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).

Emotions Defined Types of Emotions

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
Attitudes versus Emotions
Judgments about an Experiences related to an
attitude object attitude object
Based mainly on Based on innate and learned
rational logic responses to environment
Usually stable for days Usually experienced for
or longer seconds or less

Traditional Model of Attitudes: From

Attitudes Beliefs to Behavior
Purely cognitive approach
Beliefs: established perceptions of Perceived Environment
attitude object Cogni Emoti
tive onal
Feelings: calculation of good or bad proceBeliefs proce
ss ss
based on beliefs about the attitude Emoti
object Attit Feelings onal
ude Behavioral Episod
Behavioral intentions: motivation to es
act in response to the attitude object Intentions

Problem: Ignores important role of

emotions in shaping attitudes Behavior
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

Generating Positive Emotions at Work

The emotions-attitudes-behavior model illustrates that attitudes are shaped by
ongoing emotional experiences.

Thus, successful companies actively create more positive than negative emotional
episodes.
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Cognitive Dissonance
A state of anxiety that occurs when an individuals beliefs, feelings
and behaviors are inconsistent with one another
Most common when behavior is:
known to others
done voluntarily
cant be undone

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
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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

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

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
Model of Emotional Intelligence
Highest Relationship
Managing other peoples emotions
Management

Perceiving and understanding the

Social Awareness meaning of others emotions

Self-management Managing our own emotions

perceiving and understanding the

Self-awareness meaning of your own emotions
Lowest

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