CASE INCIDENT:THE UPSIDE OF ANGER

-SANKALP ABHISHEK(401)JUHI RUPANI (421)

EMOTIONS

• An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide

variety of feelings, thoughts and behaviour. Emotions are subjective

experiences, often associated with mood, temperament, personality and

disposition.

• Emotions are intense feelings that are directed at someone or something.

• They are reactions to a person or event.

• There are various aspects of emotions which include:

– The biology of emotions

– Intensity

– Frequency and duration

MOODS

• A mood is a relatively long lasting emotional state.

• Moods differ from simple emotions in that they are less specific, less intense, and less likely to be triggered by a particular stimulus or event.

• Moods generally have either a positive or negative valence. In other words, people typically speak of being in a good mood or a bad mood. 

• Unlike acute, emotional feelings like fear and surprise, moods often last for hours or days.

• Mood also differs from temperament or personality traits which are even longer lasting.

• Mood is an internal, subjective state, but it often can be inferred from posture and other behaviors.

SOURCES OFEMOTIONS

AND MOODS

Personality

Day of the Week and Time of the Day

Weather

Stress

Social Activities

Sleep

Exercise

Age

Gender

AFFECTIVE EVENTS THEORY

• Affective Events Theory (AET) is a model developed by organizational

psychologists Howard M. Weiss (Purdue University) and Russell

Cropanzano (University of Arizona) to identify how

emotions and moods influence job performance and job satisfaction.

• The model increases understanding of links between employees and their

emotional reaction to things that happen to them at work.

• Work environment

• Characteristics of the job

• Job demands• Requirements

for emotional labor• Work

Events• Daily

hassles• Daily

uplifts

• Personal dispositions

• Personality

• Mood

• Emotional reactions

• Positive• Negativ

e

• Job satisfaction• Job performance

THE UPSIDE OF ANGER!!

• A researcher doing a case study on emotions in organizations interviewed Laura, 22-year-old customer service representative in Australia.

• Various questions asked to Laura about her workplace environment and about how she feels working there.

• Laura has strong opinions about her workplace and the emotions displayed by her colleagues.

• Workplace: very cold, unproductive, hostile

• Emotions prevalent: anger, hatred

Q1. Do you think Laura is justified in her responses to her organization’s

culture? Why or why not?

• Yes, justified

• Many managers and supervisors labor under the mistaken impression that the level of employee performance on the job is proportional to the size of the employee’s pay packet.

• Salary increases and bonuses for performance, in many instances, have a very limited short-term effect.

• It is the quality of the employee’s workplace environment that most impacts on their level of motivation and subsequent performance.

• Laura’s workplace environment: cold, hostile and unproductive.

• Emotions prevalent: hatred, anger

• Seniors did not appreciate the work done by the employees.

• Therefore the response of Laura towards her organization was the result of the prevalent work environment at her office and the work attitudes of her colleagues.

Q2. Do you think Laura’s strategic use and display of emotions serve to

protect her?

• Yes

• Laura does not enjoy working in the environment that is prevalent in her office.

• The General Manager’s statement “ Nobody’s indispensible” is very discouraging as it kills the creativeness of employees like Laura.

• The only way for her to survive her workplace is by displaying emotions that are not actually felt by her.

• Laura displays emotional labor.

• Emotional labor is a form of emotional regulation wherein workers are expected to display certain emotions as part of their job, and to promote organizational goals. The intended effects of these emotional displays are on other, targeted people, who can be clients, customers, subordinates or co-workers.

• Emotional labor causes dilemmas for employees.

• The true challenge is when employees have to project one emotion while simultaneously feeling another. This disparity is emotional dissonance and it can take a heavy toll on employees.

• Laura separated her emotions into felt emotions and displayed emotions.

• Felt emotions are an individual’s actual emotions.

• Displayed emotions are those that the organization requires workers to show and considers appropriate in a given job.

• So this shield of displayed emotions that Laura had put on actually served to protect her.

• She was able to work with her senior managers, whom she didn’t like and she was now much better at telling people off and voice her opinion.

• This display of emotions did serve to protect her as no one knew what she actually felt and was able to express herself according to the need of the hour.

Q3. Assuming Laura’s description is accurate, how would you react to the

organization’s culture?

Strategies for handling a difficult situation:

Always have a Plan B

Never react to verbal abuse or harsh criticism with emotion

Discuss rather than confront

Keep your professional face on

Evaluate your own performance

Gather additional support

Leave work at work

Q4. Research shows that acts of coworkers (37%) and management

(22%) cause more negative emotions for employees than do acts of

customers (7%). What can Laura’s company do to change its emotional

climate?

• Ways to change emotional climate are:

– Managers can use humor and lighten the workplace environment.

– Appreciate the work of employees and give them rewards for good job done. .

– Create a more friendly environment rather than a stressful one.

– Create a feeling of co-operation amongst the employees and also help resolve conflicts.

– Managers should motivate their employees and encourage them to work more creatively and innovatively.

THANKYOU!!!