Investigation on the role of workplace con ict and

occupational stress in job performance among staff of

Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

Narjes Mirbahaadin

and Bahman Kord Tamini

MA student of General Psychology, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan Branch,

Zahedan, Iran

Faculty member, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of

Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to explore the role of workplace con ict and occupational stress in job performance among staff of

Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. The method of the current study was descriptive-correlational. The statisti-

cal population of the present study consisted of 1500 employees of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2015.

In this regard, 200 employees were selected as the sample through applying the convenience sampling method. To

collect the data, the Paterson Job Performance Inventory, the Occupational Stress Scale (HSE), and the Workplace

Con ict Questionnaire were used. To analyze the obtained data, both descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, and

standard deviation) and inferential statistics (the Pearson correlation coef cient and regression analysis) were used

via SPSS22. The results demonstrated that there was a signi cant and negative relationship between workplace

con ict and job performance among the employees of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. Additionally, occu-

pational stress was signi cantly and negatively related to job performance.

KEY WORDS: WORKPLACE CONFLICT, OCCUPATIONAL STRESS, JOB PERFORMANCE, EMPLOYEES

283

ARTICLE INFORMATION:

*Corresponding Author:

Received 27

Dec, 2016

Accepted after revision 2

March, 2017

BBRC Print ISSN: 0974-6455

Online ISSN: 2321-4007

Thomson Reuters ISI ESC and Crossref Indexed Journal

NAAS Journal Score 2017: 4.31 Cosmos IF : 4.006

reserved.

Online Contents Available at: http//www.bbrc.in/

Biosci. Biotech. Res. Comm. Special Issue No 1:283-287 (2017)

INTRODUCTION

Due to their responsibilities for providing healthcare

for patients, health associate professionals are under

the in uence of numerous stressful factors (Mehrabi &

Ghazavi, 2005) and these chronic and persistent stress-

ors lead to their job burnout which as a physical and

mental syndrome brings about a number of issues,

including dropouts, frequent absences, and poor job

performance, to these professionals. Besides, several

284 INVESTIGATION ON THE ROLE OF WORKPLACE CONFLICT AND OCCUPATIONAL STRESS BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Narjes Mirbahaadin and Bahman Kord Tamini

symptoms, such as dealing with headaches, sleep disor-

ders, lack of concentration, and temper tantrums, which

result from stress are prevalent among these people

(Malazem et al., 2005).

In 2002, a study conducted by Noorbala et al. indi-

cated that 7.4% of nurses refused to go to work because

of job burnout or stress-related disabilities. This absence

rate is 80% more than that of other jobs. Moreover, a

study carried out by Kalagari et al. in 2002 aimed at

determining the level of stress among operating room

staff at hospitals in Gorgan revealed that the majority

of subjects under study (54.4%) experienced low levels

of stress and among all the environmental stressors in

operating rooms, unpleasant odors was the most stress-

ful factor (76%) and inappropriate collaboration during

group work was the least stressful factor (7.29%). In

another study, Malakouti and Valizadeh examined occu-

pational stress in educational and therapeutic centers in

Tabriz and reported high levels of stress and lack of job

satisfaction among the nurses and midwives working

in these centers. This indicates the necessity of train-

ing the method of reducing occupational stress to these

people. Furthermore, a study conducted by Hingley and

Marks on occupational stress con rmed high levels of

stress among nurses. In the same line, in 2005, Khodav-

eisi et al. reported that nurses working at intensive care

units and operating rooms experienced the highest level

of stress and those working at psychiatric wards and

nursing stations experienced the least level of stress. In

another study conducted in Tailand, Aoki et al. classi ed

26.2% of the subjects under study as people who expe-

rienced severe occupational stress.

Human capital is a critical strategic element and a

signi cant method to enhance ef ciency and effective-

ness in an organization and it results in the develop-

ment and progress of the community (Woolridge, 2000).

Nowadays, the importance of employees as the most

important resources of an organization is quite evident.

Hence, employees’ behaviors can also be of signi -

cant importance. Certainly, human resources, as effec-

tive elements of economic, social, and cultural devel-

opments, play key roles in advancing a society. Even

through spending a lot of money and employing good

technology and facilities, organizations cannot reach

their goals without productive and motivated human

resources. Today, organizations need effective and ef -

cient employees to be able to grow, develop, and achieve

their goals. However, numerous factors including social

and environmental conditions affect quality of working

environments and their employees’ performance.

Throughout life, people must constantly adapt them-

selves to and make peace with internal changes and

changes that occur in their surrounding environments.

Unfavorable social and environmental conditions are

among important factors that create mental pressure

(stress) and threaten people’s mental health (Abdi et al.,

2001). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment

are key factors in achieving career success. When people

have to deal with high levels of job satisfaction, they

certainly experience low levels of occupational stress.

This increases their ef ciency and personal satisfaction.

