Factors influencing boundary spanner stress and subsequent managerial intervention: an exploratory investigation

Abstract

Despite widespread recognition of the individual and organisational consequences of employee stress, research considering the stress experienced by boundary spanning employees has been limited to one key set of influences commonly termed 'role characteristics.' Given the potential relevance of alternative forms of stressor, however, the first objective of this research sought to identify all forms of work-related stimuli that contribute to the stress experienced by boundary spanning personnel. Grounded in the underlying importance of these employees to organisational success, consideration was also given to issues pertaining to the removal or modification of the identified stressors. In particular, the second research objective was concerned with identifying those factors that influence managerial intentions to intervene or subsequent remedial activity. An exploratory research design was adopted given the paucity of theoretical and empirical research surrounding the identified objectives, as further explicated in the literature review. Utilising an in-depth semi-structured interview approach, insight into the specific areas of interest was sought from two key employee groups within one organisational setting. Specifically, interviews were conducted with eleven boundary spanning employees and four corresponding managers, the latter respondents considering stressor issues raised by their respective employees. Observing recognised data analysis procedures, results from both sets of respondents were then presented in the form of within-case and cross-case displays. The findings suggested that boundary spanning employees are subject to a multitude of work-related stressors that include, but are not limited to, role characteristics. In particular, six distinct categories of stimuli were identified, with employee occupation of boundary spanning positions also found to result in explicit internal and external dimensions within certain stressor conditions. Extending from the second research objective, a large number of factors were found to influence managerial responses to these stressors. While these factors fell into five distinct clusters, they could also be distinguished according to whether they influenced managerial perceptions of the need to intervene or the subsequent design or delivery of a potential solution. This distinction facilitated the development of an associated conceptual framework and research propositions, thereby providing the foundation for future empirical inquiry.