Emotions- Why Emotions Were Ignored in OB

• The “myth of rationality”

– Organizations are not emotion-free.
• Emotions of any kind are disruptive to
organizations.
– Original OB focus was solely on the effects of
strong negative emotions that interfered with
individual and organizational efficiency.
 What Are Emotions?

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What Are Emotions? (cont’d)
Felt versus Displayed Emotions
 Emotion Dimensions
• Variety of emotions
– Positive
– Negative
• Intensity of emotions
– Personality
– Job Requirements
• Frequency and duration of emotions
– How often emotions are exhibited.
– How long emotions are displayed.
Facial Expressions Convey Emotions

4-5
 Emotion Continuum
• The closer any two emotions are to each other on the
continuum, the more likely people are to confuse them.

EXHIBIT 4-6
 Gender and Emotions
• Women
– Can show greater emotional expression.
– Experience emotions more intensely.
– Display emotions more frequently.
– Are more comfortable in expressing emotions.
– Are better at reading others’ emotions.
• Men
– Believe that displaying emotions is inconsistent with the male image.
– Are innately less able to read and to identify with others’ emotions.
– Have less need to seek social approval by showing positive emotions.
External Constraints on Emotions

Organizational
Organizational Cultural
Cultural
Influences
Influences Influences
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Individual
Individual
Emotions
Emotions
OB Applications of Understanding Emotions

• Ability and Selection

– Emotions affect employee effectiveness.

• Decision Making
– Emotions are an important part of the decision-
making process in organizations.
OB Applications of Understanding Emotions

• Motivation
– Emotional commitment to work and high
motivation are strongly linked.

• Leadership
– Emotions are important to acceptance of
messages from organizational leaders.
OB Applications of Understanding Emotions

• Interpersonal Conflict
– Conflict in the workplace and individual emotions are strongly
intertwined.

• Deviant Workplace Behaviors

– Negative emotions can lead to employee deviance in the form of
actions that violate established norms and threaten the
organization and its members.
• Productivity failures
• Property theft and destruction
• Political actions
• Personal aggression
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Research Findings

High EI scores, not high IQ

scores, characterize high
performers.
 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

“The capacity for recognising our own feelings and

those of others, for motivating ourselves, for managing
emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.”

It is a type of social intelligence.

 What is Emotional Intelligence?
• The ability to

– perceive emotions
– access and generate emotions so as it assist
thought
– understand complex emotions and emotional
knowledge
– reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote
emotional and intellectual growth
 Elements of Emotional Intelligence

•• Self-awareness
Self-awareness
•• Self-management
Self-management
•• Self-motivation
Self-motivation
•• Empathy
Empathy
•• Social
Socialskills
skills
COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
 IMPORTANCE OF EI
Emotional Intelligence is imperative as it is one
of the important deciding factor for relationship
management resulting in :
• Motivation
• Retention
• Self management
• Managing others.
 Why Emotional Intelligence is necessary for
managers

Help them manage effective Help them being focused and stay on
relationship. track by remembering purpose &
vision.
Improving emotional intelligence
• Pay attention to self and other’s body language

• Listen more; speak less- develops empathy

• Get curious, not furious- Watch what you say

especially when frustrated or annoyed.
Improving emotional intelligence
• Elicit pride in others – Reason for working
together

• Reframe negative emotions into curiosity - " ...

this makes absolutely no sense to me" can be
replaced with, "Do you see something in this
that I must be missing”
 NINE STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Taking the time for mindfulness

Recognizing and naming emotions

Understanding the causes of feelings

Differentiating between emotion and the need to take action

Preventing depression through “learned optimism”

Managing anger through learned behavior or distraction techniques

Listening for the lessons of feelings

Using “gut feelings” in decision making

Developing listening skills

• The Ability to Reduce Negative Emotions
– Reducing Negative Personalization
– Reducing the Fear of Rejection

• The Ability to Stay Cool and Manage Stress

• The Ability to Be Assertive and Express

Difficult Emotions When Necessary
• The Ability to Stay Proactive, Not Reactive

• The Ability to Bounce Back from Adversity

• Don’t interrupt or change the subject.

• Don’t
• Know when enough is enough. judge or edit
your feelings too quickly.