Chapter 7: Moods, Emotions and Organizational Behavior

课 题 Chapter 7: Moods, Emotions and Organizational Behavior

通过本章学习，掌握能够情绪和情感如何对组织行为产生影响，
教学目标
并明确这些因素的工作原理。
1.张德，《组织行为学》，清华大学出版社，2000 年。
2.[美]罗宾斯，《组织行为学》（第 14 版），中国人民大学出
版社，2012 年。
3.周文霞等，《组织行为学教学案例精选》，复旦大学出版
社，1998 年。
参考教材
4.俞文钊，《管理心理学》（上、下册），东方出版中心，2002
参考书目、文
年。
献
5.苏东水，《管理心理学》，复旦大学出版社，2002 年。
6. [美]安杰洛 基尼奇， 《组织行为学：关键概念、技能与最
佳实践》（第四版，注释版），中国人民大学出版社，2011.
7.张岩松，王艳洁. 《组织行为学——理论、案例、实训》，清
华大学出版社，2016 年。

教学重难点 情绪和情感之间的差异和联系，情绪、情感如何影响个体行为。

教学方法
讲授课、讨论课
教学手段
课程类别 √理论课 □实验课 □技能课
课 时 □1 课时 □2 课时 □3 课时 √4 课时
教学设计 详见后页

Chapter 7:
Moods, Emotions and Organizational
Behavior

Chapter Overview

This chapter examines the effect of moods and emotions on the workplace. Humans are
emotional creatures, and to ignore this fact during work hours is inappropriate in the
study of organizational behavior. This chapter examines the causes of, and influences on,
emotion. Emotional intelligence is explored, as are the various ways emotions play out in
the work environment.

Chapter Objectives

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After studying this chapter, the student should be able to:
1. Differentiate emotions from moods and list the basic emotions and moods.
2. Identify the sources of emotions and moods.
3. Discuss the impact emotional labor has on employees.
4. Contrast the evidence for and against the existence of emotional intelligence.
5. Apply concepts of emotions and moods to OB issues.
6. Contrast the experience, interpretation, and the expression of emotions across
cultures.

Suggested Lecture Outline

Slide
I. INTRODUCTION # 7-1

A. Emotions do have an effect on behavior. Nevertheless,

until recently OB has not given much research attention to
the subject. There are two primary reasons for this Slide
inattention. # 7-2
1. Myth of rationality: people were assumed to be
emotionless while at work and operating only out of
rational self-interest.
Slide
2. Wide-standing belief that emotions of any kind were # 7-3
disruptive in the work environment.

B. Since managers expended a lot of effort removing emotion

from their organizations, researchers did not delve into the
subject of emotions. That viewpoint has changed. To
develop a full picture of organizational behavior,
researchers and managers must bring the influence of
emotions and moves into the equation.

II. WHAT ARE EMOTIONS AND MOODS?

Three closely related terms must be defined before we can explore

the subject.

A. Emotional Terminology:

1. Affect: the generic term that covers a broad range of Slide

feelings that people experience. It's an umbrella concept # 7-4
that encompasses both emotions and moods.

2. Emotion: the intense feelings that are directed at someone

or something. Emotions are more fleeting than moods.
Emotions tend to be clearly revealed through facial
expressions and are often action-oriented.

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 Chapter 7: Moods, Emotions and Organizational Behavior

3. Moods: the feelings that tend to be less intense than

emotions and often lack a contextual stimulus. Longer
lasting than emotions, moods are not usually directed at a
person or event. Moods are more cognitive, meaning they Slide
cause us to think or brood about a subject for a while. # 7-5

Moods and emotions are related to each other and exhibit a

mutual influence. An emotion, when focus is lost on the event
Exhibit
or object that started it, can turn into a mood. Moods can affect Exhibit
##7-1
the intensity of an emotional experience; that is, the degree to 7-1
which an emotion is expressed in a given situation. In reality,
the distinction between moods and emotions is often difficult
to make—even for researchers!

B. The Basic Emotions. Most researchers have agreed on six

essentially universal emotions: anger, fear, sadness, happiness, Slide
disgust, and surprise. These can even be plotted along the # 7-6
continuum: happiness – surprise – fear – sadness – anger –
disgust. The closer any two emotions are on the continuum,
the easier it is to mistake one for the other. Culture can also
influence interpretations.

