In any organization, competition among employees is an inherent feature that can drive individuals towards achieving their goals and objectives. It motivates them to work harder, be more productive, think critically, and develop innovative ideas to improve their performance.
This competitiveness also leads to stress and strain, which negatively affect the health and wellbeing of employees. This paper explores how attraction-driven rivalry contributes to increased organizational stress levels in companies. It explains the mechanisms behind this phenomenon using empirical evidence from studies conducted on different industries and organizations.
The first mechanism linking attraction-driven rivalry to increased organizational stress levels is the psychological aspect. When workers are attracted to each other, they experience anxiety, jealousy, and fear of losing the other person's attention. These emotions lead to feelings of discomfort, tension, and uneasiness, which manifest physiologically as stress responses such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and adrenaline rushes. The body reacts to these changes by releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline into the system, resulting in physical and mental exhaustion that reduces overall productivity.
Attraction-driven rivalry triggers a range of interpersonal conflicts between employees, leading to reduced teamwork, collaboration, and cooperation. Workers may become defensive, guarded, or suspicious of one another, reducing creativity and innovation. In extreme cases, these conflicts escalate into open hostility, creating an atmosphere of distrust and aggression, further increasing stress levels among colleagues. The resultant tense working environment makes it challenging for them to concentrate on their duties effectively, causing a decline in performance.
Attraction-driven rivalry causes unhealthy competition between colleagues, leading to negative behaviors like backstabbing, gossiping, undermining, and sabotage. This competition leads to a rise in stress levels as employees strive to outdo each other, resulting in burnout, fatigue, and depression. Employees who engage in unethical behavior are likely to feel guilty, anxious, and overwhelmed, exacerbating stress levels. They may also develop health problems like anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and digestive issues, compromising their quality of life outside work.
Attraction-driven rivalry also affects employee job satisfaction, motivation, and commitment to work. When workers compete with each other for attention, they focus more on pleasing their romantic interests than doing their jobs well. This can lead to errors, omissions, and delays that impact the organization's productivity and reputation.
Employees may experience disappointment, disillusionment, and dissatisfaction when their attempts at winning favor from their partners fail, leading to reduced morale and loyalty towards the company.
This paper has demonstrated how attraction-driven rivalry contributes to increased organizational stress levels by triggering psychological reactions, interpersonal conflicts, unhealthy competition, and reduced job satisfaction. Organizations should create policies and structures that promote harmony, trust, and collaboration among employees to reduce the adverse effects of attraction-driven rivalries. Managers should also provide support services to help employees cope with stressors and minimize its impact on their performance.
What mechanisms link attraction-driven rivalry to increased organizational stress levels?
Past research has established that attraction-driven rivalry is often associated with increased stress levels. Attraction-driven rivalry occurs when individuals compete for the attention of someone they find attractive (e. g. , a co-worker). This can lead to feelings of jealousy, anxiety, frustration, and anger which can cause significant stress to both parties involved.