Emotional intelligence and leadership - Essay Example

Emotional Intelligence on Leadership Leadership can be affected by different kinds of factors. A number of companies have been looking into how theycan further improve their administration skills. For instance, a value such as integrity is very crucial in governing an organization. Specifically, it is interesting to take note of how management is affected by emotional intelligence (EI). This paper delves into the role of EI regarding leadership. There have been several researches that looked into the influences of EI in the workplace.

One of them is the paper, The Effect of Follower Regulatory Focus and Extraversion on Leadership Behavior: The Role of Emotional Intelligence. Simon Moss, Damian Ritossa, and Simon Ngu looked into whether EI is effective in enhancing the leadership skills of their respondents (2006). Distinctively, their research question tries to answer whether followers’ extraversion and regulatory focus influence leaders’ actions or not. It further wanted to look into the function of EI in these kinds of situations.

They wanted to verify if the leaders were able to adapt to their subordinates’ characteristics. Their research consisted of two studies. The first one involved participants from different Australian government organizations. Two-hundred and sixty three pairs of managers and subordinates were tapped. The subordinates answered questionnaires that assessed the perception of their respective superior’s leadership styles. On the other hand, the managers completed assessment tools on their individual EI.

The second study comprised of 166 nurses working in an Australian hospital. The subjects went through the same assessment in the first study. The supervisors answered EI questionnaires whereas their subordinates completed assessment tools on their perception of their leaders’ management styles. A similar subject was analysed in a case study by John Blattner and Arnold Bacigalupo (2007). Their study is entitled, Using Emotional Intelligence to Develop Executive Leadership and Team and Organizational Development.

The study sought to answer the question on the importance of EI on a leader’s managerial skills as well as on the group’s improvement. The researchers wanted to ascertain if a facilitation that delves on EI significantly affects the leadership and the cooperation of the respondents. The client was an international company that provides professional consulting services. Their methods required conducting an EI inventory. This was done to determine the baseline of each subject’s behaviour.

After which, a personal feedback was facilitated. This was followed by a 12-hour- retreat outside the company premises. The group underwent composite discussions and observations that were grounded on EI. Issues such as trust, modelling, leadership and group development, and communication were examined. After 90 days, another 12-hour-retreat was operated to review their aptitudes as well as to ascertain any improvement. It was facilitated through individual post-engagement interviews. The two aforementioned studies yielded interesting results.

Moss, Ritossa, and Ngu generally found out in their first study that emotional intelligence did not significantly enhance managers’ adaptation to their subordinates’ characteristics. The regression analysis on understanding others’ emotions as a moderator between leadership styles and regulatory focus had 0.01 change in correlation coefficient values. However, transformational leadership was specifically positively related to affective and normative factors. The regression analysis proved that the changes in correlation coefficient at 0.

16 (affective) and 0.13 (normative) are both highly significant at 0.001. In addition, their second study revealed that understanding emotions specifically moderated the relationship between the subordinates’ extraversion and corrective avoidant leadership. The correlation coefficient value of 0.24 was significant at 0.01. Overall, the outcomes conclude that leaders who are meticulous on mistakes discourage subordinates’ loyalty specially those who are determined to be promoted. The leaders who exhibited a higher level of emotional intelligence did not necessarily reduce this kind of behaviour among their subordinates.

Nonetheless, managers who assert to be familiar with the emotions of others refrain from focusing their attention on errors when they feel that they are dealing with extraverted employees. Hence, administration should focus more on rewards and attribute lesser attention on punitive factors. This way, the organization can foster a higher level of commitment. The results of Blattner and Bacigalupo’s case study were documented through the changes observed during the second retreat. There was an apparent difference on how the CEO talked about the coaching that was facilitated.

He confessed that he became more aware of his subordinates’ strengths. He said that there were many smart people working for him. However, many of them were becoming less motivated and creative. The coaching also made him realize that there were several weaknesses concerning how they worked together. Moreover, the group’s dialogue was more approachable as compared to the first one. The initially observed silo mentality already altered to a positive direction. The employees became more enthusiastic in listening to each other as well as more willing in having cross-functional roles.

They agreed that feedback and a professional relationship emphasizing confidence and respect were vital in improving their status. The outcomes verified that the company benefitted from the processes done in the retreat. Specifically, the enhancement of the participants’ emotional intelligence led to a more trusting, relaxed, and unified association. Overall, the two respective researchers affirm that in one way or the other, emotional intelligence has a positive impact on leadership skills and groups’ competencies.

The supervision can be more effective if there is an awareness of all employees’ plight. With the demands that leaders face each day, they need assistance on how to be efficient in their fields. The current society does not anymore fruitfully operate on very autocratic styles. Hence, through the complex evaluation and implementation of EI components, an organization’s chances towards success are amplified. \ References Blattner, J., & Bacigalupo, A. (2007). Using emotional intelligence to develop executive leadership and team and organizational development.

Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 59 (3), 209-219. Simon, M., Ritossa, D., & Ngu, S. (2006). The effect of follower regulatory focus and extraversion on leadership behaviour: The role of emotional intelligence. Journal of Individual Differences, 27 (2), 93-107.