Chapter 4

WORKPLACE

EMOTIONS,

ATTITUDES AND

STRESS

Workplace Emotions, Attitudes, andStress

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

McShane/Von Glinow OB

5eCopyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights

reserved.

Positive Emotions at Mott MacDonald

To attract and keep talented

employees, companies are

finding creative ways to generate

positive emotions in the

workplace. Employees at Mott

MacDonald have plenty of fun.

For example, the Abu Dhabi oil

and gas team has an annual

desert safari, complete with camel

rides (shown in photo).

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Emotions Defined

Psychological, behavioral, and

physiological episodes

experienced toward an object,

person, or event that create a

state of readiness.

Most emotions occur without our

awareness

Moods – lower intensity emotions

without any specific target source

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Types of Emotions

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Attitudes versus Emotions

Attitudes Emotions

Judgments about anattitude object

Based mainly onrational logic

Usually stable for daysor longer

Experiences related to anattitude object

Based on innate and learned responses to environment

Usually experienced forseconds or less

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Traditional Model of Attitudes

Purely cognitive approach

• Beliefs: established perceptions of attitude object

• Feelings: calculation of good or bad based on

beliefs about the attitude object

• Behavioral intentions: motivation to act in response

to the attitude object

Problem: Ignores important role of emotions

in shaping attitudes

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Behavior

Attitudes: From Beliefs to Behavior

Perceived Environment

Attitude Feelings

Beliefs

BehavioralIntentions

Cognitive process

Emotional process

Emotional Episodes

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Emotions, Attitudes, and Behavior

How emotions influence attitudes:

1. Feelings are shaped by cumulative emotional

episodes (not just evaluation of beliefs)

2. We ‘listen in’ on our emotions when determining

our attitude toward something

Potential conflict between cognitive and

emotional processes

Emotions also directly affect behavior

• e.g. facial expression

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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.

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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

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Emotional Labor Defined

Effort, planning and control needed to express

organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal

transactions.

Emotional labor is higher when job requires:

• frequent and long duration display of emotions

• displaying a variety of emotions

• displaying more intense emotions

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Emotional Labor Across Cultures

Displaying or hiding emotions varies across

cultures

• Minimal emotional expression and monotonic voice

in Korea, Japan, Austria

• Encourage emotional expression in Kuwait, Egypt,

Spain, Russia

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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

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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

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Social Awareness

Self-management

Perceiving and understanding the meaning of others’ emotions

Managing our own emotions

Self-awarenessperceiving and understanding the meaning of your own emotions

Relationship Management

Managing other people’s emotions

Lowest

Highest

Model of Emotional Intelligence

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Emotional Intelligence Competencies

Self-awareness Social awareness

Self-managementRelationship management

Self(personal competence)

Other(social competence)

Recognition of emotions

Regulationof emotions

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Improving Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a set of

competencies (aptitudes, skills)

Can be learned, especially through coaching

EI increases with age -- maturity

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Job Satisfaction

A person's evaluation of his or her job and

work context

A collection of attitudes about specific facets

of the job

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Loyalty

Voice

Exit

Neglect

• Leaving the situation• Quitting, transferring

• Changing the situation• Problem solving, complaining

• Patiently waiting for the situation to improve

• Reducing work effort/quality• Increasing absenteeism

EVLN: Responses to Dissatisfaction

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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. Effect on performance strongest in complex jobs

because of greater employee influence on job

performance (e.g. limited in assembly lines)

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Happy Staff=Happy Customers at Wegman’s

Wegmans Food Market

enjoys strong customer

loyalty and low employee

turnover by keeping

employees happy.

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Job Satisfaction and Customers

Job satisfaction increases

customer satisfaction and

profitability because:

1. Job satisfaction affects

mood, leading to positive

behaviors toward customers

2. Job satisfaction reduces

employee turnover, resulting

in more consistent and

familiar service

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Organizational Commitment

Affective commitment

• Emotional attachment to, identification with, and

involvement in an organization

Continuance commitment

• Calculative attachment – stay because too costly to

quit

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Building (Affective) commitment

SharedValues

• Values congruence

Justice/ Support• Apply humanitarian values

• Support employee wellbeing

EmployeeInvolvement

• Employees feel part of company

• Involvement demonstrates trust

OrganisationalComprehension

• Know firm’s past/present/future

• Open and rapid communication

Trust• Employees trust org leaders

• Job security supports trust

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What is Stress?

An adaptive response to a situation that is

perceived as challenging or threatening to the

person’s well-being

Aphysiological and psychological condition

that prepares us to adapt to hostile or noxious

environmental conditions

Eustress vs. distress

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Stage 1Alarm Reaction

Stage 2Resistance

Stage 3Exhaustion

NormalLevel of

Resistance

General Adaptation Syndrome

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Behavioral

Psychological

Work performance, accidents, absenteeism, aggression, poor decisions

Dissatisfaction, moodiness, depression, emotional fatigue

PhysiologicalCardiovascular disease, hypertension, headaches

Consequences of Distress

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Cynicism

Reduced Personal Accomplishment

Physiological,

psychological,

and behavioral

consequences

EmotionalExhaustion

Interpersonal andRole-Related Stressors

Job Burnout Process

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What are Stressors?

Stressors are the causes of stress -- any

environmental condition that places a

physical or emotional demand on the person.

Some common workplace stressors include:

• Harassment an incivility

• Work overload

• Low task control

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Psychological Harassment

Repeated and hostile or

unwanted conduct, verbal

comments, actions or gestures,

that affect an employee's dignity

or psychological or physical

integrity and that result in a

harmful work environment for

the employee.

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Sexual Harassment

Unwelcome conduct -- detrimental effect on

work environment or job performance

Quid pro quo

• employment or job performance is conditional on

unwanted sexual relations

Hostile work environment

• an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working

environment

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Work Overload and Task Control Stressors

Work Overload Stressor

• Working more hours, more intensely than one can

cope

• Affected by globalization, consumerism, ideal

worker norm

Task Control Stressor

• Due to lack control over how and when tasks are

performed

• Stress increases with responsibility

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© Photodisc. With permission.

Individual Differences in Stress

Different threshold levels of

resistance to stressor

Use different stress coping

strategies

Resilience to stress

• Due to personality and coping

strategies

Workaholism

• Highly involved in work

• Inner pressure to work

• Low enjoyment of work

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Managing Work-Related Stress

Remove the stressor• Minimize/remove stressors

Withdraw from the stressor• Vacation, rest breaks

Change stress perceptions• Positive self-concept, humor

Control stress consequences• Healthy lifestyle, fitness, wellness

Receive social support

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Workplace Emotions, Attitudes, andStress

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

McShane/Von Glinow OB

5eCopyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights

reserved.

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