Managerial stress in private and state organisations in Poland

Abstract

A study of stress was conducted among 269 managers from five large Polish cities and organisations of different economic sectors: state, private and middle forms. It was aimed at answering if the economic sector is related to: (1) type and intensity of stress sources among the managerial staff, (2) individual characteristics of the managers (Type A and locus of control), (3) dominant ways of coping with stress, (4) stress symptoms in the field of physical and mental health and job satisfaction. The main research tools were the Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI 2) and the Work Locus of Control Scale (WLCS). The results of the hierarchical regressions showed that the economic sector is a predictor of only certain sources of stress connected with insufficient organisational support and excessive workload (higher intensity of the stressors in state organisations), and also job satisfaction (mainly organisation satisfaction, which is higher in private organisations). The economic sector was not a predictor of physical and mental health nor a predictor of Type A and locus of control of managers. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.