A study on the relationship between employees' work-related anxiety levels and their decision-making styles

This study explores the relationship between the levels of work-related anxiety and the decision making styles of employees holding decision making positions. Drawing upon both decision-making and anxiety literature, the study analyzes how employees' experiences of work-related anxiety may influence their decision-making tendencies. The study sample consists of academic and administrative staff occupying decision-making roles at a public university. Using a convenience sampling method, data were collected from 97 participants through a structured questionnaire. Participants' levels of work-related anxiety and their preferred decision-making styles were measured via self-report using standardized scales found in the literature. Frequency analyses, difference tests, and correlation analyses were conducted to examine the data. According to the findings, participants most frequently adopted the dependent and intuitive decision-making styles, while the spontaneous (impulsive) style was the least preferred. No significant differences were found in decision-making styles based on participants' gender; however, significant differences emerged in the rational decision-making dimension depending on participants' employment category, level of postgraduate education, and years of work experience. Specifically, administrative personnel, employees without postgraduate education, and those with less than 20 years of experience were found to adopt the rational decision-making style more frequently than others. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in participants' levels of work-related anxiety based on demographic variables. Correlation analysis revealed no significant relationships between work-related anxiety and rational, intuitive, or dependent decision-making styles. However, positive and statistically significant relationships were identified between work-related anxiety and avoidant and spontaneous decision-making styles. These results suggest that higher levels of anxiety may lead employees to avoid making decisions or act more impulsively during the decision-making process.