Michelle Lanham

The PhD thesis examines group-based emotions in the context of organisational teams working within the culture and creative industries. The thesis aims to explore the deeper psychological and cognitive processes that underpin group emotional experiences to determine their effect on group function and performance. To achieve this, an examination of theories related to collective and group-based emotion studies has been conducted, with a specific focus on theories related to ingroup identification. This analysis has been informed and underpinned by social appraisal theory, social identity theory and intergroup emotion theory and correlations in these individual streams of research have been identified and applied to this specific and unique context. The anticipated action tendencies of a range of group-based emotions have also been explored within an organisational, working group context, the findings of which allow deeper understanding of how emotions shape groups and groups shape emotion over an extended period of time. This thesis drew on an interpretivist approach, using principles and practices of narrative inquiry as a key part of the research design. This was further supported by a longitudinal examination of the overtime variability of emotions within group life, where the researcher was deeply embedded in the context of the working group. Key contributions from this research include the design of an innovative research methodology for testing group-based emotions through qualitative techniques, an approach notably absent from the field of emotion studies. Theoretically, the role of positive and negative affect on group functioning is advanced with important contributions for how the emotional life of teams may be best managed and supported to optimise performance and commitment from ingroup members.