Category: Emotional intelligence

Relation between emotional intelligence and employee performance

The intellectual process that is pertinent in the management of an individual’s state of emotion as well as ability to recognize feelings and experiences of others are all important elements of emotional intelligence. Besides, emotional intelligence enables a person to achieve, plan and motivate others who may be in need.

Similar to myriad of definitions and applications of other organisational behaviour terms as adopted by different scholars, there are various viewpoints that have been used to define emotional intelligence. In spite of the fact that human emotion has been presumed to lack coherent organisation, disruptive and equally characterized by inability to adjust, some of the latest theories on human psychology underscore the integral role played by emotions in organizing and directing human activity.

In this paper, the relationship between emotional intelligence and the overall performance of employees in organizations has been discussed. Empirical research models have been applied throughout the essay in order to obtain objective reporting from various viewpoints.

In a research study by Rangriz and Mehrabi^[1], the Red Crescent Societies employees were surveyed on their work performance in relation to individual emotional intelligence. In the empirical study, questionnaires were used to collect data. The four part questionnaire sought to gather data both on employee performance in the organisation as well as their emotional intelligence. In the first section, a total of six questions were asked detailing the Red Crescent Societies in terms of organizational structure and employee population statistics.

In the second section, the emotional intelligence of Red Crescent Societies employees were featured. Organisational competence of each of the individual employee was addressed in the third section while the fourth section sought to gather information on the performance of employees. The research study incorporated a total of 116 employees derived from across the organisation, namely top managers to subordinate workers.

The marital status of the respondents was also an important factor to consider in the survey. Out of those interviewed, 25% were not married while the remaining 75% were married. Those who were between the ages of 20 and 30 constituted only about 19 % of the total respondents while the age bracket of 31-35 made up of 33.3% of the respondents while the remaining percentage were adults aged above 35 years.

In terms of working period, respondents who had been in employment for 15 years and below were slightly over 70%. Only 30% had exceeded a working period of 15 years.

As already mentioned, there were two main parts in the research survey. The first part dealt with demographics of the organisation while the second part utilized five point Likert- type scales as a way of obtaining the right correlation between employee performance and emotional intelligence.

Perceptual measures have been employed by several researchers in the past in an attempt to establish the correlation between emotional intelligence and the performance of employees.^[2]

On the same note, this empirical research study conducted in Iran used a similar approach albeit slight modifications to fit the unique working environment and organizational structure.
In order to obtain a qualitative measure of emotional intelligence, a multi-dimensional measure was used. This measure utilized self-reported ratings as the benchmark of the survey.

Using the five point scale, both the employees and managers were asked attach some degree of importance to the given ratings namely 5= “always” to 1= “never”. The four emotional intelligence dimensions would later be used to rate each one of them in relation to their performance at work. The dimensions included in this self-reporting included relationship management, social awareness, self-managerial as well as self-understanding.

This study also made use of perceptual measures that had been earlier applied and unanimously adopted by researchers on emotional intelligence and employee performance.^[3] Similar to the above analysis, employees were requested to do self reporting based on two employee performance dimensions.

The first dimension in the survey was the satisfaction of the organisation with employee performance while the second dimension used was the level of employee performance in the organisation. The employees were supposed to attach their individual level of importance of each dimension. The inevitable variances that featured in the survey were explained using some controlled variables. Both gender and age were employed as controlled variables.

In order to compare the emotional intelligence between males and females, a “U- Man Vitni” testing measure was employee. From the research findings, it was evident that gender does not significantly contribute towards emotional intelligence. In addition, employee performance was found to be not reliant on either the male or female gender.

On the same note, the emotional intelligence of managers and employees are not significantly different.^[4] However, it was found out that employee performance has a direct correlation with emotional intelligence.

In another separate study by Shahzad et al., the researchers attempted to relate emotional intelligence efficacy with the performance of employees in a Pakistani telecom employees.^[5] After the process of data collection, the effects of the four pertinent components of emotional intelligence were reviewed. These were relationship management, the ability to be self and socially aware as well as being able to manage one self.

Questionnaires were used to gather information. As suggested by the researchers, it was pertinent for the telecom organisation to put into consideration the role played by emotional intelligence in determining the performance of employees.
A growing body of research is also laying more emphasis on the momentous role that emotional intelligence can play in the overall performance of employees.

Some of the latest research on this subject suggests that cognitive ability or general intelligence does not have any major influence on the performance of employees at workplace. One of the latest meta-analysis of emotional intelligence and performance involving a total of 69 research studies that were carried out independently revealed a lot on the relation between the two parameters^[6].

In the research survey, a total of 4158 participants took part in the 69 studies. Out of the survey, 23 were directly linked with the performance at work while cognitive ability only accounted for 22. Hence, it imlplies that job performance can be slightly predicted by emotional intelligence and success in ones career. Similarly, employees who are not well endowed with both emotional and social intelligence tend to perform more poorly at workplace than their peers who have a higher emotional and social intelligence.

Such groups of employees are also found to be highly conscientious and as a result of their relatively low emotional intelligence, their productivity at workplace is equally low. For managers who are highly performing, it has been concluded that they have a higher emotional competence compared to those whose performance are lower.

In another meta-analysis study, the satisfaction of employees was investigated against the outcomes or return levels of 38 different companies.^[7] From the survey of 38 companies, it was evident that productivity and profitability of each of the organisation under survey relied heavily and significantly on employee satisfaction, a managerial element closely tied to performance at an individual level.

The level of engagement of employees at the place of work and their eventual output was found to be practically of substantial value, suggesting that emotional intelligence was a significant factor in the output of performance of employees.

Another research study was undertaken in the city of Belgaum to determine some of the latent and visible factors that determine the level of performance of the top management team.^[8] In particular, the study targeted supervisors and managers. This group of employees were both working at an automobile retail outlet.

The most important parameter that was being investigated was the impact of emotional intelligence on their performance at work. The slightly modified perceptual method used in the research study concluded that emotional intelligence plays a significant role in determining the work output of these supervisors and managers.

Senior level managers amounting to one hundred and ten were also incorporated in an empirical research study in a study conducted to determine their differences in leadership styles and performance as top level employees.^[9] Three types of leadership and how each type affects the performance of a leader were considered in this study. In the prediction, questionnaires were used to gather information on self reporting of each individual manager.

After the analysis of the raw data, the empirical evidence suggested that transformational type of leadership style among the 110 senior mangers interviewed was highly compatible with vivid elements of emotional intelligence. This implied that mangers who embraced transformational type of leadership were highly likely to e high performers at workplace more than those who favoured laissez faire or transactional leadership.

In a separate but similar research study conducted by William and Carol, varied industries consisting of 24 different project managers were investigated against their different abilities in project management and styles of leadership.^[10]

From the research results, the researchers concluded that the performance of each of the project under the managers was largely dependent on the type of leadership employed in running the project. It was evident that transformational leadership accelerated project performance more than the other two types of leadership. Additionally, it is a clear indication that emotional intelligence has a direct bearing on the overall output level of any given project.^[11]

A study by William Brown et al. attempted to establish the relationship that existed between desirable outcomes in an organisation as well as emotional intelligence.^[12] The type and nature of leadership was also incorporated in the study with the need to investigate whether leadership style would affect organisational performance at any level. In the empirical study, some 2,411 workforce participated in the study. This pool of employees comprised of the professional staff, engineers and workers positioned at the manufacturing level.

Contrary to other previous studies, this empirical research did not find any correlation between emotional intelligence and expected or valued outcomes within an organisation. Nonetheless, this single research study cannot overrule several concluding findings which agree that organizational performance is highly favoured among employees with high emotional intelligence, and that intelligence quotient is not a visible factor when investigating desired organisational outcomes.

In a participatory research survey involving a sample of 225 employees drawn from Lebanon, it was found out that emotional intelligence was an inevitable variable in the determination of employee performance.^[13] Four main components of emotional intelligence were used to analyze the data gathered from self-reporting questionnaires.

Social awareness and social skills in addition to self-motivation and regulation were important emotional intelligence parameters in the study. Besides, both the managers and low level employees were incorporated in the research so that a balanced scorecard could be found. Basic competences of each of the employee were well captured in the questionnaire.

From the research results, different emotional intelligence scores were depicted among females and males. For instance, while self-awareness was highly scored by females, self-motivation and regulation was the strongest emotional intelligence among males. The female participants were also found to be highly skilful in their social life while the level of managerial position depicted the magnitude of emotional intelligence.^[14]

In summing up, it is imperative to reiterate that while some studies have failed to establish a strong link between employee performance and emotional intelligence, most of the recent empirical research studies unanimously agree that the latter plays a vital role in determining the desired organizational outcomes among workers at all levels.

Additionally, while the impact of emotional intelligence on profitability and growth of an organisation may be insignificant in some cases, it has been concluded beyond any reasonable doubt that emotional intelligence and transformational type of leadership go hand in hand, and will highly favour organizational growth and individual output of employees.

Bibliography

Bob, Wall. Working Relationships Using Emotional Intelligence to Enhance your Effectiveness with Other (1^st ed.). New York: Davies.

Black Publishing, 2008. Gerald, Matthews, Richard D. Roberts, & Moshe Zeidner. Seven. Myths about Emotional Intelligence. Psychological Inquiry 15 (2004): 179-96.

Harter. Schmidt. Business unit relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement and business outcomes: A metaanalysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87 (2002): 68.279.

Jamali, Sidani & Abu-Zaki, David. Emotional Intelligence and management development mplications: Insights from the Lebanese context. Journal of Management Development, 27(2008): 348 – 360.

Jones, Stephen. Emotional intelligence within organizations: A study of emotional intelligence and performance ranking within a biomedical company”. Ed.D. diss., Pepperdine University (2007). In ABI/INFORM Global [database on-line].

Kulkarni, M.Praveen. Emotional Intelligence and Employee Performance as an Indicator for Promotion, a Study of Automobile Industry in the City of Belgaum, Karnataka, India. International Journal of business management, 4(2009): 161-169.

Leban, William & Zulauf, Carol. Linking Emotional Intelligence Abilities and Transformational Leadership Styles. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 25(2004): 554 – 564.

Lisa, Gardner & Con, Stough. Examining the Relationship between Leadership and Emotional Intelligence in senior level managers, Leadership and Organization Development, 23 (2002): 68 – 78.

