Surface Acting Research Articles

“You block yourself from the emotion:” A qualitative inquiry into special education teachers' use of discordant emotional strategies in coping with student aggression

Current research has explored teachers' use of expressive suppression and surface acting; however, research on these strategies, in the context of student aggression, is limited. A qualitative study was conducted to better understand female special education teachers' (SETs') use of discordant emotional (DE) strategies in student aggression. Analyses of the 16 semi-structured interviews revealed emotional distancing as a new DE strategy that consists of emotional detachment and emotional separation. Findings suggest SETs' use of emotional distancing differed by their years of teaching experience and “mental work.” Implications for professionals in practice are discussed to improve SETs’ emotional wellbeing.

How Can Managers Promote Employee Sustainability? A Study on the Impact of Servant Leadership on Emotional Labor

How managers can promote sustainability among their employees has become an important research issue in the field of organizations. Based on the theory of person–environment fit and social learning, the internal mechanism and the conditions of servant leadership on the two dimensions of emotional labor of the epidemic situation were studied through the analysis of the questionnaire data at two time points. The study revealed that the adoption of servant leadership by managers can have a positive impact on employee well-being and deep acting in the context of COVID-19, and this is critically important for the sustainable development of employees. Employee well-being is positively correlated with deep acting and negatively correlated with surface acting. Employee well-being plays a mediating role between servant leadership and the two dimensions of emotional labor. Perceived organizational support plays a moderating role between servant leadership and surface acting. The research findings can serve as a reference for enterprises to take measures in mitigating the adverse impact of COVID-19. Moreover, they provide new insights for managers to facilitate the sustainable development of their employees.

Parents’ Nonaccommodation and Sexual Minorities’ Topic Avoidance and Surface Acting as Mediators of Family Communication Patterns and Shared Family Identity

ABSTRACT This study tested parents’ nonaccommodation of their young adult child’s sexual identity and the child’s topic avoidance and surface acting as mediators of family communication patterns (FCPs, i.e., conversation and conformity orientations) and shared family identity (SFI). Participants included 205 sexual minorities who reported on their parents’ nonaccommodation in conversations about LGBTQ+ issues. Both FCP orientations were indirectly associated with SFI with each parent through different explanatory pathways. Notably, conformity orientation was indirectly associated with SFI with father through mother’s nonaccommodation to topic avoidance with mother. Conversely, it was indirectly associated with SFI with mother through father’s nonaccommodation to topic avoidance with father. The results extend FCP theory by illuminating a relational dynamic among identity-divergent family members that may create (un)healthy alliances within families.

How does emotional intelligence influence self-efficacy among customer service representatives in Pakistan? Mediatory effects of emotional labour

PurposeThis study intends to explore the influence of emotional intelligence on employee self-efficacy in Pakistan's telecom industry. Besides, it explores the mediating effect of emotional labor (surface acting and deep acting) between them. This study also tests the relationship between emotional labor (surface acting and deep acting) and self-efficacy in the customer care of Pakistan's telecom division.Design/methodology/approachThe study leads forward with a positivist approach to obtain data in two different waves as a time lag study from the big five telecom companies operating in Pakistan. The data was collected from 270 employees working in Customer Services in the Telecom sector.FindingsThe results reveal that there exists a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy in customer care employees in Pakistan's telecommunication division sector. Moreover, emotional labor (deep acting) partially mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy, and surface acting could not mediate the relationship among the employees of customer care in Pakistan's telecom division.Originality/valueManagement of emotions at the workplace has been an immensely vital area in managing the performance of employees, especially in customer-centric jobs, where dealing with customers is the prime focus and achieving customer satisfaction is the utmost outcome. There is limited evidence of the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy specifically in the customer care of the Telecom sector.

