Enhancing Organizational Competitiveness

Abstract

Stress is often described as the result of demands exceeding resources. Stress was once associated with men, the sole breadwinners of the family, who experienced significant stress balancing the struggle up the corporate ladder with the responsibility of providing for his family. Today, men share this ever-increasing stress-load with women. This is particularly evident in professional careers where women managers balance work, family, and oftentimes significant travel in addition to their existing repertoire. This paper seeks to explore factors related to stress, the effects of stress on women professionals, and ways to combat stress from a personal and corporate perspective. How organizations respond to stressors and the environment they create has the potential for enhancing its competitiveness in the marketplace. Several corporate cases are included to represent examples of corporate excellence and strategies that may be adopted by other organizations.

Key Words:

• Stress
• conflict
• women and career
• female professionals
• occupational stress
• balancing work and family