Achievement Climate in Public Sector – A Crossfunctional Study on Relationship with Stress and Coping

Volume 19, Number 4 Article by Avinash Kumar Srivastav December, 2007

Achievement Climate in Public Sector – A Crossfunctional Study on Relationship with Stress and Coping :

The public sector in India is facing a challenge for survival in the age of globalisation. Strengthening the climate of achievement in the public sector is therefore relevant and important. Whereas the need for achievement is an individual personality trait, perception of the organisational climate emerges from interaction with the organisation. Experience of stress may alter the individual’s perception of the organisational climate, and in turn affect the achievement climate. Stress is influenced by the effectiveness of coping. It may vary across the functions performed in an organisation, which place differing expectations, constraints and demands on individuals. Thus individual perception about the climate and stress as also the adoption of coping strategy may be impacted by the organisational function performed.

A study of climate, stress and coping was undertaken in a large telecommunication equipment manufacturing industry in the public sector. Six motives of organisational climate and ten types of role stress were measured across R&D, quality, production and miscellaneous functions on 453 randomly selected executives, using instruments available in the literature. Eight types of coping strategy were also measured across the functions on 155 randomly selected executives. Correlation analysis was done to determine the correlation of achievement climate with role stress and coping strategy variables under each function. Significant differences were found in the relationship of achievement climate with role stress and coping strategy variables, across the functions. The study shows that achievement climate is related to coping strategy in the R&D and production functions, and to role stress in quality and miscellaneous functions. Suggested measures for strengthening the achievement climate in the public sector include promoting delegation of problem solving in the R&D function, empowerment in the production function and opportunities for growth, development and career advancement in quality and miscellaneous functions.

Reprint No 07406