IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS ON WORK PERFORMANCE

Abstract

During the first decade of the 21st century, the study of the human mind, its complexities of everyday life and work reach the 100-year-old mark. But in Pakistan little help is available for the same. Hence, it was appropriate to study and understand the link between the psychological state of mind and work performance. Business guru, Peter Drucker (1993) has illustrated how every few hundred years the world undergoes a very sharp, discontinuous, and dramatic transformation that completely changes the fundamental state of humankind. The next century will be one of unprecedented change, but one that can be partially predicted by examining current trends. Perhaps Paul Muchinsky (2000) said it best when he stated, "The axiom that 'the best predictor of the future is the past' may have to be modified in the next century, at least as it applies to the psychology of mankind. In order to establish this link, three industries, namely the Banking Industry, The Telecom Industry and The Oil and Gas Industry were studied. The results established a link between the behaviors and the psychological state of mind that was enlightening. The different thinking process, the environmental impacts that affected an individual and how they reacted were studied so as to understand its importance and how we can play a better role by changing something which may put us in better control of ourselves. It was found that more than 66% of the people were stressed out and were on the verge of a job burnout. The reasons cited for the stress in most cases were official. Employee morale has become increasingly important. It has been found that frustration, stress and other variables affect an individual’s state of mind, official and personal relationships are being affected and as a result can cause long-term damage to an individual’s emotional and physical self.