two instruments. (ALLOW 10 MINUTES) e. After all participants have completed Exercise 2, deliver (or handout as notes) the “Extended Stress Lecturette” utilizing information provided on Figure 3. This is designed to expand the participant’s awareness of the stress topic. Ask participants to refer to the information that they recorded in Exercise 2 at the appropriate times in the “Lecturette” (these times are specified in the lecture notes). Space is provided in Exercise 3 for participants to record the more pertinent points made during the lecturette. (ALLOW 20-25 MINUTES) f. Once you have delivered the "Extended Stress Lecturette,” instruct participants to complete Exercise 4. As they begin to evaluate their own situations by reflecting back on Exercise 2, they may have additional questions related to the stress lecturette (Figure 3). In part b, participants are asked to rank order their most stressful situations. These, of course, will be many and varied with no predictable list. Many participants will identify those situations with the largest LCU numbers (point values) in Exercise 2. (ALLOW 5 MINUTES) g. In Exercise 5, participants are to develop strategies for coping with their most stressful situations. The list of coping strategies provided in Figure 3 should be especially helpful. However, participants should be instructed not to limit their options to only those on the list. (ALLOW 5 MINUTES) h. In Exercise 6, participants are instructed to return to the stress quiz and correct any mistakes they may have made before having the benefit of the “Extended Stress Lecturette.” The correct answers to the stress quiz are provided in Figure 4 below. At this point it is also appropriate to ask participants to again examine their Biodot to see if the color has changed from their earlier observation. Ask them what caused this change in color. Of course, the answer relates to the amount of stress in the current environment as compared to that at the time the quiz was administered. i In Exercise 7, participants are instructed to team up with 4 or 5 other classmates to discuss each Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 16, 1989 72 team member's two most stressful situations and their plans for coping with these situations. Teams are then to select the two most interesting/unique situations of all those discussed and prepare to present/discuss these with the remainder of the class. (ALLOW 15 MINUTES FOR SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS AND 15-20 MINUTES FOR GROUP REPORTS TO THE CLASS AND CLASS DISCUSSION.) Step 3-After the Exercise Ask participants to reflect on what they have learned from this experience and, as prospective managers, how they will apply what they have learned (Exercise 8). While the reactions will vary considerably, participants should be sensitized to the fact that all experience stresses and all can be adversely impacted by it. This, of course, can be completed outside of class. Figure 1 STRESS QUIZ Directions: Please Circle the best answer for each of the following questions. If your answer is false, explain why it is false in the space provided below each question. Think carefully about each question; 15 percent of your grade will be determined by this pop-quiz. Quizzes will be picked up 5 minutes after they are distributed. T F 1. A Person experiencing over 300 life change units (LCUs) has a 50% chance of experiencing a change in health. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 2. Death of a close family member carries the largest number of life change units (LCUs). _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 3. Marriage carries 50 LCUs. