The Concept of Emotional Intelligence - Report Example

The context in which people have to be managed has changed due to global competition, new technology, new methods of working and organizing work (Armstrong, 2000). ‘Emotional intelligence’ (EI) is considered to be a new concept pointing towards a new means of controlling workers. In the early 1990s emotion was considered as a value-laden concept inappropriate for organizational life. Emotions were regarded as pollutants to clear-headed decision making and a deviation from intelligence (cited by Hughes, 2003). Research suggests that any workplace and for that matter any human exchange can never be devoid of emotions. The intensity and complexity may vary and the very concept of EI started from the recognition of the emotional level in all human exchanges. EI challenges the perception that it is a deviation from intelligence. The degree and pattern of control over emotions is something that can be learned, developed and used for competitive advantage. According to Goleman, EI refers to emotional literacy – the ability to recognize our own emotions and those of others (Hughes, 2003). It relates to a person’s capacity to manage their emotions and to draw upon them as a resource. This paper will discuss the various models that different theorists have developed and how the application of EI altered situations at SPIRAC, a global supplier of shaft less screw conveyors, screening, classifying, dewatering, and transport systems. The concept of EI was conceived by Mayer, DiPaolo and Salovey in 1990 and since then many theorists have discussed of the benefits to the organization by individual who possess high levels of EI. There are broad claims that EI can be used as a driver of competitive advantage and enhanced profitability (Brown, 2005). EI has been defined as the intelligent use of emotions to help guide an individual’s behavior and thinking towards enhanced results. According to Armstrong, EI postulates that to be effective it is not enough to have a high IQ but also the capacity to recognize one’s own feelings and that of others, capacity to motivate one’s self and the capacity to manage emotions in one’s self and in all relationships. It is the ability to perceive, access and generate emotions to assist thoughts, to understand emotions and effectively regulate them to promote emotional and intellectual growth. Emotion was considered to be an unwanted spontaneous distraction to an individual’s contribution towards organizational ends although these were mostly associated with unpleasant emotions like anger, disgust and anxiety (Brown). EI is essential to be a well adjusted, fully functional member of the society (Kierstead, 1999). Goleman (cited by Kierstead) argues that an emotionally intelligent worker is skilled in two areas – personal competence (how one manages one’s self) and social competence (how one manages relationships). Brown states that earlier intelligence was sufficient to gain entry to an organization but today success is attributed to 90% EI but Kierstead counters that such a claim is an overstatement of the potential power of EI. Hochschild (1979) expresses concern that over a period of time emotional laborers become alienated from their true selves that can lead to high stress levels, burnouts, emotional numbness and loss of personal identity. Hughes (2003) argues that emotions and EI should not be commercialized or merely considered as exchange value. Emotions should be expressed at the right time, in front of the right people, and in the right manner. Goleman (1998) developed a framework of emotional intelligence based on his research of over hundreds of firms. He defines emotional competence as a learned capability based on EI that results in outstanding performance at work. In the framework of EI as given below, twenty competencies lie is four clusters and illustrates for instance that mastery over the ability of self-management cannot be obtained without acquiring the competencies of trustworthiness and conscientiousness. To manage relationships it is essential to be competent in influencing and communicating. Source: Goleman (1998). All core functions like recruitment, selection, training and development, induction are ideally suited for enhancing the importance of values. Values are a combination of emotional and cognitive factors and it is difficult to understand the values of others because each individual would try to judge from his own perspective. This requires leadership with high competencies. Accordingly, Mussig (2003) suggests the following value-driven leadership model: Source: Mussig (2003). Suliman and Al-Shaikh (2007) contend that workplace is richer in terms of conflict seeds like diversity, complexity and hostility. This requires EI and to enrich EI self-reflection, empathy, desire to change and emotional control is required. Research confirms that employees with higher levels of EI have lower levels of conflict and higher levels of inclination to create and innovate. Managers must accept that employees’ work outcomes can be influenced by EI. SPIRAC have earned a long-standing reputation as innovative leaders in their industry sectors for over thirty years. The company requires specialist knowledge and expertise in the design, manufacture, installation and servicing of their product lines and systems. However the production manager has only created superficial relationship with people in office although he is good at managing with the top bosses. On the factory floor, because of his inhuman treatment to the people, he is considered a political animal. He was unable to retain staff due to which production schedules were affected. This resulted in orders being cancelled and he was pulled up by the top management. Besides, hiring fresh staff also involves costs which are not often taken into account. This according to Goleman’s model requires the production manager to develop competencies like communication, leadership and teamwork, so that he could enhance relationship management. In EI two distinct mental processes work together – thinking and feeling. People’s cognitive capabilities are informed by emotions and the emotions are cognitively managed. Kerr, Garvin, Heaton & Boyle (2006) contend that leadership is an emotional process where the leaders recognize followers’ emotional states and seek to manage these emotional states also. By creating shared emotional experiences the leaders increase group solidarity and morale and such leaders can promote effectiveness at all levels in an organization. SPIRAC should consider training the production manager as according to Watkin (2000) while IQ is an innate quality, EI can be