Emotion in the Workplace, prepared by instructor Wanda J. Barreto for Goodwin College-Organizational Communication

1. Chapter 11

2. Emotion in the
Workplace
 Most models governed by logic and
rationality
 Interactions often governed by emotion
 Scholars beginning to appreciate emotional
nuances

3. Emotion in the
Workplace
 When theorists moved away from purely
logical models moved to models that
considered bounded rationality
 Mumby and Putnam began to look at
emotional life as central focus
 Consider ways paying attention to
emotion might lead to new ways of
understanding

4. Emotion as Part of
the Job
 In many jobs, communication between
employee and client involves some degree
of emotional content
 Emotional labor
 Surface acting
 Deep acting

5. Emotion as Part of
the Job
 Generalizations from work on emotional
labor:
 Seen as way to increase success of
organization
 Most research considers emotion
controlled through training
 Most research considers emotional
displays related through deep acting or
surface acting
 Workers are aware they are acting

6. Emotion as Part of
the Job
 There are times when workers feel
emotions on the job
 Genuine emotion
 Emotional work
 Compassionate communication

7. Emotion as Part of
Relationships
 Should look more at emotions that emerge
from relationships
 Emotion at work
 Workplace bullying

8. Emotion as Part of
Relationships
 Waldron’s aspects of work relationships
that create intense emotion:
 Tension between public and private
 Relational networks and emotional
buzzing
 Conflicting allegiances
 Emotional rights and obligations at work

10. Emotion Rules and
Emotional Intelligence
 Emotional intelligence
 High emotional IQ
 Criticized by some scholars

11. Stress, Burnout, and
Social Support
 Stress
 Scholars use term in different ways
 Stress process
 Stressors
 Burnout

13. Burnout
 Wearing out from pressures of work
 Chronic condition
 Consists of:
 Emotional exhaustion
 Lack of personal accomplishment
 Depersonalization

14. Stressors that Lead to
Burnout
 Most frequent stressors:
 Workload
 Conflict
 Role ambiguity
 Can also result from stressors outside
workplace
 Learn more about symptoms and how to
cope at:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/burnout_s

15. Outcomes of Burnout
 Physiological effects
 Attitudinal effects
 Lower levels of satisfaction
 Lower levels of commitment
 Organizational effects
 Turnover

16. Communication as a
Cause of Burnout
 Communication interactions contribute to
workload
 Can also influence role conflict and role
ambiguity
 Emotional communication

17. Emotional Labor as a
Contributor to Burnout
 Emotions required as part of job
 Closely linked with burnout
 Serious psychological risk
 Danger is display of emotions that are
not felt
 Emotional dissonance

19. Individual and
Organizational Coping
Strategies
 Dysfunctional reactions – drinking, drug
use, absenteeism
 Coping strategies:
 Problem-centered coping
 Appraisal-centered coping
 Emotion-centered coping

20. Communicative
Coping: PDM
 Participation in decision making (PDM)
 Can improve satisfaction and
productivity
 Can decrease burnout
 Reduces role conflict and role ambiguity

21. Communicative
Coping: Social Support
 Typologies of social  Individuals who can
support: provide support:
 Emotional  Supervisors
support  Coworkers
 Informational  Friends and
support family
 Instrumental
support