Since occupational stress affects people’s health and

reduces their quality of life (Halkas, 2010) and given the

fact that healthcare professionals play key roles in pro-

viding healthcare services for people, high levels of occu-

pational stress among these people affect their ef ciency

and performance and have signi cant and destructive

impacts on them. According to what was mentioned ear-

lier and given the signi cance of the issue, the present

study aimed at examining the role of workplace con ict

and occupational stress in job performance among staff

of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences.

OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The main objective of this study was to examine the role

of workplace con ict and occupational stress in job per-

formance among staff of Zahedan University of Medical

Sciences. To this end, the present study sought to answer

the following questions:

1. Is there a signi cant correlation between occupa-

tional stress and job performance?

2. Is there a signi cant correlation between occupa-

tional stress and workplace con ict?

METHODS

The method of the current study was descriptive fol-

lowed by a correlational design. The statistical popula-

tion of the present study consisted of 1500 employees of

Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2015. In this

regard, 200 employees of Zahedan University of Medi-

cal Sciences were selected and studied as the sample

through applying the convenience sampling method. In

the current study, the data collection tools were three

questionnaires on job performance, occupational stress,

and workplace con ict.

RESULTS

In this section, using both descriptive and inferential

statistics, the research hypotheses were examined. Table

1 presents the means and standard deviations of occu-

pational stress, job performance, and workplace con ict.

As Table 1 demonstrates, the means and standard devia-

tions of occupational stress, job performance, and work-

BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS INVESTIGATION ON THE ROLE OF WORKPLACE CONFLICT AND OCCUPATIONAL STRESS 285

Narjes Mirbahaadin and Bahman Kord Tamini

Table 1. The means and standard deviations

of occupational stress, job performance, and

workplace con ict

Variable N Mean SD

Occupational stress 200 118.53 17.57

Job performance 200 60.24 10.21

Workplace con ict 200 65.16 18.60

Table 2. The results of the correlation coef cient test

between occupational stress and job performance

Variable Job performance

Occupational stress -0.339**

N 200

Sig 0.0005

**P<0.01

Table 3. The results of the correlation coef cient test

between occupational stress and workplace con ict

Variable Workplace con ict

Occupational stress -0.327**

N 200

Sig 0.0005

**P<0.01

place con ict were respectively 118.53 and 17.57, 60.24

and 10.21, and 56.16 and 18.60.

The First Research Question: Is there a signi cant cor-

relation between occupational stress and job perfor-

mance?

To answer this question, the correlation coef cient

test was used, the results of which are presented in the

following table.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The results obtained from examining the relation-

ship between workplace con ict and job performance

among staff of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

indicated that workplace con ict was signi cantly and

negatively related to job performance among staff of

Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. This means that

an increase in workplace con ict leads to a decrease in

job performance. A decrease in job performance brings

about irreparable consequences, including reducing job

satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, ef -

ciency and effectiveness, and organizational ef ciency,

to an organization and its staff. Through employing

appropriate solutions, managers must be able to prop-

erly apply workplace con ict and guide it in a con-

structive and creative way. They can use it as a positive

driving force for promoting performance, effective-

ness, and innovation and for creating positive changes.

Workplace con ict can be used as a means to alter the

power structure and to change the pattern of relation-

ships within groups. Con ict management must main-

tain the desired level of con ict among employees. Low

levels of con ict in an organization lead to intellectual

stagnation of employees and high levels of workplace

con ict strongly involve employees and create confu-

sion in administering organizations. These are both

unfavorable for organizations and disrupt the process of

performing tasks. Therefore, to resolve workplace con-

 icts, managers have to balance these forces and cre-

ate lasting motivations in employees through applying

interactional and friendly methods. On the other hand,

stress or mental pressure is an acute issue with which

organizations deal. Stress puts employees’ physical and

mental health in jeopardy and imposes additional costs

to organizations. A group of experts in organizational

behavior believed that work-related stress can be con-

sidered as the most prevalent disease of the 21

century.

Indeed, this century can be regarded as the super stress

era in which people are exposed to a lot of stressors and

many issues and dif culties surround them.

The results obtained from this hypothesis are in line

with the results of Khazaee, Khazaee, and Sharifzadeh

(2006) and Mehrabi and Ghazavi (2005). In a study

conducted by Khazaee, Khazaee, and Sharifzadeh, the

results determined that 35.5% of the people under study

experienced mild levels of emotional exhaustion, 54.2%

of them experienced severe levels of depersonaliza-

tion, and 37.5% of them experienced severe levels of

lack of personal accomplishment. They mentioned that

job burnout depended on a number of factors including

workplace environment, work experience, high work-

loads, mental pressures, job satisfaction, and dif cult

working conditions and they suggested that identifying

The results of the correlation coef cient test indicated

a signi cant and negative correlation between occupa-

tional stress and job performance. This means that an

increase in occupational stress leads to a decrease in job

performance.