C. The Basic Moods: Positive and Negative Affect. One way to

classify emotions by whether they are positive or negative. By Exhibit
Exhibit
grouping emotions into positive and negative categories, they ##7-2
7-2
become mood states, because we are looking at them in a more
general fashion. Not all emotions (e.g., surprise) fit easily into
this positive-negative scheme.

1. Positive Emotions. Express a favorable evaluation or

feeling, such as joy and gratitude.

a. Positive Affect. The mood dimension consisting of

positive emotions such as excitement, self-assurance,
and cheerfulness at the high end with boredom,
sluggishness, and tiredness at the low end.

b. Positivity Offset. At zero input, when no stimulus is

provided, most people experience a mildly positive
mood. In fact, positive moods tend to be more common
than negative ones.

2. Negative Emotions. Express the opposite, such as anger or

guilt.

a. Negative Affect. The mood dimension consisting of

nervousness, stress, and anxiety at the high end with
relaxation, tranquility, and poise at the low end.

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D. The Function of Emotions.

1. Do Emotions Make Us Irrational? While the common

view is that emotions displayed in the workplace will make Slide
people seem weak or irrational, research actually shows # 7-7
that emotions are critical to rational thinking. The reason
for this seems to be that our emotions provide important
guidance about how to understand the world around us.
The best decision makers employ both thinking and feeling
when making choices.

2. What Functions do Emotions Serve? In addition to helping

Slide
people think rationally, emotions help us solve problems
# 7-8
and motivate us toward creating a solution.

One field of study, evolutionary psychology, proposes that

we must experience emotions because they serve an
evolutionary purpose: increasing the likelihood of
reproduction or survival. This perspective is not
universally accepted.

E. Sources of Emotions and Moods. While this section

primarily deals with the main sources of moods, many of these
sources also affect emotions. Slide
# 7-9
1. Day of the Week and Time of the Day. Mood and emotion
can be affected by the timing of the stimulus.

a. Day. People tend to be in their worst moods (highest Exhibit

negative affect and lowest positive affect), early in the Exhibit
##7-3
week in their best moods later in the week. 7-3

b. Time. While we commonly think of “morning” or

“evening” people, the majority of the population tends Exhibit
Exhibit
to exhibit a similar pattern: moods start out low in the ##7-4
7-4
morning, peak during the day, and then decline in the
evening. No matter what time a person goes to bed or
gets up in the morning, the peak of a positive mood
effect typically occurs midway between waking and
sleeping times. Negative affect however, shows little
fluctuation throughout the day.

2. Weather. Despite the cultural view that weather has an

effect on mood, research evidence has not shown that to be
true.

3. Stress. Stress not only has an initial effect on emotions and

moods, it has a cumulative effect on them as well.

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 Chapter 7: Moods, Emotions and Organizational Behavior

Stressful job situations tend to increase the employee's

strain at work, worsen his or her mood, and cause the
employee to experience more negative emotions.

4. Social Activities. Social activities can have a dramatic

effect on mood and longevity. People in good moods tend
to seek out social activities and interacting socially tends to
cause people to be in good moods. The type of social
activity also has an impact on mood. Physical, informal,
and epicurean activities tend to increase mood more than
formal or sedentary events.

5. Sleep. Sleep does affect mood. Sleep-deprived people

report greater feelings of fatigue, anger, and hostility. Lack
of sleep also impairs decision-making, makes it difficult to
control emotions, and can affect job satisfaction the next
day.

6. Exercise. Research has shown that exercise does enhance

people's positive mood. This effect is strongest in people Slide
who are depressed. However, while consistent, the effect # 7-10
of exercise on mood is not very strong.

7. Age. Negative emotions tend to occur less often as people

get older. Positive moods last longer for older individuals
and bad moods tend to fade more quickly. This may be due
to the increased emotional experience given by age.

8. Gender. Research has shown that women show greater

emotional expressions than do men, they experience their
emotions more intensely, and display their emotions
(except anger) more often.

These gender differences may be caused more by

socialization than by innate generic abilities.

III. EMOTIONAL LABOR

Slide
Emotional Labor: the employee's expression of
# 7-11
organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal
transactions at work. Managers expect employees to be
courteous in interactions with both coworkers and customers.

Emotional Dissonance: situation in which employees have to

project one emotion, while simultaneously feeling another.
This dissonance can take a heavy toll on employees, resulting
in emotional exhaustion and burnout.

