Forced Fun, Suppression of Emotion and Authenticity
There was a time when businesses told employees, “leave your emotions at the door.” Of course, no one can do that. Emotions and cognition work together in the brain. Suppressed emotions slurp out in unpredictable ways.
Now some want their employees to project certain emotions to customers–excitement, enthusiasm, empathy. But does feigning emotion work? Most people see through inauthentic displays of emotion. Faking takes a toll on the person when the inside and the outside don’t match.
I think we need a different approach: congruence. http://www.ayeconference.com/beyondblaming/
The Problem of Forced Fun
Our culture cares increasingly about authenticity. Indeed, thanks to the work of Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, authenticity has become a watchword in the world of marketing. In this new cultural convention, being really excited all the time is patently inauthentic, not least because we know that peak moments of emotion are by their nature occasional. So when we ask our staff to roll out the bonhomie, some employees now believe they are being asked to be inauthentic.
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