Spread and Transformation of Psychological Pain in Organizations

Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management

Sponsoring Divisions: CM and OB (Showcase Symposium)

Session 237: Real-time Open Session

August 9, 2020, 19:00 – 20:30 EDT

Panelists:
Sherry Thatcher (University of South Carolina)
Dana Sumpter (Pepperdine University)
Julianna Pillemer (New York University)
Ashley Hardin (Washington University in St. Louis)
Matthew Cronin (George Mason University)

Organizers:
Matthew Cronin (George Mason University)
Emily Rosado-Solomon (California State University, Long Beach)
Phoebe Strom (Cornell University)
Jessica Francavilla (Washington University in St. Louis),
Ron Capistrano (California State University, Long Beach)

Overview:
We want to build a community that can understand how to manage psychological pain - unpleasant psychological sensations that can lead to harm to the individual and/or the organization in organizations. Scholars have investigated various forms of psychological pain (e.g., burnout, harassment) for decades, but what is missing from this work is how psychological pain spreads across the organization and transforms across types. Understanding how organizational features may generate and spread that pain and the kind of negative effects that subsequently emerge is critical if organizations are to enact effective policies to mitigate the problem. Thus to understand the spread and transformation of psychological pain, we must be able to integrate research on the various types of pain being studied. The symposium seeks to accomplish that goal by having multiple small groups discussions where people can develop connections with other researchers that will continue beyond the conference.