Workplace Emotions,
Attitudes, and
Stress
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
McShane/Von Glinow OB 5e
Copyright © 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).
4-2
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
4-3
Types of Emotions
4-4
Attitudes versus Emotions
Attitudes
Emotions
Judgments about an
attitude object
Experiences related to an
attitude object
Based mainly on
rational logic
Usually stable for days
or longer
Based on innate and learned
responses to environment
Usually experienced for
seconds or less
4-5
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
4-6
Attitudes: From Beliefs to Behavior
Perceived Environment
Cognitive
process
Emotional
process
Beliefs
Attitude
Emotional
Episodes
Feelings
Behavioral
Intentions
Behavior
4-7
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
4-8
Generating Positive Emotions at Work

The emotions-attitudesbehavior model illustrates that
attitudes are shaped by
ongoing emotional experiences.

Thus, successful companies
actively create more positive
than negative emotional
episodes.
4-9
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
4-10
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
11
4-11
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
4-12
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
4-13
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
4-14
Model of Emotional Intelligence
Highest
Lowest
Relationship
Management
Managing other people’s emotions
Social Awareness
Perceiving and understanding the
meaning of others’ emotions
Self-management
Managing our own emotions
Self-awareness
perceiving and understanding the
meaning of your own emotions
4-15
Emotional Intelligence Competencies
Self
(personal competence)
Other
(social competence)
Recognition
of emotions
Self-awareness
Social awareness
Regulation
of emotions
Self-management
Relationship
management
4-16
Improving Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a set of
competencies (aptitudes, skills)

Can be learned, especially through coaching

EI increases with age -- maturity
4-17
Job Satisfaction

A person's evaluation of his or her job and
work context
 A collection of attitudes about specific facets
of the job
4-18
EVLN: Responses to Dissatisfaction
Exit
Voice
• Leaving the situation
• Quitting, transferring
• Changing the situation
• Problem solving, complaining
Loyalty
• Patiently waiting for the
situation to improve
Neglect
• Reducing work effort/quality
• Increasing absenteeism
4-19
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)
4-20
Happy Staff=Happy Customers at Wegman’s
Wegmans Food Market
enjoys strong customer
loyalty and low employee
turnover by keeping
employees happy.
4-21
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
4-22
Organizational Commitment

Affective commitment
• Emotional attachment to, identification with, and
involvement in an organization

Continuance commitment
• Calculative attachment – stay because too costly to
quit
4-23
Building (Affective) commitment
Justice/ Support
Shared
Values
Trust
• Apply humanitarian values
• Support employee wellbeing
• Values congruence
• Employees trust org leaders
• Job security supports trust
Organisational
Comprehension
• Know firm’s past/present/future
• Open and rapid communication
Employee
Involvement
• Employees feel part of company
• Involvement demonstrates trust
4-24
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
4-25
General Adaptation Syndrome
Stage 1
Alarm Reaction
Stage 2
Resistance
Stage 3
Exhaustion
Normal
Level of
Resistance
4-26
Consequences of Distress
Physiological
Cardiovascular disease,
hypertension, headaches
Behavioral
Work performance, accidents,
absenteeism, aggression, poor
decisions
Psychological
Dissatisfaction, moodiness,
depression, emotional fatigue
4-27
Job Burnout Process
Interpersonal and
Role-Related Stressors
Emotional
Exhaustion
Cynicism
Physiological,
psychological,
and behavioral
consequences
Reduced Personal
Accomplishment
4-28
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
4-29
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.
4-30
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
4-31
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
4-32
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
© Photodisc. With permission.
4-33
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
4-34
Workplace Emotions,
Attitudes, and
Stress
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
McShane/Von Glinow OB 5e
Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 4-35