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Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability
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Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 52419

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sarah Riforgiate

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Merrill Hall - Room 242, Department of Communication, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
Interests: emotions in organizations; work and life intersections; leadership; conflict; organizational and interpersonal communication
Dr. Shawna Malvini Redden

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mendocino Hall - Room 5034, Department of Communication Studies, Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
Interests: emotion in organizations; organizational identity; identity negotiation; sensemaking; organizational collaboration and change; social media and teen online life
Dr. Satoris Howes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Business Administration, Oregon State University - Cascades, Tykeson Hall 300, 1500 SW Chandler Avenue, Bend, OR 97702, USA
Interests: performance management and feedback; employment selection; occupational health (focusing on work-life conflict, emotional labor, workplace stress, and well-being); and judgment and decision making
Dr. Tim Huffman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Communication, Saint Louis University, Xavier Hall – 3733 West Pine Mall, Room 320, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
Interests: social justice; nonprofit organizing; homelessness; compassion; community; pragmatic and relational epistemology; participatory and community-based research
Dr. Stacy Tye-Williams

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Communication Studies/English, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Interests: incivility and civility in the workplace; workplace bullying; organizing for positive change; work life negotiation; narrative

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of emotional communication in organizations has gained momentum over the last 30 years as researchers and practitioners recognize how emotions shape and are shaped by organizations and members. The ways organizational members communicate and learn emotional rules through organizational socialization processes, perform emotions through emotional labor, manage their own and others’ emotions through emotional intelligence, and spread emotions through emotional contagion all influence member and organizational sustainability. Importantly emotional communication in organizations has sustainability implications for member commitment, satisfaction, organizational citizenship behaviors, engagement, and mental and physical health. Further, emotional communication can create positive organizational climates where employees and organizations thrive or toxic cultures that tolerate or even encourage harassment and bullying that threatens long-term sustainability.

This Special Issue focuses on emotional communication in organizations to further understanding of this important topic and generate practical solutions for organizations and their members to promote sustainability. Submission topics may consider, but are not limited, to the following:

  • How emotional communication organizes and is organized by organizational and member processes;
  • What are important leader and/or follower emotional communication behaviors and practices that contribute to or disrupt sustainable workplace practices?
  • In what ways are nondominant organizational members regulated similarly or differently in their emotional communication and what implications does this regulation have for sustainability?
  • How is emotional communication enhanced or disrupted by the use of communication technologies in organizations in terms of sustainability?
  • What are important cultural, subcultural, intercultural, and crosscultural factors that influence emotional communication and sustainability in the workplace?
  • How do organizational and employee uses of emotional communication relate to mental and physical health and long-term sustainability? Which practices are more and/or less beneficial to maintaining a healthy workforce?
  • What are the implications of emotional communication over time in shaping workplace practices and experiences?
  • How can existing emotional communication theories (e.g., emotional labor, emotional intelligence emotional contagion, etc.) be extended or nuanced to enhance understanding of sustainable organizational practices?
  • How do emotional communication practices shape the viability of innovative work arrangements and process flows for organizations and members?

A variety of methodological approaches and disciplinary/interdisciplinary focuses are welcomed. Submissions may include original research articles, organizational case studies, or comprehensive reviews. All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process with the aim of distributing research results, developments, and applications in a timely manner to a widespread audience.

Dr. Sarah Riforgiate
Dr. Shawna Malvini Redden
Dr. Satoris Howes
Dr. Tim Huffman
Dr. Stacy Tye-Williams
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • emotional communication
  • sustainable organizational communication
  • employee emotional sustainability
  • sustainable emotional labor practices
  • emotional intelligence sustainability
  • sustainable organizational assimilation practices