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 4. A “Type A” profile correlates highly with experienced stress and is indicative of potentially dangerous physical consequences. _________________________________________ ________________________________________ T F 5. A “Type B” personality is mild-mannered and patient, but does not play for fun (plays to win). _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 6. Dennis Briscoe defines stress as “A psychological and physical reaction to prolonged internal and environmental conditions in which an individual’s adaptive capabilities are overextended. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _ T F 7. One Source suggests that stress-related problems cost the U.S. $75-90 billion annually, about 10 percent of the gross national product. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 8. Accidents have been linked to on-the-job stress. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 9. The first step in coping with stress involves taking an inward look at oneself and making an evaluation of whether you are a person prone to stress tendencies. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F. 10. Less than 90 points on the “Tyoe A/Type B Self- Test” is an indication of a person with a Type A personality. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Figure 2 BIODOTS BIODOTS, A TOOL FOR PROVIDING “BIOFEEDBACK,” ARE SMALL CIRCLES OF MICROENCAPSULATED CHOLESTERIC LIQUID CRYSTALS OF A BROAD THERMAL RANGE; TO BE USED AS A GENERAL INDICATOR OF SKIN TEMPERATURE VARIANCE. BIODOTS ARE DESIGNED TO BE TRIGGERED AT 32° c.5 COLOR APPROXIMATIONS AND GENERAL INTERPRETATION OF STRESS: BLACK….… 87.0° F - VERY TENSE AMBER....… 89.6° F - TENSE YELLOW…. 90.6° F - UNSETTLED GREEN……. 91.6° F - INVOLVED (NORMAL) TURQUOISE 92.6° F - RELAXING BLUE……… 93.6° F - CALM VIOLET…… 94.6° F - VERY RELAXED Figure 3 EXTENDED STRESS LECTURETTE WHAT IS STRESS? A PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL REACTION TO PROLONGED INTERNAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL'S ADAPTIVE CAPABILITIES ARE OVER-EXTENDED.6 5 BIODOT INTERNATIONAL, INC., P.O. BOX 29099, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA 46229. 6 Dennis Brisco, "Learning to Handle Stress - A Matter of Time and Training," Supervisory Management, Vol. 25, February 1980, p. 36. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 16, 1989 73 WHY IS STRESS SUCH A "HOT" ISSUE IN BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS TODAY?7 1. SINCE STRESS CAN HAVE DAMAGING PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON EMPLOYEES, ESPECIALLY MANAGERS, IT WILL AFFECT THEIR HEALTH AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ORGANIZATIONS. 2. STRESS IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF EMPLOYEE TURNOVER AND ABSENTEEISM. ONE ROUGH ESTIMATE IS THAT STRESS-RELATED PROBLEMS COST THE U.S. ECONOMY $75 TO $90 BILLION ANNUALLY, ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THE GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT. 3. STRESS EXPERIENCED BY ONE EMPLOYEE CAN AFFECT THE SAFETY OF OTHER EMPLOYEES OR THE PUBLIC; FOR EXAMPLE, A PERSON WHO WORKS WITH DANGEROUS EQUIPMENT OR AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER. 4. THERE IS NOW ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE STRESS AND WORK ADJUSTMENT TO INDICATE THAT MUCH OF THE STRESS EXPERIENCED BY TODAY’S EMPLOYEES IS UNNECESSARY AND CAN BE MANAGED. BY CONTROLLING DYSFUNCTIONAL STRESS ORGANIZATIONS CAN BE MANAGED MORE EFFECTIVELY. TO COPE WITH STRESS 1. TAKE AN INWARD LOOK AT YOURSELF AND MAKE AN EVALUATION OF WHETHER YOU ARE A PERSON PRONE TO STRESS TENDENCIES. A. DO YOU DISPLAY ONE OR MORE SYMPTOMS OF “TYPE A” BEHAVIOR? -- A “TYPE A” PERSONALITY IS “AN ACTION-EMOTION COMPLEX THAT CAN BE OBSERVED IN ANY PERSON WHO IS AGGRESSIVELY INVOLVED IN A CHRONIC, INCESSANT STRUGGLE TO ACHIEVE MORE AND MORE IN LESS AND LESS TIME, AND IF REQUIRED TO DO SO, AGAINST THE OPPOSING EFFORTS OF OTHER THINGS OR OTHER PERSONS.”8 -- THE “TYPE