Shame in organisations: an occasional emotional experience or a systemic mechanism of power and social control?
The emotion of shame in the context of organisations is still scarcely studied, and the current research on the topic is incoherent. This study employs qualitative metasynthesis (Walsh & Downe 2005) as a literature review method to construct more consistent information about the role of shame in publicly funded organisations. The results show that shame in organisation studies can be treated as a random emotional experience or interpersonal issue. However, shame can also be treated as a systemic mechanism of power and control coercing compliance with organisational, institutional and political standards and norms. The study makes use of three levels of analysis to understand how employees’ shame is constructed and utilised: micro, meso and macro. It also suggests separating the emotion of humiliation from shame when studying the use of power in organisations.
