4

Workplace Emotions
and Attitudes
McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Emotions and Attitudes at Wegmans

Courtesy of Wegmans Food Markets

Wegmans Food Market enjoys strong customer

loyalty and low employee turnover by keeping
employees happy. Shown here, CEO Danny Wegman
meets with staff during a new store opening.

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-2 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Emotions Defined

Courtesy of Wegmans Food Markets

Psychological, behavioral, and physiological episodes

experienced toward an object, person, or event that
create a state of readiness.

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-3 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Types of Emotions
Astonished
High

Fearful Elated
High activation High activation
Negative emotions Positive emotions
Activation

Sad Cheerful

Low activation Low activation

Negative emotions Positive emotions

Bored Content

Tranquil
Low

Negative Positive
Evaluation

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-4 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Attitudes versus Emotions
Attitudes Emotions

Judgments about an attitude Experiences toward an attitude

object object

Based on awareness of our

Based mainly on rational logic
senses

Usually stable for days or Occur briefly, usually lasting

longer minutes

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-5 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Emotions, Attitudes and Behavior
Perceived Environment
Cognitive Emotional
process process

Beliefs
Emotional
Episodes
Attitude Feelings

Behavioral
Intentions

Behavior

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-6 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Serious Fun at CXtex

• Cxtec employees live up

to their company values,
which include having fun
at work.
– Helium-filled balloons adorn
the office.
– Break room with billiards,
foosball, and air hockey.
– Miniature golf tournaments
in the office, tricycle races
around the building, and
Courtesy of CXtec
“CXtec Idol” competitions.

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-7 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Generating Positive Emotions at Work

• The emotions-attitudes-
behavior model illustrates
that attitudes are shaped by
ongoing emotional
experiences.

• Thus, successful companies

actively create more positive
than negative emotional
episodes.
Courtesy of CXtec

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-8 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Cognitive Dissonance

• A state of anxiety that occurs when an

individual’s beliefs, feelings and behaviors are
inconsistent with one another
• Most common when behavior is:
– known to others
– done voluntarily
– can’t be undone

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-9 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Emotional Labor

• Effort, planning and control needed to express

organizationally desired emotions during
interpersonal transactions.
• Emotional labor higher when job requires:
– frequent and long duration display of emotions
– displaying a variety of emotions
– displaying more intense emotions

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-10 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Emotional Labor Across Cultures

• Some cultures expect people to display a

neutral emotional demeanor, with minimal
emotional expression and monotonic voice (e.g.
Korea, Japan, Austria)

• Other cultures allow or encourage emotional

expression, where emotions are revealed
through voice and gestures (e.g. Kuwait, Egypt,
Spain, Russia)

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-11 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Emotional Labor Challenges

• Difficult to display expected emotions

accurately, and to hide true emotions
• Emotional dissonance
– Conflict between true and required emotions
– Potentially stressful with surface acting
– Less stress through deep acting

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-12 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Emotional Intelligence Defined

Ability to perceive and express emotion,

assimilate emotion in thought,
understand and reason with emotion,
and regulate emotion in oneself and
others

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-13 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Model of Emotional Intelligence

Highest Relationship
Managing other people’s emotions
Management

Understanding and sensitivity to the

Social Awareness feelings, thoughts, and situation of
others

Controlling or redirecting our internal

Self-management states, impulses, and resources

Understanding your own emotions,

Lowest Self-awareness strengths, weaknesses, values, and
motives

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-14 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Emotional Intelligence Competencies
Self Other
(personal competence) (social competence)

Recognition
of emotions Self-awareness Social awareness

Regulation Relationship
of emotions Self-management
management

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-15 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Improving Emotional Intelligence

• Emotional intelligence is a set of competencies

(aptitudes, skills)
• Can be learned, especially through coaching
• EI increases with age -- maturity

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-16 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Job Satisfaction

• A person's evaluation of
his or her job and work
context
• A collection of attitudes Job
about specific facets of Content
Supervisor
the job

Career Job Co-workers

Progress Satisfaction

Pay and Working

Benefits Conditions

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-17 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 EVLN: Responses to Dissatisfaction

• Leaving the situation

Exit • Quitting, transferring

• Changing the situation

Voice • Problem solving, complaining

• Patiently waiting for the situation

Loyalty to improve

• Reducing work effort/quality

Neglect • Increasing absenteeism

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-18 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Job Satisfaction and Performance

• Happy workers are somewhat more productive

workers, but:
1. General attitude is a poor predictor of specific
behaviors
2. Job performance affects satisfaction only when
rewarded
3. Job satisfaction and motivation have little effect in
jobs with little employee control (e.g. assembly lines)

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-19 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Happy Staff, Happy Customers at Outback

Outback Steakhouse is
successful in part
because it applies the
principle that happy
employees make happy
customers, which result in
happy shareholders.
Courtesy of Outback Steakhouse

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-20 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Job Satisfaction and Customers

Job satisfaction increases

customer satisfaction and
profitability because:
– Job satisfaction affects mood,
leading to positive behaviors
toward customers
– Less employee turnover,
resulting in more consistent
and familiar service
Courtesy of Outback Steakhouse

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-21 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Organizational Commitment

• Affective commitment
– Emotional attachment to, identification with, and
involvement in an organization

• Continuance commitment
– Belief that staying with the organization serves your
personal interests

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-22 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Building Organizational Commitment

• Apply humanitarian values

Justice & support
• Support employee wellbeing

Shared values • Values congruence

• Employees trust org leaders

Trust
• Job security supports trust

Organizational • Know firm’s past/present/future

comprehension • Open and rapid communication

Employee • Employees feel part of company

involvement • Involvement demonstrates trust

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-23 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Psychological Contract Defined

Beliefs about the terms and

conditions of a reciprocal
exchange between that
person and other party

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-24 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Transactional v. Relational Contracts
Transactional Relational
Contracts Contracts

Focus Economic &

Economic
socioemotional

Time-frame Closed-ended Open-ended

and short-term and indefinite

Stability Static Dynamic

Scope Narrow Pervasive

Tangibility Well-defined More subjective

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-25 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Psychological Contract Issues

• Contracts vary across cultures

– Example: employees in the United States expect
more involvement than do employees in high power
distance cultures (e.g. Mexico)

• Contracts vary across generations

– Baby boomers -- assume more job security for loyalty
– Gen-X/ Gen-Y -- assume more employability

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-26 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 4

Workplace Emotions
and Attitudes
McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 4

Chapter Four
Extras
McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Employee-Customer-Profit Chain

Company
Practices

• Less • Satisfied
turnover Customer’s customers
Satisfied
Perceived
Employees • Consistent • Customer
service Value referrals

Higher
Revenue
Growth and
Profits

McShane/Von Glinow OB4e Slide 4-29 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.