A/TYPE B SELF-TEST” GIVES THE PARTICIPANT A CHANCE TO SEE WHETHER HE OR SHE TENDS TO BE A “TYPE A” OR A “TYPE B” PERSONALITY (PARTICIPANTS SHOULD REFER BACK TO EXERCISE 2 AT THIS TIME). A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE “TYPE A,” AN EVEN HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF MANAGERS ARE “TYPE A.” ONE STUDY FOUND THAT 60 PERCENT OF THE MANAGERS SAMPLED WERE “TYPE A” AND ONLY 12 PERCENT WERE “TYPE B.”9 -- PROFILES OF “TYPE A” AND “TYPE B” PERSONALITIES ARE LISTED BELOW. “TYPE As” ARE MUCH MORE PRONE TO THE WORST OUTCOME OF STRESS-HEART ATTACKS. ONE LARGE STUDY FOUND THAT COMPARED WITH “TYPE Bs,” “TYPE As” ARE TWICE AS PRONE TO HEART DISEASE, 5 TIMES AS PRONE TO A 7 Fred Luthans, Organizational Behavior, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1985, p. 131. 8 Meyer Friedman and Ray H. Rosenman, Type A Behavior and Your Heart, Knopf, New York, 1974. 9 John H. Howard, David A. Cunningham and Peter A. Rechnitzer, "Health Patterns Associated with Type A Behavior: A Managerial Population," Journal of Human Stress, March 1976, pp. 24-31. SECOND HEART ATTACK, AND TWICE AS PRONE TO A FATAL HEART ATTACK. “TYPE As” ARE TYPICALLY ON A “FAST TRACK” TO THE TOP. THEY ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN “TYPE Bs” ON THE WAY UP, BUT ONCE REACHING THE TOP, NOT AS SUCCESSFUL AS “TYPE Bs” WHO ARE MORE PATIENT AND TAKE A BROADER VIEW OF THINGS.10 “TYPE A” PROFILE - IS ALWAYS MOVING - FEELS UNDER TIME PRESSURE - WALKS RAPIDLY - IS INPATIENT - TALKS RAPIDLY - CAN’T COPE WITH LEISURE TIME - IS OBSESSED WITH NUMBERS - IS AGGRESSIVE - IS COMPETITIVE - DOES TWO THINGS AT ONCE - EATS RAPIDLY - MEASURES SUCCESS BY QUANTITY “TYPE B” PROFILE - IS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT TIME - IS NEVER IN A HURRY - PLAYS FOR FUN, NOT TO WIN - DOESN’T BRAG - IS MILD-MANNERED - HAS NO PRESSING DEADLINES - IS PATIENT - RELAXES WITHOUT GUILT B. ARE THE NUMBER OF LIFE CHANGES YOU ARE EXPERIENCING UNHEALTHY? -- MEDICAL RESEARCHERS, SUCH AS HOMES AND RARE, HAVE VERIFIED THAT ESPECIALLY SUDDEN LIFE CHANGES DO IN FACT HAVE A VERY STRESSFUL IMPACT UPON PEOPLE.11 THE MORE CHANGE, THE POORER THE SUBSEQUENT HEALTH. -- THE “SELF-ASSESSMENT STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE” GIVES THE PARTICIPANT THE OPPORTUNITY DETERMINE THE DEGREE OF LIFE CHANGES HE OR SHE IS EXPERIENCING AND ASCERTAIN THE HEALTH RELATED CONSEQUENCES OF THIS DEGREE OF CHANGE. THE “UNHEALTHY CONSEQUENCES OF MAJOR LIFE CHANGES IN PEOPLE” SUMMARIZED BELOW CAN BE USED BY PARTICIPANTS TO JUDGE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE LIFE CHANGES THEY ARE EXPERIENCING (PARTICIPANTS SHOULD REFER BACK TO EXERCISE 2 AT THIS TIME). -- TAKE FOR EXAMPLE, A STUDENT WHO IS A SENIOR IN COLLEGE (63 LCUs), HAS RECENTLY HAD A SERIOUS ARGUMENT WITH HIS STEADY GIRL (45 LCUs), AND, RESULTINGLY, HAS DIMINISHED DATING (20 LCUS). THIS ALTERCATION WITH GIRLFRIEND HAS CAUSED THIS STUDENT TO MOVE IN WITH THREE OTHER BUDDIES (30 LCUs), STAY OUT LATE (18 LCUS), EAT LESS WELL-BALANCED MEALS AND CONSUME CONSIDERABLE MORE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES THAN PREVIOUSLY (15 LCUs). THIS INCREASE IN “PARTYING” HAS SAPPED THE LITTLE CASH THAT WAS AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE STUDENT’S 10 Richard M. Steers, Introduction to Organizational Behavior, Scott Foresman; Glenview, Illinois, 1981, pp. 340-341. 11 T.H. Homes and R.H. Rahe, "Social Readjustment Rating Scale," Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 11, 1967, pp. 213-218. