Symmetrical and asymmetrical outcomes of leader anger expression: A qualitative study of army personnel

Abstract

Recent studies have highlighted the utility of anger at work, suggesting that anger can have positive outcomes. Using the Dual Threshold Model, we assess the positive and negative consequences of anger expressions at work and focus on the conditions under which expressions of anger crossing the impropriety threshold are perceived as productive or counterproductive by observers or targets of that anger. To explore this phenomenon, we conducted a phenomenological study (n = 20) to probe the lived experiences of followers (as observers and targets) associated with anger expressions by military leaders. The nature of task (e.g. the display rules prescribed for combat situations) emerged as one condition under which the crossing of the impropriety threshold leads to positive outcomes of anger expressions. Our data reveal tensions between emotional display rules and emotional display norms in the military, thereby fostering paradoxical attitudes toward anger expression and its consequences among followers. Within this paradoxical space, anger expressions have both positive (asymmetrical) and negative (symmetrical) consequences. We place our findings in the context of the Dual Threshold Model, discuss the practical implications of our research and offer avenues for future studies.

The place and role of (moral) anger in organizational behavior studies

“…Again, this may not be an issue with the construct as such but rooted in the limitations of the statistical procedure. Recent studies show how insightful the eliciting of lived experiences in relation to anger in the workplace can be (Lindebaum, Jordan, & Morris, 2015).…”

Interpersonal leader responses to secondary trauma in nonprofit human service organizations

“…Indeed, numerous studies now challenge the "symmetrical assumption," which suggests that a leader's negative emotions produce detrimental follower and organizational outcomes (Lindebaum & Jordan, ; Lindebaum, Jordan, & Morris, ), and have linked negative leader emotions to asymmetrical (e.g., beneficial) outcomes under certain boundary conditions (Conroy et al, ; Lebel, ; Lindebaum et al, ; Lindebaum & Jordan, ; for a review, see Barsade & Gibson, ). For example, negative emotions can enhance social cohesion and task performance (Knight & Eisenkraft, ) and focus attention and resources on situations of injustice, such as discrimination (George, ) and on other organizational challenges (Derryberry & Tucker, ).…”

When Is Anger Helpful or Hurtful? Status and Role Impact on Anger Expression and Outcomes

“…Importantly, the general norm that allows higher‐status members to express anger may be counteracted by organization‐specific norms for supervisors in high‐status positions to exercise self‐control and emotional neutrality. In fact, self‐control and regulation of emotions are considered critical aspects of emotional intelligence and being a “professional” supervisor (Ashkanasy, Zerbe, & Hartël, ; Lewis, ; Lindebaum, Jordan, & Morris, ). In a study of supervisorial participants, Domagalski and Steelman () found that the most frequent method for handling anger by supervisors in the presence of a subordinate was anger control rather than expression.…”