An exploratory study of the positive effect of anger on decision-making in business contexts

Abstract

Current studies have shown the significance of emotions in decision-making. The basic emotion of anger has been an especially interesting area of research in the field of neuro-economics. In this paper we pose the question of how anger may affect decision outcomes in a business organization. Enterprises are conducted in time-limited, risk-taking and crisis-laden environments. Decision makers in such organizations must make important decisions in these environments, and thus may easily experience stress which leads to anger. In this paper, we hypothesize that anger is associated with positive outcomes by leading to increased motivation and affirming positive beliefs. To examine our hypothesis, we conducted in-depth interviews with organizational decision makers who have experienced anger while making decisions under time-limited, risk-taking and crisis-laden situations. Results from our qualitative research show that angry decision makers tend to obtain positive decision outcomes by positive motivation or beliefs derived from anger. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.