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 Surprise Fear

Sadness Anger Disgust

• 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