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The rationality of emotions: A hybrid process model of decision-making under uncertainty

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Abstract

Decision-making continues to be a vital area of research on organizations, particularly in Asia. After years of research under the cognitive approach, there has been an upsurge of scholarly attention connecting decision-making to emotion. Nonetheless, competing accounts of the role played by emotion in decision-making have created a conundrum as to whether emotion is rational or irrational and whether it should even be considered along with other cognitive aspects of the decision-making process. In response, we derive a hybrid process decision-making model to integrate the effects from cognition and emotions varying with the levels of uncertainty. In proposing this model, we seek to differentiate the rationality of emotions from the instrumental, functional, and expressive mechanisms in decision-making. In particular, we proffer that affective construal legitimates the rational account of emotions under high uncertain situation. Finally, we draw some key implications and recommendations for organizational research in the Asian region.

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Acknowledgments

The Asia Pacific Journal of Management would like to thank Rachel (Rae) Pinkham, Saraswathi “Sara” Sabapathy, and Marc Ahlstrom of Burlington County College for their editorial and research assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China

    Yan Li

  2. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Neal M. Ashkanasy

  3. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    David Ahlstrom

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  1. Yan Li
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  2. Neal M. Ashkanasy
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  3. David Ahlstrom
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Correspondence to Yan Li.

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Li, Y., Ashkanasy, N.M. & Ahlstrom, D. The rationality of emotions: A hybrid process model of decision-making under uncertainty. Asia Pac J Manag 31, 293–308 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-012-9341-5

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