Chill, Fiery, Slack, and Five Other Vibes: A Phenomenological Inquiry into Group Mood

Abstract

Even though group mood has a significant impact on organizational functioning, there is no typology available to describe distinct group moods. We propose that designing products and services to facilitate beneficial group mood experiences requires a granular and experience-oriented understanding of the phenomenon. This article introduces an initial typology of eight group moods using a componential approach. The typology was generated via an exploratory study designed to identify aspects and qualities of group mood experienced in professional settings. We observed real-life meetings of five small workgroups. Group mood perceptions were self-reported in situ and later described collectively in a group session. By categorizing the group mood qualities in participants’ descriptions, we developed eight group mood types. This typology aims to facilitate a granular understanding of the group mood phenomenon for designers (practitioners and researchers). We envision this overview of eight group moods as the first step toward developing a systematic knowledge of group mood in the field of design.