The expression of suppression: Loss and emotional labour in narratives of organisational change

Melanie Bryant, Julie Wolfram Cox

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    35 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This paper focuses on themes of emotionality and emotional labour derived inductively from retrospective narratives constructed by employees who experienced rapid organisational change and specifically addresses the question: 'How do people talk about the need to "dull down" their emotions during situations of organisational change?' We highlight themes of loss associated with retrospective displays of emotion and argue that loss and emotion management are most typically associated with issues concerning transition from the past or resistance to the future. We show how emotional labour serves both to mute and, ironically, to heighten emotions in the talk of change and extend studies of emotional labour beyond the service encounter and into the realm of organisational change.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)116-130
    Number of pages15
    JournalJournal of Management and Organization
    Volume12
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2006

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