Is it ok to care? How compassion falters and is courageously accomplished in the midst of uncertainty

Abstract

This article elaborates the organizational literature’s process theory of compassion – an empathic response to suffering – which falls short of adequately explaining why and how compassion unfolds readily in some workplace situations or settings but not in others. We address this shortcoming by calling attention to the basic uncertainty of suffering and compassion, demonstrating that this uncertainty tends to be particularly pronounced in organizational settings, and presenting propositions that explain how such uncertainty inhibits the compassion process. We then argue that understanding the accomplishment of compassion in the midst of uncertainty necessitates regarding compassion as an enactment of courage, and we incorporate insights from the organizational literature on everyday courageous action into compassion theory. We conclude with a discussion of implications in which we underscore the importance of organizational support for the expression of suffering and the doing of compassion, and we also consider directions for future research.

Components of Ethical Leadership and Their Importance in Sustaining Organizations Over the Long Term

“…In a work environment, a compassionate leader seeks the greatest good for the individual, the group, while also satisfying the mission of the organization (Briner & Pritchard, 1997). Kanov, Powley, and Walshe (2017) refer to compassion in the workplace as being courageous towards the suffering of others rather than ignoring them and that such expressions of compassion greatly improve the work environment tone for all employees.…”

To the Rescue!? Brokering a Rapid, Scaled and Customized Compassionate Response to Suffering after Disaster

“…First, we theorize and find that an actor's brokerage relationships within and between communities influence resource mobilization and compassion outcomes but do so through divergent paths. This finding regarding the different forms and impact of brokerage begins to address calls (e.g., Dutton et al, ; Kanov et al, ) to better explain both the relationality of compassion organizing and the ways social networks ‘awaken compassion’ (Worline and Dutton, , p. 115). Second, mobilizing resources is of critical importance to successful compassion organizing, and yet is often a challenging task given the uncertainty surrounding both the needs of sufferers and the availability of resources that match those needs (Kanov et al, ; Simpson et al, ).…”

“…This finding regarding the different forms and impact of brokerage begins to address calls (e.g., Dutton et al, ; Kanov et al, ) to better explain both the relationality of compassion organizing and the ways social networks ‘awaken compassion’ (Worline and Dutton, , p. 115). Second, mobilizing resources is of critical importance to successful compassion organizing, and yet is often a challenging task given the uncertainty surrounding both the needs of sufferers and the availability of resources that match those needs (Kanov et al, ; Simpson et al, ). We theorize and find that compassionate ventures deploy different resourcing strategies – influenced by their network – and that these strategies shape the outcomes of their organizing efforts.…”

“…Compassion represents a process of noticing and alleviating others’ suffering (Dutton et al, ), which is important because an organizational member's suffering can negatively impact productivity, innovation, strategic advantage, adaptability, and resourcing (see for review Worline and Dutton, ). Although research on compassion organizing has largely focused on the intra‐organizational activities involved in noticing and responding to the suffering of an organization's members (Dutton et al, ; Kanov et al, ; Worline and Dutton, ), recent research has focused on the role of compassion across firm boundaries, such as investigating how actors (i.e., individuals and organizations) respond to alleviate others’ suffering after natural disasters (Shepherd and Williams, ; Williams and Shepherd, ).…”

“…Despite an impressive body of theoretical work on compassion organizing (see for review Dutton et al, ; Kanov et al, ; Worline and Dutton, ), this literature is still ‘in its infancy … opening wide possibilities for theory‐testing studies that address both the process and the outcomes ’ of compassion organizing (Dutton et al, , p. 293, emphasis added). Indeed, leading scholars have acknowledged a gap in our understanding of the emergent patterns of compassion organizing (Kanov et al, ; Worline and Dutton, ), which requires an explanation of how organizations address suffering by generating resources to respond effectively (i.e., with scale, scope, speed, and customization [Dutton et al, ]). Filling this research gap is important because persistent suffering exacts a considerable toll on the focal individuals (Kanov et al, ) and organizations (Dutton et al, ; Powley, ).…”