Yes, anger is a common emotion. But it's also a toxic one for the giver and the receiver. Angry outbursts can compromise the heart and contribute to diabetes, among other ill effects. The experience of another's anger and its close correlate, hostility, is also linked to many counterproductive behaviors in organizations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 15 percent of fatal workplace injuries result from workplace violence. That is why many organizations have developed counteractive tifechniques - to blunt the harmful effects of anger in the workplace. To reduce outcomes, many companies develop policies that govern conduct such as yelling, shouting profanities, and making hostile gestures. Others institute anger management programs. For example, one organization conducted mandatory in-house workshops that showed individuals how to deal with conflicts in the workplace before they boil over. The direetor who instituted the training said it "gave people specific tools for opening a dialogue to work things out." MTS Systems, a Minnesota engineering firm, engages an outside consulting company to conduct anger management programs for its organization. Typically, MTS consultants hold an 8-hour seminar that discusses sources of anger, conflict resolution techniques, and organizational policies. This is followed by one-on-one sessions with individual employees that focus on cognitive behavioral techniques to manage their anger. The outside trainer Discuss the importance of individual moods and emotions in the workplace using reflective and critical thinking. Point Anger is discussed throughout this chapter for a reason: It's an important emotion. There are benefits to expressing anger. For one, research indicates that only employees who are committed to their organizations tend to express their anger, and generally only to leaders who created the situation. This type of expression of anger could lead to positive organizational change. Second, suppressed anger can lower job satisfaction and lead to a feeling of hopelessness about things improving. Even with these findings, we hear a lot about not responding emotionally to work challenges. Work cultures teach us to avoid showing any anger at all, lest we be seen as poor workers or worse, unprofessional, or even deviant or violent. While, of course, there are times when the expression of anger is harmful or unprofessional, we've taken this view so far that we now teach people to suppress perfectly normal emotions, and to ignore the effectiveness of some emotional expression. Emerging research shows that suppressing anger takes a terrible internal toll on individuals. One Stanford University study found, for example, that when individuals were asked to wear a poker face during the showing of a movie clip depieting the atomic bombings of Japan during World War II, they were much more stressed in conversations after the video. Other research shows that college students who suppress emotions like anger have more trouble making friends and are more likely to be depressed, and that employees who suppress anger feel more stressed by work. For the good of organizations and their employees, we should encourage people not to hold back their emotions, but to share them constructively. A point/counterpoint exercise is a form of persuasive thinking and writing. The best point/counterpoint arguments use concrete examples back up abstract claims. The goal is to explore and respect opposing viewpoints. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace demonstrate respectful workplaces by taking the time to understand and learn from the diversity of our colleagues. True inclusion requires viewpoint diversity. - Choose one Point/Counterpoint to review and analyze by addressing the corresponding questions and justifying your position. You may choose one position (point or counterpoint) between the two topics: Sometimes Yelling is for Everyone's Good or Earning That Promotion May Be Key to Higher Job Satisfaction. - Find a recent article or study (within a year) relating to the selected topic to include in your submission with a short surmmary (not to exceed 1-2 paragraphs in your own words) Click here to view this unit's questions and Point/Counterpoint article. Directions Complete the assigned critical thinking task and submit your work for review. Please note that there is no length requirement; however, your submission should completely address each question using supporting material (from the textbook and an outside source) and properly. credit any borrowed information (paraphrased, summarized, or quoted) using APA format