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 A. Felt Versus Displayed Emotions.

1. Felt Emotions: an individual's actual emotions.

2. Displayed Emotions: the learned emotions that the Slide

organization requires workers to show and considers # 7-12
appropriate in a given job.

a. Surface Acting. The hiding of one's inner feelings and

foregoing emotional expressions in response to
organizational rules of appropriate emotional display
(“display rules”). Surface acting tends to be very
stressful for employees. Surface acting is associated
with displayed emotions.

b. Deep Acting. Attempting to modify one's true inner

feelings based on display rules. Deep acting is
associated with felt emotions.

IV. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

People who know their own emotions and are good at reading Slide
others' emotions may be more effective in their jobs. The concept # 7-13
of EI is controversial in OB.

Emotional Intelligence (EI): a person’s ability to (1) be self-

aware (to recognize his or her own emotions as they are
experienced), (2) detect emotions in others, and (3) manage
emotional cues and information. Self-aware people tend to be
good at reading emotion cues. High EI is moderately
associated with high job performance.

A. The Case for EI. Supporters of the concept of EI present the

following arguments. Slide
# 7-14
1. Intuitive Appeal. It seems apparent that it would be a
positive thing to have street smarts and social intelligence.
The ability to detect emotions in others, controlling your
own emotions, and handling social interactions well seems
obvious as a way to business success.

2. EI Predicts Criteria That Matter. Research evidence is

increasing that high EI is positively correlated to job
performance.

3. EI Is Biologically Based. When people are physically

unable to process emotions they score significantly lower

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 Chapter 7: Moods, Emotions and Organizational Behavior

on EI tests, which suggests that EI is neurologically based

and is unrelated to standard measures of intelligence.

B. The Case against EI. Detractors of EI present these

arguments.

1. EI Is Too Vague a Concept. The research definition of EI

is too broad and varied to be helpful.

2. EI Can't Be Measured. As a form of intelligence, EI

should be able to be measured on tests. But most EI testing
instruments are self-reporting surveys in which there are no
verifiable answers.

3. The Validity of EI Is Suspect. Some argue that because EI

is so closely related to intelligence and personality, once
these factors are controlled for, EI has nothing unique to
offer. EI does appear to be highly correlated with measures
of personality, especially emotional stability.

C. The Status of EI. No matter the arguments, EI has taken hold

in the popular press and will likely continue to be a subject of
both study and discussion.

V. OB APPLICATIONS OF EMOTIONS AND MOODS

Slide
It is important for managers to understand emotions and moods so they
# 7-15
can improve their ability to explain and predict a number of OB
applications.

A. Selection. Employers should consider EI as a factor in the

hiring process, especially in jobs that demand a high degree of
social interaction.

B. Decision-Making. People in good moods or experiencing

positive emotions are more likely to use heuristics, or rules of
thumb, to help them make good decisions quickly. Despite
some evidence to the contrary, people experiencing bad moods
or negative emotions are more likely to take a significant
amount of time to make a decision and may not come up with a
better solution than would people in good moods.

C. Creativity. People who are in good moods tend to be more

flexible and open in their thinking and therefore become more
creative than are those in bad moods. Supervisors who
encourage and provide positive feedback to their employees
may end up with happier employees in good moods, who in

Slide
# 7-16 95
 turn become more creative. These findings are not universally
accepted: some researchers find the opposite to be true.

D. Motivation. Organizations that promote positive moods at

work, often using positive feedback, are more likely to have a
motivated workforce.

E. Leadership. Effective leaders know that emotional content is

critical in their efforts to motivate employees. By arousing
emotions and linking them to an appealing vision, leaders
increase the likelihood that managers and employees alike will
accept change.

F. Negotiation. Negotiations are emotional processes. But, the

display of true emotions may prove disadvantageous in most
negotiations. The display of feigned emotions (such as anger),
however, may be very helpful in completing successful
negotiations.

G. Customer Service. A worker's emotional state influences

customer service, which influences levels of repeat business
and levels of customer satisfaction. As mentioned earlier,
service situations may put employees in the state of emotional
dissonance, which can prove stressful, leading to burn out and
higher turnover.

Additionally, the employee’s emotions may be transferred to

the customer through emotional contagion. This may be a
positive thing, as when customer service personnel are
expressing positive moods, which are reflected in their
customers. When personnel are exhibiting negative emotions,
the opposite is true.

