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10.13007/327

Ideas for Leaders #327

How Showing Emotions Builds

Individual and Team Resilience

Key Concept

Individuals who have a close relationship and teams that are built on trust are

more likely to have the resilience to bounce back from setbacks. New

research shows that ‘emotional carrying capacity’ — that is, the freedom to

constructively express more emotions, both positive and negative — is the

mechanism through which closeness and trust builds this resilience.

Idea Summary

Virtuous organizations are organizations that create an environment in which

everyone works for the good of all: employees, customers and the community.

There will be challenges and setbacks, however, and the ability of managers

and employees to overcome these challenges in ways that help them learn

and grow is essential to sustaining the virtuous organization.

Being virtuous helps. For example, people who can hope and forgive can

overcome disappointments and failure better than people who hold grudges or

live in fear. While virtuousness enables resilience, a team of researchers from

Case Western Reserve University, Boston University, Tel Aviv University and

the University of Michigan sees the process in reverse: resilience enabling

virtuousness. You’re more likely to be forgiving if you have the strength and

fortitude to learn from the hurt caused by another.

Where does resilience come from? Previous research shows that

interpersonal relationships hold the key: individuals who have close

relationships with others, and teams whose members have trusting

relationships with each other, are more likely to be resilient. In their research,

the team identifies the link between relationships and resilience. The answer

lies in the concept of ‘emotional carrying capacity’ or ECC. ECC is the ability

and freedom to express one’s emotions — specifically the freedom to:

express more emotion overall

express both positive and negative emotions,

express that emotion constructively

The researchers conducted two studies, one focused on the relationships of

individuals and the second focused on team relationships. The studies were

based on surveys and questionnaires sent to staff employees of a large

university (for the research on individuals) and to members of top

management teams of 500 Israeli firms (for the research on teams).

The results of the studies clarify the important role that ECC plays in

translating a close relationship among individuals and trust among team

Authors

Stephens, John Paul

Heaphy, Emily D.

Carmeli, Abraham

Spreitzer, Gretchen M.

Dutton, Jane E.

Institutions

Case Western Reserve University

Boston University School of Management

Tel Aviv University

University of Michigan Ross School of

Business

Source

Journal of Applied Behavioral Science

Idea conceived

March 2013

Idea posted

February 2014

DOI number

Subject

Interpersonal Skills

Team Building and Teamwork

Emotional Intelligence

members into resilience to adversity and setbacks.

When two individuals have an open and supportive relationship, they are

willing to express their emotions freely — both negative and positive — and in

a constructive manner. At the team level, a foundation of trust is required for

team members to be willing to show that same type of vulnerability to other

members of the team. Team members must feel that all the members of the

team want to understand and respond to each other’s needs and concerns.

Why is the expression of emotions so important to building resilience to

adversity? The researchers offer a number of reasons:

Suppressed emotions undermine an effective response. Under stressful situations, two

individuals or the members of a team must be able to discuss and work through differences.

Especially with teams, resentment and other simmering negative emotions can bog down the

effectiveness of the team just when more sustained commitment and effort from everyone is

required.

ECC provides the information needed for resilience. Expressing emotions helps others

understand how a person is truly reacting to an adverse situation, and enables them to

respond in the most helpful and constructive manner.

Positive emotions broaden the response while negative emotions signal the need for

a response. Both positive and negative emotions enhance the response to adversity. Positive

emotions open up possibilities for responding to the situation. “Maybe we can try this.” Negative

emotions can sound the alarm, which can be equally important to finding timely solutions. The

researchers note that both positive and negative emotions balance the downsides of the other.

Constructive expression of emotions enables learning. Learning from adversity can only

result from expressing emotions in a constructive manner. Incivility or overwhelming others with

one’s emotions does not inspire the support and cooperation that people need to find

solutions. When expressing emotions constructively and receiving the help they need,

individuals will regain a sense of control over the situation, which in turn helps them be more

resilient.

Business Application

Through their studies, the researchers show that expressing emotions is not

just another tool in the resilient toolbox that individuals or teams can use to

battle adversity. Instead, the constructive expression of positive and negative

emotions is the key mechanism that explains why trust and close

relationships lead to greater resilience.

Based on this research, business leaders and managers can take several

steps to build up resilience in their organizations:

Encourage and enable face-to-face meetings. Organizations should

encourage the expression of emotions by providing time and space for face-

to-face meetings; emotions are not just communicated through words but also

unconsciously expressed through facial expressions and postures. Face-to-

face meetings are key to enabling people to fully express their emotions —

and for others to understand them. Virtual meetings can be effective in some

ways, but face-to-face meetings are required for individuals and team

members to truly feel connected.

Model the sharing of emotions. Second, organizational and team leaders

should take the lead on modeling the expression of emotions. Employees and

direct reports should see them express both positive and negative emotions.

The expression of negative emotions may go against the common wisdom of

staying positive, but the researchers believe that through such expression, the

leaders are validating the negative emotions of the others in the organization.

The result, according to the researchers, is that leaders are creating a culture

that allows vulnerability and open communication.

Provide training on the constructive expression of emotions.

Encouraging more emotional expression can actually be more harmful if such

expression is disrespectful and uncivil. Incivility in the workplace is at all-time

high, reflecting the dangers of negative emotional expression. Individuals must

be trained in more frequent and less intense expression of positive and

negative emotions; this will lead to more openness, more understanding, and

less build up of negative feelings.

Further Reading

Relationship Quality and Virtuousness: Emotional Carrying Capacity as a

Source of Individual and Team Resilience. John Paul Stephens, Emily D.

Heaphy, Abraham Carmeli, Gretchen M. Spreitzer & Jane E. Dutton.

Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (March

2013) DOI: 10.1177/0021886312471193.

Further Relevant Resources

John Paul Stephens’s profile at Case Western Reserve University

Emily D. Heaphy’s profile at Boston University School of Management

Abraham Carmeli’s profile at Tel Aviv University

Gretchen M. Spreitzer’s profile at University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Jane E. Dutton’s profile at University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Ross School of Business Executive Education profile at IEDP

© Copyright IEDP Ideas for Leaders 2014

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