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Anger and happiness in virtual teams: Emotional influences of text and behavior on others' affect in the absence of non-verbal cues

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  • Cheshin, Arik
  • Rafaeli, Anat
  • Bos, Nathan

Abstract

Emotions carry social influence, as evident by emotion contagion - an unconscious process attributed to mimicking of non-verbal cues. We investigate whether emotion contagion can occur in virtual teams; specifically, the emotional influence of text-based and behavior-based cues on participants' emotion in 4-person virtual teams. In a 2 x 2 design a confederate textually communicated anger or happiness, while behaving in a resolute or flexible pattern. The team task required negotiation offering a performance based reward. We demonstrate that emotion contagion occurs in teams even when communication is only text-based. We show that behaviors are perceived as emotionally charged, resolute behavior interpreted as a display of anger, and flexibility as a display of happiness. Moreover, we demonstrate that incongruence between text-based communication of emotion and emotionally charged behaviors elicits negative emotion in fellow teammates. Our findings extend the boundaries of emotion contagion and carry implications for understanding emotion dynamics in virtual teams.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheshin, Arik & Rafaeli, Anat & Bos, Nathan, 2011. "Anger and happiness in virtual teams: Emotional influences of text and behavior on others' affect in the absence of non-verbal cues," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 116(1), pages 2-16, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:116:y:2011:i:1:p:2-16
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    Cited by:

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    2. Elizabeth Han & Dezhi Yin & Han Zhang, 2023. "Bots with Feelings: Should AI Agents Express Positive Emotion in Customer Service?," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 34(3), pages 1296-1311, September.
    3. Nuria Gamero & Baltasar González-Anta & Virginia Orengo & Ana Zornoza & Vicente Peñarroja, 2021. "Is Team Emotional Composition Essential for Virtual Team Members’ Well-Being? The Role of a Team Emotional Management Intervention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-19, April.
    4. Baltasar González-Anta & Virginia Orengo & Ana Zornoza & Vicente Peñarroja & Nuria Gamero, 2021. "Sustainable Virtual Teams: Promoting Well-Being through Affect Management Training and Openness to Experience Configurations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
    5. Naomi Moy & Ho Fai Chan & Frank Mathmann & Markus Schaffner & Benno Torgler, 2021. "Confidence is good; too much, not so much: Exploring the effects on reward-based crowdfunding success," CREMA Working Paper Series 2021-18, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    6. Barasch, Alixandra & Levine, Emma E. & Schweitzer, Maurice E., 2016. "Bliss is ignorance: How the magnitude of expressed happiness influences perceived naiveté and interpersonal exploitation," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 184-206.
    7. Lim, Jia Hui & Tai, Kenneth & Kouchaki, Maryam, 2021. "Ambivalent bosses: An examination of supervisor expressed emotional ambivalence on subordinate task engagement," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 139-152.
    8. Christoph Laubert & Jennifer Parlamis, 2019. "Are You Angry (Happy, Sad) or Aren’t You? Emotion Detection Difficulty in Email Negotiation," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 377-413, April.
    9. Dušan Mladenović & Kamil Koštiál & Nikolina Ljepava & Ondřej Částek & Yash Chawla, 2021. "Emojis to conversion on social media: Insights into online consumer engagement and reactions," WORking papers in Management Science (WORMS) WORMS/21/13, Department of Operations Research and Business Intelligence, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology.
    10. Cheshin, Arik & Amit, Adi & van Kleef, Gerben A., 2018. "The interpersonal effects of emotion intensity in customer service: Perceived appropriateness and authenticity of attendants' emotional displays shape customer trust and satisfaction," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 97-111.

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