The Spillover Effect of Emotional Labor: How It Shapes Frontline Employees’ Proactive Innovation Behavior

Frontline employees can generate tremendous value for both the customer and the organization through innovation. While prior research has revealed that frontline employees’ emotional labor significantly affects their own creativity, it is unclear whether it has a spillover effect on other frontline employees (i.e., co-workers) and how it shapes their behaviors, especially proactive innovation behavior. Based on emotion-as-social-information (EASI) theory, we construct a mechanism model to illustrate this aforementioned spillover effect. By analyzing the questionnaires collected from 268 frontline employees in China, we found that (1) deep acting (surface acting) of co-worker influences frontline employee’s proactive innovation behavior positively (negatively); (2) affective commitment plays a mediating role between emotional labor and proactive innovation behavior; and (3) emotional sensitivity reinforces the positive (negative) effect of deep acting (surface acting) on proactive innovation behavior. The conclusions provide valuable insight into understanding the spillover effects of emotional labor among frontline employees.

Tracking foreign language teacher emotional reactions to student silence: An autoethnographic case study in Japan

While much has been researched regarding English language learner (ELL) perspectives on silence and pedagogical implications, the longitudinal negative effects of ELL silence on foreign language (FL) teachers is an under researched area of study. When considering that (a) Japanese FL classrooms are known to have high levels of silence as compared to the West, (b) FL teachers generally have a negative bias towards student silence, and (c) the fact that FL teacher attrition rates worldwide are reported to be increasing; this is a surprising gap in the field. Using dynamic systems theory, Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory, Barnlund's (1970) transactional model of communication, and Spilt et al.'s (2011) student-behavior mental representation model as a framework to investigate FL teacher emotional reactions to silence, the researcher conducted an autoethnographic event-based sampling study over a university term in Japan (98 days). In accordance to event-based sampling methodology, the researcher documented "in-the-moment" or "near-the-moment" incidences when emotional reactions to silence occurred. The main findings of this study are as follows: (1) Japanese ELLs are uncomfortable receiving direct FL teacher assistance around their peers, (2) negative reactions to Japanese ELL silence are linked to the establishment or disruption of classroom patterns, and (3) stress pertaining to teacher-teacher silence emerged after teacher-student stress stabilized mid-term. Regarding the third theme, suppressive surface acting and the need for social support were found to contribute to FL teacher stress.

Feeling and acting in classroom teaching: The relationships between teachers’ emotional labor, commitment, and well-being

The teaching profession is considered highly emotionally demanding. While teachers’ emotional labor has been found to be related to their commitment and well-being, little is known about the nuanced interrelationships between these constructs within classroom contexts, and inquiry in this area has been dominated by quantitative methods without contextual support from qualitative data. This paper reports on a survey study conducted among 803 junior high school teachers teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. Quantitative data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and complemented by qualitative data elicited through open-ended questions in the survey. It was found that, of the three dimensions of emotional labor (i.e., the expression of naturally felt emotions, surface acting, and deep acting) performed in classroom teaching, only deep acting significantly predicted teacher well-being both directly and indirectly through commitment. The implications of these findings for teachers and institutions are finally presented.

Narcissistic Leadership and Follower Voice: The Mediating Roles of Surface Acting and Emotional Exhaustion and Moderating Role of Attachment Style

Narcissistic Leadership and Follower Voice: The Mediating Roles of Surface Acting and Emotional Exhaustion and Moderating Role of Attachment Style

Employee–customer interaction and emotional intelligence to impact emotional labor: does interaction type play any role?

PurposeGrounded in emotional dissonance and social presence theories, this study examines whether the characteristics of employee–customer interaction (frequency, routineness and duration) and emotional intelligence (EI) have an impact on emotional labor (surface acting (SA), deep acting and naturally felt emotions (NFE)) and whether the type of interaction (face to face, voice to voice and online) moderates this relationship.Design/methodology/approachA survey method was employed to collect data from employees working in hotels, customer care and e-booking services (n = 604). The model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe study showed that EI was positively linked to deep acting and NFE but negatively associated with SA. Frequency of interaction had a negative relationship with deep acting and NFE but a positive association with SA. Duration of interaction (DOI) had a positive relationship with deep acting and NFE but a negative association with NFE. Routineness of interaction had a negative relationship with deep acting and NFE but surprisingly had a negative relationship with SA. Online interaction moderated the relationship between EI and deep acting.Originality/valueThis pioneering study examines the relationship between EI and characteristics of employee–customer interaction with emotional labor in the Indian hospitality context. While the association between EI and emotional labor has been studied, this study is unique in substantiating the moderating effects of interaction type and is among the first to do so empirically.