H. Job Attitudes. While employees do tend to take the emotional Slide

baggage of the workplace home with them, the effects, at least # 7-17
at the workplace, do not appear to be cumulative.

I. Deviant Workplace Behaviors. Many deviant behaviors can

be traced to negative emotions. Employees who feel negative
emotions, especially anger or hostility, are more likely to
engage in deviant workplace behavior (defined as behavior that
violates established norms and threatens the organization, its
members, or both).

J. How Managers Can Influence Moods? Managers can use

humor and give their employees small tokens of appreciation Slide
for work well done to improve their moods. Additionally, # 7-18
managers who themselves are in good moods, tend to spread

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 Chapter 7: Moods, Emotions and Organizational Behavior

that good mood to their workers. Finally, hiring people with

positive outlooks increases the chances of having workgroups
with positive outlooks.

VI. GLOBAL ISSUES

A. Does the Degree to Which People Experience Emotions Slide

Vary Across Cultures? Yes, it appears the frequency and # 7-19
intensity of experienced emotions varies to some degree from
culture to culture.

B. Do People’s Interpretations of Emotions Vary Across

Cultures? While the assessment of emotions (negative or
positive) appears universal, the value that cultures place on
certain emotions does vary.

C. Do the Norms for the Expression of Emotions Differ Across

Cultures? Yes they do. What’s acceptable in one culture may
be extremely unusual or even dysfunctional in another.
Managers need to know the emotional norms each culture they
do business in so they don’t send unintended signals or misread
the reactions of others.

VII. IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGERS

A. Understanding Emotions. Managers who understand the role Slide

of emotions and moods will significantly improve their ability # 7-20
to explain and predict their coworkers’ behavior.

B. Emotions Matter. Emotions and moods do affect workplace

performance. Negative emotions will hinder performance. On
the other hand, positive emotions can enhance performance by
increasing arousal levels. Should arousal levels become too
high, performance will suffer.

C. Controlling Emotions. While leaders may be able to manage

employees' emotions to some extent, control of their emotions
is beyond the realm of possibility on both a practical and
ethical basis. Slide
# 7-21
D. Keep in Mind…

1. Positive emotions can increase problem-solving skills.

2. People with high EI may be more effective in their jobs.

Slide
3. Managers need to know the emotional norms for each # 7-22
culture they do business with.

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Discussion Questions
1. Describe the three major emotional terms. How are they related and how do they
differ?

Answer: (1) Affect: the generic term that covers a broad range of feelings that
people experience. It's an umbrella concept that encompasses both emotions and
moods. (2) Emotion: the intense feelings that are directed at someone or
something. Emotions are more fleeting than moods. Emotions tend to be clearly
revealed through facial expressions and are often action-oriented. (3) Moods: the
feelings that tend to be less intense than emotions and often lack a contextual
stimulus. Longer lasting than emotions, moods are not usually directed at a
person or event. Moods are more hidden and cognitive, meaning they cause us to
think or brood about a subject for a while.

Moods and emotions are related to each other, and exhibit a mutual influence.
An emotion, once it dissipates, can turn into a mood. Moods can affect the
intensity of an emotional experience; that is, the degree to which an emotion is
expressed in a given situation. In reality, the distinction between moods and
emotions is often difficult to make.

2. List the basic emotions along a continuum. What are the difficulties of using this
continuum?

Answer: The continuum is happiness – surprise – fear – sadness – anger –

disgust. Emotions that are close to each other on the continuum are difficult to
distinguish, culture influences interpretation, and some universal emotions (such
as, surprise) do not neatly fit into the positive and negative continuum.

3. Of the eight sources of emotions and moods identified in your text, which do you
feel is the most critical and why?

Answer: Answers will vary, but one of the following sources must be identified:,
day/time, weather, stress, social activities, sleep, exercise, age, or gender.

4. What are the sources of stress and emotional labor for employees?

Answer: Emotional dissonance: a situation in which employees have to project,

an emotion, while simultaneously feeling another. This dissonance between felt
and displayed emotions can take a heavy toll on employees, resulting in emotional
exhaustion and burnout. Surface acting (the hiding of one's inner feelings and
foregoing emotional expressions based on display rules) especially tends to be
very stressful for employees.

5. How valid do you consider the concept of emotional intelligence to be?

Rationalize your answer.

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 Chapter 7: Moods, Emotions and Organizational Behavior

Answer: Answers will vary, but should align with the major arguments presented
in the textbook.

