Emotional intelligence (EI)
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Emotional Intelligence – Introduction
The term emotional intelligence (EI) was coined by Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990, based on the work of many before them (e.g., Gardner, Thorndike). There original definition of EI was, “the ability to monitor one’s own and others emotions, to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions” (p. 189). In 1995, the term was made popular by Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence. According to Daniel Goleman, Emotional intelligence is defined as, “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships” (http://ei.haygroup.com/forum/resources/default.asp).
In their book Primal Leadership, Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee (2002) write "Primal leadership operates at its best through emotionally intelligent leaders who create resonance. Underlying that proposition is a theory of performance, one that surfaces the links between the neurology of the four fundamentals of emotional intelligence and the EI competencies that build on those fundamentals. These EI competencies are in turn the building blocks of the modes of leadership that prime resonance in a group" (p. 38).
A competency is “an underlying characteristic of a person which results in effective and/or superior performance in a job” (Klemp, 1980 in Boyatzis, 1982, p. 21). These competencies are housed under the fundamentals of self-awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management. Goleman et al. (2002) defines self-awareness in the following way: “Simply put self-awareness means having a deep understanding of one’s emotions, as well as one’s strengths and limitations and one’s values and motives” (p. 40). Self management addresses an individual’s ability to regulate their impulses and behaviors; the authors, note that this is extremely important because of the contagious nature of emotions. Social awareness captures a leader’s ability to express his or her feelings with those around them. The leader’s ability to empathize with those around them will likely determine their ability to remain in tune with those in their sphere or the organizations as a whole. Finally, relationship management focuses on a leader’s ability to manage the emotions of those around them. The authors note that to do so, the leader had better have a keen sense of his own emotional state.
The Emotional Intelligence Model
SELF-AWARENESS
- Emotional self-awareness: Reading one’s own emotions and recognizing their impact; using “gut sense” to guide decisions.
- Accurate self-assessment: Knowing one’s strengths and limits
- Self-confidence: A sound sense of one’s self-worth and capabilities
SELF-MANAGEMENT
- Emotional self-control: keeping disruptive emotions and impulses under control
- Transparency: Displaying honesty and integrity; trustworthiness
- Adaptability. Flexibility in adapting to changing situations or overcoming obstacles
- Achievement: The drive to improve performance to meet inner standards of excellence
- Initiative: Readiness to act and seize opportunities
- Optimism: Seeing the upside in events
SOCIAL AWARENESS
- Empathy: Sensing others’ emotions, understanding their perspective, taking active interest in their concerns
- Organizational awareness: Reading the currents, decision networks, politics at the organizational level
- Service: Recognizing and meeting follower, client, or customer needs
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
- Influence: Wielding a range of tactics for persuasion
- Inspirational leadership: Guiding and motivating with a compelling vision
- Developing others: Bolstering others’ abilities through feedback and guidance
- Change catalyst: Initiating, managing, and leading in a new direction Conflict management: Resolving disagreements
- Teamwork and collaboration: Cooperation and team building (Goleman et al., 2002, p. 253-256)
According to the authors, these are not necessarily innate talents and can be learned. However, the authors feel that the above are competencies of strong leaders or managers in the workplace. Moreover, according to the Hay Group, leaders who master the above competencies are more likely to be self-aware which correlates with an accurate self-assessment of how others see them. Further, leaders with an accurate self-assessment are more likely to be familiar with their strengths and blind spots.
Potential Benefits of Emotional Intelligence
The concept of emotional intelligence is easy to explain and most individuals quickly understand the concept; as the master each of the competencies, they will display more “leaderlike” tendencies. However, it is important to emphasize that the specific competencies change given the context, which is an important point to emphasize.
In addition, emotional intelligence has experienced a great deal of popularity within organizations and business. As a result an increasing amount of research results have touted the benefits of emotional intelligence. For example:
- “Experienced partners in a multinational consulting firm were assessed on the EI competencies plus three others. Partners who scored above the median on 9 or more of the 20 competencies delivered $1.2 million more profit from their accounts than did other partners – a 139 percent incremental gain” (Boyatzis, 1999 in Cherniss, n.d., n.p).
