Abstract:
Stress in organizations is a wide-spread phenomenon with far-reaching practical and
economic consequences. The present study examined the impact of stress on job
performance experienced by IT Project Managers and project related employees working
on Software Implementation Projects in Pakistan. The study further investigated the
meditational role of coping strategies that influence the relationship between
organizational stress and job performance of respondents. The sample was selected by
random sampling technique from a cross-section of different industries in Pakistan where
SAP Software is implemented .The sample included 40 Project Managers and 80 Team
members. To collect data, a web-based online structured Questionnaire was sent to all the respondents comprising sample of the study.This Questionnaire aimed at collection of
demographic information of respondents including their age,job experience, and
qualifications. The Questionnaire consisted of Part I, Part II and Part III, each based on
a psychometrically sound instrument. In all,three Scales were used with minor
modifications in administeringInstructions and content to achieve uniformity and ease in
recording responses. The scales used for data collection were: Job Stress Scale, Brief
COPE,and Job Performance Scale. The main hypotheses formulated for the present
study assumed that job stress has an inverse correlation with job performance. The
results supported our hypothesis. Further analysis demonstrated that the relationship
between these two variables is negative, but curvilinear. Our second hypothesis assumed
that coping strategies play a mediational role between job stress and job performance.
The results clearly supported this hypothesis too. The data revealed that the participants
use different coping strategies to overcome their organizational stress. It was further
revealed that project managers as well as team members both use problem-focused
adaptive strategies to reduce stress at the workplace. Furthermore, the most frequently
used coping strategies employed by IT personnel are Active Coping and Planning. The
v results also demonstrated that coping strategies play a significant meditational role to
reduce the negative impact of organizational stress on job performance of project
managers and project team members. The practical implications of the study encompass
alleviation of adverse effects of stress at workplace through selection of appropriate
coping strategies to enhance productivity as well as mental health of the employees
working on IT projects. Future researchers can investigate the problem by using a mix of
quantitative and qualitative research methodology.
