Appreciative Inquiry as OD Tool to Reduce Organizational Stress: Thesis by Stephanie Lynn Rabinowitz

Completed Dissertations - Detail

Organizational Stress Management: A Case for Positive Psychology-Based Psychoeducational Interventions Author: Stephanie Lynn Rabinowitz Pepperdine University: MSOD Program Silver Spring, MD United States 04/10/2005 Pages: 72 Abstract: Despite the preponderance of literature describing the impact of stress in the workplace, few studies exist examining ways to reduce stress. The purpose of this research project was to see if a positive psychology-based intervention such as Appreciative Inquiry would actually reduce stress in the workplace. Comcast Cable is the second largest cable company in the United States. The highest stress positions in this company tend to be in the sales and marketing department. Managers, supervisors, and sales representatives for the Comcast Bay Area cable market participated in a two-day off-site leadership event where an Appreciative Inquiry workshop took place. The design of this project was action research. Appreciative Inquiry was used as an intervention with the hypothesis being that a positive psychology-based intervention, such as Appreciative Inquiry, would reduce stress for those who participated in the study. Additionally, the Occupational Stress Index was given to participants to assess stress levels prior to the intervention. The Occupational Stress Index survey also was administered to a control group at the call centers, before and after the intervention. This study found that of the four areas within the Occupational Stress Inventory—physical strain, interpersonal strain, vocational strain, and psychological strain—Appreciative Inquiry reduced stress in all areas for the experimental group and in one area for the control group. Physical strain and interpersonal strain were significantly reduced after participation in the Appreciative Inquiry workshop. This shows a correlation between a positive psychology-based intervention and reducing stress in the workplace. This project did show conclusive evidence that work stress might be reduced by interventions such as Appreciative Inquiry. However, several study limitations should be considered. The Appreciative Inquiry intervention was part of a two-day off-site leadership event, so the positive results are not solely attributable to the Appreciative Inquiry intervention. Only managers and supervisors attended due to the nature of the event. The control group consisted of call center personnel. Management and call center personnel have different experiences in the workplace and direct comparisons across these groups is difficult. Lastly, the present study administered the Appreciative Inquiry intervention only once. Directions for future research might include administering the intervention across multiple settings with follow-up assessments. Additionally, the use of Appreciative Inquiry as a stress-reduction tool represents a new application of the technique that might be considered in the future. Resource Files: (doc )

(submitted by Stephanie Rabinowitz)
Source: http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/research/bibCompletedDissertationsDetail.cfm?coid=7502