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Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 297 KiB  
Article
Organizing Emotions throughout Disenfranchised Grief: Virtual Support Group Sensemaking through Emotion Discourses
by Michael Cody Coker and Sarah E. Riforgiate
Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8012; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108012 - 15 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2253
Abstract
Online support groups provide members a space to express emotions and gain emotional support, contributing to individual and organizational sustainability. Communication in these virtual spaces organizes and is simultaneously organized by member interactions and emotion expressions. To better understand how communication contributes to [...] Read more.
Online support groups provide members a space to express emotions and gain emotional support, contributing to individual and organizational sustainability. Communication in these virtual spaces organizes and is simultaneously organized by member interactions and emotion expressions. To better understand how communication contributes to emotion, organizing, and meaning making, this study draws on Weick’s communication sensemaking theory and uses qualitative netnographic methods to analyze interactions in an online pet loss support group. Following pet loss, many American caregivers share their grief over the loss of a pet through online support groups, which help bereaved individuals acquire support, make sense of their experiences, and support similar others. Importantly, existing research indicates that virtual support groups provide members a safe space to engage their emotions. However, competing communication discourses uphold restrictive emotion rules across organized settings and can challenge how individuals perform their emotions. This study uses qualitative netnographic data gathered over 5 months from 106 participants, to better understand how virtual support group members used communication to understand, resist, reify, and reimagine emotions. We found that organizational members grappled with their grief at work and at home, often regulating their negative emotions in pursuit of advancing their workplace productivity and deferring to others’ expectations. Furthermore, although grieving members used communication processes to legitimize the virtual support group as an organizational safe space for displaying authentic emotions, site members controlled their emotions and reinforced managerialist discourses in their communication, demonstrating that emotion discourses are far-reaching and can contribute to or distract from sustainable healing practices. We offer implications regarding how online experiences complicate emotion rules, how safe spaces reinforce professionalism and managerialism, and how organized spaces can promote sustainable practices to support members. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
22 pages, 332 KiB  
Article
Stories of Leadership: Leading with Empathy through the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Jennifer S. Linvill and Gloria O. Onosu
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7708; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097708 - 8 May 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5367
Abstract
Leader–follower interactions during times of complexity are critical in managing rapid change demands and ensuring organizational sustainability. Between early 2020 and 2023, many organizations worldwide witnessed an unprecedented need for organizational change that rapidly transformed the work environment. This study focused on understanding [...] Read more.
Leader–follower interactions during times of complexity are critical in managing rapid change demands and ensuring organizational sustainability. Between early 2020 and 2023, many organizations worldwide witnessed an unprecedented need for organizational change that rapidly transformed the work environment. This study focused on understanding the contexts of leader and follower interactions during times of change using the shifting organizational landscapes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying a qualitative methodology, we collected data from 12 leaders across multiple business sectors in Africa, Asia, and the United States using semi-structured interviews. We then transcribed the interviews and applied an iterative phronetic approach to analyze the data by engaging complexity leadership, emotion in organizations, leading with empathy, belonging, and power and control as theoretical lenses for data analysis. We analyzed how individual leadership experiences during a time of complexity fostered a shift in leadership paradigms and leadership styles within organizations. The findings indicated that due to the unprecedented situations faced during COVID-19, leaders shifted from leadership styles that applied a lens of power and control to an adaptable model that follows the framework of complexity leadership and applies a lens of leading with emotional intelligence. The findings provided a nuanced understanding of the leader–follower relationship by allowing for a complex and varied description of how individuals discursively situate their experiences around issues of power and control. The findings also showed that leaders became more intentional about leading, purposely changing their leadership style to create an environment that supported open communication, belonging, empathy, and awareness. The findings also suggested that when leaders adapt elements of emotional intelligence in leading during times of organizational complexity, they do so with the goal of motivating others and creating a feeling of connection with followers. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
20 pages, 305 KiB  
Article
Engineering Emotion Sustainably: Affective Gendered Organizing of Engineering Identities and Third Space
by Patrice M. Buzzanell, Colleen Arendt, Rebecca L. Dohrman, Carla B. Zoltowski and Prashant Rajan
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5051; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065051 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1958
Abstract
The questions of why there are so few women in engineering and how to change engineering cultures to be more inclusive have garnered much social scientific research and considerable funding. Despite numerous findings and interventions, no studies to our knowledge have analyzed how [...] Read more.
The questions of why there are so few women in engineering and how to change engineering cultures to be more inclusive have garnered much social scientific research and considerable funding. Despite numerous findings and interventions, no studies to our knowledge have analyzed how difference is constituted discursively, materially, and affectively in ways that are deeply embedded in engineering occupational and societal cultures. This study takes an affective gendered organizing approach to analyze how affect is constituted through emotions/talk, interactions, and materialities. Using constructivist grounded theory, we explored our interview data of 69 engineers (45 women and 24 men) to find three themes. The first describes women’s sensate experiences that underlie their expressions of (un)belongingness and (in)visibility. The second depicts men’s emotional labor to voice inclusion while enacting exclusion. The third pulls these feelings forward as the impetus for women’s constitution of feminist third spaces/places that operate as sites of collective emotional labor and resilience. Throughout we display the contradictory and essential embodiment of affect within individuals’ identities and as a sensemaking force that continues to constitute organizing systems of inequity. Taking an affective gendered organizing approach enables researchers and practitioners to respond more fully to the question of why inclusion is so difficult to achieve and to develop sustainable interventions for women’s career success in STEM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
