The cross-level interactions of individual affect, group affect, and affective diversity

Abstract

Previous research on affect has focused on either individual- or group-level analysis. The present study explored the effects of group affective contexts in terms of group affect and affective diversity by examining the cross-level interactions of individual affect, group affect, and affective diversity. Specifically, we predicted that the effect of an individual`s positive affect (PA) on his or her work outcomes would be stronger when the mean level of group PA is high and when the group is diverse in PA. The hierarchical linear modeling results of 261 employees and 42 organizational teams showed that group PA played a significant moderating role on the effects of individual PA on team commitment, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). PA diversity influenced the relationship between individual PA and OCB.