Research suggests that stress can come from good or bad sources. Challenge stressors can serve as opportunities for growth. For example, an employee can be stressed because of job complexity, workload, or deadlines. On the other hand, hindrance stressors can be caused by stress due to bureaucracy, role ambiguity, or other workplace hassles. While both types of stress can lead to negative outcomes, like emotional exhaustion, challenge stressors have been linked to positive outcomes such as job satisfaction. Hindrance stressors, on the other hand, are pretty much all bad, being linked to withdrawal and turnover.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
How do stressors affect voluntary behavior on the job? For example, we might assume that challenge stressors lead to good behavior, such as organizational citizenship behavior (going the extra mile). We might similarly assume that hindrance stressors lead to bad behavior, such as counterproductive work behavior. Still, it appears that good stressors can also lead to bad behavior.
In this study (Rodell et al., 2009), challenge stressors were linked to two emotions: attentiveness and anxiety. Both were linked to organizational citizenship behavior. However, anxiety was also linked to counterproductive work behavior. This is an example of good stressors being linked to bad outcomes. Hindrance stressors were also linked to the emotions of anger and anxiety, but in this case, the outcome was only counterproductive work behavior.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Ultimately, although bad begets bad, good can beget good or bad. For organizations, this can have some important consequences. Although leaders want their workers to feel challenged, they don’t want them to be so challenged that their resulting anxiety leads them to undermine the organization. As leaders become more effective at removing workplace hindrances, the better off everyone will be.
Rodell, J. B., & Judge, T. A. (2009). Can “good” stressors spark “bad” behaviors? The mediating role of emotions in links of challenge and hindrance stressors with citizenship and counterproductive behaviors. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 1438-1451.
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