Introduction
Martha Stewart had been enjoying a successful career up to the year 2001 when she was accused of insider trading and other related charges. These allegations had a heavy blow on her career and her organization, MSO, which she had worked hard to ensure its sustainability and profitability in the market. These allegations affected her mentally. In addition, the employees at MSO faced a lot of challenges as a result of the crisis. One among the many problems that they faced was coping with the huge amount of stress that came from the changes that followed the criticism of Marthas conviction. This report therefore focuses on the stress that Martha and employees at MSO faced and the means each party used to overcome the crisis.
Stress at MSO
In the course of her conviction, there were individuals who were supporting Martha on her case and there were those who were against her. However, in the course of the case, Martha had several tactics to cope with the stress that she was going through. The main tactic that she used was to maintain her innocence against the charges that were laid against her. This mental belief gave her focus and direction during the court proceedings. It was evident that she was disappointed when the verdict being guilty was passed on her. However, she still maintained her innocence and decided to go to jail for five months.
In addition, Martha had a positive mentality about herself and her business. She did not mainly rely on the support that she got from the outside world but instead, she relied mainly on her own wits, hard work and success. Due to this fact, she embarked on improving the status of her business and cleaning her name as soon as she got out of jail. This was very helpful as the business started to be profitable a few months after Martha got out of jail (MSNBC, 2004).
The employees of MSO also faced a lot of stress and anxiety as a result of Marthas indictment. After Martha was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice, the market share of MSO reduced tremendously. The price per share reduced, the company developed a poor public name and reputation and most of all, the company lost the trust it had from the public. These factors reduced the motivation and morale of employees at MSO.
As a result, the performance of many employees reduces. This therefore meant that it would be much difficult for the company to maintain it operations and achieve it short-term and long-term goals and objectives. These changes brought about a lot of stress and anxiety to MSO employees (Anon, 2004).
In the course of operation, an organization should be ready to face challenges and changes in the environment that they are working in. In the case of MSO, the employees have to undergo training that will enable them to deal with stress and anxiety. This includes training of conduct and character of working in hostile environments, focusing on teamwork and attaining the goals and objectives of the organization, adapting a new organization culture that embraces that boosts the morale of the employees, motivating them to work even harder and finally meeting the needs and requirements of their customers. This training will not only ensure that the employees are able to cope with stress and anxiety but also ensure that the company remain to be the leader in its market (Stasi, 2004).
Conclusion
After her conviction, Martha and the employees of MSO faced a lot of stress and anxiety. This resulted to the decline in the performance and profitability of the firm. However, Martha had several tactics that helped her to overcome the crisis that she was going through. On the other hand, the employees at MSO need to undergo thorough training to ensure that they maintain their motivation, morale and focus to be able to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization.
References
Anon,A. (2004). Martha Stewart Omnimedia’s Folio. The Magazine for Magazine Management, 33 (20), 17-21.
MSNBC. (2004). Martha Stewart Vows to Appeal a Conviction. MSNBC. Web.
Stasi, G. (2004). George & Martha: A Modern Twist On The Same Old Story. ICH. Web.