Emotions from Contradictory Demands: Individual Coping Patterns and Differential Effects Over Time

Abstract

Contemporary organizations tend to pursue multiple and contradictory demands. In consequence, individuals working in these organizations often have to oscillate between seemingly opposing tasks and thought worlds, a resource intensive activity associated with considerable personal strain. We theorize this kind of switching as giving rise to negative affect, which induces emotional work shaped by individuals’ need to conserve their resources. We synthesize our theorizing in a model that explains how different emotional coping patterns lead to different consequences for individuals and the wider organization at specific moments in time and over time. We contribute to literature on how individuals grapple with multiple and contradictory demands in organizations, which to date has foregrounded rational over emotion-centered responses in dealing with tensions and paid little attention to explaining the interplay between individual and organizational resource depletion over time. Our theorizing is particularly relevant for understanding how individuals and organizations can establish a positive ‘new normal’ after major disruptions, as such situations often intensify tensions and leave organization members without much guidance on how to cope constructively.