Post and responses OB

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Chapter 3: Emotions, Attitudes, and Stress

Emotions in Organizational Behavior

“If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.”

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

People or events elicit a variety of feelings that cause us to respond in different ways. These feelings are called affects, a broad term covering a wide range of feelings including emotions and moods. We may react to certain situations with sadness, anger, or elation. These responses are emotions, intense feelings directed at a specific object or person. 2 Emotions are numerous and intense, but they are usually also short-lived. For example, in the scenario above, it is likely that your intense feeling of anger towards your boss will dissipate as soon as you begin to focus on the task.

Emotions in Organizational Behavior

Mood

Mood describes the intensity and generalized feelings toward a specific object or person.

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

What if your professor has caught you on a day when you feel like you cannot be bothered working at all? In fact, now that you think about it, you have felt a bit down for the past few days. A short deadline is the last thing you need when you are feeling this unmotivated. In this case, you are probably experiencing a negative mood, which consists of less intense and more generalized feelings not directed at a specific object or person. Moods last longer than emotions. Of course, moods can also be positive, and we often categorize ourselves and others as being in a “good mood” or a “bad mood.”

Emotions in Organizational Behavior

Positive/Negative Affect

Positive affect includes emotions such as excitement, cheerfulness, and self-assurance.

Negative affect includes emotions such as boredom, lethargy, and depression.

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

OB researchers have identified two basic types of mood dimensions: positive affect and negative affect. Positive affect includes emotions such as excitement, cheerfulness, and self-assurance, while negative affect includes emotions such as boredom, lethargy, and depression. 4 The sources of moods and emotions are complex. Factors such as lack of sleep and exercise, the weather, and the amount of stress we are under might play a part, but there are no concrete answers to explain the underlying reasons for our feelings and moods.

Emotions in the Workplace

Emotional state is paramount when it comes to making important career decisions.

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

Our emotional state is paramount when it comes to making important career decisions. For example, people who are in a heightened emotional state and are unhappy with their current roles sometimes jump into new positions without fully assessing the realities of what the new job has to offer. In this situation, job seekers need to think about how they would feel about taking the job now and into the future.

Most of us are prone to heightened emotional states. In your personal life, when you are feeling frustrated, angry, or disappointed, your reaction might be to shout, storm out, or curl up in a quiet place for a while. However, in the workplace, these emotional outbursts could seriously damage your professional reputation as well as your work performance. Not only does a lack of self-control over your emotions affect you, but your negative responses can also spread to others around you.

Emotions in the Workplace

Emotional Contagion

Emotional contagion is a phenomenon in which emotions experienced by one or more individuals in a work group spread to the others.

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

We may not realize it, but our moods and emotions are contagious and have a strong influence on group behavior. Emotional contagion is a phenomenon in which emotions experienced by one or more individuals in a work group spread to the others. Researchers have found that negative emotions tend to spread more quickly than positive emotions, which can affect morale, productivity, and motivation. Positive emotional contagion creates an environment in which people work better together, experience less conflict, and experience higher levels of work performance. Managers and leaders who have a positive attitude generally have the ability to inspire their employees to work well together.

Emotions in the Workplace

Emotional Labor

Emotional labor refers to the process of managing our feelings so that we present positive emotions even when they are contrary to our actual feelings.

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

The concept of emotional labor refers to the process of managing our feelings so that we present positive emotions even when they are contrary to our actual feelings. Hotel employees, salespeople, flight attendants, wait staff, and tour operators are all examples of the types of service workers who are usually expected to smile and be pleasant even in the most demanding circumstances. Today’s organizations are increasingly customer-oriented, and many managers expect their employees to present a positive face when interacting with their external customers as well as with their internal clients and co-workers.

Emotions in the Workplace

Display Rules

Display rules are the basic norms that govern which emotions should be displayed and which should be suppressed.

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

Many organizations teach their employees display rules, the basic norms that govern which emotions should be displayed and which should be suppressed. Different organizations have different rules that accord with their company culture. For example, call center workers may be given a script to read to customers and be instructed to be enthusiastic and conceal their frustration. Rules for retail or wait staff may require them to greet customers with a smile and treat them as if they were always right.

Emotions in the Workplace

Emotional Dissonance

Emotional dissonance is a discrepancy between the emotions a person displays and the emotions he or she actually feels.

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

It is challenging to put on a happy face all the time, especially if you are experiencing emotional upheaval at home, or dealing with work stress. When you feel this way, sometimes the last thing you want to do is to be cheerful and helpful to difficult customers. Under these circumstances, you might experience emotional dissonance, a discrepancy between the emotions a person displays and the emotions he or she actually feels. 10 For example, you may feel angry with the customer, but you are compelled to be polite regardless of your true feelings.

