Emerging Research Directions Exploring Grief in Organizations

Abstract

Grief is an increasingly salient component of organizational life. Yet, we know relatively little about: (1) how employees experience and manage grief in their workplaces, (2) the impact of grief on employees and organizations, and (3) how colleagues, leaders, and organizations can best aid grieving employees as they move through grief towards recovery. Our symposium reports qualitative and quantitative research that extends the understanding of grief in the management literature, provides research-based recommendations for organizations in managing grieving employees, and subsequently strongly contributes to the Academy of Management’s conference theme “Bringing the Manager Back in Management.” The symposium includes four papers showcasing the influence of grief on employees’ work lives. Taken together, our papers and discussion, led by Dr. Gianpiero Petriglieri, endeavors to provide insight into the consequences of grief and mourning for employees and organizations, build an emerging community of scholars focused on issues related to grief and mourning, and generate a strong program of future academic research. Misery Loves Company? An Examination of Sharing Grief at Work Presenter: Seoin Yoon; Texas A&M U., College Station Presenter: Nitya Chawla; Texas A&M U. Presenter: Ji Koung Kim; Texas A&M U. Presenter: Yu Tse Heng; U. of Washington, Seattle Discovering a New Abnormal: The Role of Interpersonal Support at Work Presenter: Jessi Hinz; Case Western Reserve U. Work as Refuge: Job Crafting as Coping with Difficult Life Events Presenter: Pletneva Lidiia; ESSEC Business School “Careful the Wish You Make”: When Entrepreneurial Success Ushers in Grief Presenter: Hilary M. Hendricks; U. of Michigan