Abstract
The purpose of this research is to examine the function of gratitude in Japanese organization. In previous studies, the emotion of gratitude has been examined from the perspective of positive psychology; therefore, it has not fully been shown whether gratitude has an effect on job performance within organizations. In this study, company A regularly conducts meetings with its many employees, who express gratitude in various ways. To examine the ways in which these employees express gratitude and its effect on the meetings (e.g., attendance, engagement) we conducted interviews (n = 4) and questionnaires (n = 49). Results indicate that the frequency of participating in a meeting is positively associated with a disposition of gratitude. Furthermore, we used mediation analyses to test whether perspective-taking (i.e., viewing the situation from an alternative perspective) mediated the effect of a gratitude disposition and what effect it has on three job performances: task-based, contextual, and proactive performance. These results showed an indirect effect of gratitude on contextual and proactive performance through perspective-taking. This suggests that organizations should effectively manage the emotion of gratitude, especially in workplace environments that demand cooperation.