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 16, 1989 74 COLLEGE EDUCATION (40 LCUS), AND THE STUDENT HAS HAD TO TAKE ON A PART-TIME NIGHT JOB (30 LCUS). BECAUSE OF WORKING LATE HOURS HE HAS MISSED THREE CLASSES AND HAS BEEN CALLED IN BY THE PROFESSOR (25 LCUs). IN OTHER WORDS, HE HAS AMASSED A TOTAL OF 286 LCUs, WHICH PLACES HIM IN THE MODERATE LIFE-CRISIS STAGE. THIS PERSON SHOULD USE THIS AS A WARNING AND AVOID OR POSTPONE OTHER MAJOR EVENTS IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO AVOID RUNNING A HIGHER RISK OF BECOMING PHYSICALLY OR EMOTIONALLY ILL. UNHEALTHY CONSEQUENCES OF MAJOR LIFE CHANGES IN PEOPLE LCUs OVER 12 MONTHS EFFECT TERM 150-199 37% CHANGE OF EXPERIENCING MILD LIFE- A CHANGE IN HEALTH CRISIS STAGE 200-299 50% CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING MODERATE LIFE- A CHANGE IN HEALTH CRISIS STAGE OVER 300 79% CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING MAJOR LIFE- A CHANGE IN HEALTH CRISIS STAGE 2. IDENTIFY THE SITUATIONS YOU TYPICALLY ENCOUNTER IN AN AVERAGE DAY THAT ARE PARTICULARLY STRESSFUL. 3. DETERMINE THE TECHNIQUES THAT ARE BEST FOR COPING WITH THESE SITUATIONS. A LIST OF POTENTIAL COPING TECHNIQUES IS PROVIDED BELOW. SUGGESTED AIDS FOR COPING WITH STRESS 1. BECOME AWARE OF YOUR STYLE OF COPING 2. LEARN TO COPE BY MANAGING YOUR TIME 3. MANAGE BY OBJECTIVES (SET DAILY GOALS) 4. BUILD MINI-VACATIONS INTO YOUR JOB 5. KNOW THE LIMITATIONS OF MANAGEMENT 6. PACE YOUR WORK DAY 7. BUILD UP RESISTANCE BY REGULAR SLEEP, EXERCISE AND GOOD HEALTH HABITS 8. COMPARTMENTALIZE WORK AND NON-WORK LIFE 9. TALK WITH PEERS ON THE JOB 10. WATCH YOUR NUTRITION 11. AVOID UNNECCESSARILY STRESSFUL SITUATIONS 12. DON'T BECOME A VICTIM OF THE RUMOR MILL (GET THE FACTS) 13. MAINTAIN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, DON'T BECOME ISOLATED AND WITHDRAWN 14. WATCH YOUR USE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS 15. MAKE GOOD USE OF YOUR LEISURE TIME 16. EXERCISE 17. MEDITATE 18. BIOFEEDBACK 19. SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP EARLY Figure 4 SOLUTION TO STRESS QUIZ Directions: Please Circle the best answer for each of the following questions. If your answer is false, explain why it is false in the space provided below each question. Think carefully about each question; 15 percent of your grade will be determined by this pop-quiz. Quizzes will be picked up 5 minutes after they are distributed. T F 1. A Person experiencing over 300 life change units (LCUs) has a 50% chance of experiencing a change in health. ANSWER:_A 79% chance of experiencing a change in health____________________________________ T F 2. Death of a close family member carries the largest number of life change units (LCUs). _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 3. Marriage carries 50 LCUs. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 4. A “Type A” profile correlates highly with experienced stress and is indicative of potentially dangerous physical consequences. _________________________________________ ________________________________________ T F 5. A “Type B” personality is mild-mannered and patient, but does not play for fun (plays to win). ANSWER: Plays for fun, not to win _____________________ _________________________________________ T F 6. Dennis Briscoe defines stress as “A psychological and physical reaction to prolonged internal and environmental conditions in which an individual’s adaptive capabilities are overextended. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _ T F 7. One Source suggests that stress-related problems cost the U.S. $75-90 billion annually, about 10 percent of the gross national product. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F 8. Accidents have been linked to on-the-job stress. ANSWER:_Turnover and absenteeism, not accidents_________________________________ T F 9. The first step in coping with stress involves taking an inward look at oneself and making an evaluation of whether you are a person prone to stress tendencies. