“I feel your pain”: A critical review of organizational research on empathy

Summary Empathy, a multidimensional construct comprised of cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, has been advanced as a critical predictor of prosocial behavior and effectiveness in the workplace. However, despite organizational interest in empathy, there is a lack of consensus on what em...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of organizational behavior Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 166 - 192
Main Authors Clark, Malissa A., Robertson, Melissa M., Young, Stephen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chichester Wiley Periodicals Inc 01.02.2019
Subjects
affective empathy
Behavior
behavioral empathy
cognitive empathy
Cognitive-behavioral factors
Concept formation
Empathy
Interdisciplinary aspects
judged empathy
Organizational behavior
Organizational change
Organizational research
Pain
Prosocial behavior
Workplaces
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Summary:Summary Empathy, a multidimensional construct comprised of cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, has been advanced as a critical predictor of prosocial behavior and effectiveness in the workplace. However, despite organizational interest in empathy, there is a lack of consensus on what empathy is, how empathy should be measured, and how empathy research can meaningfully contribute to our understanding of organizational behavior. This paper aims to provide a roadmap for researchers and practitioners interested in empathy in the workplace. We first provide an updated overview of the state of the broader multidisciplinary literature on empathy. On the basis of this literature, we outline the three dimensions of empathy, discuss the distinctions between state/trait and observer/judged empathy, and compare empathy with related constructs. This integrated multidimensional conceptualization provides the basis for our critical review and recommendations. We review the organizational research on empathy (1983–2018), identifying critical issues with how empathy has been conceptualized, measured, and designed, and offer practical recommendations for the advancement of organizational research on empathy. We conclude by highlighting two fundamental questions: (a) is empathy associated with important outcomes of interest to organizations and employees, and (b) can empathy be changed, and if so, how?
ISSN:0894-3796
1099-1379
DOI:10.1002/job.2348