Emerald Login
   

Welcome guest

Article Request:
United we stand, or else?: Exploring organizational attempts to control emotional expression by employees on September 11, 2001

Article Information:

Title:

United we stand, or else?: Exploring organizational attempts to control emotional expression by employees on September 11, 2001

Author(s):

Michaela Driver

Journal:

Journal of Organizational Change Management

Year:

2003

Volume:

16

Issue:

5

Page:

534 - 546


ISSN:

0953-4814


DOI:

10.1108/09534810310494928

Publisher:

MCB UP Ltd

Document Access:

Existing customers:

Please login above.

Purchase this document:
Price payable: GBP £13.00
plus handling charge of GBP £1.50 and VAT where applicable.
Purchase

Request this document:
Print or e-mail a document request to your librarian.
Request

Reprints & permissions:
Image: Rightslink Request

Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to explore the control of emotions in organizations. An analysis of stories collected from members of different organizations who experienced the events of September 11, 2001 (when the USA was attacked by terrorists killing thousands of people) in their workplaces seems to validate previous findings that organizations respond to the expression of strong emotion with equally strong controls. However, organizations seem to differ by the types of emotional control they use and the reactions these controls elicit in their members. All four of Ashforth and Humphrey's organizational control behaviors were used. While buffering, prescribing and normalizing employee emotions seemed to have a somewhat positive effect on employee morale, the use of neutralizing controls seemed to be damaging to employee commitment. A contingency model of organizational control of emotional expression is developed.

Keywords:

Change management, Employees behaviour, Storytelling, USA, Values


Article Type:

Research paper


Article URL:

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/09534810310494928

Top