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

Abstract

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?

The cognitive, affective, and somatic empathy scales (CASES): Cross-cultural replication and specificity to different forms of aggression and victimization

“…There is growing consensus that empathy is a multifaceted construct that includes cognitive, affective and motor domains (Blair, 2005;Clark, Robertson, & Young, 2019;Van Der Graaff et al, 2016) and dissociable underlying neurocognitive systems for the domains have been revealed (Bernhardt & Singer, 2012;Blair, 2005;Shamay-Tsoory, Aharon-Peretz, & Perry, 2009). However, the exact definitions of the empathy domains are at least controversial.…”

Age-Conditional Effects of Political Skill and Empathy on Emotional Labor: An Experience Sampling Study

“…Empathy at work has received increased attention in recent years (see Clark et al, 2018;Longmire & Harrison, 2018, for reviews). To this end, there is evidence to suggest that empathy affects the experience and regulation of emotions in workplace interpersonal contexts (Cohen, 2010;Rupp et al, 2008), and especially those that are characterized by emotional labor (e.g., Toomey & Rudolph, 2017).…”

Two tales of rejection: Being rejected and rejecting others' (re)views

“…Another issue is the confusion of empathy with sympathy—they are not the same construct! To help steer scholars in the right direction, Clark, Robertson, and Young () provide a roadmap for researchers and practitioners interested in empathy in the workplace. They present an integrated multidimensional conceptualization of empathy, reviewing the literature from 1983 to 2018, starting with Davis's, original conceptualization of empathy, by identifying critical issues associated with the study of empathy, and identifying promising areas for future research.…”