Bounded emotionality
Bounded emotionality is a
Mumby and Putnam (1992) stress that bounded emotionality encourages the
Origins
Prior to Mumby and Putnam's specific articulation of bounded emotionality research and the role it plays in what is known about organizational emotion regulation, workplace emotion research focused on the relationship between emotion regulation,
Bounded rationality
Whereas bounded emotionality encourages the expression of a large spectrum of emotions in organizational communication, bounded rationality advocates for the "control" or tempering of any emotion or
Emotional labor
Emotional labor refers to the way in which individuals manage emotions based on what is perceived as "appropriate" in specific social or environmental situations. Human beings often pay close attention to their surroundings and how they should act in certain social situations. A variety of organizational factors as well as personal factors may impact emotional regulation including: socialization, channels of communication, departmental differences (e.g. sales vs. packaging), etc. In an organization that deploys a bounded emotionality approach to emotional regulation, much less emotional labor will be required than an organization that deploys a bounded rationality approach.
Mumby and Putnam introduced the concept of bounded emotionality as an alternative organizational concept to bounded rationality and emotional labor in order to demonstrate the instability of traditional understandings and highlight what they believe to be the importance of emotions in organizational decision-making. In an organization framed by bounded emotionality (as opposed to bounded rationality and emotional labor), hierarchical goals and values are flexible as emotion and the physical self are not isolated from the process of organizing. In other words, emotions are "bounded" in organizations to protect
Bounded vs. unbounded emotionality
Unbounded emotionality should be enacted not for the instrumental gain of the organization, but to enhance the well-being of the individual organizational members.
Bounded emotionality is a limited, pragmatic approach to the problem of emotional control in organizations. It focuses on work related emotions, defined as, "feelings, sensations, and affective responses to organizational sensations". However, it is acknowledged that such work feelings stem from and affect emotions that come from one's personal life.[1]
- It encourages the expression of a wider range of emotions than is usually condoned in traditional and normativeorganizations.
- It stresses the importance of maintaining interpersonally sensitive, variable boundaries between what is felt and what is expressed.
- The goal of bounded emotionality to build interpersonal relationships through mutual understanding of work related feelings.
The following table shows six differentiating characteristics.[2]
Bounded emotionality | Unbounded emotionality |
---|---|
Personal limitations | Organizational limitations |
Implicit | Explicit |
Heterarchy | Hierarchy |
Integration of body and mind | Separation of body and mind |
Community | Individual |
Relational feeling rules | Gender/occupational feeling rules |
Defining characteristics
Intersubjective limitations: This is a necessary restriction known by individuals in the organization that helps them adequately work with and respond to one another . Just as individuals do in personal relationships, they need to respect emotional boundaries in professional ones.[1]
- Example: If a coworker feels certain emotional expressions or topics are inappropriate, you will not discuss them. Similarly, they will respect what you find inappropriate. Those personal boundaries are the intersubjective limitations of the work relationship. For instance, a cabin crew member may be absolutely repulsed by vomit, but when a passenger vomits that cabin crew member controls the disgust and helps calms the passenger down.[3]
Spontaneously emergent work feelings: Feelings about work emerge in response to work tasks. Generally these form around the organizations climate and environment. This is natural and management should not try to ascribe feelings to employees. When spontaneous feelings emerge they should be dealt with within the previously set intersubjective limitations.[1]
- Example: An example of this would be a study done on
Tolerance of ambiguity: Complex emotions are likely to occur because of emotional labor (the process of controlling emotions during interactions at work). Bounded emotionality entails tolerance of these complex emotions. Contradictory feelings must coexist. This constitutes a new norm that wants to be aware of different positions, and even those directly opposite among its organizational members.[1]
- Example: People with low tolerance of ambiguity experience stress react prematurely and avoid ambiguous stimuli. The person with high tolerance will look at ambiguous situations as desirable, challenging, and interesting.[3]
- Example: An individual may highly value human life but be against abortion rights, but maybe be for the death penalty, or the other way around.[3]
Integrated
Community: The purpose of bounded emotionality is to create a strong sense of community among its members. There is a need for connections within freedom and for diversity within individuality. Research has shown this structure works best in smaller organizations.[1]
- Example: When a director encourages questions and then the director discusses performance related critiques with them afterwards developing a sense of togetherness.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Martin, J.; Knopoff, K.; Beckman, C. (1998). "An alternative to bureaucratic impersonality and emotional labor: Bounded emotionality at The Body Shop". Administrative Science Quarterly. 2: 429โ469.
- ^ a b c d e Mumby, D; Putnam, L (1992). "The politics of emotion: A feminist reading of bounded rationality". Academy of Management Review. 17: 465โ486.
- ^ a b c d Crumley, Carole (19 May 2015). Remember How to Organize: Heterarchy Across Disciplines. Research Gate. pp. 35โ48.