With hopes of raising its national profile, Fairfield University last month named Donald E. Gibson as the new dean of the Charles G. Dolan School of Business.
Gibson, the interim dean of the business school for nearly two years, has been a faculty member at the university for 12 years as a management professor and chairman of the management department. As the dean of the School of Business, Gibson said he hopes to continue the school”™s “impressive growth” and steer it toward becoming one of the nation”™s best business schools.
A leading expert on organizational behavior, Gibson”™s research interests include organizational role models, anger and aggression in the workplace and individual emotional management in organizations.
Considering his new role and interests, the Business Journal recently spoke to Gibson about anger and what employers should consider when an employee is upset.
Business Journal: What does it mean if someone is expressing anger at work?
Gibson: “Expressing anger is a signal that something is wrong in a workplace and needs to be addressed. Often, anger arises from feelings of inequity: the notion that a person is feeling treated unfairly. Other causes are when a person”™s goals are blocked or when a worker has a conflict with another worker.”
What can a workplace gain from it?
“About half the time, people believe that their expressions of anger lead to positive results. Expressing anger can draw attention to a situation that needs fixing or an injustice that needs to be addressed. Having anger expressed can be uncomfortable, but it may be better than suppressed anger, which may emerge in less beneficial ways, such as through aggression or violence.”
How can a manager effectively respond to anger?
“The key for managers is to treat anger expressions from a problem-solving approach ”” anger is a signal that something”™s wrong and needs to be addressed. This may be difficult, but managers need to avoid responding to anger with anger, which typically only escalates the conflict. In responding to a worker”™s anger, managers should try delaying tactics (”˜counting to ten”¦”™) to calm the situation down and address the person”™s anger in a quiet neutral area to help focus on the problem not the person.”
What are appropriate ways for employees to show their emotions in general?
“My research shows that the most effective expressions of anger are controlled. Controlling emotions allow others to see that you”™re angry, but to also show that you are exhibiting control. This is what is expected in professional environments, even if it may be difficult. A key point about “appropriateness” is that there may be subtly different ”˜rules”™ for men expressing anger than for women. Women tend to be judged more negatively when they express anger than men are.”
What are bad ways to express and react to anger?
“Out-of-control anger is not likely to be sanctioned in the workplace, unless you”™re the boss. If you”™re the boss, expressing a lot of out-of-control anger can create a toxic workplace and long-term negative results.”
What should businesses really know about anger at work?
“Anger is a commonly felt emotion, and workplaces ”” with their deadlines difficult teammates, authority hierarchy (bosses and subordinates) ”” are designed to produce anger. The key is not avoiding or suppressing anger, either in yourself or others, but rather, trying to deal with it professionally, as an opportunity for problem-solving.”
