Robbins & Judge

Organizational
Behavior

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Emotions and Moods

8-1
Chapter Objectives
• Upon completion of this chapter you will be able to:
– Differentiate emotions from moods, and list the basic emotions
and moods.
– Discuss whether emotions are rational and what functions they
serve.

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– Identify the sources of emotions and moods.
– Show the impact emotional labor has on employees.
– Describe Affective Events Theory and identify its applications.
– Contrast the evidence for and against the existence of emotional
intelligence.
– Apply concepts about emotions and moods to specific OB issues.
– Contrast the experience, interpretation, and expression of
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emotions across cultures.
What are Emotions and
Moods?
Affect
•It is a generic term that covers a broad range of feelings people experience.
•usually a verb meaning "to produce an effect upon," as in "the weather
affected his mood.“

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This includes both emotions and moods
• Emotions
Intense feelings that are directed at someone or something
• Moods
Feelings that tend to be less intense than emotions and that lack a
contextual stimulus

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Exhibit 8-1
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The Basic Emotions
• While not universally accepted, there appear to be six basic
emotions:
1. Anger
2. Fear
3. Sadness

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4. Happiness
5. Disgust
6. Surprise
• All other emotions are subsumed under these six

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Sources of Emotion and Mood
• Personality
• There is a trait component – affect intensity

• Day and Time of the Week

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• There is a common pattern for all of us:
• Happier in the midpoint of the daily awake period
• Happier toward the end of the week

• Weather
• Illusory correlation – no effect
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• Stress
• Even low levels of constant stress can worsen moods

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• Social Activities
• Physical, informal, and dining activities increase positive
moods

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More Sources of Emotion and
Mood
• Sleep
• Poor sleep quality increases negative
affect.

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• Exercise
• Does somewhat improve mood, especially for
depressed people

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• Age
• Older folks experience fewer negative emotions

• Gender

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• Women tend to be more emotionally expressive, feel
emotions more intensely, have longer lasting moods,
and express emotions more frequently than men
do

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Emotional Labor
An employee’s expression of organizationally desired emotions during
interpersonal transactions at work

•Emotional Dissonance:
– Employees have to project one emotion while simultaneously feeling
another
– Can be very damaging and lead to burnout

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•Types of Emotions:
– Felt: the individual’s actual emotions
– Displayed: required or appropriate emotions
• Surface Acting: displaying appropriately but not feeling those
emotions internally
• Deep Acting: changing internal feelings to match display rules -
very stressful
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Affective Events Theory
(AET)
• An event in the work environment triggers
positive or negative emotional reactions
• Personality and mood determine response intensity
• Implications:
1. An emotional episode is actually the result of a series of emotional

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experiences triggered by a single event
2. Current and past emotions affect job satisfaction
3. Emotional fluctuations over time create variations in job performance
4. Emotion-driven behaviors are typically brief and variable
5. Both negative and positive emotions can distract workers and reduce job
performance

• Emotions, and the minor events that cause them,

should not be ignored at work: they accumulate 8-11
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8-12
 Emotional Intelligence
(EI)
• A person’s ability to:
• Be self-aware
• Detect emotions in others

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• Manage emotional cues and information

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OB Applications of Emotions and
Moods
• Selection
• EI should be a hiring factor, especially for social jobs.
• Decision Making
• Positive emotions can lead to better decisions.
• Creativity

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• Positive mood increases flexibility, openness, and
creativity.
• Motivation
• Positive mood affects expectations of success;
• Leadership
• Emotions are important to acceptance of messages
from organizational leaders.
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More OB Applications of
Emotions and Moods
• Negotiation
• Emotions , skillfully displayed, can affect negotiations.
• Customer Services
• Emotions affect service quality delivered to customers
which, in turn, affects customer relationships.
• Deviant Workplace Behaviors

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• Negative emotions lead to employee deviance (actions that
violate norms and threaten the organization).
• Manager’s Influence
• Leaders who are in a good mood, use humor, and praise
employees increase positive moods in the workplace.

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Summary and Managerial
Implications
• Moods are more general than emotions and
less contextual
• Emotions and moods impact all areas of OB
• Managers cannot and should not attempt to

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completely control the emotions of their
employees
• Managers must not ignore the emotions of
their co-workers and employees
• Behavior predictions will be less accurate if
emotions are not taken into account
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