Mamdouh El-Sayed, Marwa. “The relationship between emotional intelligence competencies and employee’s performance self-rating”. M.S. diss., University of Louisville ,2005. In ABI/INFORM Global [database on-line].

Shahzad, Khurram et al. Impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on employee’s performance in telecom sector of Pakistan.African Journal of Business Management 5 (2011): 1225-1231.

Van Rooy, D. L. & Viswesvaran, C. (2004). Emotional intelligence: A meta-analytic investigation of predictive validity and nomological net. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65(1), 71-95.

Vigoda-Gadot, Eran & Meisler, Galit. Emotions in Management and the Management of Emotions: The Impact of Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Politics on Public Sector Employees. Public Administration Review 70, no. 1, (2010): 72-86. Web.

Wall, Bob Lee. Managing employee performance and reward: concepts, practices, Coaching for emotional intelligence, New York: Amacom, 2007.

William, F. Brown, eta l. Emotional Intelligence – as measured by the EQI– influence transformational leadership and desirable outcomes. Leadership and Organization Development, 27(2006): 330– 351.

Footnotes

1. Rangriz, Holiuts & Mehrabi Jons. The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Organisational Commitment and Employees’ Performance in Iran. International Journal of Business and Management 5, no. 8, (2010, August 1): 50-56.
2. Jones, Stephen. Emotional intelligence within organizations: A study of emotional intelligence and performance ranking within a biomedical company”. Ed.D. diss., Pepperdine University (2007). In ABI/INFORM Global [database on-line].
3. Mamdouh El-Sayed, Marwa. “The relationship between emotional intelligence competencies and employee’s performance self-rating”. M.S. diss., University of Louisville ,2005. In ABI/INFORM Global [database on-line].
4. Wall, Bob Lee. Managing employee performance and reward: concepts, practices, Coaching for emotional intelligence, New York: Amacom, 2007.
5. Shahzad, Khurram et al. Impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on employee’s performance in telecom sector of Pakistan.African Journal of Business Management 5 (2011): 1225-1231.
6. Van Rooy, D. L. & Viswesvaran, conetyu. Emotional intelligence: A meta-analytic investigation of predictive validity and nomological net. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65(2004), 71-95.
7. Harter, J. Schmidt. Business unit relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement and business outcomes: A metaanalysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87 (2002): 68.279.
8. Kulkarni, M.Praveen. Emotional Intelligence and Employee Performance as an Indicator for Promotion, a Study of Automobile Industry in the City of Belgaum, Karnataka, India. International Journal of business management, 4(2009): 161-169.
9. Lisa, Gardner & Con, Stough. Examining the Relationship between Leadership and Emotional Intelligence in senior level managers, Leadership and Organization Development, 23 (2002): 68 – 78.
10. William Leban & Carol Zulauf. Linking Emotional Intelligence Abilities and Transformational Leadership Styles. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 25(2004): 554 – 564.
11. Matthews, Gerald, Richard D. Roberts, and Moshe Zeidner. Seven Myths about Emotional Intelligence. Psychological Inquiry 15 (2004): 179-96.
12. William, F. Brown, eta l. Emotional Intelligence – as measured by the EQI– influence transformational leadership and desirable outcomes. Leadership and Organization Development, 27 (2006): 330– 351.
13. Jamali, Y. Sidani & Abu-Zaki, D. Emotional Intelligence and management development implications: Insights from the Lebanese context. Journal of Management Development, 27(2008): 348 – 360.
14. Bob, Wall. Working Relationships Using Emotional Intelligence to Enhance your Effectiveness with Other (1^st ed.). New York: Davies Black Publishing, 2008.

Introduction

Organisational behaviour is an important concept that entails understanding the character and behaviour patterns of people in an organization. Organisational behaviour entails the understanding of behaviour patterns of employees. Employees are the most important assets in organisations. Understanding people is critical to the management of organisations and shapes the behaviour of people.

Organisational behaviour and the behaviour of individuals can be understood through the adoption and practice of emotional intelligence in organisations (Krishnakumar, 2008). Emotional intelligence has become an essential concept in managing the behaviour of employees in organisations. Emotional intelligence is a way of understanding and controlling employee behaviour to enhance performance.

This paper critically discusses the concept of emotional intelligence in organisations. The paper explores the concept and its relevance to management. The paper also discusses the benefits or essence of withholding this managerial practice within organisations. In addition, the paper looks at the arguments that are against this concept and their justifications.

Overview of the concept of emotional intelligence in management

Krishnakumar (2008) noted that emotional intelligence is a new concept to be directly applied in business management. This concept has been applied in behavioural sciences such as psychology during the study of human emotions. Emotional intelligence began gaining prominence among organisations since the early years of the 20th century, where organisational development was critical in transforming economies.

Organisations have discovered that emotional inclinations of their employees, which are generated at the workplace and out of the workplace, have a significant influence on the input of employees. In return, this affects the output of organisations.

Therefore, organisational behaviour has coded this concept and included it in management. This is because there are many generative factors of emotions that prevail in external and internal environment of organisations.

Emotional intelligence aims at understanding employees from two critical perspectives. These include the organisational perspective, which is also the internal perspective, and the external perspective that includes the home environment and the general society in which the employees reside (Ghuman, 2011). This is supported by the argument that behaviours are highly influenced by the environment of an individual.

This understanding gives organisational leaders a chance to predict behaviours and actions of employees. Thus, organisations have an easy time to control the behaviour of employees by launching programs that help in attending to the emotional needs of employees.

Emotional intelligence has to resonate from the management of organisation and entail the training of the organisational managers on how to manage emotions within the organisation. Organisational leaders then set and provide emotional intelligence programs to help employees in the organisation (Krishnakumar, 2008).

The relevance of emotional intelligence in organisational management

Goleman (1998) observed that emotional intelligence has huge implications for organisational leadership and management. Researches on the effectiveness of organisational management have come up with findings establishing that organisational managers have a huge impact on entire organisational processes (Jordan and Troth, 2011).

Management skills are essential because managers carry organisational visions and missions as portrayed in organisational strategies. Emotional intelligence is among the notable abilities that are needed by organisational managers. This is because they are required to propel organisations through different situations. The concept of emotional intelligence in organisational behaviours resonates from this point.

Emotional intelligence has been an on-going practice in organisational management. It begins with organisational leadership and trickles down to organisational staff. It is something that cannot be ignored at all in organisations because organisational leadership is moulded by emotional intelligence (Carmeli, 2003).

Krishnakumar (2008) observed that emotional intelligence brings about cohesiveness in creating the strategies of organisations by organisational leaders. Acceptance of varied opinions in organisations denotes emotional intelligence (Carmeli, 2003). Emotional intelligence is seen as a tool that encourages the development of positive behaviours and attitudes on organisational tasks that promote growth and development in organisations.

Emotional intelligence directly or indirectly affects the abilities and personal traits of organisational leaders and their subordinates. When looked at from the outset, emotional intelligence is a competency that guides the development of positive attitudes amongst organisational members. In addition, good behaviours that prevail in the organisation are largely shaped by this competency (George, 2000).

Emotional intelligence and organisational performance

When fully applied in organisations, emotional intelligence raises the productivity of employees in different ways. It boosts interpersonal relations in organisations by helping employees to understand how to control their emotions, as well as the emotions of other employees within the organisation.

This works well for employees who work on dependent tasks in different organisations and organisational sectors where the behaviour of a single employee has an elusive impact on the entire industry (Thi and Kirby, 2002). The implementation of emotional intelligence in organisations equips employees with skills that help them in distinguishing their feelings and feelings of others.

Therefore, positive work relations are quickly developed in organisations because of the continued use and enforcement of emotional intelligence (Sahdat, Sajjad, Farooq and Ur Rehman, 2011). With emotional intelligence, employees become quite diversified in the sense they develop quick adaptability to diverse organisational environments.

This is helpful because of the dynamic nature of organisations due to organisational change and other external and internal pressures (Rahim, and Malik, 2010).

The pressures that are generated from these forces bring about stress amongst the stakeholders of an organization. When stakeholders become increasingly stressed, they lose track in the performance of their respective tasks within organisations, thus lowering productivity. Emotional intelligence has increased the rate and the ability of organisational members to adapt to stressful conditions common in organisations (Goleman, 1998).

O’Boyle, Humphrey, Pollack, Hawver and Story (2011) observed that emotional intelligence is a comprehensive management exercise that has to be implemented on a continuous or sustainable basis. Thus, organisational sustainability requires the implementation of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence entails the ability of managers to control their emotions.

It also entails the detection and control of the emotions of employees. In addition, it assists in implementing appropriate strategies. Emotional intelligence is dependent on many other actions in the organisations, which determine its worthiness. This process includes the desire of an organisation to embrace change, self-reflection of managers, and the willingness to understand the feelings of other people.

Other steps in the process are the development of emotional control and the urge to learn in order to understand emotions. Thus, emotional intelligence is not an easy practice to achieve in management. It bases on the wish and the entire process can be derailed by emotions (Goleman, 1998).

The concept of emotional intelligence has received several criticisms. In some scenarios, emotional intelligence fails to auger well with organisational management. This often happens in small and immature organisations. In such organisations, the application of emotional intelligence results in serious drifts that threaten the existence of organisations.

Emotional intelligence is misconceived in such organisations, thus barring its workability (Goleman, 1998). In addition, emotions cannot be easily quantified and can be manipulated in different ways by individuals in organisations. In this case, organisational leaders have trouble while implementing emotional intelligence within organisations (Jordan and Troth, 2011).

Emotional intelligence is dependent on the level of personal character development in organizations. This level of development in organizations is dependent on individuals meaning that it is hard to fully achieve the goals of using emotional intelligence in organization. This is one of the most debated criticisms of emotional intelligence as a concept.

Also, organizations seem to centre much on emotional intelligence at the expense of developing technical skills. Technical skills are very important in organizational outcomes and emotional intelligence is only a facilitative factor of technical skills application (Sahdat, Sajjad, Farooq and Ur Rehman, 2011).

Emotional intelligence and employee retention

As earlier noted, the employees are the most vital assets in organisations. They are the propellers and controllers of organisational activities. Performance in organisations squarely lies with organisational employees. Therefore, there is a need to understand employees should be a priority for organisational managers.

Understanding employees entail the understanding of their behaviours and the motivators of such behaviours, thus the relevance of emotional intelligence (Côté and Miners, 2006). Research shows that organisations that have embraced emotional intelligence in their management often record positive outcomes. Such organisations are also argued to reduce the rate of employee turnover in organisations.

