Why is an understanding of Emotional Intelligence essential for practicing managers - Essay Example

?Why is an understanding of Emotional Intelligence essential for practicing managers? A manager is a person who has the ability to influence people to work towards achieving a pre-determined organisational goal. Hence, a manager is one who has the capacity to organise, direct, control and motivate his subordinates. Much of the debate in today’s corporate world is surrounding the question whether academic excellence and technical training alone are sufficient in building up an efficient manager. The newly evolved concept of Emotional Intelligence has posed a serious threat to the traditional idea of Intelligence Quotient as a yardstick of measuring managerial excellence. This essay serves to comprehensively explore the concept of Emotional Intelligence and critically analyse its significance in the life of practicing managers. Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity of an individual to recognize, evaluate and regulate his own emotions and the emotions of others. The first comprehensive usage of the term is attributed to Wayne Payne in his thesis A Study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence (1985). Before and after Payne, many other scholars like Beldoch, Leuner, Greenspan, Peter Salovey and John Mayer had mentioned the term in their works. However the term Emotional Intelligence received wide acceptance and recognition in the year 1995 after the publication of Daniel Goleman’s work Emotional Intelligence - Why it can matter more than IQ. The term received reinforcement through Goleman’s further publications on the same theme. Today the world is pondering over the question whether Emotional Intelligence is a mark of real intelligence and whether it can be considered a replacement for Intelligence Quotient as a standard measure of intelligence. (Harms, 2010; Payne, 1986) Over the years, there have been extensive research and varied disagreements among scholars regarding the apt definition of Emotional Intelligence. Though no consensus could be reached over the issue, the scholarly studies over the past few decades have yielded certain acceptable models of Emotional Intelligence. Of these, three have gained popularity and prominence- the Ability theory, the Trait theory and the Mixed theory. Each model propounds a different theory of Emotional Intelligence and a set of instruments for the assessment of Emotional Intelligence. The Ability Theory, put forward by Salovey and Mayer, presents the idea of a new kind of intelligence. The theory defines Emotional Intelligence as- "The ability to perceive emotion, integrate emotion to facilitate thought, understand emotions and to regulate emotions to promote personal growth." It considers emotions as a source of information that helps a person to comprehend and steer through his social environment. According to this theory, Emotional Intelligence is a collection of four types of abilities- perceiving, using, understanding and managing emotions. (Salovey, 2005). The Trait Theory propounded by British psychologist K.V. Petrides defines Emotional Intelligence on the basis of an individual’s self-perception about his emotional abilities. As per this theory, Emotional Intelligence is "a constellation of emotional self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality." It is based on four prime tenets- well-being, self-control, emotionality and sociability. (Petrides, 2007; Leutner, 2011). In contrast to the ability and trait theories, it is the Mixed Theory that offers a more comprehensive overview of the concept of Emotional Intelligence. The theory was proposed by Daniel Goleman in his work What Makes A Leader. He treats Emotional Intelligence as a set of skills and competencies that initiates leadership. Emotional Competencies are not inherent talents but learned abilities that must be worked upon. Or in other words, people may possess innate Emotional Intelligence, but they have to acquire Emotional Competency through their own efforts. Goleman outlines five major parameters which constitute Emotional Intelligence, which are self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation and people skills. (Barling, 2000) Scholarly studies have suggested that Emotional Intelligence has tremendous impact on professional success. Series of in-depth researches on Emotional Intelligence and work performance have yielded a positive relationship between Emotional Intelligence and entrepreneurial performances and accomplishment. Emotional Intelligence is a powerful indicator of managerial skills and leads to effective managerial performance. It lays the foundation for critical managerial skills such as decision-making, team work, stress management, customer service, trust, flexibility, communication and accountability. Thus Emotional Intelligence is a potential driver of leadership and personal excellence at work. Before the concept of Emotional Intelligence acquired prominence, IQ was regarded as the only source of professional success. But today, academic credentials and technical expertise cannot take the place of Emotional Intelligence in an individual’s professional success. Emotional Intelligence is a critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the herd. It determines how we manage our and others’ behaviour, traverse social difficulties and make personal decisions that lead us to positive outcomes. (Goleman, 2000; Tram, 2006) In the context of managerial proficiency, emotional intelligence is an integration of personal competence and social competence. Personal competence is a sum total of one’s self-awareness and self-management skills, which focus more on the individual than