Unraveling the Complexities of Empathy Research: A Multi-Level Model of Empathy in Organizations

Abstract

Purpose

Empathy, or the process of feeling or knowing how another feels, is a critical component of social interactions, and may be of particular importance to organizational functioning. This chapter addresses a literature gap on empathy in organizational contexts by providing a review of empathy research in a management setting.

Methodology/approach

We integrate the developing field of empathy research and provide a conceptual framework built on Ashkanasy’s (2003) five levels of analysis in emotions research, emphasizing within-person, between-person, interpersonal, group-level, and organization-level processes.

Findings

Our model addresses the complaint that empathy definitions are not consistent by illustrating how the level of analysis alters the view of empathy’s role in organizations.

Research implications

This multi-level model of empathy provides a framework to identify gaps in the empathy literature and make recommendations for future research.

Practical implications

This new model of empathy will help practitioners use and understand empathy by providing a structure of how empathy is manifested in organizational settings.

Originality/value

The field of empathy research has been limited by inconsistent definitions and a lack of a model that outlines how empathy is used in organizations. This multi-level model of empathy provides the necessary framework for researchers and practitioners to advance the research and practice of empathy in organizations.

Citation

Burch, G.F., Bennett, A.A., Humphrey, R.H., Batchelor, J.H. and Cairo, A.H. (2016), "Unraveling the Complexities of Empathy Research: A Multi-Level Model of Empathy in Organizations", Emotions and Organizational Governance (Research on Emotion in Organizations, Vol. 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 169-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1746-979120160000012006