“Aha, so what you mean is that emotions are data!” said the CTO of a fintech startup I was working with, marking a small eureka moment for both of us. For him, it reflected a shift in how he viewed the place and significance of emotions in business collaboration. For me, it became a concise, relatable way to explain something I’ve always found crucial but often needed many words to convey.
The Misconception: Emotions Don’t Belong in Business
But let’s take a step back. The idea that emotions don’t belong in business—that they are merely disruptions, noise to be filtered out—is surprisingly common.
Why is this? For one, business culture has long been shaped by an emphasis on rationality and objectivity. Many professionals are taught that success depends on detachment, clear thinking, and making decisions based solely on facts and logic. Emotions, in contrast, are often perceived as messy, subjective, and prone to clouding judgment.
This view is reinforced by societal norms that associate professionalism with composure and control. People often equate showing emotion with a lack of discipline or even weakness, leading to a widespread tendency to suppress or dismiss emotional expressions in the workplace. While this approach may seem practical, it comes with significant downsides.
Why Emotions Shouldn’t Be Ignored
First, brushing emotions under the carpet rarely works. When ignored, emotions tend to resurface in ways that can derail progress. For example, unresolved frustration or resentment can fester, building to a point where it prevents parties from finding common ground in a disagreement. In such cases, emotions don’t just disappear—they amplify, creating roadblocks to resolution and collaboration.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, ignoring emotions means losing out on valuable information. Emotions are data: they can reveal hidden dimensions of a conflict, unspoken fears, or deeply held values that aren’t immediately apparent. When these insights are overlooked, critical aspects of a situation remain unaddressed, leaving potential solutions incomplete or ineffective.
Emotions as a Tool for Transformation
In my work as a business mediator, I’ve seen how acknowledging and addressing emotions can transform interactions. Whether it’s co-founders at odds over strategic decisions or teams struggling with misaligned expectations, emotions often hold the key to understanding what’s really going on. In the preventive mediation conversations me and my colleagues at Parter Mediation facilitate, emotions help surface potential friction points early, allowing teams to address them constructively rather than letting them spiral into full-blown conflicts.
The takeaway is clear: emotions are not the enemy. They are signals-indicators of deeper dynamics at play. Dismissing them risks both disruption and missed opportunities. Instead, approach emotions as you would any other form of data: analyze them, understand them, and use them to inform better decisions. By doing so, you not only resolve immediate challenges but also build stronger, more resilient collaborations for the future
Morly Frishman
Picture: Fragment from a work by Chiharu Shiota, Biënnale Venetië