The Second Research Question: Is there a signi cant

correlation between occupational stress and workplace

con ict?

To answer this question, the correlation coef cient

test was used, the results of which are presented in the

following table.

The results of the correlation coef cient test indicated

a signi cant and positive correlation between occupa-

tional stress and workplace con ict. This means that an

increase in occupational stress leads to an increase in

job performance.

Narjes Mirbahaadin and Bahman Kord Tamini

286 INVESTIGATION ON THE ROLE OF WORKPLACE CONFLICT AND OCCUPATIONAL STRESS BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

these factors may aid us in preventing and decreasing job

burnout.

Several researchers used the results of this study in

the discussion and conclusion of their studies to inte-

grate the body of knowledge. The results of Mehrabi and

Ghazavi (2005) demonstrated that considering somati-

zation, the majority of female nurses (92.4%) were in a

range from healthy to being suspected to have a disease.

With regard to anxiety, 90% of them experienced moder-

ate anxiety, 78.8% of them were healthy considering the

symptoms of anxiety, and 68.8% experienced moderate

social dysfunction. Moreover, in terms of general health

status, 55.3% of these nurses were suspected to have

disorders and only 44.7% of these people were healthy.

Finally, the authors recommended that individual and

organizational management strategies should be applied

to promote general health among nurses.

The results obtained from investigating the relation-

ship between occupational stress and job performance

among staff of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

showed that occupational stress was signi cantly and

negatively related to job performance among staff of

Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. This means

that an increase in occupational stress among employ-

ees leads to a decrease in their job performance. This

decrease reduces organizational ef ciency and creates

dif culties in achieving organizational goals. Employ-

ees spend many hours at work; hence, job dissatisfac-

tion which is followed by stress makes employees sick

within a few years. Accordingly, experts and managers

are highly recommended to pay signi cant attention to

occupational stress. They can identify people with stress

and train them to ef ciently cope with it. Moreover, as

a preventive action, they can eliminate stressful factors

from the workplace. Would the managers prefer to have

healthy and happy employees or employees full of stress

with heart diseases and high blood pressures? Through

employing practical methods, managers and employees

of various organizations can attempt to promote toler-

ance and individual and organizational adaptabilities,

improve their workplace environment, and develop

mental health among their employees.

In this way, all the energy that they have to spend

on dealing with organizational stressors can be used

to improve the quantity and quality of organizations

and to ful ll social responsibilities of organizations.

The results obtained from this hypothesis are consist-

ent with the results of Asai et al. (2007), Piko (2006),

and Sahraeeian, Fazelzadeh, Mehdizadeh, and Toubaei

(2008). The results of a study carried out by Asai et al.

(2007) indicated that 22% of the respondents experi-

enced high emotional exhaustion, 11% of them experi-

enced high depersonalization, and 62% of them experi-

enced low personal accomplishment. 20% of the subjects

under study suffered from mental illnesses. Moreover,

the results indicated that the clinical oncologists experi-

enced higher levels of mental illnesses compared to the

clinical care physicians. Being sure of having enough

time to communicate with patients was associated with

all the subscales of occupational stress. In this study,

low levels of personal accomplishment among Japanese

doctors were higher than that mentioned in previously

conducted studies.

In addition, Piko (2006) demonstrated that the scores

of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were

greater than those mentioned in Canadian, Norwegian,

and American subjects. Occupational stress, particu-

larly emotional exhaustion, is signi cantly and strongly

related to job dissatisfaction. Job dissatisfaction is a

negative predictor of the subscales of job burnout and

con ict plays a positive role as a contributing factor for

emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. The results

of a study conducted by Piko (2006) laid emphasis on

the important role of psychosocial work environments

and the relationships among occupational stress, role

con ict, job satisfaction, and mental health among Hun-

garian healthcare staff. Although the statistical popula-

tion of this study was different from that of the current

study, the same measurement tools were used to exam-

ine the variables. That is why this study was mentioned.

In a study carried out by Sahraeeian et al. (2008),

22.8% of nurses obtained scores higher than 26 on

emotional exhaustion, and 5% of them obtained scores

higher than 9 on depersonalization, and 20.6% of them

obtained scores higher than 34 on personal accomplish-

ment. In this study, the mean score of emotional exhaus-

tion was 25.8+0.87, the mean score of depersonalization

was 5.90+0.34, and the mean score of personal accom-

plishment was 29.56 + 1.07. In total, 25% of the sub-

jects under study had the criteria of job burnout. These

researchers found a signi cant relationship between

stress and various units of hospitals in which nurses

worked. The scores of job burnout demonstrated that the

scores of emotional exhaustion in the burn units and

the scores of depersonalization in the psychiatric units

were signi cantly high. 70% of the nurses under study

experienced some symptoms of mental illnesses (using

identifying scoring of greater than 4). These researchers

reported that having mental illnesses was not signi -

cantly related to depersonalization and personal accom-

plishment.

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