Emotional labour in non-governmental organisations: narrative analysis and theory expansion Online publication date: Sun, 25-Aug-2019
by Sharon Mastracci; Ian Adams
International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion (IJWOE), Vol. 10, No. 1, 2019
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore emotional labour in the context of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) using word data from interviews of five NGO directors on their recruitment criteria when hiring staff. We analyse interview transcripts using semiotic clustering. First-order concepts are organised into second-order themes which are summarised as aggregate dimensions to develop a proposition and expand emotional labour theory. We find evidence of emotional labour in NGOs: modelling behaviour for clients, serving as mentors to new staff members, maintaining boundaries between self and clients, suppressing panic in crisis, cognitive reframing, and compartmentalisation. We provide evidence of emotional labour in NGOs, which contributes to emotional labour theory by focusing solely on this important sector of public service. Little research has been done on emotional labour in such organisations, and consistent with prior findings, we find aspects of emotional labour in NGOs can be rewarding and fulfilling as well.
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion (IJWOE):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:
Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.
If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com
Our Blog 
Follow us on Twitter 
Visit us on Facebook