They are able to attract and retain talents and skills hence enhancing the performance of organisations (Jordan and Troth, 2011). Employees feel good when they know that the managers are listening to them and specifically when they feel that their emotional needs are being addressed (Griffeth, Hom and Gaertner, 2000).

Emotional intelligence and sustenance of relationships in-group tasks

Relationships in organisations are becoming vital because of increased integration of organisational functions. However, building and sustaining work relationships is not an easy exercise because of human behaviours. Organisational inventions and innovations are used in increasing the competitiveness of organisations in economies.

Therefore, organisational leaders are forced to establish and ensure that they have established working teams in organisations (O’Boyle, Humphrey, Pollack, Hawver and Story, 2011). Groups work best depending on the physical and emotional orientation of group members. Managing these groups involves managing the emotions of members that form these groups so that cohesiveness is attained for enhanced group outcomes (Jordan, Ashkanasy, Ha¨rtel and Hooper, 2002).

According to Rapisarda (2002), group relationships in organisational projects are sustained by virtue of applying emotional intelligence within the group and project management in organisations. Emotional intelligence promotes the existence and survival of teams or groups in organisations by encouraging what is known as pro-social tendencies in groups.

Emotional intelligence enables group members to cope with the personal characters and behaviour of individual members in groups enabling group members to work together (Rapisarda, 2002). Emotional intelligence also encourages interpersonal sensitivity in-group tasks. Organisational members become responsive and receptive to differing opinions and behaviours.

All these aspects of emotional intelligence have been found to favour organisational effectiveness, thus leading to positive organisational outcomes. Apart from individual projects, teams, groups, or organisational members perform many organisational tasks. The aspect of integration in organisations can hardly be attained without leaning through emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is thus a big factor in team performance within organisations. Therefore, organisational leaders have to factor this aspect in organisational leadership. This is meant to form positive outcomes in group tasks within organisations (Lopes, Salovey, Coˆte’ and Beers, 2005).

Gender as a barrier to emotional intelligence in shaping organisational behaviour

Hsu, Chen, Wang, and Lin (2010) observed that organisations are becoming engendered. Many organisations are working on modalities of balancing gender rations in organisations because of laws governing gender. As of today, the number of women in organisations is increasing steadily. This is regarded to be a positive sign to gender inclined management that is encouraged by many organisations.

However, these bars the practice of emotional intelligence in organisations (Hsu, Chen, Wang, and Lin, 2010).

From psychology, it is observed that the needs of men and women vary and shape the behaviours of both genders. It is easy to achieve a common ground on issues resonating from a problem of a given gender in organisations. With the variations of needs in organisations resulting from the different behaviours and needs of different genders in the organisation, the applicability of emotional intelligence becomes a misnomer.

However, this is debatable as experts in organisational behaviour have devised numerous models of applying emotional intelligence in such setups (Lewis, 2000).

Evaluation of literature backing and literature negating emotional intelligence

Arguments that back the concept of emotional intelligence observe it from the outset and are backed by the benefits of the concept as it is applied to organisational performance. Many people support the application of emotional intelligence by arguing that it shapes the behaviour of people in organisations, thereby enhancing positive behaviours and performance. On the other hand, the literature that negates the concept base on the difficulties in applicability and workability of the concept.

Critics of emotional intelligence in organisational behaviour base on psychology to explain the difficulties of controlling emotions amidst many challenges like gender parity at the workplace. However, opponents of the concept do not gain substantive arguments to dismiss the concept. This is because it has gained wide acceptance and usage in organisational management.

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence remains to be an important concept and component of organisational leadership and management as has been found in the paper. Emotional intelligence helps in the positive shaping of behaviours of both organisational leaders and subordinates.

This enhances positive relations, thus a healthy organisation leading to positive performance. Issues of applicability in different organisational setups mainly affect emotional intelligence.

References

Carmeli, Abraham. “The relationship between emotional intelligence and work attitudes, behaviour and outcomes: An examination among senior managers.” Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18, no. 8 (2003): 788-813.

Côté, Stéphane and Christopher T. H. Miners. “Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Intelligence, and Job Performance.” Administrative Science Quarterly, 51 no. 1(2006): 1-28.

George, Jennifer M. “Emotions and leadership: the role of emotional intelligence.” Human Relations, 53, no. 8 (2000): 1027-55.

Ghuman, Umar. “Building a model of group emotional intelligence.” Team Performance Management, 17 no. 7 (2011): 418 – 439.

Goleman, Daniel. Working with Emotional Intelligence. London: Bloomsbury, 1998.

Griffeth, Rodger W, Peter W. Hom and Stefan Gaertner. “A meta-analysis of antecedents and correlates of employee turnover: update, moderator test, and research implications for the next millennium.” Journal of Management, 26 no. 3 (2000): 463-88.

Hsu, Bi-Fen, Wan-Yu Chen, Mei-Ling Wang, Yen-Yu Lin. “Explaining supervisory support to work-family conflict: The perspectives of guanxi, LMX, and emotional intelligence.” Journal of Technology Management in China, 5 no. 1 (2010): 40 – 54.

Jordan, Peter J and Ashlea Troth. “Emotional intelligence and leader member exchange: The relationship with employee turnover intentions and job satisfaction.” Leadership & Organisation Development Journal, 32 no 3 (2011): 260-280.

Jordan, Peter J., Neal M. Ashkanasy, Charmine E.J. Härtel and Gregory S. Hoopeer. “Workgroup emotional intelligence: scale development and relationship to team process effectiveness and goal focus.” Human Resource Management Review, 12, no. 1 (2002): 195-214.

Krishnakumar, Sukumarakurup. The role of emotional intelligence and job emotional requirements in job attitudes and behaviour: Dissertation Paper submitted in Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 2008. Web.

Lewis, Kristi M. “When leaders display emotion: how followers respond to negative emotional expression of male and female leaders.” Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 21, no. 1 (2000): 221-224.

Lopes, Paulo N., Peter Salovey, Ste´phane Coˆte and Michael Beers. “Emotion regulation abilities and the quality of social interaction.” Emotion, 5, no. 1 (2005): 113-18.

O’Boyle Jr., Ernest H, Ronald H. Humphrey, Jeffrey M. Pollack, Thomas H. Hawver and Paul A. Story. “The relation between emotional intelligence and job performance: A meta-analysis.” Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 32 no. 5 (2011): 788–818.

Rahim, Saddam Hussain and Muhammad Imran Malik. “Emotional Intelligence & Organisational Performance: A Case Study of Banking Sector in Pakistan.” International Journal of Business and Management, 5 no. 10 (2010): 191-197.

Rapisarda, Brigette Ann. “The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Work Team Cohesiveness and Performance.” International Journal of Organisational Analysis 10 no. 4 (2002): 363 – 379.

Sahdat, Madiha, Syed Imran Sajjad, Muhammad Umar Farooq and Kashif ur Rehman. “Emotional Intelligence and Organisational Productivity: A Conceptual Study.” World Applied Sciences Journal, 15.no. 6 (2011): 821-825.

Thi, Lam, L. and Simon L. Kirby, “Is Emotional Intelligence and advantage? An exploration of the impact of emotional and general intelligence on individual performance.” The J. Social Psychol, 142, no. 1 (2002): 133-143.

Executive summary

This paper analyses emotional intelligence and its applicability at places of work. The introductory part defines emotions and explains what emotional intelligence, and distinguishes it from academic intelligence or intelligent quotient. In the main body, deeper discussions of the tenets of emotional intelligence are explored.

The causes and underlying reasons for emotional breakdown are discussed with concrete examples. The paper further explains how modern organizations are trying to adopt emotional intelligence, and how this component of modern human resource management can impact the performance of organizations.

Introduction

Have you ever been angry with your workmate? What prompted your anger and how did you react? Do you think your reaction was justified? These questions introduce us to the subject of managing emotions which is also referred to as emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence commonly abbreviated as (EQ) or emotional quotient is one of the key tenets of modern human resource management.

Emotions occupy a very big part of human life, thus this subject deserves much attention. Emotion is defined as the disturbance of the mind and passion, and which excites the mental state of a person. It is usually marked by a strong feeling to act. On a daily basis, people experience different happenings in or out of work.

The modern world economy is dominated by economic constraint, for instance the economic recession that was experienced in early 2008 (Weiten, 2009). For a longer period of time, it has been believed that the success of a person at the place of work depends on the level of intelligence of that person known as intelligence quotient (IQ).

This is presumed to work in the academic field and not the real open work field. It has been noted that the performance of a person at the place of work goes far beyond the intelligence quotient. The modern workplace demands for varied resourcefulness. What is needed is a different kind of mental smartness; that is, emotional intelligence (Singh, 2006).

Since the start of 1990s organizations and researchers in the United Kingdom began to accept and implement emotional intelligence. From then, consultants in management and psychologists have dug deep into research to know how important emotional intelligence is at places of work in relation to productivity, the general management and in sales. They appreciated that emotional intelligence is a basic need more so in jobs where interaction between people is a must (Gold and Mumford, 2010).

Distinguishing Emotional Intelligence from Intelligent Quotient

Chakraborty (2008) observes that many people have failed to separate these two subjects. They use these terms in similar contexts with assumptions that each is the antonym of one another. It is good to note that the two have a kind of a complex relationship. Emotional intelligence is based on emotion while rational or intelligent quotient is based on academics.

Nonetheless, the two interact in a certain manner and go together in some instances. Emotional responses can be managed well through conscious efforts. When this awareness is inexistent, rational thinking is overridden by emotional actions (Chakraborty, 2008).

Emotional intelligence skills

There are a number of emotional intelligence skills that are very fruitful when they are learnt and adopted. They include being empathetic. When a leader in any organization has grasped this skill, he or she is able to feel and listen to the demands and complaints from employees (Stein, 2009).

Responsibility is also an important skill of managing emotions. Managers who have a grasp of social responsibility give room for a participatory approach in management. Such managers take good care of the community and the environment they are working in and respect the rules that govern that society (Stein, 2009).

Leaders who are emotionally intelligence know how to relate well with other people. Good interpersonal relationship skills help these leaders to maintain a positive relationship with all other people in the organization. Good interpersonal relation skills help leaders to cultivate relationships they want in the organization (Stein, 2009). Emotional intelligence has to come with the ability to control impulses.

