Olivia Villalba-Moreno1, Claudia Ramos-Garza2, Leticia Ramos-Garza3

(1. Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey;

2. EGADE Business School Tecnologico de Monterrey;

3. Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey)

 

 

Abstract: Ivancevich, Matteson, Freedman & Phillips (1990); LePine, Podsakoff & LePine (2005) argue that given that the potential ramifications of stress for companies and their employees are so substantial, it is crucial that managers act to aid their employees in the development of skills and to reduce stress in the job itself. Leadership has been proposed as a way to help employees deal with the adverse work experiences, which cause stress. Given the potential sources of stress in organizations, and the vast set of styles and behaviors included in the notion of leadership, we content that for managers to act successfully against stress, we need a more detailed analysis of the particular behaviors leaders may exhibit, in order to help employees, cope with the different sources of stress. With this in mind, we analyzed a set of six components (potential stressors) and five sets of leadership practices to find how each stressor responded to a particular set of leadership practices. Results from Pearson correlations supported the idea that, different stressors can be dealt with specific leadership behaviors. Furthermore, regression analyses underlined the power of empowering employees as a main source of helping them cope with job stress. Results and practical implications of the study are presented.

 

 

Key words: leadership behaviors; occupational stress; power of empowerment

JEL code: M540