This study explores the performative aspects of emotion work in financial organizations. The analysis of the interview discourse shows that financial analysts manage the immediate affective reactions to different work situations not only to remove subjective factors threatening to contaminate the preferred rationality of the financial research, but they strategically communicate their emotions to produce impressions of “knowledgeable,” “rational,” “nice,” “needed,” and “trusted experts.” Through strategically orchestrated practices of impression management, the interviewees seek to communicate “expert power” which helps them validate their research as logical, objective, and correct. The study also discusses performances of emotion work as a form of strategic communication