This skill comprises of patience, and it allows a leader to listen to the employers of the company. Therefore, employers are able to clearly understand the views of employees and they can make an attempt to integrate these views in the organizational working framework thus drawing away bad feelings and protests at the place of work.

Happiness is another important emotional management skill that leaders need to have in order to manage emotions in the organizations that they lead. Happiness pulls people closer to the organization. Employees will always prefer to work with joyful and rejuvenated leaders. On the contrary, they will shun from leaders who are gloomy and unfriendly (Stein, 2009).

Emotional intelligence has to be accompanied with tough mindedness. For any leader to gain success, he or she has to have a lot of resilience. This enables one to easily respond to tough and challenging situations. They manage to persevere when faced with obstacles. It is easy for them to overcome challenging situations and easily contain pressure arising from these constraints.

Tough minded leaders must have high self-regard because people with high self-regard have confidence and self-assurance. Leaders who possess the skill of self-regard have a strong understanding of their strongpoints and their weak points. They use confidence to counter tough situations and moments of the organization.

Tough minded leaders must have high levels of tolerating stress. This means that one must be ready and know how to deal with tough situations as they arise. Though attending to a taunting task, one is able to keep focus and control himself in relation to the activity that he or she is handling (Stein, 2009).

Organizational Culture and Emotional Intelligence

The bottom line in operation of a business, companies or even the government are impacted by emotions that are derived from the work, the management and the customers. Organizational culture and climate are determined by emotions and how the emotions in the organization and how these emotions are managed. The feeling and performance of employees influences the feeling, satisfaction level and loyalty of customers to the company.

These in turn work to affect the performance of the organization. Emotions whether they are positive or negative affects everyone in the organization. In “What makes a leader” in the Harvard Business Review, Daniel Goleman (2005) states “When I calculate the ratio of technical skills, IQ and emotional intelligence as ingredients of excellent performance, emotional intelligence proved to be twice as important as others for jobs at all levels” (Stock, 2008, p.18).

He goes on to say, “When I compared star performers with average ones in senior leadership positions, nearly 90% of difference in their profile was attributable to Emotional Intelligence factors rather than cognitive abilities” (Stock, 2008, p.18).

There is evidence supported by many researchers that emotional intelligence lays at the centre of efficient leadership. Efficient leaders are modelled by their thoughts and state of mind as they perform their work. Good leaders have self awareness as well as the influence they have on other people.

Self awareness is more vital. Leaders who have performed well in management have high abilities to control or manage their emotions. They do not at any point let emotions control them but rather are always on top of their emotions are good in adjusting their feelings (Stock, 2008).

Organizational culture is a combination of different tenets that include values, beliefs and behaviours. These tenets work together to determine the climate of an organization. Analysts argue that emotions have economic value. Profitability of companies are determined by behaviours of employee most of which are shaped by emotions (Stock, 2008). Research ascertains that the manner in which employees behave and treat one another affects the profit making patterns of the organization.

The improvement in the attitude of employees leads to an improvement. Research ascertains that the manner in which employees behave and treat one another affects the profit making patterns of the organization. The management of companies are in these times finding it important to handle employees in a nice way. It has been found out that if at any instance, the attitude of employees rises, the satisfaction of customers will equally raise (Spritzer, 2007).

Stress normally has a big impact on the management and the workers. Stress emanates from bad emotions and feeling that renders people unable to withstand what the environment demands from them. Demands of the jobs and the social setting of the society are unlikely to change soon. This is making it very important to develop skills to held cope with these demands thus a call for emotional intelligence skills. On the other hand, there is good stress also called eustress. This is fuelled by positive emotions (Stock, 2008).

Research indicates that when anxiety, fear or even despair enters a persons mind, a person become defensive and seek for personal security. On realization the people who surround cant offer the security, the person becomes frustrated. This results in a turndown in performance. The taunting nature of tasks at places of work is being accompanied by stress. Jobs that come with a lot of complexities call for high levels of emotional intelligence.

At the workplace there is rising need to help manage stress. Stress management is not a simple activity. It requires one to have high levels of emotional intelligence in order to solve this problem without harming the activities of the company where one works. Successful managing of stress and its related conditions has positive impact to the profit patterns of the company (Singh, 2006).

Social and emotional intelligence works have been adopted by organizations. A person’s social and emotional intelligence goes deep into making the person successful. If extrapolated, this can be reflective of the entire organizational culture. People who manage famous organizations keep in mind that their workers are their key assets thus by developing them; their organizations are bound to be successful.

In order for organizations to maximize on their competitive abilities, they have to pay maximum attention to motivating and satisfying the needs of their employees. Ability of the organization to weigh and fully understand the socio– emotional intelligence is a beginner step to see to ensuring that an organization has reached its maximum potential.

Organizations that are devoid of emotional intelligence stand a high risk of not attaining their goals. Emotionally intelligent organizations on the other hand, have a high rate of attaining their goals and objectives. They promote an open culture where issues of openness and transparency are the key norms (Singh, 2006).

Merging Organizational Culture and Emotional Intelligence

Leslie works in a young advertising, and she has good friendship with the workmates. Much of the leisure time, she spends time with her friends. She describes the manner in which she relates with the bosses. The bosses are very nice, and they forward them online emails and jokes. A lot of workers gather on his computer to view latest emailed jokes (Spitzer, 2007). This is so creative of the leadership of the organization.

Though, after working for very long hours, she fills guilty leaving earlier whenever she has to do so. The reasons why people or employees get faded up with the work they do originate mostly from their supervisors or bosses. The leading teams in organizations affect the organization through directing, and guiding and the manner of responding both to the employees and the external world.

Leaders in any organization are the steers of the organizational ship. People needs to be full aware of where the ship they are travelling in is meant to reach. Employers need to understand that the leadership is competent when it comes to organizational decision making and that they are guided by the interests of the organization they are leading (Stein, 2007).

Conclusion

From the discussion, it is clear the world we live in today is full of challenges that emanate from both the economic and social spheres of life. These challenges have a great impact on people and their behaviours. Therefore, the modern society has to accept the realities that these challenges pose to organizational performance.

In an effort to counter the challenges, they have resorted to introduce and cultivate the culture emotional intelligence and management. Emotional intelligence is however a subject that is still very young. Nonetheless, smart organizations that have adopted this technique are doing well. Emotion intelligence has become more of a necessity in organizations in current time. Each organization faces emotional related problems and thus by adopting this practice can help them maximize productivity.

Recommendation

Organizations should conduct research about the changes on the emotions of their employees, so that they can determine the best motivational strategies to apply. In addition, employees should be consulted when implementing strategies in the organization to ensure they accept them.

Reference List

Chakraborty, A., 2008, Emotional intelligence, Berlin, Springer.

Gold, J., Thorpe, R., & Mumford, A., 2010, Gower handbook of leadership and management development. Burlington, VT, Gower.

Goleman, D., 2005, Emotional intelligence. New York, N.Y., Bantam Dell.

Singh, D., 2006, Emotional Intelligence at Work: A Professional Guide. New Delhi: Response Books.

Spitzer, D. R., 2007, transforming performance measurement rethinking the way we measure and drive organizational success, New York, American Management Association.

Stein, S., 2009, Emotional intelligence for dummies, Mississauga, Ont, John Wiley & Sons Canada.

Stein, S. J., 2007, Make your workplace great: the 7 keys to an emotionally intelligent organization, Mississauga, Ont, J. Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd.

Stock, B., 2008, Smart emotions: for busy business people, [Mich.], B. Stock.

Weiten, W., 2009, Psychology applied to modern life: adjustment in the 21st century, Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Introduction

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the “ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions” (Desimone, Werner and Harris 2002). There are various debates concerning EI. Some studies claim that EI is innate whereas others suggest that people can learn and improve their EI. Peter Salovey and John Mayer have studied EI since the year 1990.

According to them, EI is “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions” (Salovey and Mayer 1990).

Salovey and Mayer developed a model of EI consisting of four factors. First, they claimed that the initial stage of understanding EI involves accurate perception of emotions. Perceiving emotions involves understanding nonverbal forms of communication such as body signals. Second, there is also reasoning with emotions.

This stage involves applying emotions so as to enhance mental activities. In this manner, emotions help individuals recognise things that attract attention. Third, there is understanding of emotions.

This is because different emotions may reflect different meanings and people may attempt to interpret such emotions so as to understand their causes. Finally, the model also proposed management of emotions. This entails controlling emotions and responses as well as considering emotions of others.

Salovey and Mayer claimed that they arranged the model from basic to high psychological processes. In other words, the lower levels compose of simple tasks such as perceiving and expressing emotions. Conversely, the higher levels consist of complex processes such as awareness, reflection and controlling emotions.

Proponents of EI believe that both an individual and an organisation derive value from understanding EI effects on organisations and individual productivity. In most cases, majorities of workers devote limited time to personal development due to busy schedules and commitments. This affects organisations.

As a result, organisations must develop employees’ development programmes in order to enhance EI. Organisations benefit from employees who are emotionally sensitive to customers and colleagues. This creates positive business relationships among all stakeholders. Investing in employees’ personal development increases productivity and motivation of the workforce.

Individuals also benefit from developing EI in terms improving their relationships at workplaces and social life. At the same time, they also develop a better understanding and handling of emotional situations of others.

The concept of EI also applies to organisational behaviours. It is relevant in the field of industrial and organisational psychology (I/O psychology). I/O psychology scientifically studies workforce, organisations, and workplaces (Robbins 2005). EI and I/O psychology enhance organisational development through improving the workplace environment, employees’ satisfaction and their well-being.

Organisations can rely on I/O for improving their hiring processes, educative programmes, and develop employees’ behaviours and attitude. In addition, studying organisational behaviour is also important for organisations during changes and developments.

Thus, human capital, emotional intelligence and organisational behaviours relate to understanding workplaces and positive behaviours of employees. Positive behaviours of employees have positive contributions to organisational objectives.

Relevance of Emotional Intelligence to individuals and organizations in the context of Organisational Behaviour

Organisational goals about employees’ behaviours aim at transforming employees’ behaviours in an effective manner (Desimone, Werner and Harris 2002). In organisations, the focus has been on employees’ behaviours that improve performance and behaviours that enhance teamwork and unity.

Most organisations focus their efforts on employees’ behaviours that improve organisational performance. Emotional intelligence falls in the second category of organisational behaviours that focus on improving teamwork and relationships.