learnt. A global consumer products firm which did not use EI for recruitment found that 50% of all division presidents left within two years of hiring. This resulted in a total search cost of $4 million. These are the hidden costs that are not apparent. When this firm used emotional competence for evaluation, only 6% of the new division presidents left within two years. EI leads to superior performance at every level from entry-level jobs to top executive positions. EI is a means to develop employees to lead to superior performance. Hence SPIRAC should employ EI evaluation at the time of recruiting the new production manager. Relationship management is what is practiced now as this is what translates into sales. In the marketing department at SPIRAC, one of the senior sales engineers employed his intuitiveness and listening skills to solve the client’s problems. The customer was all the more impressed because he had not communicated to the company of his problems and this cemented a long-term relationship with the customer. Theissen (2004) asserts that people with high levels of EI are able to communicate authentically and assertively. They are able to accept others and use their talent for the good of the organization. They are able to sense and respond positively to wide range of circumstances in an organization. It is also generally accepted that people fail in their job because of lack of interpersonal skills rather than due to lack of technical expertise. Poor working relations, conflicts, being too authoritarian and ambitious are considered emotional failures. EI can be learned through training but initial competency has to be there in an individual. This makes it essential for an organization to select people who have the basic levels of emotional competency. EI helps to manage diverse relationships efficiently. The middle managers at SPIRAC were given the responsibility to involve and empower the staff, encourage participation, give them authority to do things they could never think of doing. This led to the frustration among the middle managers who felt lost and neglected. They were confused about their position in the new structure. The organization then realized that education and learning process should be in place. They needed to look back and take stock of what had been achieved, they needed to identify the problem areas, and they needed to rethink their approach, without losing momentum. They then selected circle leaders and put them under a two-day training program. These led to high motivation, involvement and participation but within six months obstacles started to appear and issues were being raised. The middle management was uncooperative and the managers could not attend meetings due to preoccupation with business. The managers, who could previously tackle the problems on their own, ignored the problems and the attitude was that staff had been empowered to take decisions. The top management had assumed that the managers would accept the new idea without even questioning the facts. The management at SPIRAC should have realized that to empower staff, the managers need to be taken into confidence. Ruderman, Hannum, Leslie & Steed (2001) contend that the essence of participative management is getting buy-in from colleagues at the beginning of an initiative by involving them listening to them through proper communication, influencing them in the decision making process and building consensus. People who are warm and have a good sense of humor are able to make others feel at ease, relaxed and comfortable in their presence. The command and control hierarchical form of leadership is no more effective. Participative management style is essential which requires certain emotional intelligence abilities. Employees with high levels of EI have smoother interactions with team members (Kerr, Garvin, Heaton & Boyle, 2006). Leadership requires much more than strategic thinking, intelligence and power (Mussig, 2003) as the model above suggests. Thus strong evidence demonstrates how EI is essential in every department of an organization. EI unlike intelligence can be developed through training. It requires training in being conscious of the self and others, being sensitive of others’ needs, being able to monitor and manage emotions. In the changed workplace, stress, turbulence and competition have heightened which requires taking care of the emotions. It is not possible to develop an individual in isolation or ignore the emotional trauma that the employee undergoes. With EI, organizations have found it is easier to control and manage workforce which enhances productivity, performance, improves interpersonal relationships. Control need not be through force but comes through the right direction and guidance, empathy and understanding their problems. This concept of emotional intelligence is definitely a new means of controlling workers. References: Armstrong, M., (2000), The name has changed but has the game remained the same? Employee Relations, Vol. 22 No. 6, 2000, pp. 576-593. Brown, B., (2005), Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Human Resource Development, Otago Management Graduate Review, Vol. 3 pp. 21-36 Goleman, D., (1998), An EI-Based Theory of Performance, Ch 3, Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, < http://www.eiconsortium.org/research/an_ei_based_theory_of_performance.pdf > 13 June 2007 Hochschild, A. R., (1979), Emotion work, feeling rules and social structure, American Journal of Sociology, 85: 551-575 Hughes, J., (2003), Intelligent Hearts: Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Labor and Informalization, 13 June 2007 Kerr, R., Garvin, J., Heaton, N., & Boyle, E., (2006), Emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness, Leadership & Organization Development Journal Vol. 27 No. 4, 2006 pp. 265-279 Kierstead, J., (1999), Human Resource Management Trends and Issues: Emotional Intelligence (EI) in the Workplace, 13 June 2007 Mussig, D. J., (2003), A research and skills training framework for values-driven leadership, Journal of Europen Industrial Training, 27/2/3/4 [2003] 73-79 Ruderman, M. N., Hannum, K., Leslie, J. B., & Steed, J. L., (2001), Leadership Skills and Emotional Intelligence, 13 June 2007 Suliman, A. M., & Al-Shaikh, F. N., (2007), Emotional intelligence at work: links to conflict and innovation, Employee Relations Vol. 29 No. 2, 2007 pp. 208-220 Theissen, C., (2004), The Importance of Organisational Fit and Emotional Intelligence in Selection Decisions, Otago Management Graduate Review, Vol. 2 pp. 69-77 Watkin, C., (2000), Developing Emotional Intelligence, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, Vol. 8 No. 2 pp. 89-92 Read More