1 Chapter 7 Emotions & Moods

2 Why Emotions historically excluded from study of OB? Myth of rationality: Emotions viewed as opposite of rationality and should not be in the workplace Belief that any emotions are disruptive in the workplace

3 Individuals & Emotions What are emotions? Affect – covers a broad range of feelings that people experience Emotions – intense feelings directed at someone or something Moods – feelings that tend to be less intense, lack a contextual stimulus

4 Affect, Emotions and Moods

5 Spectrum of Universal Emotions Happiness SurpriseFear Classifying Moods: Positive and Negative Affect Mood States: General groupings of affective emotions Positivity Offset: Generally, at zero input, people are in a positive mood

6 Sources of Emotions and Moods 1. Day of Week and Time of Day –More positive interactions will likely occur mid-day and later in the week 2. Weather –No impact according to research 3. Stress –Increased stress worsens moods 4. Social Activities –Physical, informal, and epicurean activities increase positive mood

7 5. Sleep –Lack of sleep increases negative emotions and impairs decision making 6. Exercise –Mildly enhances positive mood 7. Gender –Women show greater emotional expression, experience emotions more intensely and display more frequent expressions of emotions –Could be due to socialization More Sources (cont.)

8 8. Age –Older people experience negative emotions less frequently 9. Personality Predispositions –Most people have built-in tendencies (both in terms of emotions experienced and their intensity) 10. Organizational & Cultural Expectations –Managers have a significant impact via their own example, conduct and the kind of climate they create –Experience, interpretation and expression of emotions differ greatly across cultures More Sources (cont.)

9 Emotional Labor: When employees must express organizationally desired emotions during the interpersonal “transactions” on the job. Felt emotions: Person's actual emotions. Displayed emotions: Organizationally-required and considered appropriate for expression as part of one’s job duties. Emotional Dissonance: Employee must project one emotion while feeling another. Surface Acting: Hiding one’s true emotions. Deep Acting: Changing one’s underlying feelings. Emotional Labor

10 Emotional Intelligence (EI): The capacity to recognize feelings in oneself and others, to manage emotions in ourselves and our relationships, and to motivate oneself (self-discipline). Commonly used taxonomy of EI: Self-Awareness Self-Regulation Motivation Empathy Social Skills Emotional Intelligence

11 Leadership and Motivation –EI and people skills are at the heart of motivation and leadership Interpersonal Conflict, Negotiation –EI and people skills are at the heart of creative problem solving Customer Service –Customers “catch” emotions from employees, who “catch” emotions from their bosses, etc. (i.e., SRDH) Creativity and Decision Making –Impact of positive emotions on both Deviant Workplace Behaviors –The “dark side” (or “People are our biggest headache!”) Emotional Competencies of Employees –“Make” (training & development) vs. “Buy” (recruit & select)? Selection, Staffing and Training –Proper assessment and assignment matching is critical Business Management Implications