Managing burnout from engagement-derived acting strategy

PurposePerforming emotional labour is required of customer-contact employees (CCEs) to regulate their emotions through acting to conform to organisational display rules. Prior research is focused on investigating the detrimental outcomes of CCEs engaging in emotional labour acting to meet these display rules and organisational-related antecedents. This study takes a fresh perspective to propose how acting deriving from job engagement is related to employee burnout. Emotional intelligence is modelled as a moderator in these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe current study focuses on customer contact employees who are currently employed within the banking industry located in the United States of America. Participants of the study were recruited using panel data through Qualtrics both symmetrical and asymmetrical methods were employed in this study to test the proposed relationships.FindingsThe findings show that, prior to including EI in the analysis, job engagement was negatively related to surface acting but positively related to deep acting. However, when EI was entered in the equation, the relationship between job engagement and deep acting became negative. EI was also negatively related to both surface and deep acting. EI significantly strengthens the emotional labour process of engagement towards emotional labour strategies as well as lessening burnout. The asymmetrical analysis offer more insights to the proposed relationships.Originality/valueThis study employs both symmetrical and asymmetrical methods to examine emotional labour, emotional intelligence and employee burnout. In particular, job engagement proposed as an antecedent to acting strategy is novel. The study offers some novel insights into emotional labour and emotional intelligence research. The findings have practical implications for HR practitioners and management in the service organisations.

Going beyond deep and surface acting: a bottom-up taxonomy of strategies used in response to emotional display rules

ABSTRACT Research on emotional labour has primarily focused on two emotional labour strategies that employees may use when confronted with organizational display rules: deep acting and surface acting. Initial evidence suggests that these two strategies do not fully cover the range of strategies that employees engage in when responding to display rules in interactions with customers. Yet, a systematic overview of the full range of such strategies is missing. Across two studies, we used a bottom-up approach to develop a taxonomy of strategies used in response to display rules. In Study 1, we conducted interviews in the Netherlands and in Turkey to collect a comprehensive list of employee-generated strategy statements. We found that deep and surface acting only partially accounted for the strategy statements (Netherlands: 47.6%; Turkey: 53.3%). In Study 2, we asked a new sample of participants to sort the strategy statements into categories based on their similarity. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that employees engage in deep and surface acting in response to display rule requirements. However, employees also engage in additional strategies: changing customers’ cognitions or affect, solution-oriented, waiting, and avoidance strategies. These results reveal that employees rely on a wide range of strategies to deal with display rules.

Frontstage nursing and backstage growth: The emotional labour of student nurses in Dutch nursing homes.

The complex emotional work of nurses calls for more recognition of emotional labour and the incorporation of emotional labour in nursing education. Based on participant observation and semistructured interviews, we describe the experiences of student nurses in two nursing homes for elderly people with dementia in the Netherlands. We analyse their interactions using Goffman's dramaturgical view on the front and backstage behaviour and the distinction between surface acting and deep acting. The study reveals the complexity of emotional labour, as nurses swiftly adapt their communication styles and behavioural strategies between settings, patients, and even between moments within one interaction sequence, which shows that the theoretical binaries fail to fully capture their skills. Although student nurses take pride in their emotionally taxing work, the societal undervaluation of the nursing profession negatively impacts their self-image and ambitions. More explicit recognition of these complexities would enhance their self-appreciation. This calls for a professional 'backstage area' that allows nurses to articulate and strengthen their emotional labour skills. Educational institutions should provide this backstage for nurses-in-training to strengthen these skills as part of the professional skill set.

