The Relationship of Job Stress on Executive Coping Strategies, Decision Making, and Organizational Performance

Abstract

I surveyed 69 CEOs from credit unions across the nation. I first examined three antecedents to executive job stress and burnout (lack of coping behaviors, neurotic personality, and lack of organizational support). Coping behaviors did not significantly predict the CEOs burnout level, but neuroticism and lack of support did. Next I examined how the executives’ burnout level predicted their decision-making style and their organizations’ performance. While informational decision-making was not significantly related to burnout, avoidant decision-making was. CEOs experiencing more burnout tended to engage in more avoidant decision-making. Neither burnout nor decision-making style were related to organizational performance.