Understanding Organizational Behaviour

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Emotions and Stress

CHAPTER

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4.1

What are Emotions?

People tend to mix the word of emotion with

affect and moods.
Intercross with affect and moods.
Moods and emotions are under the category of
affect.
Different from affect, emotion is an intense
feeling that is directed to someone or
something.
Lastly, moods are feelings that tend to be less
intense than emotions which lack a contextual
stimulus.
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4.2

Emotional Labour

Ability to feel different emotions at the same time

makes us a unique creature.
Emotional labour is usually described as a
situation in which an employee expresses
emotions which are relevant to organizational
context during their interpersonal transactions.
Employees must be able to analyse their job
description to ensure that the emotions
portrayed are suitable according to their job
requirement.
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4.3

Felt vs. Displayed

Emotions

Felt emotions are the kind of emotions which we

truly feel.
Displayed emotions are the type of emotions that
we must show according to job requirement and
company policy.

For example, while handling a customer at the front

office:
You must have a happy and smiley face.
Your tone of voice must be softer than customer.
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4.4

Dimensions of Emotions

Variety
Intensity
Frequency and duration

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4.4.1

Variety

Example: anger, sadness, joy, hate, pride and

others.
Since there are many types of emotions,
researchers have classified it into two
categories:
Positive emotions
Negative emotions.
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4.4.2

Intensity

Different people will also portray different

levels of emotions.
Depends on situations.

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4.5

Gender and Emotions

People always associate women of being more

emotional than men.
Modern psychological researches indicate that
men and women possess different skills related
to the sending and receiving of emotions.
Women tend to express emotion through facial
expression and interpersonal communication.
Men generally express emotion through actions,
such as engaging in aggressive, dangerous or
distracting behaviour.
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4.6

External Constraints on
Emotions

Different jobs require different types of

emotional labour.
Organization and culture will have their
own influences towards emotions.

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4.6.1

Organizational Influences

Although the organization does not have a

documented file in explaining types of
emotion that the future employees are
suppose to have, but they will be matched
according to the nature of the job.
Cultures also have its own influences
towards emotion.

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4.7

OB Application

OB application:
Ability and selection
Decision making
Motivation
Leadership
Interpersonal conflict
Deviant workplace behaviours
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4.7.1

Ability and Selection

Employee can become more effective

once they are able to understand their
own emotions as well as others.
At the workplace, employees are
encouraged to cope with all the
pressure and demands.
This ability is referred to as emotional
intelligence.
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Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is identified as an
assortment of cognitive skills, capabilities
and competencies that influence a persons
ability to succeed in coping with the
pressure and demand which are derived
from the workplace.

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4.7.2

Decision Making

People tend to make different decisions when

they are in different emotions.
No doubt, negative emotions can lead to less
effective decision whereas positive emotions
tend to make us more rational in making any
decision.

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4.7.3

Motivation

Overall motivation theories conclude that we

tend to be highly motivated when we are
determined towards achieving something.

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4.7.4

Leadership

One is referred to as a leader when there are

followers.
Effective leaders must be able to demonstrate
their ability in understanding the followers
needs.
Although others might think that they actually
made a mistake, the followers will think
differently.
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4.7.5

Interpersonal Conflict

Issues of conflict and emotions are always

intertwined.
In many situations, when the conflict arises
between two parties, it will involve different
kinds of emotions and sometimes it will also
involve many emotions at one time.

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4.7.6

Workplace Issues in
Relation to Emotions

Deviant workplace behaviours

Sexual harassment
Intentionally working slowly
Sabotage
More aggressive
Involve with theft
Blaming co-workers
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4.8

What is Stress?

Stress is an imprecise term.

Usually this term is defined in terms of the
internal and external conditions that are able to
create a stressful environment.
Symptoms that an individual is facing.
Stress can be defined as a psychological and
physical reaction to prolonged internal and/or
environmental conditions which are more than
the individuals adaptive capabilities.
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4.9

Understanding Stress
and Its Consequences

Since stress is the reaction of individuals to a

new or threatening factor in their working
environment, it has certain impact on the
individuals.
Personal life perspective
Health perspective
Organizational perspective

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4.10

Potential Sources of
Stress

The environment factors

The organization factors
Relationship among colleagues
Own characteristics
Individual differences
Perception
Job experience
Social support

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4.11

Consequences of Stress

Physiological symptoms
Psychological symptoms
Behavioural symptoms

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4.12

Nature of Stress

Stressors are additive.

Environmental influence it:
Long-term effect
Short-term effect.

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4.13

Stress Moderators

Stress moderators

Examples

Perception

When a company announces to use voluntary

separation scheme to reduce the number of
employees, Ahmad sees it as an opportunity for him to
start a business after receiving huge amount of money,
but Muthu sees it as a threat of being laid off. Muthu
now is in a stressful situation whereas Ahmad already
starts to fill up the VSS forms.

Job experience

Ali and Ah Thong have been with Company A for 20

years, now Ali has learned all the techniques to cope
with stress because he personally knows almost all the
other employees. On the other hand, Ah Thong, after
20 years starts to feel bored and unmotivated to be in
the office.

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4.13

Stress Moderators (cont.)

Stress moderators

Social support

Belief in locus of
control

Self-efficacy
Hostility

Examples

Although Nancy is an American and had just arrived 2

days ago in Malaysia, she does not feel lonely and
isolated because her Malaysian co-workers are friendly
towards her.
Ali is an external locus of control believer. He also
thinks life is a result of what is meant to be to him and
he has no control over his life. As a result, he feels so
stressed.
Siti is a person who values her life every day. She sees
her problem from the positive side and always thinks
well about her life.
Shah always feels uncertain about his life. This makes
him angry easily. As a result, it increases his stress
level.

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4.14

Managing Stress

Individual perspective
Organizational perspective

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4.14.1 Individual Perspective

Strategies

Examples

Time managing techniques

Making to-do list

Prioritizing daily activities
Scheduling
Highlighting your personal time ability

Increase physical exercise

Jogging
Sports

Relaxation

Detach from the work for a while

Social support network

Make more friends

Mingle with more people

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4.15

Review Questions

1. What are emotions?

2. What is your understanding of emotional labour?
3. How would you explain the emotional
dimensions?
4. What is the relationship between gender and
emotions?
5. Can you explain stress?
6. Explain stress and its consequences.
7. How do you manage stress?
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