Intelligence Quotient and Emotional Intelligence - Research Paper Example

? What Matters More to Become an Effective Manager? Intelligence Quotient(IQ) or Emotional Intelligence(EQ)? I. Introduction Traditionally, society has always been biased for Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as the sole measurement of intelligence. It has been thought of that to do better at anything, one has to have a superior IQ inorder to succeed. As such, it has been regarded as a predictor of success in life and the workplace (Wechesler, 19582 qtd. In Mandel & Pherwani, 2003). It has always been assumed that a higher IQ would equate to a desirable Job Performance which could be a determinant of an individual’s sucess in a chosen career. As it has always been, academic excellence has always been stressed as an appropriate preparation for an individual to make it life. Emotion on the other hand has been traditionally viewed as a weakness and irrelevant. It has been traditionally thought that emotion has no bearing nor use in professional endeavor and as such, been relegated as inferior to IQ especially in a workplace setting where leadership and management has always been equated with problem solving. This has been the case until EQ was introduced that it is now beginning to change the paradigms about leadership and work efficacy. II. Literature Review The idea of Emotional Intelligence can be first traced on the work of Thorndike (1920) who theorized that intelligence is not only confined to academics but also includes emotional and social component (qtd. in Mandell & Pherwarni, 2003). Later, investigators like Guilford (1967) and H. Eysenck (1995) presented that intelligence is such a multifaceted construct that it is composed of one hundred and twenty varying types of intelligence (qtd. in Lyusin, 2006). In 1971, Shanley, Walker, and Foley (1971) already hypothesized that social intelligence was distinct from academic intelligence, but could not support it with empirical evidence that emotional intelligence is a separate construct. This was later provided by Howard Gardner when he articulated his theory of multiple intelligences categorizing it as intra personal and interpersonal intelligences within within the framework of multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983). His concept on intrapersonal intelligence or the capacity and competence to understand one’s self and apply it effectively in its relationship to others and in life in general as articulated in his concept on interpersonal intelligence served as the basic building block upon which future theorists built their research on (Carmeli & Josman, 2006). Gardner also proposed that there are eight types of intelligences that includes “spatial, musical, intrapersonal, interpersonal, bodily—kinesthetic, naturalistic, and the traditional academic intelligence: linguistic and logical-mathematical. . . Later, Riggio, Murphy and Pirozzolo (2002) propose that these multiple forms of intelligence are possessed by effective leaders and these allow leaders to respond successfully to a range of situations” (Mandel and Pherwani, 2003:388). It was however Peter Salovey and John Mayer who formally developed the term “emotional intelligence” which landed its model in the field of Psychology that researchers later expaned on. The first version of the model was defined as the as the “the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action” (Salovey and Mayer, 1990 qtd. In Lyusin, 2006: 55). It was interpreted as a complex construct consisting of three types of abilities; (1) the identification and expression of emotion as; (2) the regulation of emotions; and (3) the application of emotional information to thinking and action (Lyusin, 2006:55). This was later clarified by Mayer and Salovey that emotions contain information on how people or objects could connect at them (Mayer et al., 2001). The ability of connecting these emotions has led Salovey and Mayer to identify the four components of emotional intelligence which are “(1) the identification of emotions; (2) the use of emotions to increase the effectiveness of thinking and action; (3) the understanding of emotions; and (4) the guiding of emotions. In summary, these components relate to the emotions of others and the individual’s own self. III. IQ vs. EQ Recent studies has illustrated that IQ is an insufficient predictor of success. As early as 1920, Thorndike has already contended that intelligence is not merely confined to the province of logical-linguistic but extends to the social and emotional dimension. The bias for IQ as a predictor for success has already been questioned given that logical-linguistic intelligence only covers part of of the many intelligences of a person. Since then, emotional intelligence became the subject of study of many organizational behaviorists, managers and psychologists. The research on the subject evolved as a scientific endeavor that many constructs were developed to test and retest the validity and importance of emotional intelligence and its correlationship to leadership and performance. IV. Understanding EQ in Worksetting The best way to determine which of the two sets of intelligence, IQ or EQ, has more significance in becoming an effective manager or leader is to to determine what skill sets are important to dispense the role of an effective manager in an organization. To determine those skill sets, it will be first necessary to understand the dynamics of an organization and see where those skill sets apply. The study of Motowidlo & Borman (1997) dissected the organization to determine what skill sets are required for a good performance. They categorized it into two which falls into task performance and contextual performance. Task performance is the “effectiveness with which job incumbents perform activities that contribute to