A. Theoretical Article Summary of Vijayalakshmi, V.; Bhattacharyya, S. (2012). Emotional Contagion and its Relevance to Individual Behavior and Organizational Processes: A Position Paper, Journal of Business & Psychology. 2012, 27 (3): 363-374. 12p.
1. Theory and Main Concepts
a) Theory
Emotional contagion and individual emotions are thought to correlate in a positive manner. Both of these aspects affect an individual’s functioning and behavior. In the article, the author collects various theories and data from past literature and tries to consolidate all the views about emotional contagion.
b) Diagram of Theory
For easy understanding, the author categorizes his review into three major areas; interpersonal, individual as well as contextual elements. He tries to relate the three elements to emotional contagion. Upon dividing the study into three parts, the author critiques and analyses past studies of emotional contagion. He does this by taking into consideration areas such as organizational behavior, personality, consumer behavior and personality. A conceptual framework further elaborates and paints a diagram of the theory that is presented in the article (Vijayalakshmi & Bhattacharyya, 2012).
c) Explanation of (all) Concepts
1) First Concept
2) Second Concept
The second concept is the individual aspect. Individuals are capable of reasoning and doing things on their own. Emotions do exist in an individual, and when they are aroused, an individual can perform so many things, without being influenced by another.
3) Third Concept
The third concept is the contextual aspect. This refers to the circumstances under which the individual can tame their emotions. Some environments cannot allow an individual to perform some of the things he would have performed when alone.
d) How concepts are related to each other.
The three concepts are related in that an individual needs to reason, and when they become two they reason better creating an interpersonal relationship between the two. The circumstances under which the two meet and fit one another depends on the contextual view.
B. Classification of Theory
1. Worldview
The assumption of the theory under the world view assumption is that an emotional contagion and its relationship to a workplace ca obviously lead to a positive impact. Under this assumptions, many factors cannot be considered to determine the extent to which emotional contagion can be destructive to the organization.
2. Tradition
Under this view, the historical method of humans being disciplined when subjected to the rules of the organization hold. Many organizations have rules set in place prior to the recruitment of new employees. The employees are expected to follow these set regulations. Emotional contagion is thus deemed positive in relation to interpersonal development within the employees (Vijayalakshmi & Bhattacharyya, 2012).
3. Ontological Assumptions
Under this view, humans remain agents of emotional contagion. This view is evident in the study, because, despite the history and the worldview on the matter, the reality of human differences holds. The authors of the article are objective, and they try to bring out an aspect of reality. Further, they bring out the aspect of employees being both agents of communication transmission as well as mean-centered.
4. Epistemology
5. Axiological assumptions
The article promotes changes to be effected in the workplace. Managers need to be careful when dealing with the various employees from diverse backgrounds. A change should be taken by the management, as to not only allowing scholars on a topic like emotional contagion, but they also need to understand it. The authors’ article is not value free since it can be used in many management scenarios.
C. Research Article.
1. Research & Hypotheses
a) Proposed research
The study of the effect of emotional contagion and its relevance to individual behavior and organizational processes in the workplace (Vijayalakshmi & Bhattacharyya, 2012).
b) Hypotheses
Alternative: There is a strong relationship between emotional contagion and individual behavior and organizational processes in the workplace
Null: There exists no relationship between emotional contagion and individual behavior and organizational processes in the workplace
c) Research Question
Does emotional contagion have a relevance to individual behavior and organizational processes in the workplace?
2. Research method(s) used
The main method of collecting data is through books and periodicals. Literature is a reach source of information between emotional contagion and employee interactions. The other method employed by the author is developing a conceptual framework which represents the research propositions against the dependent variable.
3. Research findings/discovery
Emotional contagion is real in the workplace. The analysis of literature showed a direct relationship between employees’ interpersonal relationships and emotional contagion. Another clear finding is that if emotions are not properly managed, the effectiveness of employees in the workplace can be affected. Another important finding is that it is critical to understand emotional transfer in the management as well as an academic field, as the authors found out that this aspect has not been dealt with so much (Vijayalakshmi & Bhattacharyya, 2012).
References
Mei-Ju, C. and Kai-Ping, H. (2013). SERVICE QUALITY: AN EMOTIONAL CONTAGIONS PERSPECTIVE, International Journal of Organizational Innovation. Winter2013, 5 (3): 221-235. 15p.
Rempala, D. M. (2013). Cognitive strategies for controlling emotional contagion, Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Jul2013, 43 (7): 1528-1537. 10p
Vijayalakshmi, V.; Bhattacharyya, S. (2012). Emotional Contagion and its Relevance to Individual Behavior and Organizational Processes: A Position Paper, Journal of Business & Psychology. 2012, 27 (3): 363-374. 12p.
