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Emotion management and solidarity in the workplace : A call for a new research agenda
McKenzie, Jordan Olson, Rebecca E. Patulny, Roger Bellocchi, Alberto Mills, Kathy A.
McKenzie, Jordan
Olson, Rebecca E.
Patulny, Roger
Bellocchi, Alberto
Mills, Kathy A.
Abstract
Research focusing on the management of emotion features prominently in studies of employee attrition, gender inequality and workplace satisfaction, but rarely in research on worker solidarity. Against a backdrop of increasing individualisation within late modern society, research about workplace management of emotion has become bifurcated along sociological or organisational psychology lines. Within the sociology literature, management of emotion is theorised as a commercialised, relational and (often) alienating experience. Within organisational psychology literature and research, the emphasis is on harnessing individual traits and skills (e.g. emotional intelligence) to regulate emotions for increased productivity and employee retention. In this article, the authors call for a new research agenda that prioritises the examination of solidarity between workers alongside the analysis of emotion management. This call is based in a critical reading of the sociological and organisational psychology scholarship addressing the management of emotions. Through the example of teaching work, the authors provide a critique of scholarship on workplace strategies that promote highly individualised understandings of managing emotions through resilience training and other simplified techniques. They argue that workplaces should recognise the dangers of uncritically adopting individualised strategies for managing emotions, and propose a research agenda that seeks to understand how emotion management can affect worker solidarity.
Keywords
emotion management, emotional intelligence, emotional labour, emotional regulation, individualisation, resilience
Date
2019
Type
Journal article
Journal
The Sociological Review
Book
Volume
67
Issue
3
Page Range
672-688
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE)
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as green open access
License
File Access
Open
Controlled
Controlled