Emotional Contagion and its Relevance to Individual Behavior and Organizational Processes: A Position Paper

Purpose: Emotions and emotional contagion are being increasingly recognized as crucial variables influencing individual behavior and organizational functioning. This position paper serves the function as a ready reckoner by reviewing and consolidating existing literature in the field of emotional contagion. The review is categorized into three broad headings: (a) individual, (b) interpersonal, and (c) contextual factors, based on their relationship with emotional contagion. Design/Methodology/Approach: The article focuses on analyzing and critiquing studies of emotional contagion conducted in several streams such as psychological processes, personality, organizational behavior, marketing, and consumer behavior. A conceptual framework of emotional contagion is presented, supplemented with research propositions. Findings: The phenomenon of emotional contagion in workplace and its effects on personal and group outcomes has emerged as a critical area of research. It has been firmly established in literature that spread of emotions, if not properly managed, is bound to influence work effectiveness. Implications: Importance of understanding the effects of transfer of emotions, for both academicians and practicing managers is one of the critical take-aways of this article. Suitable interventions are the need of the hour in order to ensure proper management of emotions. Originality/Value: The contribution of the article is expected to be fourfold, in terms of: (a) presenting a structured and comprehensive review of literature on emotional contagion, (b) identifying gaps in the existing literature, (c) proposing a conceptual framework, and (d) developing propositions for future research. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.