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SESSION REPORT ~SHARE~
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61 M363 __~~~!!.12:~~_ StEess i~ the DP Environment__ 600 ____ _
SHARE NO. SESSION NO. SESSION TITl E ATTENDANCE
From time to time we have informally surveyed people in IBM and the
Data Processing Industry and the percentages continue at about the same
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PROJECT SESSION CHAIRMAN INST.COOE levels.
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SESSION CHAIRMAN'S COMPANY. ADDRESS. and PHONE NUMBER Our first exploration into the subject of stress was motivated by
Alan McLean, M.D., IBM Eastern Area Medical Director. Dr. McLean asked me
Dr. James W. Greenwood
to confirm results of a stress survey that he conducted in IBM during the
IBH
critical point in IBM history: the announcement of System/360.
Information SystemR Hanagement Institute
909 Third Avenue
The data from these and subsequent studies lead us to conclude that
New York, New York 10022 (
this is a stressful profession. Of course data processing profeSSionals
have known this for some time. We have merely fo~lized this knowledge.
One of the most surprising outcomes, to me, of the survey was how the
question '~ave job pressures recently interfered with family life?" was
STRESS MANAGEHENT IN DATA PROCESSING
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answered. The responses to this question were:
Seriously 2.3%
About ten years ago the IBM Information Systems Hanagement Institute
W To a considerable degree 11. 7%
= (formerly Systems Science Institute) started its investigations about
Somewhat 32.7%
stress in the Data Processing Industry. We began to survey data process-
Not often 26.6%
ing people who earned their living as either technical professionals or
Rarely or never 26.8%
managers. The people who responded to our survey were IBM field personnel
and IBM customers.
The first three responses are interpreted as significant. That means
that over 46% of the respondents allowed the job to interfere with the
We asked them: "How would you rate your job today compared to your
job three years ago?" The responses were family.
,/
From our data, interviews, and informal conversations, it would appear
More stressful 69.8%
that the family pays a high price when one or more breadwinner is engaged
About the same 10.4%
in our profession and allows it to interfere with family life. Among the
Less stressful 19.8%
consequences we have noted are the following:
We also asked them: "How would you rate your company today compared
with three years ago?" The responses were
More stressful 61.8%
About the same 25.0%
I,ess stressful 11.8%
No answer 1.4% -2-
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We attempt to handle our stress in a paradoxical way. Our mo~t
Divorce frequently used approach is to handle personal stress by increasing our
Separation activity -- we become busier. This only seems to solve the problem, and it
Isolation from the family only makes things worse. We call this approach the Type A Behavior Pattern.
Drinking before conversing with family One of the characteristics of the Type A Behavior Pattern is strained
"Taking it out on" the family interpersonal relations, which leads us to the fifth source of stress in
Impotence our environment.
This paper will cover what seems to be the sources of stress and how According to Couger & Zawacki, one of the characteristics of people in
we pay for this with our health. A short paper, such as this, is a super- the Data Processing Industry is low social needs. Telling D. P. Profess-
ficial treatment of a highly complex subject. Nevertheless, at the ionals, we have low social needs, leads to one of two responses, in my
risk of superficiality, we will attempt to provide a few insights. experience:
1. Denial
SOURCES OF STRESS 2. Aggression or Hostility
(A typical "Type A" response)
The industry appears to be plagued by impossible deadlines. When
,;0.
~ deadlines are not imposed by higher management, we seem to do it to our- We start off handicapped with having low social needs and make matters
-...J selves by a super-optimistic view of what we can accomplish. We seem to go worse by adapting a Type A Behavior Pattern in an attempt to handle our
from one crisis to another. We seem not to be able to learn from experi- stress which leads to strained interpersonal relations. Strained interper-
ence, and approach each new project assuming everything will go right this sonal relations (and low social needs) exaggerate the problems we have with
time. Since this rarely happens, almost every project is a crisis in the deadlines, quality and change. The result a vicious cycle is established
very early stages. so that over time the stress levels continue to amplify and we pay for that
with our health.