Emotions in the Workplace

Social Interaction Model

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

SOURCE: Côté, Stéphane. ”A Social Interaction Model of the Effects of Emotion Regulation on Work Strain.” Academy of Management Review 30, no. 3 (July 2005): 509–530.

Figure 3.1: Social Interaction Model

When you engage in emotional labor, you are expected to regulate your true feelings in order to achieve organizational goals. People tend to use two emotional labor techniques to control their real emotions: surface acting, and deep acting. Surface acting occurs when a person suppresses his or her true feelings while displaying the organizationally desirable ones. For example, you may fake a smile or use a soft tone of voice when dealing with a difficult customer even when, underneath, you are offended. In deep acting you try to change your actual emotions to better match the emotions your employer requires in the situation. For example, rather than feeling irritated by the demanding customer, you attempt to empathize by putting yourself in the customer’s position and trying to feel his or her frustration.

Emotions in the Workplace

Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is a set of processes through which people influence their own emotions and the ways in which they experience and express them.

Antecedent-focused and response-focused.

Neck, Organizational Behavior. © SAGE Publications, 2017.

Every day we are exposed to different situations, which can trigger a range of strong emotions. In fact, one of life’s biggest challenges is keeping our emotions in check. Inappropriate or extreme responses are disruptive and will not be tolerated in a working environment. Most of us try and control our feelings through emotional regulation, a set of processes through which people influence their own emotions and the ways in which they experience and express them. The two main kinds of regulation strategies are antecedent-focused and response-focused.

Emotions in the Workplace

Antecedent-focused

Situation selection lets you choose or avoid situations that have the potential to generate certain emotional responses.

Situation modification means altering a situation to change its emotional impact.

Attention deployment consists of refocusing your attention to an area of a situation that results in a more positive emotional outcome.

Cognitive change lets you reassess an event or situation to see the bigger picture and bring about a more positive emotional reaction.

Antecedent-focused strategies come into play before the emotional response has been fully triggered. They include the following:

Situation selection lets you choose or avoid situations that have the potential to generate certain emotional responses. For example, if you dislike a co-worker, you might avoid going by his or her desk so you do not have to engage with that person.

Situation modification means altering a situation to change its emotional impact. For example, you might move physically closer to a person if you want to positively engage him or her in a serious discussion.

Attention deployment consists of refocusing your attention to an area of a situation that results in a more positive emotional outcome. For example, if you are anxious about a looming deadline, you might distract yourself by taking a short break to recharge your energy levels and refresh your focus.

Cognitive change lets you reassess an event or situation to see the bigger picture and bring about a more positive emotional reaction. For example, instead of being frustrated with your boss for being late for your meeting, you could use the extra time to do additional preparation or even take a moment to relax.

Emotions in the Workplace

Response-focused

Reappraisal means re-evaluating a potentially emotional situation in a more objective way.

Suppression occurs when we consciously mask inward emotional reactions with more positive or neutral behavioral responses.

We use response-focused strategies after an emotional response has been fully triggered. There are two types:

Reappraisal means re-evaluating a potentially emotional situation in a more objective way. For example, you are about to give a speech and you feel very nervous. Rather than allowing nerves to overcome you, you might take a few deep breaths or think about how interested your audience will be in what you have to say.

Suppression occurs when we consciously mask inward emotional reactions with more positive or neutral behavioral responses. For example, you may feel inclined to laugh when a colleague mispronounces someone else’s name, but you keep your emotions in check so as not to appear insensitive.

Emotions in the Workplace

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand emotions in ourselves and others in order to effectively manage our own behaviors and our interpersonal relationships.

Imagine you are working on a complex project and one of your teammates is such having difficulty in carrying out his role that he slows down the rest of the team and jeopardizes the deadline. Do you complain to your boss that this employee is letting the team down? Or do you try and manage the situation by supporting your teammate and helping him learn the right skills? If you chose the latter option, you probably have high levels of emotional intelligence (EI), the ability to understand emotions in ourselves and others in order to effectively manage our own behaviors and our interpersonal relationships. Organizations are beginning to base hiring and promoting decisions on EI, and it is considered as important to professional success as other abilities such as technical skills.

The Four Dimensions of EI

Figure 3.2 The Four Dimensions of EI

There are four dimensions of EI:

Self-Awareness: A good understanding of your own emotions.

Self-Management: The ability to control and regulate emotions and impulses.

Social Awareness: Skills in perceiving, empathizing with, and reacting appropriately to the emotions of others.

Relationship Management: The ability to manage the emotions of others to build strong and healthy relationships with them.