Emotions and Moods

Why have emotions been excluded from

OB study?
 Myth of rationality – emotions were the antithesis
of rationality and should not be seen in the
workplace
 Belief that emotions of any
kind are disruptive in the
workplace
What are Emotions and Moods
 Affect– a generic term that encompasses both
emotions and moods
 Emotions – intense feelings that are directed at
someone or something
 Moods – feelings that tend to be less intense than
emotions and often lack a contextual stimulus
Affect, Emotions and Moods
Aspects of Emotions
 Biology of Emotions – emotions originate in
the brain’s limbic system, which is different
for each person
 Intensity – different people give different
responses to identical emotion-provoking
stimuli
 Frequency and Duration – some emotions
occur more frequently and emotions differ in
how long they last
Aspects of Emotions (cont.)
 Emotions and Rationality – Our emotions provide
important information about how we understand
the world around us.
 Evolutionary Psychology – states that we must
experience emotions because they serve a purpose;
hard to know if this is valid all the time
Sources of Emotions and Moods
 Personality – predisposes people to experience
certain moods and emotions. Affect intensity
affects the strength of the emotion
 Day of week and Time of day – more positive
interactions will likely occur from mid-morning
onwards and also later in the week
Day of Week Impact on Mood
More Sources
 Weather – not an impact according to research
 Stress – increased stress worsens moods
 Social Activities – usually increase positive mood
and have little effect on negative mood
 Sleep – less sleep or poor quality sleep increases
negative emotions
More Sources
 Exercise – enhances positive mood
 Age – older people experience negative emotions
less frequently
 Gender – women show greater emotional
expression, experience emotions more intensely
and display more frequent expressions of emotions
 External Constraints on Emotions
 Organizational Influences – most
American organizations strive to be
emotion-free
 Cultural Influences – cultures vary
in:
 Degree to which people experience
emotions
 Interpretation of emotions
 Norms for the expression of emotions
 Emotional Labor
 An employee’s expression of
organizationally desired
emotions during interpersonal
transactions at work
 Emotional dissonance is when
an employee has to project one
emotion while feeling another
one
Felt vs. Displayed Emotions
 Feltemotions are the individual’s actual emotions
 Displayed emotions are those that the organization
requires workers to show
 Surface acting is hiding our true emotions
 Deep acting is trying to change one’s feelings
based on display rules
Emotional Intelligence
 One’s ability to detect and manage emotional cues
and information
 Five dimensions:
 Self-awareness
 Self-management
 Self-motivation
 Empathy
 Social skills
OB Applications of
Emotions and Moods
 Selection – employers should consider EI a factor
in hiring for jobs that demand a high degree of
social interaction
 Decision Making – Positive emotions can increase
problem-solving skills and help us understand and
analyze new information
OB Applications of
Emotions and Moods
 Creativity – Positive moods increase creativity
 Motivation – Organizations that promote positive
moods are likely to have a more motivated
workforce
 Leadership – Emotions help
convey messages more
effectively
OB Applications of
Emotions and Moods
 InterpersonalConflict – it is critical to identify and
work through the emotional elements in any
conflict
 Negotiation – emotions may impair negotiator
performance
 Customer Service – customers “catch” emotions
from employees, called emotional contagion
OB Applications of
Emotions and Moods
 Job Attitudes – emotions at work get carried home
but rarely carry over to the next day
 Deviant Workplace Behaviors – those who feel
negative emotions are more likely to engage in
deviant behavior at
work
Implications for Managers
 Understand the role of emotions and moods to
explain and predict behavior
 Emotions and moods can increase motivation
 Emotional labor recognizes that certain feelings
can be part of a job’s requirements
 Intense emotions can interfere with performance
of complex jobs
The case for EI
 Intuitiveappeal – it makes sense
 Evidence suggests that a high level of EI predicts
high job performance
 Study suggests that EI is
neurologically based
The case against EI
 EI is too vague a concept
 EI can’t be measured
 EI is so closely related to intelligence and
personality that it is not unique when those factors
are controlled