MNO1706 Emotions

Universal Emotions

1) Happiness

2) Surprise

3) Fear

4) Sadness

5) Anger

6) Disgust

Why is emotions important?

Emotions affect how employees behave.

Example:

• Happy employees tend to cooperate more and provide better customer service.

• Angry employees may argue with colleagues or make poor decisions.

Emotions

Intense feelings directed at someone or something. They are usually short-lived and are triggered by a specific event.

Mood

Less intense, longer-lasting emotional state that is often not directed at a specific person, object, or event.

Emotional Labour

The process of managing or regulating one's emotions to display the emotions that an organisation expects during work.

Why is emotional labour important?

Many jobs require employees to display specific emotions because it affects customer experience and the organisation's image.

Example:

• Flight attendants smiling and remaining calm.

• Customer service staff staying polite to rude customers.

Types of Emotional Labour

1) Surface Acting

2) Deep Acting

Surface Acting

Fake the required emotions without changing how you actually feel.

Example:

• A hotel receptionist smiles at guests despite feeling exhausted and irritated.

Deep Acting

Try to genuinely feel the emotions you're expected to display.

Example:

• A nurse reminds herself that a patient's anger comes from fear and pain, helping her genuinely feel empathy.

Emotional Dissonance

The conflict or mismatch between the emotions an employee genuinely feels and the emotions they are expected to display at work.

The gap between your felt emotion and your displayed emotion is emotional dissonance.

Felt Emotions

The emotions that a person genuinely experiences.

Example:

• Feeling angry because a customer is rude.

• Feeling nervous before giving a presentation.

Actual Emotions

Emotions that an organisation expects employees to show in the workplace.

Example:

• Remaining calm during a complaint.

• Showing empathy to a patient.

Affective Events Theory

Workplace events trigger emotional reactions, and these emotions influence employees' attitudes and work behaviours.

Events → Emotions → Attitudes & Behaviours

General Adaptation Syndrome

Three-stage model that describes how people physically and psychologically respond to prolonged stress.

Stages of General Adaptain Syndrome

1) Alarm (This is the body's immediate reaction to a stressor. The body activates its "fight-or-flight" response.) (Lecturer announces surprise test)

2) Resistance (If the stress continues, the body tries to adapt and cope.) (Managing several weeks of assignments)

3) Exhaustion (If the stress lasts for too long and there is no recovery, the body's resources become depleted.) (Burnout after months of heavy workload)

Emotional Intelligence

The ability to recognise, understand, manage, and use emotions effectively in oneself and others.

Benefits of Emotional Intelligence

1) Better job performance

2) Better leadership

3) Better teamwork

4) Better customer relationships

Drawbacks of Emotional Intelligence

1) Difficult to measure

2) Overlaps with personality and IQ

3) Evidence is mixed (Some studies show EI predicts job performance, while others find only a weak relationship.)

4) Can be used unethically (People with high EI may understand others' emotions very well. This can be used positively (supporting others) or negatively

Emotional Regulation

The process of influencing or controlling which emotions we experience, when we experience them, and how we express them.