Processes of emotion in the workplace

Chapter 11

Emotion in the Workplace Part of the job-Hot emotion vs. cool logic Bounded rationality-decisions limited by

cognitive and situational factors (Learning Organizations)

Emotion (affective content) = A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate, and love.

Bounded emotionality-emotional quotient

Emotional Labor Emotional labor: jobs in which workers are

expected to display certain feelings to satisfy organizational role expectations (Hochschild)

Genuine (deep acting) vs. Managed emotion (surface acting)-Emotional Dissonance

EXAMPLES???? Research (p. 200)

– Front-line service workers-EL is way to increase profits

– Emotion should be controlled-Mask your bad day w/ smile!

– QUESTION? What a/b spontaneous expressions of genuine emotions?

Emotion in the Workplace Work relationships create the potential for intense

emotion in organizations (such as anger, frustration, elation, excitement, boredom)– Tension between public and private in work

relationships• Friend becomes boss

– Relational networks and emotional “buzzing”• Moods & attitudes spread

– Conflicting allegiances• Personal vs. organizational

– Emotional rights and obligations at work• Disruption of moral expectations

Emotional Display Rules(p. 204)

Express in a professional manner Express to improve situations Express to the right people Express to help individuals Don’t manage for personal benefit to the

detriment of others Expression of certain emotions is

always inappropriate

Emotional IntelligenceEQ

Emotions dynamically affect our thoughts, behaviors, decisions, and communication

Skill (IP Competencies) in effectively appraising, understanding, regulating, expressing, & managing emotions in oneself & others

Use of feelings/attitude to motivate, plan, & achieve in one’s life

Emotional IntelligenceEQ

Ability to know what you’re feeling, manage your moods, optimistically function even while faced w/ challenges, & restrain negative feelings

Self awareness, self control, & situational awareness

Skill that can be developed through training

Critique-”marketable product” that masks authentic feelings

Stress Aspects of environment (stressors)

that create strain (BO) which can lead to negative psychological, physiological, and organizational outcomes

Roots in physical arousal back to stone age (flight or fight)

Only recently (last 30 years) human stress connected to health factors

Stress (cont.) 70-80% of all disease and illness is stress

related The tension or force placed on an object to

bend or break it (physics) Absence of inner peace (Eastern) A loss of control (Western) Any change experienced by an individual

(King) A state of anxiety produced when events and

responsibilities exceed one’s coping abilities (Lazurus – psychological)

Stress (cont.) The rate of wear and tear on the body

(physiology) The nonspecific response of the body to any

demand placed upon it to adapt, whether that demand produces pleasure or pain (Selye)

The inability to cope with a perceived (real or imagined) threat to one’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well being which results in a series of physiological responses and adaptations (holistic)

Stress is not the event but the reaction to the event

Burnout (BO) Chronic condition Wearing out from pressures at work

– Emotional exhaustion– Lack of personal accomplishment– De-personalization

Workplace stressors– Workload– Role conflict– Role ambiguity– Stressors outside of workplace

Burnout (BO) Individual predisposition to BO

– Stress Inventories (class homepage/links)– Type A– Hardiness– Internal locus of control

Outcomes of BO on satisfaction, commitment, loyalty, productivity– Physiological– Attitudinal– Behavioral

Work-Life Balance Defined

– Coexisting success and enjoyment in both one’s personal and professional life

– Development, implementation, and facilitation of programs, practices and initiatives that enable employees to balance their work and personal lives

– How you juggle the demands of your job and of your personal commitments and how they affect one another

– Achievement and enjoyment in private and personal life

Time Squeeze- the idea that individuals will try to squeeze more than 24 hours out of a day, or more than the available waking hours out of the day to accomplish extra tasks (Schor).

Work-Life Imbalance: What’s Out of Whack?

Life– Peer pressure, Spousal pressure, Family

pressure, Associate pressure, Major Life Events Work

– Rituals & ceremonies– Boss– High performance & expectations– Peers– Others

EFFECTS– Burnout– Stress/strain– Turnover/unsatisfied workers/lower production

Communication & BurnOut Communication interactions

– Communication load– Role conflict & ambiguity– Communication networks

“Emotional labor” & communication– Degree of emotional content– Workers are expected to display certain faces to

satisfy org. roles & expectations– Workers at risk

Communication & BurnOut “Emotional labor” & communication

– FR of emotional displays– Attentiveness to required display rules– Variety of expressed emotions– Emotional dissonance

Empathy, communication, and BO– Human service workers– Empathy

• Emotional contagion-feeling w/ another• Empathic concern-feeling for another

Communicative responsiveness w/ Empathic Concern experiences less BO and more commitment (detached concern)

Techniques for dealing w/ org. stress

Problem-focused coping- dealing directly with the causes of burnout

Appraisal-focused coping- changing the way one thinks about the stressful situation

Emotional-focused coping- dealing with the negative outcomes of burnout

Techniques cont. Coping using Participation in Decision Making

– Reduces the workplace stressors of role conflict and role ambiguity

– Employees feel more valued Functions of social support

– Emotional support– Informational support– Instrumental support

Sources of support– Supervisors– Co-workers (peers)– Family and friends