Emotions at Work: What Are The Implications for Leadership?
In the academic literature on organisation theory, the seminal work on emotion (Fineman, 2000) produced a series of counter-intuitive findings. Emotion, while linked to expectations, is not associated with our individual goals and aspirations. Instead, it was found to link more strongly to our status within various social groups. In gathering stories about emotion at work, researchers found that people talk less about themselves and their goals than their relationships with others (Sandelands and Boudens, 2000). The impact of this perspective can be illustrated by considering modern treatments for drug addicts that involve the addict’s family and friends. In these treatments, the family and friends of the addict are counselled, rather than the addict. By challenging the way family members and friends see (and blame) the addict, they start to change the way they behave. As the group members’ behaviour changes, so does that of the addict, aiding their recovery. Blame, therefore, is a com
