Emotional Contagion in the Workplace

Awareness of the concept of “emotional contagion” goes back to at least the early 1990s. It has been defined as signifying the tendency to express and feel emotions similar to, and influenced by, those of others. In psychology, the condition (emotional contagion) is frequently looked at as a cause of dysfunctional dynamics in families and especially in children. And, of course, it can be a critical factor in the workplace. To understand employee behavior in the workplace, employers need to be aware of the phenomenon and take measures to counteract it. While the most prevalent situation is the interaction between and among employees, the contagion is also cited as a condition sometimes present in the employee-customer relationship. We became aware of “emotional contagion” when we came across a “working paper” published in 2001 by a Yale School of Management professor, Sigal G. Barsade. Barsade titled his paper The Ripple Effect: Emotional Contagion in Groups. Barsade wrote: “The results of this research confirm that people do not live on emotional islands but rather, that group members experience moods at work, these moods ripple out and, in the process, influence not only other group members’ emotions but their group dynamics and individual cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors as well. Thus, emotional contagion, through its direct and indirect influence on employee and work team emotions, judgments, and behaviors can lead to subtle but important ripple effects in groups and organizations.” Barsade concluded: “Emotional contagion has been shown here to play a significant role in work-group dynamics. A better understanding of the conditions and concepts of emotional contagion can lead to greater insight into and understanding of employees’ workplace behavior.” Emotional contagion also suggests another issue for employers – If a positive emotional contagion is preferable to a negative emotional contagion, employers should consider doing a personality inventory as a condition of employment. For our clients who are always looking for better ways to make their workplaces more effective in preventing and managing disability, read the Barsade paper.