Awe as a Transformative Emotion: An Integrative Review, Metamorphosis Model, and Research Agenda

Abstract

Awe has attracted substantial scholarly attention but its implications for management remains fragmented across different accounts of what awe is and why it matters. In this review, we first show that the literature has developed around three dominant perspectives—collective self, epistemic, and well-being—each offering a distinct account of awe’s primary function. To integrate these perspectives, we advance a Metamorphosis Model of Awe, which explains how awe first breaks down self- and non-self-schemata before building them back up again, producing an expansion of mind and self. We then organize the diverse elicitors of awe into cognitive, physical, social, and technological sources, clarifying the conditions under which awe is likely to arise. Through this model, we portray awe as a transformative emotion that influences identity, cognition, and behavior, with implications for core organizational processes such as leadership, work design, organizational change, sensemaking, and innovation. We conclude by charting a forward-looking research agenda calling for greater examination of awe’s role at the individual, team, and organizational levels.