Amir Zakaria Consulting Group | Emotions during organizational change
Emotions during organizational change Among other factors, such as interests, values, and beliefs, individuals’ reactions to change are a result of their emotions with respect to a change (Liu & Perrewe´, 2005). Scholars have claimed that the term ‘‘emotions’’ has been inconsistently defined in the literature (Gooty, Gavin, & Ashkanasy, 2009). Yet, a predominant characteristic of emotions, especially in organizational behavior (Barsade & Gibson, 2007; Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996) and psychology (Frijda, 1986; Lazarus, 1991; Scherer, 2005), is that they are a cognitive response to events. They reflect the interpretation of events that occur in a work setting and may influence sense making in times of uncertainty (Tiedens & Linton, 2001), as is often the case during change. Emotions can influence the process of thinking, i.e., how employees deal with a given task (Forgas & Fiedler, 1996), and the content of thinking, i.e., what kind of information employees recall, select, interpret, and learn as a function of their affective state when they have to deal with ambiguous social situations (Forgas & George, 2001). Emotion-driven behavior becomes important in numerous contexts of social interaction (Scherer, 2005). amir zakaria, امير ذكريا
organizational change, Emotions, change, amir zakaria, nazli monajemzadeh, اميرذكريا, امير ذكريا, نازلی منجم‌زاده
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Emotions during organizational change

Emotions during organizational change

Among other factors, such as interests, values, and beliefs, individuals’ reactions to change are a result of their emotions with respect to a change (Liu & Perrewe´, 2005). Scholars have claimed that the term ‘‘emotions’’ has been inconsistently defined in the literature (Gooty, Gavin, & Ashkanasy, 2009). Yet, a predominant characteristic of emotions, especially in organizational behavior (Barsade & Gibson, 2007; Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996) and psychology (Frijda, 1986; Lazarus, 1991; Scherer, 2005), is that they are a cognitive response to events. They reflect the interpretation of events that occur in a work setting and may influence sense making in times of uncertainty (Tiedens & Linton, 2001), as is often the case during change. Emotions can influence the process of thinking, i.e., how employees deal with a given task (Forgas & Fiedler, 1996), and the content of thinking, i.e., what kind of information employees recall, select, interpret, and learn as a function of their affective state when they have to deal with ambiguous social situations (Forgas & George, 2001). Emotion-driven behavior becomes important in numerous contexts of social interaction (Scherer, 2005).

The literature on emotions during change can be divided into two parts. First, studies in change management primarily focus on employee behavior as a result of emotions evoked during change (e.g., Avey et al., 2008; Saunders & Thornhill, 2002). Second, studies in organizational behavior and human resource management have used psychological stage models to explain the relationship between emotions and employee behavior during change (e.g., Huy, 1999; Liu & Perrewe´, 2005). In the following, we review both types of studies and derive several shortcomings to these approaches.

Reference

  • Liu, Y., & Perrewe´, P. L. (2005). Another look at the role of emotion in the organizational change: A process model. Human Resource Management Review, 15, 263—280.
  • Gooty, J., Gavin, M., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2009). Emotions research in OB: The challenges that lie ahead. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(6), 833—838.
  • Barsade, S. G., & Gibson, D. E. (2007). Why does affect matter in organizations? Academy of Management Perspectives, 21, 36—59.
  • Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1996). Affective events theory: A theoretical discussion of the structure, causes and consequences of affective experiences at work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 18, 1—74.
  • Frijda, N. H. (1986). The emotions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Tiedens, L. Z., & Linton, S. (2001). Judgment under emotional certainty and uncertainty: The effects of specific emotions on information processing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(6), 973—988.
  • Forgas, J. P., & Fiedler, K. (1996). Us and them: Mood effects on intergroup discrimination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 36—52.
  • Forgas, J. P., & George, J. M. (2001). Affective influences on judgments and behavior in organizations: An information processing perspective. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 86(1), 3—34.
  • Scherer, K. R. (2005). What are emotions? And how can they be measured. Social Science Information, 44(4), 695—729.
  • Avey, J. B., Wernsing, T. S., & Luthans, F. (2008). Can positive employees help positive organizational change? Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 44(1), 48—70.
  • Huy, Q. N. (1999). Emotional capability, emotional intelligence, and radical change. Academy of Management Review, 24(2), 325—345.
  • Liu, Y., & Perrewe´, P. L. (2005). Another look at the role of emotion in the organizational change: A process model. Human Resource Management Review, 15, 263—280.

 

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