Emotional harmony, dissonance and deviance at work

Abstract

Reviews recent literature relating to emotion at work, with special reference to the causes and effects of emotional harmony, dissonance and deviance. Illustrations are drawn from branded service organizations, in particular chain restaurant operations that make use of scripted or set piece dialogue techniques to standardize customer responses. Argues that the difficulty with this is that employees have to exercise “emotional management” in their interactions with customers, managers and other staff. Concludes that a better understanding is needed of the linkages between current management practices in hospitality organizations and the emotional dissance this can create.