6. Consider the impact of emotions on customer service. What is the effect of

emotions and moods on customer satisfaction, and how does the concept of
emotional contagion enter into this?

Answer: A worker's emotional state influences customer service, which influences

levels of repeat business and customer satisfaction. Service situations may put
employees in the state of emotional dissonance, which can prove stressful, leading
to burn out and higher turnover.

Additionally, the employee’s emotions may be transferred to the customer through

“emotional contagion.” This may be a positive thing, as when customer service
contact personnel are expressing positive moods, which are reflected in their
customers. When personnel are exhibiting negative emotions, the opposite is true.
So employee bad moods cause bad customer moods, which cause a lack of repeat
business due to lowered customer satisfaction.

7. Are emotions universal? Why or why not? Give examples in your answer.

Answer: While emotions themselves may be universal, the expression and

interpretation of them are culturally bound. Managers must be aware of local
cultural norms of expression and interpretation in order to avoid sending the
wrong signals to locals or misinterpreting their responses.

The examples will vary.

Exercises
1. Self-analysis. Using the three components of Emotional Intelligence, rate
yourself on your ability to successfully interact with others. Choose your weakest
area and provide three suggestions for improving that dimension of EI.

2. Web Crawling. Using your favorite search engine. Search on the term "emotions
in the workplace" and find five webpages related to this chapter. Read the
webpages and write up a two-page analysis of what you learned regarding the
proper expression of emotions and moods in the workplace. Ensure you note if
the webpages were in conflict with the guidance given the textbook or agreed
with it. Exceptional students will seek out cultural differences as well.

3. Teamwork. As a small group, search for articles and webpages on workplace

violence and emotion (try a search term of “going postal workplace”). Discuss
the commonalities of the cases and examples. Try to determine what sorts of
behaviors and emotions were evidenced before the deviant behavior, without
falling into the perceptual distortion of hindsight. Be prepared to present your
findings in the class.

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4. Analyzing Your Organization (Cumulative Project) . What is the prevalent mood
of your workplace? Spend a week carefully observing three employees at your
place of work. Attempt to assess their moods and the impact these moods have on
behavior throughout the day. How well did their initial mood predict their
behaviors later in the day? What could you have done, if you were the manager,
to change these moods and behaviors in a positive way?

5. EI Debate. For this activity, divide the class into two equal groups: one of which
will be for the concept of Emotional Intelligence in the other group will be against
it. Select two students who will be the spokesperson for each half. Either select
three students to act as a panel of judges or bring in three outside individuals to
act as neutral judges. The instructor will act as the debate moderator.

The purpose of this debate is to explore the ramifications of mood and emotion in
the workplace has expressed in the concept of emotional intelligence.

Setup.

a. Each half of the class has 30 minutes to prepare their initial points
regarding their position. The instructor may choose to give the pro and
con positions to either half of the class or the instructor may let the class
decide which position each half takes.

b. The proposition before the floor is "Should Emotional Intelligence, as a

concept, be removed from the study of organizational behavior?"

c. The spokespeople should be prepared to present their five-minute

arguments regarding their position on the proposition.

d. The moderator should explain the rules in front of the class to the judges:
the judges are to make their final decision based solely on the arguments
presented during the session and the strength of those arguments.

e. The moderator will keep time during each presentation and will stop the
spokesperson when time is up. Pro position should start first. Each side
will be allowed to give their arguments without interruption. Notes and
written suggestions may be passed from the group to the spokesperson.

f. For the rebuttal, there are a number of options:

i. Allow a second person from each side to rebut the arguments first
given by the other side. Length of rebuttal should be two minutes.

ii. Keep the same spokespersons and still limit the rebuttal to two
minutes, or

iii. Open the rebuttal to the two large groups: to do this effectively,
allow five questions per side. Moderator selects questions by

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 Chapter 7: Moods, Emotions and Organizational Behavior

recognizing one of the members of a large group. A volunteer

from the opposing group is allowed to answer the question. The
volunteer may be aided verbally or with notes by his or her group.

Allow the con party to ask the first question, and then the pro-party
to ask their first question after they've responded. Rotate the
questions, side by side, until all 10 have been answered.

g. At the conclusion of the rebuttal, have the judges award the debate to the
appropriate side. Have the judges explain why that side won the debate by
recapping the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments on both sides.

101