However, ever since the works of Salovey and Mayer and later Goleman, EI has gained considerable recognition in modern organisations. EI has become relevant in the modern workplace. We can attribute this interest among organisations to their desires to enhance business performance and desire among management to predict employees’ behaviours.

The works of Mayer and Salovey have continued to influence the field of EI. They have created a link between emotions and mental capabilities of subjects and concluded that the two are inseparable. Thus, they concluded that emotions and cognitive were important in studying decision-making processes among people as they influenced how people react to situations.

The challenge with EI is the concept of measurement. This is because measurement remains the main source of controversy in studying EI and its application in organisational behaviours. Past studies have relied on testing as the basis for measuring EI. However, we have to acknowledge that EI remains a matter of personal experience.

Based on personal experiences, the measurement of EI is prone to personal bias due to self-assessment. However, self-reports have remained effective approach in measuring EI in a given context as Jordan and Troth noted (Jordan and Troth 2004).

These studies maintain that assessing factors like emotional awareness can only be accurate when self-report is the tool of measurement. This is because people can identify their own behaviours and reactions in certain situations. As a result, they can measure such situations from lack of interest to situations that demand attention.

According to Jordan and Ashkanasy, combination of self-reports and peer reports as tools of measurements of EI can provide the valid measure of emotional self-awareness among teams (Jordan and Ashkanasy 2006). These tools of measuring EI are at initial stages of development. However, studies claim that such tools have psychometric validity. Thus, they give reasonable and valid results of EI measures.

Application of EI in organisational behaviours relies on empirical data that can prove findings and claims most scholars in this field advocate. However, critics believe that EI lacks sufficient data to prove such applications in organisations.

Such critics argue that potential applications of EI in organisational behaviours have not undergone thorough testing to prove their validity due to infancy stage of such measurement tools in relation to other areas of measuring personality and intelligence (Locke 2005). In addition, these critics also claim that proponents of EI applications in organisational settings rely on data based on flawed models of EI.

These models are not consistent with the original definition as Mayer and Salovey suggested. In addition, some of these studies have wide coverage than the original model of Salovey and Mayer. Such studies have created opportunities for critics to dismiss claims by proponents of EI applications in workplaces (Daus and Ashkanasy 2003).

EI remains a controversial issue in relation to organisational behaviour as Daus and Ashkanasy discovered (Daus and Ashkanasy 2003). Landy and Locke have criticised popular models of EI (Landy 2005; Locke 2005). These researchers view these models based on their shortcomings. Landy and Locke argue that modern models of EI originated from discredited views of Thorndike which are more than 80 years old.

This was the source of social intelligence. Some of these criticisms fail to consider recent scientific works on EI with reference to organisations. For instance, Ashton-James concurs with the definition of EI in the works of Ashkanasy (Ashkanasy and Ashton-James 2004).

However, he criticises the methods and abilities of how to measure EI. According to Ashton-James, any attempt to measure EI should put emphasis on respondents’ abilities to experience emotions that they should give their feedback on during EI tests. However, we must recognise that Ashton-James criticise EI from its original definition.

This is necessary because various proponents and critics promulgate their own definitions of EI as the case of Goleman and Bar-On (Goleman 1998; Bar-On 1997). According to these critics, EI is a modern reflection of social intelligence. These scholars further argue that any model of intelligence that relies purely on intellectual capabilities cannot sufficiently explain human behaviours and capabilities in practical situations.

Locke fiercely criticises the EI that it is an approach that has a political motivation through egalitarian ideas as “everyone will, in some form, be equal in intelligence to everyone else” (Locke 2005).

Landy also supports this idea. Locke notes that EI is not an appropriate field of scholarly study and should not apply to organisations. However, proponents argue that Locke still cling to outmoded models of the past where such research relied solely on mental processes and behaviours in order to provide explanations for organisational behaviours.

Studies that support EI and organisational behaviour emerged after the work of Ashforth and Humphrey as forms of support to their idea (Ashforth and Humphrey 1995). According to Humphrey and Ashforth, EI is influential in areas of service provision, and leaders may also engage emotional labour so as to motivate and influence moods of their employees and improve performance of the organisation.

These studies suggest how EI is significant in the service industry where employees interact with customers and other employees. We can see the rapid growth of service sector. In this field, EI is useful for employees who serve customers as they can be able to manage different emotions in order to meet given core values of organisations.

This is how we can link job performance to employees’ EI as their abilities to control emotions may aid them cope with work requirements. Later studies have raised interest in the subject and referred to such works as affective revolution in organisational behaviours. In addition, studies of Robbins show latest research that supports EI in organisational contexts (Robbins 2005).

From the renewed interests in the subject, we can argue that EI is not a new form of social intelligence or another theory to study intellectual intelligence.

EI has emerged as a strong area of study in the field of I/O psychology and studies in organisational behaviours. Thus, we can use EI to predict and understand behaviours in organisations. These studies prove the relevance of EI in understanding and predicting organisational behaviour.

We can observe how critics like Ashton-James have changed the definition of EI. However, we should look at EI from the earlier perspective of Salovey and Mayer. This is the ideal definition of EI that future researchers should base their criticisms.

At the same time, scholars interested in understanding EI should review scholarly works that focus on EI in order to understand theoretical underpinning of the concept. This shall enable them understand EI and its application in organisational behaviour.

Conclusion

We have noted the development of EI and its practical application in understanding and predicting organisational behaviours. This implies that the concept of EI shall continue to evolve in organisational behaviour studies. The field has gained recognition after the study by Ashforth and Humphrey.

The focus on emotional abilities of employees continues to influence the field of organisational behaviour. Organisations find EI useful in their attempts to enhance workforce productivity and predict their behaviours. At the same time, organisations find EI relevant in recruitment and selection of employees that can adapt to different situations.

This enhances team effectiveness and organisational output (Jordan and Ashkanasy 2006). Some studies have also shown that organisations that focus on EI have improved their healthy relationship among employees (Goleman 1998). Goleman’s applications of EI in workplace using concepts of self-management, empathy, self-awareness and social skills demonstrate the positive application of EI in organisations.

We must also appreciate the works of critics that claim distract the theory of EI. Such criticisms lead to further studies in the field of EI and organisational behaviours. Thus, some scholars have concluded that emerging studies are good indicators of developments in this field of study and claims by critics lack substantial grounds.

Organisations using EI tests to assess and predict behaviours of their employees face difficult tasks in developing strategies for EI testing, methods, and processes.

In addition, EI lacks official body that can control types of tests subjects take. Still, these tests may be subjective and have different meanings depending on personal experiences of the subjects. To this end, we must also note the inherent bias as subjects may not provide true responses due to ambiguities with some of the test materials.

Reference List

Ashforth, Blake, and Ronald Humphrey. “Emotion in the workplace: A reappraisal.” Human Relations 48 (1995): 97-125.

Ashkanasy, Neal, and Claire Ashton-James. “Performance impacts of appraisal and coping with stress in workplace settings: The role of affect and emotional intelligence.” Research in occupational stress and wellbeing 3 (2004): 1-43.

Bar-On, Reuven. Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: A measure of Emotional Intelligence, Toronto: ON: Multi-Health Systems, Inc, 1997.

Daus, Catherine, and Neal Ashkanasy. “Will the real emotional intelligence please stand up? On deconstructing the emotional intelligence ‘debate’.” The Industrial and Organizational Psychologist 41 (2003): 69-72.

Desimone, Randy, Jon Werner, and David Harris. Human Resource Development, 3rd ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt College Publishers, 2002.

Goleman, Daniel. Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1998.

Jordan, Peter and Neal Ashkanasy. “Emotional intelligence, emotional selfawareness and team effectiveness.” Linking Emotional Intelligence And Performance At Work (2006): 145-164.

Jordan, Peter and Ashlea Troth. “Managing Emotions During Team Problem Solving.” Human Performance 17 (2004): 195-218.

Landy, Frank. “Some historical and scientific issues related to research on emotional intelligence.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 26 (2005): 411-424.

Locke, Edwin. “Why emotional intelligence is an invalid concept.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 26 (2005): 425-431.

Robbins, Stephen. Organizational behavior, 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:: Prentice Hall, 2005.

Salovey, Peter and John Mayer. “Emotional intelligence.” Imagination, cognition, and personality 9 no. 3 (1990): 185-211.

Introduction

In their article, “Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups”, Druskat and Wolff (2001) set out to discuss the concept of emotional intelligence and the role it plays in today’s organizational settings. The authors aim at revealing to readers the relevance of emotional intelligence in facilitating efficient organizational performance.

The authors are accredited scholars with extensive experience in the fields of management and organization behavior. As such, they have used their knowledge to explore the effects of emotional intelligence in group settings.

Throughout the article, the authors have discussed the relevance of emotional intelligence in groups and the implications organizations may face as a result of not acknowledging emotional intelligence within the organization. This paper shall review the ideas the authors purport and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the same.

Article Review

The authors start by stating that emotional intelligence affects all employees and impacts their performance significantly. However, they observe that this concept is viewed by many people as an individual competence rather than a comprehensive concept that affects team settings.

It is from these undertones that the authors have developed their theory, which is based on the assumption that a group’s efficacy is determined by its ability to develop emotionally intelligent attitudes and behaviors that support the creation of trust, identity and efficiency within the group (Druskat & Wolff, 2001).

To reinforce this assumption, the authors state that a group with emotionally intelligent members is not necessarily an emotionally intelligent group. This means that a group must develop norms that facilitate interpersonal understanding among its members in order to realize its full potential (Druskat & Wolff, 2001).

Throughout the article, the authors discuss the creation of emotionally intelligent norms as their core concept. Druskat and Wolff (2001), assert that a team that shares such norms develops trust among the members, a strong group identity and is very efficient. Consequently, the level of participation, collaboration and cooperation is higher, which ultimately leads to better decision making, high productivity and innovativeness.

The central argument of the article is that many groups’ emotional intelligence is founded on tackling issues from the perspective of an individual member instead of considering matters from all perspectives (Druskat & Wolff, 2001).

While most perspective taking techniques help teams build emotional intelligence, they systematically eliminate emotions by combining perspectives in a mechanical manner. As such, the authors suggest that members of a team should be encouraged to address all perspectives in order to create the level of trust required to foster efficient participation.

To support their argument, Druskat and Wolff (2001) state that for a group to be emotionally intelligent, members must acknowledge this concept as multidimensional. This means that teams should view and understand emotional intelligence from an individual, group and cross boundary perspective. They adequately use case studies and scenarios to prove their point.