19 pages, 634 KiB  
Article
“You Just Don’t Talk about Certain Topics”: How Concerns to Disclose Suffering to Leaders Constrain Compassion at Work
by Cristopher J. Tietsort, Sarah J. Tracy and Elissa A. Adame
Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4628; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054628 - 5 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3317
Abstract
Employee and organizational sustainability are threatened by widespread stress, burnout, and mental health challenges, among other life events. Compassion at work may create more sustainable organizations by alleviating this suffering, but scholars remain puzzled as to why compassion often fails to unfold within [...] Read more.
Employee and organizational sustainability are threatened by widespread stress, burnout, and mental health challenges, among other life events. Compassion at work may create more sustainable organizations by alleviating this suffering, but scholars remain puzzled as to why compassion often fails to unfold within organizations. One potential explanation is that suffering employees feel uncertain in expressing suffering at work. To date, however, relatively little research has examined the perspective of suffering employees and the potential hesitation to express suffering due to organizational norms, power dynamics with leaders, and other influences. This study seeks to expand our understanding of compassion by examining how suffering employees make sense of compassionate interactions with leaders, and the concerns they have disclosing and discussing suffering at work. Utilizing qualitative, semi-structured interviews, we found that suffering employees have four driving concerns, which constrain the discussion of suffering at work: (1) professionalism and the appropriateness of suffering, (2) the validity of one’s suffering, (3) the collective impact of a compassionate response, and (4) image management. These concerns, while at times isolated, were often layered for employees in ways that compounded the challenge of disclosing suffering and openly engaging with leaders across the compassion process. We analyze these driving concerns, linking them to prior research and illustrating how these concerns limit employees  ability to receive compassion and, in some cases, exacerbate their suffering. Practical implications are discussed as well, outlining ways that organizations can shape compassion processes toward greater employee sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 318 KiB  
Article
Emotional Sustainability in Human Services Organizations: Cultural and Communicative Paths to Dealing with Emotional Work
by Minkyung Kim and Elizabeth A. Williams
Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 15470; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215470 - 21 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2743
Abstract
Emotional sustainability in the human services sector is crucial for both the organizations and the constituents they serve. However, human services professionals consistently struggle with emotional work as they care for the vulnerable. Despite such challenges, individuals in the human services sector choose [...] Read more.
Emotional sustainability in the human services sector is crucial for both the organizations and the constituents they serve. However, human services professionals consistently struggle with emotional work as they care for the vulnerable. Despite such challenges, individuals in the human services sector choose to work in emotionally demanding careers and are motivated to serve others. However, such career pathways may not be consistent in other cultures and can further impact the way individuals cope with emotional work. This study explores South Korean social workers and how they experience and sustain themselves through emotional work. Findings show that emotional work led to burnout yet also resulted in fulfillment. Social workers also were mostly led to work in the human services sector by their education system that reflects the unique culture of South Korea. At the same time, these systems were foundational to building sustainability as they bolstered communication networks based on selective ties specific to school. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
19 pages, 671 KiB  
Article
Regulating Emotions through Cogenerative Dialogues to Sustain Student Engagement in Science Internships: A Case Study
by Pei-Ling Hsu
Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6037; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106037 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1796
Abstract
Open inquiry learning and student–scientist partnerships are two effective ways of enhancing students’ science learning; however, due to their challenging and intimidating nature, students might encounter emotional breakdowns when engaging with them. To address communicative and emotional issues in high school students’ internships [...] Read more.
Open inquiry learning and student–scientist partnerships are two effective ways of enhancing students’ science learning; however, due to their challenging and intimidating nature, students might encounter emotional breakdowns when engaging with them. To address communicative and emotional issues in high school students’ internships with scientists, this ethnographic case study integrated a pedagogical tool called cogenerative dialogues (cogen), which are conversations cogenerated by different stakeholders to reflect on participants’ experiences and help them reach collective decisions about the rules, roles, and responsibilities that govern their partnerships. Data sources include video recordings of internship activities, video recordings of cogenerative dialogues, students’ journals and interviews, and researchers’ field notes, pictures, and artifacts collected during the internship. Drawing on the emotion regulation framework, I demonstrate how cogen could be used as a powerful tool to reveal emotion suppression, share emotion regulation strategies, and transform negative emotions into positive emotions. The results of this case study show that cogen played an important role in addressing specific issues one at a time and sustaining student engagement throughout the internship program. The implications of cogen for sustainability and organizational health are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
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15 pages, 1026 KiB  
Article
Emotional Communication and Human Sustainability in Professional Service Firms (PSFs)
by Samantha Rae Powers, Michele W. Gazica and Karen K. Myers
Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4054; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074054 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2053
Abstract
This study examines the role of work-related emotional communication in promoting the well-being and sustainability of professionals working for professional service firms (PSFs), which depend upon the well-being of their professionals for their own organizational sustainability. Using survey data from 1465 attorneys, a [...] Read more.