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ T F. 10. Less than 90 points on the “Type A/Type B Self- Test” is an indication of a person with a Type A personality. ANSWER:_”Type B” personality _______________________ _________________________________________ Table of Contents Volume 16, 1989 Quality Control Circles (QC™s): Towards a Computerized Simulation The Canadian Hospital Executive Simulation System (CHESS) The Impact of Using Group Performance Evaluation as an Experiential Exercise The Impact of Leader and Team Member Characteristics Upon Simulation Performance: A Start-Up Study Planning for Career Success: Is Where you are Going Where you Really Want to Be? The Production Frontier: Modeling Production in the Computerized business Simulation A Study of the Need for Valid Business Game Algorithms Modeling the Human Component of Business Simulations A Stimulating Simulation in International Business Business Ethics, Experiential Exercises and Simulation Games Collective Bargaining Simulation: Adding Reality Through Point Scoring The Use of Experiential Teaching Techniques: Creativity vs. Conformity Visualization and Guided Imagery in the Organization Behavior Class: An Experiential Exploratory Approach Arranging an Agenda: An Activity on Running Better Meetings Harried Harry: An Experiential Capstone for Students of Organizational Behavior Coping with Stress: An Experiential Exercise Fairness in the Classroom: An Empirical Extension of the Notion of Organizational Justice A Study of the Relationship Between Student Final Exam Performance and Simulation Game Participation Competency Based Development: A Management Development Exercise Simulation Performance Revisited: The Fit Between Instructor Style and Learning Style An Evaluation and Application of an Instrument for Measuring Pedagogical Effectiveness A Knowledge Based System to Support Reasoning by Analogy for Business Simulation Gaming using Forecasting Accuracy as a Measure of Success in Business Simulations The Development of Algorithmic Functional Business Games Strategy Design, Process and Implementation in an Unstable/Complex Environment: A Second Exploratory Study Simulation Integration Contrasts Between MBAs and Undergraduates in the Capstone Policy Course An Investigation of the Real World Usefulness of a Strategy and Policy Course Using a Business Simulation Framework Duel (sic) Views of Internships, as Experiential Learning The Impact of Decision Support Systems on the Effectiveness of Small Group Decisions - An Exploratory Study An Investigation of the Relationship Between Formal Planning and Simulation Team Performance Under Changing Environmental conditions Sensitivity Analysis with the Complete IFPS/Personal Student Analysis Package: A marketing Decision Support System A New Approach to Teaching Salesmanship using Persona, Microskills, and a Sales Process A Rational Case for Synthetic Experience as a Prime Ingredient in the Marketing Curriculum SalesHire: A Microcomputer-Based Salesperson Selection Exercise TRANSECON: An Interactive Program for Learning Transportation Economics Hypercard as a Construction Tool for Short Instructional Exercises A Game to Introduce Accounting Information Systems Students to Certain Internal Control Concepts "Commitments" - A Demonstration Proposal An Analysis of Popular Games as Experiential Models for Corporate and Collegiate Management Education An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Strategic Emphasis in Management Games on Attitudes, Interest, and learning in the Business Policy Course Predicting Individual Decision Making Performance in a Business Simulation: An Empirical Study Strategic Planning And Organizational Performance In A Business Simulation: An Empirical Study, PAM (Planning Action Management) Simulation of a District Sales Territory Lifelong Learning and ABSEL: An Inquiry on Definitions and Relationships A Review of Salient Trends in Proceedings: A Fifteen year (1974 - 1988) Review of ABSEL Contributorship