What are emotions? Emotions are intense feelings that are directed at someone or something Emotion is a complex psycho physiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical(internal) and environmental(external) influences Emotion is associated with mood, temperament, personality, disposition, and motivation
What is the Function of Emotion? Do Emotions Make Us Irrational? Expressing emotions publicly may be damaging to social status Emotions are critical to rational decision-making Emotions help us understand the world around us What Functions Do Emotions Serve? Darwin argued they help in survival problem-solving Evolutionary psychology: people must experience emotions as there is a purpose behind them Not all researchers agree with this assessment
Emotion dimension VARIETY: There have been numerous efforts to limit and define the fundamental or basic set of emotions. Research has identified six universal emotions; anger, fear, sadness, happiness, disgust, and surprise.
The Six Universal emotions Research has identified six universal emotions: Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise
Emotion continuum The closer any two emotions are to each other on the continuum, the more likely people are to confuse them.
INTENSITY: People give different responses to identical emotion-provoking stimuli. In some cases this can be attributed to the individual’s personality. Other times it is a result of the job requirements. People may vary in their inherent ability to express intensity.
CAN PEOPLE BE EMOTIONLESS…..? Some people have severe difficulty in expressing their emotions and understanding the emotions of others. Psychologists call this alexithymia . People who suffer from alexithymia rarely cry and are often seen by other as bland and cold. Their own feelings make them uncomfortable, and they are often at a complete loss to understand what others around them feel.
Emotional labor A related affect-term that is gaining increasing importance in organizational behavior is emotional labor Every employee expends physical and mental labor when they put their bodies and cognitive capabilities, respectively into their jobs But most jobs are also require emotional labor The concept of emotional labor originally developed in relation to service jobs
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 Influences Cultural Influences Individual Emotions
Felt versus displayed emotions Felt emotions are an individual’s actual emotions Displayed emotions are those that are organizationally-required and considered appropriate in a given job. They are not innate; they are learned
Emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence refers to an assortment of noncognitive skills, capabilities, and competencies that influence a person’s ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures. It’s composed of five dimensions: Self-awareness Self-management Self-motivation Empathy Social skills
Self-awareness: The ability to be aware of what you are feeling Self-management: The ability to manage one’s own emotions and impulses Self-motivation: The ability to persist in the face of setbacks and failures Empathy : The ability to sense how others are feeling Social skills: The ability to handle the emotions of others
OB Applications of Emotions and Moods Selection EI should be a hiring factor, especially for social jobs. Decision Making Positive emotions can lead to better decisions. Creativity Positive mood increases flexibility, openness, and creativity. Motivation Positive mood affects expectations of success; feedback amplifies this effect. Leadership Emotions are important to acceptance of messages from organizational leaders.
Emotion related issues within organizations Emotions in the work place result in a series of problems that managers find themselves faced with in their workplace. Personal issues:- Employees react to one another because of personal traits that they either like or dislike in their peers and this can cause some serious problems in the smooth execution of work. Workplace Antics:- Bullying or ganging up in office environments are as real as the grapevine.
Management must be aware that there are peer pressures and groups that form based on interests and other circumstances. Employee Orientation:- New employees can face a stiff battle to be accepted by existing employees and this can lead to complications since the new recruit has been taken on to execute a specific role within the business and the longer the candidate takes to be accepted, the greater the losses felt by the company and the more the inefficiency.
Gender harassment:- particularly towards women is a common occurrence in the workplace and regulations govern any such harassment very stringently. However, a lot of cases don't get reported simply because the subjected women are ambiguous about what defines harassment. Stress:- Stress is one of the more discussed affects that influence the emotional well being of individuals in every sphere of their lives.