Organizational Stress : A Critical Review from Nigeria

This chapter presents and discusses the current state of organizational stress as experienced by individuals working in Nigeria. Within this context, we review the unique stressors and strains experienced by the Nigerian worker and the approaches adopted to cope with organizational stress. We consider how organizational stress in Nigeria compares to other parts of the world and explain the mediating roles of state and culture on organizational stress within the Nigerian context. The issues covered in this chapter are topical for this text which explores organizational stress around the world. At present, Nigeria has the biggest economy in Africa. In attaining its position as the leading economy in Africa, there have been establishment, growth, and expansion of many industries such as education, healthcare, banking, and manufacturing – with a corresponding increase in the size of the Nigerian labor force. However, while the rise of Nigeria’s economy has been widely discussed, the role of workers resident in Nigeria, their contributions to this rise, and the stresses which they inadvertently face in the workplace have received scant attention. Therefore, this chapter will focus on the prevalence of organizational stress amongst Nigeria’s workforce.