Politics and Management: The Effect of Stress on the Political Sensitivity of Managers

This article acknowledges the need for managers to be more politically sensitive, due to social and organisational changes. The dual nature of the link between politics and stress is explored. First,the question of how political situations lead to stress is examined. In order to analyse the second link a model of political sensitivity and a model of stress are presented. This enables the effect of stress on the dimensions of political skill to be assessed. In conclusion, the implications of these links for management and organisation development are drawn.