Considering that most work is done in team settings, Druskat and Wolff (2001) have strongly brought out the value emotional intelligence has on organizations. In addition, they have eloquently and logically presented their facts through their choice of words, visual aids and models.

On the same note, their work comes at a time when organizations and behavioral analysts are focusing their attention on understanding the effects emotional intelligence has on individual and group effectiveness (Druskat & Wolff, 2001).

Conclusion

The article provides organizations and researchers with a foundation from which emotional intelligence can be understood and developed. Not only have the authors managed to produce an educative article, but they have also used a friendly writing style which makes the article an interesting read.

Reference

Druskat, V. U., & Wolff, S. B. (2001). Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups. Harvard Business Review, 79(3): pp. 81 – 90.

Introduction

The aim of this reflection is to provide a solution on how Emotional Intelligence can be utilised to improve the workplace.

The researcher will also provide specific information on how Emotional Intelligence (EI) can enhance audience sensitivity. Therefore, it will be important to start by explaining the meaning of emotional intelligence then through deductive analysis show its impact in the workplace.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, regulate and evaluate emotions. Emotional intelligence may be acquired through learning which can also be strengthened.

Emotional intelligence also serves as the capacity to monitor, access as well as generate emotions in order to enhance thought; having good comprehension of emotions and their control promotes emotional and intellectual development and maturation (Mayer & Salovey 17).

Salovey and Mayer elaborated further on the four aspects of emotional intelligence which included the following: (a) emotion’s perception or identification (b) utilisation of emotions to enhance thought (c) comprehension of emotions (d) emotion’s management (Mayer & Salovey 23).

Therefore, indentifying emotions refers to the capacity to understand the degree to which one and those around are feeling; use of emotions to facilitate thought refers to potentiality of exhibiting an emotion but regulating it through rationality.

Comprehension of emotions is the capacity to understand complicated emotional impacts and how such develops from one level to another. Lastly, managing emotions is the capacity to regulate the same within the person and that of others (Mayer & Salovey 27).

Relevance of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

From the findings above the reader may affirm that emotional intelligence is a conditio sine qua non (necessary condition) for employee maturity and more so in the development of their interpersonal skills. Indeed, without emotional intelligence any workplace would not have focused team efforts.

It is held that emotional intelligence ought not to replace the abilities, job skills and competences of employees. Therefore, emotional intelligence provides mechanisms that enhance workplace outcomes although it does not provide such assurance if there lacks suitable skills.

Additionally, emotional intelligence adds value to career development. This is supported by the fact that capacity to understand people and the self may lead one to consider a given career, for instance, one related to mental health care.

Emotional intelligence also contributes to management development. Therefore, managers that capitalise on their technical skills fail to manage effectively and can just be said to be in charge. Thus, good comprehension and enhancement of emotional intelligence may enrich a number of management skills and approaches.

In terms of team effectiveness, emotional intelligence becomes the critical factor which enhances bonding among team members (Salovey, Brackett, & Mayer 89).

Specific information on how emotional intelligence can enhance audience sensitivity may be tracked from self-awareness which results to adequate regulation of emotions. This creates more transcendence that enables a person to take due consideration over interests of the audience.

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in the improvement of workplace environment. The findings of the study have demonstrated that emotional intelligence improves career development since the individual may select a path that suits his inner strengths and abilities.

Other contributions refer to management development not to mention the strengthening of bonds among team members.

Works Cited

Mayer, John and Salovey, Peter. “What is emotional intelligence?” In P. Salovey & D.

Sluyter (Eds). Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Implications for educators (1997): 3-31. New York. Print.

Salovey, Peter, M. Brackett, and J. Mayer. Emotional Intelligence: Key Readings on the Mayer and Salovey Model, NPR Inc., 2004. Print.

The notion of emotional intelligence

According to Mayer, Salovey and Caruso (2008), the original notion of emotional intelligence (EI) was that some people have the capacity to reason as well as utilize emotions to augment their thoughts more efficiently than others (p.503). Ever since 1990, emotional intelligence has developed into a small sphere of consulting, education, testing and publication (Mathews, Roberts & Zeidner, 2004, p.179).

Nevertheless, the visible size of the sphere transcends what we perceive as pertinent scientific research in the field. As a matter of fact, Locke (2005) recently asserted that emotional intelligence is an invalid notion partly because it is described in a variety of ways (p.425).

It is worthy to mention that emotional intelligence was initially defined as a set of interconnected capabilities. Nonetheless, a number of scholars have defined emotional intelligence as an assorted blend of traits such as self-worth, happiness, self-management and optimism as opposed to ability-based concept (Petrides & Furnham, 2001, p.425).

This alternative approach to emotional intelligence notion (using the term to assign assorted blends of traits) has resulted in substantial misunderstanding and confusion as regard the nature of emotional intelligence. Many aspects, such as self-worth, incorporate in these models are not directly associated with emotion or intelligence or their interrelation (Mathews, Roberts & Zeidner, 2004, p.185).

The main factors of Emotional Intelligence

Schutte and others (1998) assert that there are various emotional intelligence models that offer alternative theoretical outlines for conceptualizing the idea (p.168).

For example, Salovey and Mayer (1990) proposed an emotional intelligence model that embraces three groups of adaptive capabilities: “appraisal and expression of emotion, regulation of emotion and utilization of emotions in solving problems” (p.185). In spite of the fact that emotions are at the center of this model, it also embraces social and cognitive roles related to the utilization, regulation as well as expression of emotions (Schutte et al., 1998, p.168).

Salovey and Mayer (1990) have developed a modified emotional intelligence model which lends credence to the cognitive elements of emotional intelligence. The adjusted model embraces four categories of emotional intelligence: discernment, assessment and expression of emotion; emotional facilitation of thoughts; perception, evaluating and using emotional awareness; and reflective regulation of emotion to promote intellectual and emotion development.

The first category is considered as the most elementary process whereas the reflective regulation of emotions is perceived as the most intricate process. In addition, each category has different levels of capabilities which an individual masters in a chronological order (Schutte et al., 1998, p.168).

Comparison between Bar-On EI Scale and Scutte’s 33-item EI Scale

There are different types of scales used to assess the construct of emotional intelligence. For instance, the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory is a 133-item self-report assessment comprising of 15 discrete scales. These scales measure: optimism, happiness, impulse management, stress tolerance, flexibility, problem solving, social responsibility, interpersonal relationships, empathy, self-realization, self-respect, assertiveness and emotional self-recognition (Schutte et al., 1998, p.168).

Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Scales have demonstrated proof of validity since they compare favorably with other measures that are tentatively differentiated and related between groups such as persons who rated themselves as exceptional on individual achievements and those who individuals who rated themselves as low achievers (Schutte et al., 1998, p.169).

On the other hand, Scutte’s 33-item emotional intelligence Scale model is developed on the basis of the original emotional intelligence model crafted by Salovey and Mayer (1990) in order to create a solid basis for measuring individuals’ present level of emotional intelligence (Schutte et al., 1998, p.169). The 33-items loading on factor one embodies all segments of the conceptual model of Salovey and Mayer (1990).

The depiction of various groups of the model in this set of 33 items is approximately in proportion to the model. 13 items (of Scutte’s 33-item Emotional Intelligence Scale) emerged from those produced for the expression and appraisal of emotion category of the model. The second batch of 10 items emerged from those produced for the regulation of emotion category while the last 10 items emerged from those items produced for the utilization of emotion category (Schutte et al., 1998, p.171).

Shuttle’s Emotional Intelligence scale

Emotional intelligence is commonly conceptualized as a rather trait-like enduring attribute. A number of similar trait-like attributes are associated with one of the big five personality dimensions: openness to experience (intellect); conscientiousness; agreeableness; extraversion; and neuroticism.

In order to measure the place of EI as assessed by the 33-item self-report scale in the context of the big-five structure (and to offer information on the discriminate validity of the scale), scores on the 33-item scale were associated with the big-five personality aspects (Schutte et al., 1998, p.175).

Shuttle’s Emotional Intelligence Reliability and Validity

It is generally assumed that a valid measure of emotional intelligence is associated with measures that evaluate precise attributes of impulsivity, ability to regulate emotions, depressed mood, outlook on life and expression of emotion. As anticipated, upper scores on the 33-item emotional intelligence scale were positively correlated with mood repair as quantified by the Mood Repair subscale of the Trait Meta Mood Scale [r(47)=0.68, p<0.0001]; enhanced attention of feeling as quantified by the Attention subscale of Trait Meta Mood Scale [r(48)=0.63, p<0.0001]; diminished alexithymia as calculated by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale [r(24)=-0.65, p<0.0001]; enhanced optimism as gauged by the optimism scale of Life Orientation Test [r(26)=0.52, p<0.006]; reduced impulsivity as computed by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale [r(55)=-0.39, p<0.003]; and reduced depression as computed by the Zung Depression Scale [r(37)=-0.37, p<0.021] (Schutte et al., 1998, p.172).

In order to corroborate the initial findings of internal consistency of the 33-item scale, Schutte and others requested five male and 27 female students from southeastern United States college [average age=30.11, S.D=10.13] to reply to the 33-item measure.

The cross-check of internal consistency of 33-item scale revealed a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87 for all the participants. In order to assess the test-retest reliability of the 33-item scale, the researchers requested six males and 22 females college students [average age=32.00; S.D-10.13] to respond to the scale twice with an interval of 14 days between measurements. The test-retest reliability of the 33-item measure was 0.78 (Schutte et al., 1998, p.173).

Schutte’s Emotional Intelligence interpretive guideline

The emotional intelligence model developed by Salovey and Mayer (1990) provided the conceptual backdrop for the items used in the Schutte’s 33-item scale. A factor examination of a large segment of items proposed a one-factor solution of 33 items that brought about scale items that characterized each group: utilization of emotions in solving problems; regulation of emotion in the self and others; appraisal and expression of emotion in the self and others.

Given that the initial pool of items represented all groups and elements of the hypothetical emotional intelligence model developed by Salovey and Mayer (1990) and since the first factor generated from a factor examination embraced an approximately equal number of items from various groups and elements of the model, one can construe the outcomes of the factor analysis as a reflection of identical construct of emotional intelligence.

