Coordination under pressure from managed care

In settings like healthcare, groups are under increasing levels of stress as they are asked to deliver services with reduced levels of resources. Although the effects of work stressors on individuals are well-understood, their effects on groups have been relatively neglected. I propose coordination as a group-level mechanism for coping with work stress that arises from resource constraints. I develop and test two models: one in which coordination moderates the effect of work stressors on group performance, and one in which coordination plays a mediating role. I find support for the mediated model, suggesting that increased coordination is an effective coping mechanism for groups that face work stress arising from resource constraints. Implications for organizational change are discussed.