- In a national insurance company, insurance sales agents who were weak in emotional competencies such as self-confidence, initiative, and empathy sold policies with an average premium of $54,000. Those who were very strong in at least 5 of 8 key emotional competencies sold policies worth $114,000 (Hay/McBer Research and Innovation Group, 1997 in Cherniss, n.d., n.p).
- After supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies such as how to listen better and help employees resolve problems on their own, lost-time accidents were reduced by 50 percent, formal grievances were reduced from an average of 15 per year to three per year, and the plant exceeded productivity goals by $250,000 (Pesuric & Byham, 1996 in Cherniss, n.d., n.p.).
Potential Drawbacks of Emotional Intelligence
In his chapter, Emotional Intelligence: Issues in Paradigm Building, Goleman states, “although the wave of interest, has, perhaps inevitably, given rise to many questionable claims for EI – particularly in the business realm – that should not detract from the solid science that supports EI or from its implications for psychology” (Goleman, 2001, np). Goleman’s quote brings forth a primary concern for emotional intelligence; the challenge of maintaining the integrity and manner in which it is used within organizations. With so many individuals practicing and writing about emotional intelligence an increasing number of definitions, constructs and instruments (Slaski & Cartwright, 2003) have flooded the literature.
An additional challenge is that a large portion of the research relies upon self report methodologies (Zeidner, Matthews, & Roberts, 2004) and organizational applications of EI seem to be based largely on anecdotal case descriptions and derivative arguments (Dulewicz & Higgs, 2000; Zeidner, Matthews, & Roberts, 2004).
Finally, emotional intelligence does not address the contextual nature of leadership. For example, it may be good that Rosa Parks did not self-regulate in 1955. Leadership is a relationship between leaders, followers and the context.
Emotional Intelligence & Extensions to Practice
Based on the literature covered, EI has relied on traditional classroom based training models. One successful example occurred at American Express. According to the authors, "The study looked at the effect of the program (emotional intelligence) on a group of 33 advisors. Prior to their participation, the advisors completed the Seligman Attributional Styles Questionnaire, a measure of optimism and coping skill that has predicted success in life insurance sales in previous research. A control group of advisors also completed the questionnaire. The two groups then filled out the questionnaire again after the participants completed the training. The sales performance of the two groups before and after the training also was compared. The results showed that the trained group increased 13.5 percent on the SASQ compared to 0.9 percent for the controls. The trained group also showed a greater increase in total sales revenue – Ten percent greater than the control sites and 16 percent greater than the company as a whole. The increase in life insurance sales revenue was even more impressive – Twenty percent more than control sites and the company as a whole" (Smith, n.d., n.p.).
An additional extension to practice was the development of the Emotional Competency Inventory (ECI), which is a 360 instrument that measures an individual’s emotional intelligence. Distributed by The Hay Group, individuals can become certified to administer this instrument within their organization.
One interesting application of EI has occurred at Case Western Reserve University. Emotional intelligence has been incorporated into the curriculum of the university’s MBA program within the Weatherhead School of Management. The curriculum of the MBA at CWRU makes “the promotion of social and emotional competence an integral part of the curriculum” (http://www.eiconsortium.org). At the beginning of the program, all students are required to take part in a Managerial Assessment and Development course. The self-discovery and knowledge gained from this course are used to develop a learning plan that guides the student’s next few years of study. The competency-based curriculum at the Weatherhead School of Management is the focus of a 50-year longitudinal study. According to the Consortium for Research on EI in Organization, initial studies have shown that 71 percent of full-time students and 81 percent of part-time students have improved in their competency abilities assessed (http://www.eiconsortium.org). Through self-awareness and a systematic focus on building competencies, initial indications from Weatherhead are positive.
Emotional Intelligence – Conclusion
Although relatively young, emotional intelligence has promise in both the academic and organizational realms; it is simple and straightforward in its definition of leadership. Interestingly enough, it takes us back to many of the trait theories that sparked research on leadership.
Cool Links
Additional Resources
Book – Primal Leadership
Book – Emotional Intelligence
Book – Working with Emotional Intelligence
Book – Resonant Leadership
Training – Certification in the Emotional Competency Inventory
Training – Certification in the EI Profile