Nevertheless, caution should be taken when making this conclusion. First, there are other operationalizations of emotional intelligence to the ones offered by Salovey and Mayer (1990) model. Second, the scale has a limited number of self-report items (33 items). This means that alternative measurement techniques or items might reveal more specific aspects of emotional intelligence (Schutte et al., 1998, p.173).

What’s more, the 33-item scale revealed fine internal reliability when two different samples were used. For example, the test-retest sample showed that the scores were reasonably consistent over time. The 33-item scale also revealed proof of validity. For instance, scores on 33-item scale were associated with eight of nine measures envisaged to be associated with emotional intelligence. The other measures evaluated hypothetically related constructs such as impulsivity, ability to regulate emotion, and outlook on life.

In nutshell, the 33-item scale provides a valid and reasonable measure of emotional intelligence as hypothesized by Salovey and Mayer (1990). The potential use of Schutte’s 33-item scale in hypothetical studies may include investigating the nature of emotional intelligence such as the effects of emotional intelligence, determinants of emotional intelligence, and whether emotional intelligence can be improved (Schutte et al., 1998, p.176).

References

Locke, E. (2005). Why emotional intelligence is an invalid concept. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 425–431.

Mathews, G., Roberts, D., & Zeidner, M. (2004). Seven myths about emotional intelligence. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 179–196.

Mayer, J., Salovey, P., & Caruso, R. (2008). Emotional Intelligence: New Ability or Eclectic Traits? American Psychologist, 63(6), 503-517.

Petrides, K., & Furnham, A. (2001). Trait emotional intelligence: Psychometric investigation with reference to established trait taxonomies. European Journal of Personality, 15, 425–448.

Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9, 185-211.

Schutte, N.S., Malouff, J.M., Hall, L.E., Haggerty, D.J., Copper, J.T., Golden, C.J., & et al. (1998). Development and validation of a measure of emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 25, 167-177.

There have been changes in IQ scores as years advance. The high scores recorded in the rise of IQ are because of the changing trend in evaluation taking a turn from strictly intellectual testing to testing of competence in the light of psychological statuses gauging empathy, initiative and the self-discipline of people (Riley, 2013).

It is agreeable that IQ has limits because there are limitations to IQ as it relies mainly in intellectual intelligence without. It is more factual without express assurance of competence because it lacks any emotional connections. IQ limitations emerge from the incapability of encompassing other human qualities, which promote the success of an individual (Lopez-Zafra, Garcia-Retamero & Berrios, 2012).

The great divide in competence is the utilization of emotions and cognition through the capability of using the mind and the heart in a concurrent manner. Through competence divide, there is a combination of expertise, thoughts and feelings. This differs with pure cognition in performance with no combination of feelings in performance (Queendom, 2013).

Emotional intelligence helps in developing a manner for handling situations in an emotionally conscious way. That requires a capacity of intellectual competence through support of cognitive abilities.

The great divide remains between the emotional and purely cognitive capabilities of the brain. The divide exists in professions where there is need for contact with people requiring connection to their feelings for a better delivery of services (The Hay Group, 2013).

Emotional intelligence is important in the field of human resources for organizational growth and competence (Cherniss, Grimm & Liautaud, 2010). Emotional intelligence makes a difference in human resources partitioning because it opens up the possibility for understanding of people and making good use of their input in the organization for the achievement of a competitive edge (Hein, 2013).

This happens in the human resources management because it is all about handling people and requires ample understanding of the thoughts and feelings of others, then integrating it into the needs of the organization for success (Skinner & Spurgeon, 2005).

Peter Principle is the over reliance on individuals with too much expertise and skills in top positions within organizations without consideration of their people management skills (Smithson, 2010). While working in an editing firm, one the chief editor resigned to take up a better paying job in a different organization and the editor next in line got the opportunity of taking up the position of chief editor.

He was a dedicated person, after getting the position of chief editor; he started bullying people and got at loggerheads with reporters on issues of interpersonal relationships. Attention to people is a valuable resource since it gives a chance for attending, and treating them in a manner that recognizes their needs, and feelings (Dickinson & Villeval, 2012).

Emotional tone deafness is a social awkwardness initiator in that it does not take the feelings of people into consideration. Empathy, therefore, holds a social responsibility through promotion of consciousness to people’s emotions (Skinner & Spurgeon, 2005).

The contagiousness of emotions runs through the fact that emotional consciousness helps in the practice of democracy, expressiveness and trust. This allows for open atmospheres providing chances for development of personal bonds within an organization.

In sports, there is need for unity for the performance of a teams’ effectiveness (High performance systems. Inc, 2013). When a couch is flexible and trusting of the efforts of his team members, he creates a social atmosphere where each member feels valuable to the team following the example of their leader and that pays off to the leadership of the team leader.

Through empathy, an initiator connects to the emotions of others and works at the realization of their innermost needs (Hosea, 2012). It provides room for development of trust and long-term relationships respecting the emotions of others with concern to their thoughts and feelings (Ingram & Cangemi, 2012).

It allows conscious aware of feelings and the social appropriateness in the expression of physical influence of others. It promotes balance in all aspects of life such as health, work and family in the achievement of personal goals and values and this self-awareness helps in leadership (Team Technology, 2013).

A social extrovert may be with a hindrance of some of the effectiveness of communication qualities required of a good leader (Zimmerman, 2013). Extroverts are naturally outgoing, but they lack communication skills to drive a leader into quality interaction with subordinates in an emotionally connected manner (Bonvicini, 2007).

A change catalyst must possess special qualities, such as expertise, self-confidence, motivation, commitment, initiative, optimism, and influence for effective transformation (The Hindu, 2013). A change catalyst uses personal competencies to manage resistance and perseveres while presenting cases and handling of consultants as they influence change (Fleischer, 2012).

Fear of litigation makes people incapable of speaking the truth afraid to go against company policies. Speaking out is damaging that most people stay silent on issues about incorrect factors.

Whistle blowers face persecution because the implications of their action go against company regulations of protection of organizational secrets. Companies focused on breach of their policies made by whistle blowers (Lavan, & Katz, 2005).

References

Bonvicini, K. A. (2007). Physician empathy: Impact of communication training on physician behavior and patient perceptions. (PhD Thesis., University of Phoenix.). Web.

Cherniss, C., Grimm, L.G., & Liautaud, J.P. (2010). Process-designed training: A new approach for helping leaders develop emotional and social competence. Journal of Management Development, 29(5), 413-431.

Dickinson, D. L., & Villeval, M. C. (2012). Job allocation rules and sorting efficiency: Experimental outcomes in a peter principle environment. Southern Economic Journal, 78(3), 842-859. Web.

Fleischer, S. (2012). The perceived relevance of professional leadership competencies among mid-level managers in student affairs at four-year institutions of higher education. (Dissertation, California State University, Long Beach). Web.

Hein, S. (2013). Critical Review of Daniel Goleman. Web.

High performance systems Inc. (2013). Leadership Solutions for the 21^st Century. Web.

Hosea, M. (2012). Empathy and the magic of influence. Marketing Week, 50-52. Web.

Ingram, J., & Cangemi, J. (2012). Emotions, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership: A Brief, Pragmatic Perspective. Education, 132(4), 771-778.

Lavan, H., & Katz, M. (2005). Disciplining Employees for Free Speech, Whistle Blowing, and Political Activities. Journal Of Individual Employment Rights, 12(2), 119-135.

Lopez-Zafra, E., Garcia-Retamero, R., & Berrios Martos, M. (2012). The Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Emotional Intelligence from a Gendered Approach. Psychological Record, 62(1), 97-114.

Queendom. (2013). Emotional Intelligence Test. Web.

Riley Guide. (2013). Self-Assessment Resources. Web.

Skinner, C., & Spurgeon, P. (2005). Valuing empathy and emotional intelligence in health leadership: A study of empathy, leadership behaviour and outcome effectiveness. Health Services Management Research, 18(1), 1-12. Web.

Smithson, R. (2010). Smithson: Is Tiger Woods proving the Peter principle? Kelowna Capital News. Web.

Team Technology. (2013). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership. Web.

The Hay Group. (2013). Emotional & Social Competence Inventory- University Edition. Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Web.

The Hindu. (2013). The Hindu Opportunities. Web.

Zimmerman, M. (2013). Emotional Literacy Education and Self-Knowledge How to Make the World a Better Place Chapter 1. Web.

EI is a measure of one’s ability to recognize, assess and control emotions (Cherniss & Goleman, 2001). Peter Salovey and John Mayer coined the term in 2001 (Mayer et al., 2001). These two individuals believed that human beings had a set of social intelligences that allowed them to monitor other people’s emotions and feelings. Furthermore, it caused them to distinguish those emotions and thus use the information to direct their actions and thoughts.

Emotional intelligence has four main facets: perception of emotions, cognitive use of emotions, understanding emotions and managing those emotions. Perception is the first category. Prior to using or understanding emotions, one must first detect them. This entails analysing people’s non verbal cues, facial expressions, and body language. The cognitive aspect entails the facilitation of better thinking through the use of emotions. Emotions guide the cognitive process by telling the mind what to prioritise (Weisenger, 1998). This is because emotions will already have drawn attention to those things. Step three entails understanding the emotions. Here, one must understand the context behind the emotion.

For instance, a co-worker may seem happy and energetic, but this does not necessarily imply that the individual is pleased about his colleagues’ group efforts. The person might have received a present from his wife, or may be looking forward to the end of the month when he can receive his salary. Therefore, one emotion may mean so many things. An emotionally intelligent person needs to establish the meaning behind them. The last and most complex step is managing emotions. A person who needs to cope with other individuals should know about the right emotional responses at any given time. One should control those emotions, and respond to other people’s emotions in the right way; all the latter processes make the ability model.

In order to determine whether someone is emotionally intelligent, one must carry out one or more assessment tests. Some of them include the Goleman model, the Bar-on-model, and the Trait Emotional intelligence model. These tests focus on various items, but the common thing among them is that they analyse one’s self regulatory ability, motivational ability, empathy, social skills and self awareness. People with self awareness abilities tend to understand their own emotional weaknesses, drives, needs and strengths. Additionally, they are quite truthful about themselves. They also have a fair grasp of what to expect from others. Self awareness also means staying away from too much criticism or unrealistic hopefulness. Such a trait allows one to know how people’s emotions change in the workplace (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009).