on his interactions with other people. It is one’s ability to stay mindful of his emotions and accordingly manage his behaviour and predispositions. Self-awareness is the capability to accurately identify one’s emotions and be conscious of them as they happen. Self-Management is the ability to use awareness of one’s emotions to confidently direct one’s behaviour on the right path. Social competence is a combination of one’s social awareness and relationship management skills. It is the ability to understand other people’s attitudes, actions and intentions in order to enhance the value of interpersonal relationships. Social Awareness is the ability to precisely understand the emotions of other people. Relationship Management is the ability to use the cognizance of one’s own emotions and the others’ emotions to manage interpersonal interactions effectively. Managers with a high Emotional Intelligence level can make better decision, influence subordinates more effectively, create the right morale in employees, retain efficient employees and thus help in enhancing the overall productivity of the organisation. Hence, a higher level of Emotional Intelligence is the key to higher sales, stronger customer service and better employee retention. (Baron, 2003; Cavallo, 2006) The popular belief amongst people is that women inherently have a higher level of Emotional Intelligence than men. But the fact is that Emotional Intelligence has nothing to do with gender. Analysis of Emotional Intelligence in men and women has revealed certain differences and similarities among women and men in terms of Emotional Intelligence. Women are generally more aware of their emotions, have a higher amount of empathy and are better at handling interpersonal interactions. On the other hand, men score higher on self-confidence, adaptability, optimism and stress- handling. However, in some cases, some men can be as empathetic as a woman, or some women can be as adept at stress handling as any man. Thus taking into account the gamut of strengths and weaknesses of men and women with respect to Emotional Intelligence, it is clearly evident that both the genders have an even competition. (Mandell, 2003) Self-awareness and social awareness are two very important aspects to hone one’s managerial skills. The former refers to the awareness of one’s own emotions, intentions and preferences; realising one’s strengths and limitations; and acknowledging one’s self-esteem and worth. The latter is more or less analogous to empathy which is an understanding of the needs, feelings and perspectives of other people. For a manager, it is extremely important to anticipate, identify and meet the needs of his customers and his employees; to encourage workplace diversity; and to leverage the strengths of his subordinates. Underlying all other skills that form the core of a manager’s competency is the ability to communicate effectively. The manager must clearly outline the objectives, policies and rules of the organisation to the employees right at the outset. The employees must be crystal clear about their roles and responsibilities and must also know what is expected of them. The manager should practice transparency by communicating all relevant information to his subordinates. He should also evaluate the team’s performance and incorporate requisite changes in the working of the team after taking the feedback of the team members. Thus, an efficient manager needs to be an ideal communicator, i.e. a combination of an effective speaker and a good listener. Having a considerable level of Emotional Intelligence helps a manager in dealing with argumentative subordinates and authoritarian superiors with a balanced disposition. It helps to cope with rapid changes in a workplace and to handle failures and disappointments at work. Volatile situations and circumstances do not deter people with who have a high Emotional Intelligence. Such persons are well known within the organisation for their consistency, good judgement and analytical approach to work. A deficiency in Emotional Intelligence may considerably limit the career perspectives of any employee and the same can have a disastrous impact on a manager. Also, if one looks from the medical standpoint, having high Emotional Intelligence helps in maintaining good physical and mental health. (Gardner, 2002) Success at work demands a lot more than theoretical knowledge and practical expertise. The benefits of Emotional Intelligence are manifold for any employee, especially for a manager. Hence, Emotional Intelligence is the key to effectiveness and excellence as a manager. REFERENCES Barling, J., Slater, F., & Kelloway, E. K. (2000). Transformational leadership and emotional intelligence: an exploratory study. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 21(3), 157-161. Baron, R. A., & Markman, G. D. (2003). Beyond social capital: The role of entrepreneurs' social competence in their financial success. Journal of Business Venturing, 18(1), 41-60. Cavallo, K., & Brienza, D. (2006). Emotional competence and leadership excellence at Johnson & Johnson. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 2(1). Gardner, L., & Stough, C. (2002). Examining the relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence in senior level managers. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 23(2), 68-78. Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard business review, 78(2), 78-93. Harms, P. D.; Crede, M. (2010). "Remaining Issues in Emotional Intelligence Research". 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Relation of employee and manager emotional intelligence to job satisfaction and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(3), 461-473. Read More