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Understanding the Role of Perceptions, Personality and Emotions in the Workplace

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Understanding the role of perceptions, personality and emotions in the workplace

Perceptions, personality and emotions cannot be ignored when discussing the workplace because quite simply, the workplace is made up of people who come with different personalities, subject to different emotions and ways of looking at things. A successful company will understand this and its managers will work to create a positive atmosphere. Emotions, personalities and perceptions all have an effect on how employees interact with one another, how decisions are made, how managers are able to motivate their employees to increase productivity, and how conflicts and negotiations are handled. It stands to reason that if employees are happy and enjoy coming to work then they will be more productive. According to Barsade and Gibson, “…the evidence is overwhelming that experiencing and expressing positive emotions and moods tends to enhance performance at individual, group, and organizational levels” (Barsade & Gibson, 2007). Frost describes a mechanism of “emotional contagion” where when the leaders express positive emotions, the staff will be influenced by this and the outcomes tend to be positive (Frost, 2004). It would stand to reason then, that in a company with displays of negative emotions, the opposite would result. Affect is an umbrella term used by Barsade and Gibson as a range of discrete emotions (fear, anger, joy), moods (cheerful, sad), dispositional traits (negative, upbeat) and even emotional intelligence (understanding other people’s feelings). The following chart illustrates the Model of Affect. (Barsade & Gibson, 2007). On this chart the x axis is a measure of pleasantness and the y axis measures energy. It would make sense that the top right quadrant would represent a successful company and that the bottom left quadrant would represent a company

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