Mediating Effect of Employee Performance on the Relationship Between Emotional Labour and Intent to Leave Among Nurses

In this study, it was aimed to examine the effect of nurses’ emotional labor levels on their intention to leave and to determine whether employee performance plays a mediating role in this relationship. The study is of descriptive cross-sectional type, which was conducted through a questionnaire on nurses. The surface acting has positive effect on the intent to leave among nurses, whereas deep acting has negative effect; employee performance has partial mediating role on the relationship between the surface acting and intent to leave, and the relationship between deep acting and intent to leave. The study is considered to provide significant tips in the identification of nurses with higher risk to leave the work, and in deciding managerial interventions that would be realised against such circumstances. It is suggested that it may be beneficial for nurse managers to organise training in their units, to evaluate the performance of nurses at regular intervals and thus to determine the reason for the increase and decrease, to plan activities that will reduce emotional burden.

Cultural intelligence and proactive service performance: mediating and moderating role of leader's collaborative nature, cultural training and emotional labor

PurposeDrawing on cultural intelligence and social exchange theories, this study examines cultural intelligence and its effects on proactive service performance and the mediating role of leader's collaborative nature and the moderating role of cultural training and emotional labor, particularly deep acting and surface acting, in the relationship between cultural intelligence and proactive service performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study sample comprised 510 healthcare practitioners. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that cultural intelligence positively influences proactive service performance. Additionally, leadership's collaborative nature influences proactive service performance. The moderating effect of cultural training and deep acting positively influences the relationship between cultural intelligence and proactive service performance. In contrast, surface acting reveals a reverse effect, thus exhibiting a positive effect on this relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings suggest that public healthcare organizations should pay more attention in improving deep acting, cultural training and leadership's collaborative nature for optimal service performance.Originality/valueThe novelty of this study lies in its presentation of an integrated framework based on cultural intelligence and social exchange theories that can solve the contemporary challenges facing healthcare firms operating in emerging markets in integrating cultural intelligence and service performance.

Effect of Emotional Labor on Job Engagement and Work Happiness: Mediating Role of Psychological Capital and Moderating Role of Trust from Leader

This study aims to investigate the effects of surface acting and deep acting on job engagement and work happiness of frontline service employees. Further, we scrutinize the mediating role of positive psychological capital among the relationships and the moderating role of trust from leader between the two types of acting and positive psychological capital. Based on conservation of resource theory and emotion regulation theory, we paid attention to the discriminatory influence of the two types of acting and the facilitating role of leader. The results showed that deep acting was positively related to psychological capital, while there was no significant relationship between surface acting and psychological capital. Also, the positive relationship between deep acting and psychological capital was stronger when trust from leader was higher, while there was no significant interaction effect between surface acting and trust from leader. Psychological capital was positively related to both job engagement and work happiness. Taken together, psychological capital fully mediated the positive relationships among deep acting, job engagement, and work happiness. However, surface acting had no significant effect on psychological capital, job engagement, and work happiness. The research findings offer beneficial theoretical and practical implications.

The patterns of anger regulation among school principals and their sources

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore school principals' sources of felt anger and to trace their forms of anger regulation in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachBased on semi-structured interviews with 30 elementary and secondary school principals in Israel, a typology of anger regulation is presented and analyzed.FindingsThe typology includes three types of perceived anger regulation: anger and surface acting, a moderate expression of anger and an authentic expression of anger. While teachers and students may provoke the principal's anger, most commonly external constituencies (e.g. Ministry of Education, Local Education Authorities) trigger their intense anger. Concluding the paper are suggestions for further research on anger in educational leadership and practical recommendations.Originality/valuestudy fills the gap in knowledge about emotion regulation in educational leadership, in general, and increases our insights into the values and norms that delineate the degree to which anger expression is appropriate in the school, in particular.