the organization’s technical core either by implementing a part of its technical process, or indirectly by providing it with needed materials or services” (Borman & Motowidlo, 1993 qtd in Borman & Motowidlo, 1997:99). On the other hand contextual performance is the interpersonal behavior or action that benefits the organization in general. Both made contribution to the overall performance in the workplace but the study applied the interpersonal aspect, which requires emotional intelligence in the overall efficacy of doing a good job. The study however was too generalized as it does not segregate how EQ contributes to effective leadership and management. It only illustrated that EQ is necessary in an organization as it facilitates a desirable work performance in an organizational setting. The question still remains what skill sets are necessary to facilitate desirable work outcome among subordinates in an organizational setting. To determine this, one has to ask; What Constitutes an Effective Leader or Manager? To effectively answer the question, it is necessary to determine what characterizes an effective leader and manager. This would allow us to determine whether those characteristics fall under IQ or EQ. The Transformational Leadership Organizational behaviorists and managers alike agree that the ideal type of leadership is “transformational leadership”. According to Bass and Riggio (2006), transformational leadership characterizes a leader’s ability “to inspire followers to commit to a shared vision and goals for an organization or unit, challenging them to be innovative problem solvers, and developing followers’ leadership capacity via coaching, mentoring, and provision of both challenge and support” (p. 4 qtd in Corona, 2004). It inspire and motivate the members of an organization towards a common goal. “Transformational leadership includes five elements: (a) idealized influence – attributed, (b) idealized influence - behavioral, (c) inspirational motivation, (d) intellectual stimulation, and (e) individualized consideration (Bass & Riggio, 2006 qtd in Corona, 2004:24). This is the type where a leader is not just a manager, “but a source of inspiration that develops other leaders in an organization” (Judge and Piccolo, 2004). Where motivation among its peers and subordinates comes naturally for they demand more of themselves which will result in higher productivity output and ensures the long-term viability of an organization. This is the type of leader and manager who need not encourage nor solicit any idea for it is given naturally among its peers. It does not coerce differences but thrives in the diversity of ideas and opinion. V. Is Transformational Leadership IQ or EI Centered? Studies about transformational leadership reported that EI traits such as interpersonal skills correlate with transformation leadership (Barbuto & Burbach, 2006; Hayashi & Ewert, 2006). Studies also suggested that emotionally intelligent leaders understand their subordinates’ expectations and able to appropriately respond to such needs. The particular trait of emotional intelligence which is empathy is closely linked to idealized influenced and the leader’s ability to regulate oneself inspires motivation. Organizational behaviorists and studies about leadership have concluded that leaders and managers who demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence become visionaries, inspirational and influential motivators that improve the over-all organizational performance. This was validated by the study made by Mandell and Shilpa Pherwani (2003 ) who reported that most “effective managers are alike in they all have a high degree of emotional intelligence”. Goleman (1997) even claimed that , "emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leadership” that no matter how educated, intelligent or academically well prepared an individual is, it will not still tantamount to effective leadership if an individual lacks the social and emotional ability to relate and influence others. Gardner even went as far as claiming that a lack in technical skill is a negligible handicap in managing people but one can do without the emotional intelligence to lead. The traditional IQ is just a baseline skill but what really makes an individual to be an effective leader is high emotional aptitude to undertand oneself and others. To be able to relate to them to lead them to a shared vision and common goal. VI. Conclusion “Brilliant minds do not necessarily make brilliant managers and the difference is often due to a person’s emotional intelligence, the bit that dictates the way we deal with other people and understand our own emotions” (Anon, 2004). Managers often fail not because of incompetence but rather by their rigidity and poor relationships with their peers and subordinates (Miller, 2009). Just how important EI is in an organization? It contributes 85 to 90 percent of outstanding performance in the upper management and can predict desirable job performance twice than the conventional IQ. This translates in a 20 % more earnings for a company (Goleman, 1998; Kemper, 1999; Watkin, 2000, qtd in McCann, 2000). Emotional intelligence indeed matters more than IQ to become an effective manager. References: Anon., (1999). Emotional intelligence helps managers succeed.  Credit Union Magazine. Vol. 65, Issue 7 Borman & Motowidlo (1997) . Task Performance and Contextual Performance: The Meaning for Personnel Selection Research., Vol. 10 Issue 2, p99, 11p, Carmeli, Abraham and Josman, Zvi, E. (2006). The Relationship Among Emotional Intelligence, Task Performance, and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors. (19)4: 403-419 Corona, Miguel Angel (2004). The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership:A Hispanic American Examination. 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