Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Romuel Nafarrete

Abstract

Workplace stress costs -£3.7 billion per annum in the United Kingdom and in excess of $300 billion per annum in the United States. However, little research exists on the relationships between perceptions of social support, work-life conflict, job performance, and workplace stress. The purpose of this correlational study was to provide educational leaders with the information they need to examine the existence, strength, and direction of relationships between perceptions of social support, work-life conflict, job performance, and workplace stress in an Irish higher education institution. The theoretical framework for this study consisted of a combination of reward imbalance theory, expectancy theory, and equity theory. The study included an organizational stress screening survey instrument to survey the population (N = 1,420) of academic, research, and support staff. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between the independent variables (social support, work-life conflict, job performance), the covariates (staff category, direct reports, age, gender), and the dependent variable (workplace stress). The results showed a negative correlation between social support and workplace stress, a positive correlation between work-life conflict and workplace stress, and a negative correlation between job performance and workplace stress (p < .05). The results also revealed significant relationships between the covariates direct reports and gender and the dependent variable workplace stress. By reviewing the findings of this study, educational leaders can enable social change by developing and implementing social support, work-life strategies, and potential pathways to reduce levels of workplace stress and improve quality of life for employees and their families.

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