How does emotional labor influence restaurant employees’ service quality during COVID-19? The roles of work fatigue and supervisor–subordinate Guanxi

PurposeThis study aims to test the relationship between emotional labor and service quality of the frontline employees of Chinese restaurants during the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). This study further investigated the mediating role of work fatigue (WF) and the moderating role of supervisor–subordinate Guanxi (SSG).Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a time-lag approach to gather data from a sample of 365 frontline staff members working in Chinese restaurants. All hypotheses were tested using SPSS and AMOS.FindingsFirst, restaurant frontline employees’ deep acting was associated with higher service quality, whereas surface acting leads to lower service quality. Second, WF mediated the relationship between emotional labor and service quality. Third, SSG moderated the impact of emotional labor on WF during COVID-19.Research limitations/implicationsAll variables measured in this study were self-reported by restaurant frontline employees, which may increase the risk of common-method bias. However, this study enriches the literature on emotional labor, WF and SSG during COVID-19.Practical implicationsCOVID-19 has severely affected the hotel, restaurant and catering sector and especially the psychological state and the work performance of frontline employees. Restaurant managers should implement some measures to improve employees’ service quality during COVID-19.Originality/valueThe present findings show that restaurant frontline employees adopted various emotional labor strategies when they were faced with higher than usual job demands and the risk of infection during COVID-19.

Rural English Teachers' Emotional Labor: A Case Study from a Chinese Middle School

<p>This study used a qualitative research method to explore rural English teachers' emotional labor strategies and the factors that influence their emotional labor through interviews. The study found that rural English teachers used more genuine expression strategies and surface acting strategies and less deep acting strategies; teachers used more genuine expression strategies in their interactions with students and colleagues and more surface acting in their interactions with parents and leaders, among which, since most rural students are stay-at-home children, teachers need more emotional labor to communicate with their guardians; therefore, teachers mostly used surface acting, but hardly used deep acting and genuine expression strategies. Factors that influence their emotional labor include teachers' personalities, teaching experiences, colleague relationships, school rules about teachers' emotions, and teacher faculty status. Based on the findings, this study proposes recommendations to improve rural English teachers' emotional labor in order to promote the development of rural English teachers.</p>

Overall justice and emotion regulation: combining surface acting with unfairness talk for greater satisfaction and less exhaustion

PurposeThis study examined the dual roles of supervisor-directed surface acting (SDSA) and unfairness talk emerging from low overall justice judgments and the impact of these variables on subordinates' job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachWorking professionals (n = 203) were sampled from online panel services in a time-separated data collection design.FindingsSDSA was found to mediate the relationships of overall justice with emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Additionally, unfairness talk reduced the debilitating effect of SDSA on emotional exhaustion, not job satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights the importance of supervisors understanding the problematic nature of ongoing interactions with subordinates after unjust events occur.Originality/valueThis study helps to better explain why overall justice assessments influence subordinates' job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the findings show that unfairness talk may not be as detrimental as suggested in recent studies, and it acts as a coping mechanism when contending with high SDSA, especially when emotional exhaustion is considered.

A pandemic within a pandemic: The investigation of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) victimisation risk factors and stay/leave decisions during the UK COVID-19 lockdown

This study investigated IPV behaviour and decisions associated with whether to stay or leave an IPV relationship during the UK coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The associations between gender, religion, proximity, financial strain, alcohol use, family cohesion, acceptance of partner behaviour, and emotional labour (surface acting and deep acting) were explored in relation to the presence of IPV and decisions to stay or leave IPV relationships. These variables were selected as they linked with the Lifestyle-Routine Activities Theory and Ecological Theory. A total of 179 participants completed an online questionnaire. The results of the study found that unbalanced family cohesion predicted all forms of IPV, and balanced family cohesion predicted stay decisions for victims. Surface acting predicted verbal abuse and religion predicted physical abuse. Additionally, the acceptance of positive closeness behaviours significantly predicted stay decisions for victims. The implications of these findings are discussed.