This study examines the role of work-related emotional communication in promoting the well-being and sustainability of professionals working for professional service firms (PSFs), which depend upon the well-being of their professionals for their own organizational sustainability. Using survey data from 1465 attorneys, a structural equation model was tested including key work-related emotional communication variables as mediators between a dichotomous variable of professional seniority and three dimensions of burnout. Results showed that more experienced attorneys’ reliance on automatic regulation over surface acting has a significant effect on reported burnout. There is no difference based on professional seniority in use of deep acting or communicative responsiveness. We conclude with a discussion of the findings and theoretical and practical implications, as well as provide suggestions for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
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18 pages, 804 KiB  
Article
“Everything Is Changing, but I Am Not Alone”: Nurses’ Perceptions of Social Support during COVID-19
by Surabhi Sahay and Wan Wei
Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3262; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063262 - 10 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2938
Abstract
COVID-19 has created numerous stressors for nurses, which have impacted their work, self-efficacy, and wellness. Social support helps manage stress and burnout. Through 24 semi-structured interviews, the current article explores the perspectives of nurses who worked with COVID-19 patients in the initial days [...] Read more.
COVID-19 has created numerous stressors for nurses, which have impacted their work, self-efficacy, and wellness. Social support helps manage stress and burnout. Through 24 semi-structured interviews, the current article explores the perspectives of nurses who worked with COVID-19 patients in the initial days of the pandemic in the United States. This study unpacks the types and sources of social support nurses sought during this time, especially as they faced significant burnout. Through thematic analysis, the current study found that these nurses interacted with the crisis situation to evaluate their social support needs and the plausibility of fulfilling these needs. They focused on the support that was available or at least perceived to be available and let go of certain needs that could not plausibly be addressed in that moment. Peer-to-peer support was critical during this process, and nurses avoided sharing concerns with their families as they enacted protective buffering. The findings also highlight the complex and dynamic nature of social support as nurses interact with their peers and evaluate the support they receive. Peers helped with haptic support like providing hugs to coworkers, and at times even became surrogates for coworkers’ family members as they participated in communal coping. Organizational support was critical for sharing information centrally with nurses and for organizational sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
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14 pages, 415 KiB  
Article
Leaders’ Emotion Regulation and the Influence of Respect and Entitlement on Employee Silence
by Hooria Khan, Md Sohel Chowdhury and Dae-seok Kang
Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2389; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042389 - 19 Feb 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3102
Abstract
Although numerous researchers have examined leaders’ behavior in promoting employee voice, so far, there have been limited empirical studies in interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) and employee silence literature. This study aims to investigate how leaders’ IER can break the barrier of employee silence [...] Read more.
Although numerous researchers have examined leaders’ behavior in promoting employee voice, so far, there have been limited empirical studies in interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) and employee silence literature. This study aims to investigate how leaders’ IER can break the barrier of employee silence through examining the mediating roles of perceived mutual recognition respect and psychological entitlement. To enhance sustainable organization practices, this may be the first study that identifies leaders’ IER strategies as an effective communication tool for diminishing employee silence. By collecting data from 315 management employees in Pakistan, the hypothesized relationships were tested using path analysis and bootstrapping technique with AMOS. Our findings support the mediating role of mutual recognition respect and psychological entitlement in leaders’ IER and employee silence relationship. More specifically, while mutual recognition respect mediates the relationship between leaders’ problem-focused strategies and employee silence, psychological entitlement mediates the association of both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies with employee silence. In line with the research findings, we have highlighted some notable theoretical contributions and managerial implications. Further, we present limitations and future research directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
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18 pages, 286 KiB  
Article
Essential Work in the U.S. during COVID-19: Navigating Vulnerability–Sustainability Tensions
by Astrid M. Villamil and Suzy D’Enbeau
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10665; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910665 - 25 Sep 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2902
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic affected every functioning system in the United States. Workers deemed “essential” faced multiple threats to their well-being that quickly led to acute symptoms of anxiety, depression, burnout, and overall exhaustion, and organizations were challenged to devise employee protocols to maintain [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected every functioning system in the United States. Workers deemed “essential” faced multiple threats to their well-being that quickly led to acute symptoms of anxiety, depression, burnout, and overall exhaustion, and organizations were challenged to devise employee protocols to maintain sustainability. This qualitative study takes a tension-centered approach to discern how “essential workers” in the United States navigated this tenuous work landscape, particularly with regard to emotional work and workplace dignity. We conducted 19 semi-structured in-depth interviews with essential workers during COVID-19. Our constant comparative analysis of the data identified a macro-tension between vulnerability and sustainability that was revealed through two micro-tensions: (a) essential work as instrumental and disposable, and (b) workplace dignity as recognized and transgressed. We unpack the emotional responses enmeshed in these micro-tensions and situate our findings at the intersection of organizational sustainability, emotional work and workplace dignity. We offer theoretical and practical implications for essential workers and organizations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
14 pages, 1041 KiB  
Article
How Does Emotional Labor Influence Voice Behavior? The Roles of Work Engagement and Perceived Organizational Support
by Yuechao Du and Zhongming Wang
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10524; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910524 - 22 Sep 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3958
Abstract
