Title: We do get terribly enthusiastic about everything! Performing emotion rules through parody

Authors: Eeva Aromaa; Päivi Eriksson; Albert J. Mills

Addresses: Business School, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland ' Business School, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland ' Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary's University, Sobey Building, 923 Robie Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3C3, Canada; Business School, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland

Abstract: This paper adopts a performational approach to critical sensemaking to explore how organisational members enact innovation-related emotion rules through the performance of parody. The approach was motivated more by induction than deduction. During an action-research study in a small service company, humour, teasing, and laughter occurred in a workshop organised for the company. On close examination of the videotaped workshop data, it was noticed that parodic performances were used to make critical sense of the innovation-related emotion rules and power relationships within the company. Analysis of this study shows in detail how, through parodic and imitative performances, the leader and employees constructed three emotion rules - show your emotions, show your enthusiasm, and show your criticism in a nice way - that are set by the leader to promote innovation practice within the company.

Keywords: emotion rules; critical sensemaking; CSM; performativity; parody; humour; Goffman; innovation practice; power.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRDM.2019.097056

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2019 Vol.19 No.1, pp.75 - 91

Received: 09 Jun 2017
Accepted: 13 Sep 2017

Published online: 17 Dec 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article