Emotions in Organization Theory

Provides one of the first broad examinations of emotions in organization theory and outlines suggestions for future research.

Charlene Zietsma (Author), Madeline Toubiana (Author), Maxim Voronov (Author), Anna Roberts (Author)

9781108468237, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 April 2019

75 pages, 3 colour illus. 2 tables
23 x 15.3 x 0.7 cm, 0.17 kg

Emotions are central to social life and thus they should be central to organization theory. However, emotions have been treated implicitly rather than theorized directly in much of organization theory, and in some literatures, have been ignored altogether. This Element focuses on emotions as intersubjective, collective and relational, and reviews structuralist, people-centered and strategic approaches to emotions in different research streams to provide one of the first broad examinations of emotions in organization theory. Charlene Zietsma, Maxim Voronov, Madeline Toubiana and Anna Roberts provide suggestions for future research within each literature and look across the literatures to identify theoretical and methodological considerations.

1. Introduction – emotions in organization theory
2. Theories featuring substantial work on emotions – institutional theory, social movement theory, identity, and organizational culture, power and control
3. Theories featuring more limited work on emotions – densemaking, practice theory, network theory and entrepreneurship
4. Theories where consideration of emotions is nearly absent – organizational economics, economic sociology and embeddedness, organizational ecology, categories and resource dependence theory
5. Conclusions.

Subject Areas: Organizational theory & behaviour [KJU], Psychology: emotions [JMQ]