Team members’ emotional displays as indicators of team functioning

Emotional expressions triggered stronger inferences when there was greater ambiguity surrounding the future trajectory of the team and when the emotional expressions were more likely to reflect team processes rather than dispositional tendencies toward positive or negative affectivity.

“emotional expressions triggered stronger inferences when there was greater ambiguity surrounding the future trajectory of the team and when the emotional expressions were more likely to reflect team processes rather than dispositional tendencies toward positive or negative affectivity (Homan et al. 2016).”

Observers anticipated more cooperative interactions, higher satisfaction, greater interpersonal liking and trust, and less conflict when two team members expressed happiness through facial displays than when they expressed sadness.

“In one study, observers anticipated more cooperative interactions, higher satisfaction, greater interpersonal liking and trust, and less conflict when two team members expressed happiness through facial displays than when they expressed sadness (Homan et al. 2016).”

Leaders could detect less friendly communication, discomfort, and heated emotional arguments in teams that experience intergroup bias.

“In addition to observing these nonverbal processes, leaders could detect less friendly communication, discomfort, and heated emotional arguments in teams that experience intergroup bias (Dovidio et al., 2002;Homan, Van Kleef, & Sanchez-Burks, 2016;King & Ahmad, 2010;Thatcher, Jehn, & Zanutto, 2003;Zellmer-Bruhn, Maloney, Bhappu, & Salvador, 2008).”