C H A P T E R

4
Workplace
Emotions and
Attitudes

Instructor: Umar Iqbal

2003 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim by McShane and Travaglione

Chapter learning objectives

1. Discuss the linkages between emotions and behaviour.
2. Identify the conditions that require, and the problems with,
emotional labour.
3. Outline the dimensions of emotional intelligence.
4. Discuss the effect of job satisfaction on task performance
and customer service.
5. Describe five strategies to increase organisational
commitment.

Emotions defined
Feelings experienced towards an object, person or
event that create a state of readiness
emotions demand attention and interrupt our train
of thought
emotions are directed toward something

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The Basic Emotions

While not universally accepted, there appear to be six basic emotions:
1. Anger
2. Fear
3. Sadness
4. Happiness
5. Disgust
6. Surprise
All other emotions are subsumed under these six
Psychologists tried to identify emotions by studying facial expressions.
But sometimes, emotions are complex. E.g. Love
Culture/norms govern emotional expressions, as how we experience the
emotions isnt always the same as how we show it.
May even be placed in a spectrum of emotion:
Happiness surprise fear sadness anger - disgust
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Why Were Emotions Ignored in

OB?
The Myth of Rationality
Emotions were seen as irrational
Managers worked to make emotion-free environments
View of Emotionality
Emotions were believed to be disruptive
Only negative emotions were observed e.g. Anger
Emotions interfered with productivity
Now, we know emotions cant be separated from the

workplace

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Model of attitudes and behaviour

Beliefs

Attitude

Feelings

Emotional
episodes

Behavioural
intentions

Behaviour
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Emotional labour defined

The effort, planning and control needed to express
organisationally desired emotions during interpersonal
transactions

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Emotional labour issues

True emotions leak out especially with low
emotional adaptability
Emotional dissonance causes stress
Display norms vary across cultures

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Emotional Intelligence (EI)

A persons ability to:
Be self-aware
Recognizing own emotions when experienced
Detect emotions in others
Manage emotional cues and information
EI plays an important role in job performance
EI is controversial and not wholly accepted
Case for EI:
Intuitive appeal; predicts criteria that matter; is biologicallybased.
Case against EI:
Too vague (unclear) a concept; cant be measured; its
validity is suspect.
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Emotional intelligence dimensions

Selfawareness
Social
skill

Empathy

Emotional
intelligence

Selfregulation

Selfmotivation

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Global Implications
Do people experience emotions equally?
No. Culture can determine type, frequency, and depth of
experienced emotions
Do people interpret emotions the same way?
Yes. Negative emotions are seen as undesirable and
positive emotions are desirable
However, value of each emotion varies across cultures
Do norms of emotional expression vary?
Yes.
Some cultures have a bias against emotional
expression; others demand some display of emotion
How the emotions are expressed may make interpretation
outside of ones culture difficult
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Job satisfaction and behaviour

Job satisfaction reduces turnover, absenteeism,
theft
Weak association with job performance because

general attitude is a poor predictor of specific

behaviours
performance affects satisfaction through
rewards

15

Employee-customer-profit chain
Org
practices

Satisfied
employees

Less
turnover
Consistent
service

Customers
perceived
value

Satisfied
customers
Customer
referrals

Higher
revenue
growth and
profits

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Organisational commitment
Affective commitment
emotional attachment to, identification with,
and involvement in an organisation

Continuance commitment
belief that staying with the organisation
serves your personal interests

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Building organisational commitment

Maintain fairness and satisfaction
Provide some job security
Support organisational comprehension
Involve employees in decisions

Build trust

18

Overview of the next chapter

Four content theories of motivation
Practical implications of content motivation theories
Expectancy theory and its implications
Equity theory

Characteristics of effective goal setting

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