Promoting employee voice behavior is important for the sustainable development of organizations. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, the study examined the association between emotional labor and employee voice behavior and the mediation of work engagement in this relationship. Surveys were collected at [...] Read more.
Promoting employee voice behavior is important for the sustainable development of organizations. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, the study examined the association between emotional labor and employee voice behavior and the mediation of work engagement in this relationship. Surveys were collected at two time points, four weeks apart, from 629 employees in the service industry in China. The results show that surface acting is negatively related to work engagement and that deep acting is positively related to work engagement. Employees’ work engagement is positively associated with voice behavior. Hence, work engagement appears to be a mediating variable that translates the emotional labor into voice behavior. Moreover, perceived organizational support moderates the relationship between emotional labor and voice behavior. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 825 KiB  
Article
Pulling on Heartstrings: Three Studies of the Effectiveness of Emotionally Framed Communication to Encourage Workplace Pro-Environmental Behavior
by Sally V. Russell and Neal M. Ashkanasy
Sustainability 2021, 13(18), 10161; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810161 - 10 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3424
Abstract
We investigated whether the emotional framing of climate change communication can influence workplace pro-environmental behavior. In three quasi-experimental studies, we examined whether emotional displays in climate change communication affected participants’ subsequent workplace pro-environmental behavior. In Studies 1 and 2, undergraduate and master’s students [...] Read more.
We investigated whether the emotional framing of climate change communication can influence workplace pro-environmental behavior. In three quasi-experimental studies, we examined whether emotional displays in climate change communication affected participants’ subsequent workplace pro-environmental behavior. In Studies 1 and 2, undergraduate and master’s students viewed a fictional news video about climate change, where the newsreader displayed one of five emotions: sadness, fear, anger, contentment, and hope. The dependent variable was recycling behavior following the viewing. In Study 3, office employees viewed the same news videos online; the dependent variable was requesting further information to increase pro-environmental behavior in the workplace. The results from all three studies show that displayed emotion significantly affected pro-environmental behavior and that sadness, in particular, resulted in significantly less workplace pro-environmental behavior. These results indicate the need to study the effect of discrete emotions, rather than assuming that emotions of the same valence have similar effects. The results also underscore the importance of using experimental designs in advancing the field. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for research, theory, and practice of emotionally framed communication of sustainability messages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
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17 pages, 261 KiB  
Article
Communicating Values to Cultivate Sustainable Occupational Identity: How Restaurant Workers Resist Service Work Stigma
by Kyle A. Hanners and Shawna Malvini Redden
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8587; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158587 - 1 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3941
Abstract
Pre-COVID-19 pandemic, restaurant workers comprised one of the largest workforces in the United States, contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to the national economy. Yet, restaurant workers routinely face customer abuse, meager wages, lack of benefits, sexual harassment, and one of the highest [...] Read more.
Pre-COVID-19 pandemic, restaurant workers comprised one of the largest workforces in the United States, contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to the national economy. Yet, restaurant workers routinely face customer abuse, meager wages, lack of benefits, sexual harassment, and one of the highest rates of turnover across industries. Given these conditions, this qualitative study investigates how restaurant workers make sense of a contested occupation and manage the stigma associated with their occupation. Specifically, this study examines how food and beverage service workers identify with and navigate a demanding industry while managing the sociocultural assumptions of service work. Using a multi-level discourse analytic framework, we analyze how service workers craft and enact occupational identities. Through an analysis of in-depth interviews with 19 restaurant employees, we demonstrate how people foreground the positive attributes of restaurant work while resisting social Discourses that position the work as dirty, demeaning, emotional, and meaningless. We analyze how workers frame the values of working in restaurants and the communicative strategies they use to navigate stigmatized social interactions, including emphasizing flexibility, empathy, emotion management, and teamwork. Theoretical and practical implications offer suggestions to improve workforce sustainability and working conditions for employees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
18 pages, 324 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Family Farm Member Conflict Experiences
by Emily A. Paskewitz
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8486; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158486 - 29 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2994
Abstract
Family farm sustainability traditionally focuses on economic and environmental issues. However, sustaining family farms also relies on understanding how to sustain the relationships contained therein. Emotional intelligence (EI) is an important means through which family farm members can sustain relationships, especially when handing [...] Read more.
Family farm sustainability traditionally focuses on economic and environmental issues. However, sustaining family farms also relies on understanding how to sustain the relationships contained therein. Emotional intelligence (EI) is an important means through which family farm members can sustain relationships, especially when handing conflict between members. This paper focused on how four EI dimensions (awareness of own emotion, management of own emotion, awareness of others’ emotions, management of others’ emotions) could prevent four types of conflict within family farms (task, relational, process, and status). Family farm participants (N = 204) were recruited through social media posts and emails to specialty agricultural groups and agencies, and students at a university. Hierarchical regression results showed that awareness of own emotions, management of own emotions, and management of others’ emotions negatively predicted task, relational, process, and status conflict. Awareness of others’ emotions did not predict any conflict types. Theoretically, this article points to the importance of considering all four EI dimensions, since they impact conflict types differently. For the family farm members, being aware of their own emotions and being able to manage emotional responses in themselves and others can help prevent conflict from occurring, thereby sustaining both family and business relationships for the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)

Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 314 KiB  
Review
Emotional Intelligence in Autistic Adults: A Review with Considerations for Employers
by Satoris S. Howes
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7252; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097252 - 27 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6323
Abstract
Emotional intelligence is important within the workplace, as indicated by the multitude of positive workplace outcomes associated with heightened emotional intelligence. Research has demonstrated that many autistic individuals exhibit lower levels of trait emotional intelligence, potentially putting them at a disadvantage within the [...] Read more.
Emotional intelligence is important within the workplace, as indicated by the multitude of positive workplace outcomes associated with heightened emotional intelligence. Research has demonstrated that many autistic individuals exhibit lower levels of trait emotional intelligence, potentially putting them at a disadvantage within the workplace. Emotional intelligence, however, is multifaceted, yet research on how autistic adults fare in these facets separately has remained siloed. All four facets are important and should be considered alongside one another to allow for a complete understanding of emotional intelligence and autism. The purpose of this paper is to review existing research with respect to how autistic individuals fare for each of the four facets of emotional intelligence, namely, perceiving emotions, using emotions to facilitate thought, understanding emotions, and managing emotions. This review is primarily intended to be descriptive and not prescriptive, though areas for consideration within the workplace—particularly regarding how autistic individuals may experience difficulties in meeting the necessary demands for sustainable career success—based on the reported findings are provided. Given this and the recognition that neurodiversity is an important component of organizational diversity, this paper is important for both individual employment sustainability efforts and organizational sustainable competitive advantage efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emotional Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability)
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