Our stress problems are exacerbated by poor quality products, espe-
cially poor quality hardware and software. These tend to precipitate
crisis according to Murphy's Law. STRESS AND THE BODY
Accelerating change (see Toffler's Future Shock) only adds fuel to the Our first reaction to stress is the fight or flight response, some-
fire. It doesn't matter if it is technological change or a change in the times called the "Alarm Reaction" or "Emergency Response. 1I A vivid way to
requirements stated by the user. Change frequently leads to stress, even recapture this response is to recall an incident in your life where you
when it comes in positive forms. Change, of course, pervades our industry. have had a "near miss" incident. For most of us this has been a near miss
highway collision. If you recall what was happening to your body immedi-
ately after the near miss incident you will have a good sense of Fight or
Flight Response. One of the first things that happen is the Endocrine
System pumps our a variety of hormones (soluble chemicals) one of the most
-3- -4-
notable of these hormones is Adrenaline (Epinephrine) which produces the the abnormal reaction to the stressor provides the conditions for illness
"shakiness" one experiences after near miss highway collisions. or disease.
During the Fight or Flight response our heart beat increases, our Being sick is stressful. So that now conditions begin to arise that
arteries constrict and our blood pressure rises. Blood chemistry is also can develop a second vicious cycle of stress and illness (which is stressful
changed to enhance coagulation. Energy is diverted from the digestive and can lead to further illness, etc.).
system to the muscular system to provide speed or strength. In addition,
a host of other changes occur within the body and all of tbese occur each When the obsessive, compulsive Type A Behavior Pattern is added to the
and every time we are subjected to any stress whether it is physiological, vicious cycle of stress-illness-stress-illness you obtain a bizarre result.
psychological or environmental. The data processing professional is proud of the fact that he or she is
headed towards a serious coronary event. Further, they are proud that they
The Fight or Flight response is intended to handle emergencies, not obtain little relief from stress. In fact, they think this behavior makes
routine, everyday work problems. When stress persists beyond a short them worthwhile individuals. They never consider that this could lead to a
duration the body utilizes a three phase approach to the problem. shortened life-span.
Dr. Hans Selye the pioneer researcher in the field of medical stress calls
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this three phase approach the General Adaptation Syndrome.
is the Fight or Flight Response (Selye calls this the Alarm Reaction) which
has two subphases: Shock and Countershock.
The first phase
The second phase is the
Adaptation Phase or the Stage of Resistance, and is of utmost importance in
age.
The problem is further compounded for those of us under 40 years of
It seems as if there is no price to pay. The youthful resiliency of
our colleagues under 40 and their ability to resist illness leads many of
them to conclude that they can drive themselves and resist stress forever.
our discussion. The third phase is the Stage of Exhaustion a precursor to But that is not the case, they are laying the foundations for poor health
death. problems in the future. And because of their Type A Behavior Patterns it
seems safe to say that many will manifest coronary problems.
Selye concluded in 1950 "that many of the most common maladies of man
are 'Diseases of Adaptation', that is to say, the by-products of abnormal A Perspective for Managing Stress
adaptive reaction to stress." Since 1950, we have learned a lot about
health, disease and stress. It would appear that Selye was conservative in In my opinion, we need to become more aware of what is happening to us
his estimate of "most." I t appears to me as a serious student of the personally and the costs that we will someday incur. We need to learn more
subject of stress and illness that all diseases (except iatrogenic diseases) about how to handle work situations and our responses to them. We also
are the result of stress and occur during the adaptation phase of the need to learn how to manage our stress and how to decrease our vulnerabil-
General Adaptation Syndrome. ity to work stressors. And finally we need to reexamine the relationship
of work and family, and the relative importance of each in our lives.
During the second phase of the General Adaptation Syndrome the body
resists the stressor and in the process of resistance becomes susceptible Given our busy schedules, our deadlines, and the quality and change
to other stressors. The first thing that is weakened during the second problems we encounter that leaves very little time for us to learn the
phase is the body's immune system. The weakening of the immune system plus lessons above.
So the beat goes on