Self regulatory ability entails freeing oneself from one’s emotions. A person with this trait can cope with unpredictable external circumstances in their workplace. For instance, if an industry faces competition from external manufacturers, then people with self regulatory abilities can handle such a situation better than those who do not have such a trait. Furthermore, these people do not succumb to their impulses; they are logical and thoughtful about their decisions (Kluemper, 2008).

Motivational ability refers to one’s capacity to perform beyond others’ expectations. This person wants to achieve irrespective of the incentives or payments at stake. In this regard, the person will act passionately about his responsibilities. The person always looks for challenges and has a longing to learn. Motivation causes people to become restless. When such people go through immense failures, most of them may pick themselves up after. They have an ability to maintain optimism after such setbacks, and commit highly to organizational gaols.

One must also be empathetic. Such a person considers other people’s feelings. He/she realises that differences in cultures and upbringing cause people to respond differently to similar events. Lastly, the person must also have social skills. This means that the individual should be friendly towards others. Furthermore, the person needs to have a wide circle of friends or acquaintances. He/she should build rapport easily with others.

Relevance of emotional intelligence in modern organisations

Globalisation is a critical factor in modern organisations. People from different countries and cultures are now working together under one firm. Therefore, this presents a different set of challenges in the workplace. Emotional intelligence allows employees to build a rapport between one another even when they have diverse backgrounds (Saavedra, 2000).

The competitive landscape has increased tremendously in many western nations. Consequently, employers need to retain a higher number of employees than ever before. Since emotionally intelligent people have mastered their emotions, then they can handle significant or negligible changes in a company’s internal or external environment. Furthermore, they can stick to organisational goals and thus enhance productivity.

These employees are highly valuable and often increase a company’s ability to retain talent. Skills that emanate from emotional intelligence are also relevant in mentoring and coaching programs. These people can create rapport with colleagues, subordinates or other individuals who need to do training or coaching. Many of them can contribute towards maintenance of a company’s workforce (Book, 2000).

Emotional intelligence also plays a role in promoting healthy workplace relations, especially with regard to conflict. A company with an emotionally intelligent culture will have employees who can tolerate each other’s differences. Therefore, many of them will welcome different ideas in their workgroups. This means that such organizations are rich in creative ideas. Emotional intelligence fosters innovation and organizational development.

Research shows that communication is a central constituent of business success. Companies habitually succeed in different areas of business when they promote a reasonable level of assertiveness amongst their employees. Emotionally intelligent employees have superior communication skills that enhance workflows in their organisations. They also have a certain degree of autonomy that allows them to explore their respective talents (Salovey & Sluyter, 2002).

One of the most crucial roles of emotional intelligence in businesses is its ability to improve or inspire leadership skills. When a leader is overly reactive to his emotions, he or she might sidetrack from his company’s goals (Goleman, 2000). Emotional intelligence allows one to control these feelings thus facilitating better leadership. Additionally, it causes a person to connect with one’s followers. This means that the leader can easily inspire others when the need arises. Emotional intelligence causes leaders to cope with the stresses and strains of handling enormous responsibilities (Stock, 2001). Leaders need to stay focused on company goals but still be motivated enough to keep trying after facing a setback. These qualities are always prevalent among emotionally intelligent people. Additionally, the leaders need to build teams that work cohesively. This can only be done if the person has an ability to perceive other people’s emotions, and control one’s emotions.

References

Book, H. (2000). One big happy family: emotional intelligence in the office. Ivey Business Journal, 65(2), 44.

Bradberry, T. & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence. San Francisco, Publishers Group West.

Cherniss, C. & Goleman, D. (2001). The emotionally intelligent workplace. The consortium for research on emotional intelligence in organisations, 4, 56.

Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business review, 12, 45-55.

Kluemper, D. (2008). Trait emotional intelligence: the impact of core self evaluations and social desirability. Personality and Individual differences, 44(6), 1402-1412.

Mayer. J., Caruso, D., Sitarenios, G. & Salovey, P. (2001). Emotional intelligence as a standard intelligence. Emotion, 1, 232-242.

Saavedra, J. (2000). EQ figures. Tampa Bay Business Journal, 20(38), 30.

Salovey, P. & Sluyter, D. (2002). Emotional development and emotional intelligence: implications for educators. NY, Basic books.

Stock, B. (2001). Emotional intelligence and CEO succession. Corporate Board, 22(128), 11.

Weisenger, H. (1998). Emotional Intelligence at work. San Francisco, Jossey Bass.

Abstract

Honesty and trust are the awareness of what is appropriate in various roles we play, behavioral patterns, and relationships. Honesty eliminates any hypocrisy or artificiality that may generate confusion and suspicion in the minds of others. Honesty is the basis of an upright life since the outer being accurately reflects the inner being.

Overview of honesty and trust

There is no discrepancy or inconsistency between the thoughts, words, and actions of a trustworthy person. Such consistency enlightens others and offer them an example or guideline to follow. Trust is visible and flawless because it can never remain hidden (Stein & Book, 2011). The outcomes of honesty and trust are visible in our actions. An honest ad trustworthy person is someone who aspires to follow a high drive that is faithful to the altruistic and universal principles of life, and whose decisions are clearly based on knowledge of what is right and wrong.

Such a person maintains a set of values ​​that guides and gives him the courage to understand and respect the subtle relationship between the world and his life. Such a person is aware of the interdependence of the natural world. It is also worth mentioning that trust and honesty are the cornerstones of successful organizations. However, the emotional intelligence (EQ) of each employee at the workplace is closely related to honesty and trust (Elizabeth & Wolff, 2008). Hence, effective programs should be put in place to cultivate the EQ of employees.

Importance of honesty and trust at the workplace

Honesty and trust are core values that can ensure the success of a business. The vast majority of men and women in business who are very successful demonstrate a level of honesty and trust that is above average. It is not very fashionable to talk about moral values, but if an organization’s results and sales are not satisfactory, it is highly likely to raise the level of trust and honesty among customers and other stakeholders and eventually assist in reaping better returns (Scott-Ladd & Chan, 2004).

Customers usually prefer to negotiate with straight, honest, and trustworthy organizations. In fact, this is the best way for any organization to be successful in the long term. An exemplary rule of conduct enhances a lot of trust in an organization (Ghuman, 2011).

Honesty and trust are fundamental values that must dictate our professional and personal lives. If we are not free and frank with our fellow colleagues at the workplace, both in our words and in our actions, they may easily oppose our deceptive behavior and thereafter, lead to poor performance.

In today’s workplace environments and global economy, having high standards of honesty and transparency coupled with improved emotional intelligence, are major competitive advantages in a business organization. In the absence of honesty and trust, it can be cumbersome to attain a competitive advantage against other market rivals. Customers constantly test the honesty and trustworthy levels of employees. In case of any doubt, they may easily withdraw their loyalty to the organization in question.

The absence of honesty and trust at the workplace also erodes the emotional intelligence of employees both at the subordinate and senior levels. It is vital to mention that emotional intelligence is in-built and largely relies on our inner abilities to differentiate between right and wrong. An organization stands a higher chance of failing if employees lack the basic tenets of honesty, trust, and emotional intelligence.

To some extent, employers seek in their employees the same character traits that young people admire in some of their friends: a positive attitude, the ability to listen, loyalty, and commitment to friendship. They appreciate someone who will do anything to help them when they need help. But even more, they appreciate honesty and trust. These are other essential attributes of employability.

Its importance is obvious, but sometimes employees do not realize that honesty is much more than telling the truth and being in good terms with the employer. They do not always understand that it is through honesty and trust that employers weigh their personal trust, values ​​, and moral standards as well as their abilities to adhere to the prescribed code of conduct.

Relationship between trust and performance

Most empirical studies have revealed that there is a direct relationship between trust in the workplace and business performance. The trust established by managers represents a major asset to motivate teams and increase their productivity. This implies that employees should possess the right confidence to work since the latter is a prerequisite for the impressive performance of an organization. This was the finding of a Franco-American study that looked at the relationship between trust and performance among employees and their managers in several banks in the southern United States.

Organizational relationships heavily depend on the nature of trust in place. Organizational productivity has been tagged on the aspect of trust between employees and employers. Better still, trust between employees is also a crucial component in the overall performance of an organization. This has been found to be of the utmost application when it comes to employees who work as teams or groups. In addition, the social exchange process that is highly valued by managers in organizations can only be cultivated when employees trust each other.

Employees who trust each other at the workplace also tend to develop a certain degree of expectation in regards to personal growth and development. In other words, a trustworthy workplace environment creates a harmonious atmosphere through each every stakeholder can contribute positively. Professional growth and development of employees are also cultivated in the presence of honesty and trust owing to a robust and continuous improvement in emotional intelligence. These are the same views held by students who may wish to be part and parcel of employees in different organizations (Freedman, 2012).

The process of rebuilding a broken trust

The initial step that should be taken to rebuild a broken trust is to acknowledge the existing challenge. In other words, the broken trust should be acknowledged. Once the challenge has been acknowledged, it becomes possible to proceed to the next level. Second, it is necessary to admit that you are responsible for breaking the trust. Admitting a mistake is not a weakness, as many may perceive.

It is one way of creating a friendly environment for apologizing to the offended person. Enough courage is required during the admission stage. Thereafter, apologize for what occurred. As a matter of fact, admitting that you are responsible for the broken trust shows that you are willing to apologize and accept responsibility for your actions. It is necessary to avoid excuses during the apology stage.

After the apology has been accepted, evaluate where the problem or weakness occurred in the relationship, and finally amend the situation. Develop an action plan so that the same mistake is not repeated (Ames & Flynn, 2007).

References

Ames, D. R. & Flynn, F. J. (2007). What Breaks a Leader: A Curvilinear Relation Between Assertiveness and Leadership. Journal of Personality and Social psychology, 92(2), 307-324.

Elizabeth, S. K., & Wolff, S. B. (2008). Emotional intelligence competencies in the team and team leader. The Journal of Management Development, 27(1), 55-75.

Freedman, J. (2012)..At the Heart of Leadership. How to Get Results with Emotional Intelligence. New York: Six Seconds.

Ghuman, U. (2011). Building a model of group emotional intelligence. Team Performance Management, 17(7), 418-439.

Scott-Ladd, B., & Chan, C. (2004). Emotional intelligence and participation in decision- making: Strategies for promoting organizational learning and change. Strategic change, 13(2), 95-105.

Stein, S. J. & Book, H. E. (2011). The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success (3rd Ed.) Mississauga: Jossey-Bass.