Emotional Intelligence 1

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Ever since the publication of Daniel Goleman’s first book on the topic in
1995, Emotional Intelligence has become one of the hottest buzzwords in the
corporate world. For instance, when the Harvard Business Review published an
article on Emotional Intelligence, it attracted a higher percentage of readers than any
other article published in that periodical in the last 40 years. When the CEO of
Johnson & Johnson read that article, he was so impressed that he had copies sent out
to the 400 top executives in the company worldwide.
Given that Emotional Intelligence is so popular in the corporate world, it is
important to understand what it really means. Thus, briefly laying out the history of
the concept as an area of research and describing how it has come to be defined and
measured.
1.2 HISTORICAL ROOTS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
When psychologists began to write and think about intelligence, they focused
on cognitive aspects, such as memory and problem-solving. However, there were
researchers who recognized early on that the non-cognitive aspects were also
1
important. For instance, David Wechsler defined intelligence as “the aggregate or
global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal
effectively with his environment”. As early as 1940 he referred to “non-intellective”
as well as “intellective” elements, by which he meant affective, personal, and social
factors. Furthermore, as early as 1943 Wechsler was proposing that the non-
intellective abilities are essential for predicting one’s ability to succeed in life. He
wrote:
“The main question is whether non-intellective, that is affective and cognitive
abilities, are admissible as factors of general intelligence. (My contention) has been
that such factors are not only admissible but necessary. I have tried to show that in
addition to intellective there are also definite non-intellective factors that determine
intelligent behavior. If the foregoing observations are correct, it follows that we
cannot expect to measure total intelligence until our tests also include some measures
of the non-intellective factors”.
Wechsler was not the only researcher who saw non-cognitive aspects of
intelligence to be important for adaptation and success. Robert Thorndike, to take
another example, was writing about “Social Intelligence” in the late thirties.
Unfortunately, the work of these early pioneers was largely forgotten or overlooked
until 1983 when Howard Gardner began to write about “Multiple Intelligence.”
Gardner proposed that “intrapersonal” and “interpersonal” intelligences are as
important as the type of intelligence typically measured by IQ and related tests.
2
Other strands of research and theory could be cited, but it is clear that by the
early 1990s, there was a long tradition of research on the role of non-cognitive factors
in helping people to succeed in both life and the workplace. The current work on
Emotional Intelligence builds on this foundation.
1.3 CONTEMPORARY INTEREST
When Salovey and Mayer coined the term Emotional Intelligence in 1990,
they were aware of the previous work on non-cognitive aspects of intelligence. They
described Emotional Intelligence as “a form of social intelligence that involves the
ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among
them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action”. Salovey and
Mayer also initiated a research program intending to develop valid measures of
Emotional Intelligence inorder to explore its significance. For instance, they found in
one study that when a group of people saw an upsetting film, those who scored high
on emotional clarity (which is the ability to identify and give a name to a mood that is
being experienced) recovered more quickly. In another study, individuals who scored
higher in the ability to perceive accurately, understand, and appraise others’ emotions
were better able to respond flexibly to changes in their social environments and build
supportive social networks.
In the early 1990’s Daniel Goleman became aware of Salovey and Mayer’s
work, and this eventually led to his book, Emotional Intelligence. Goleman was a
science writer for the New York Times, whose beat was brain and behavior research.
He had been trained as a psychologist at Harvard where he worked with David
3
McClelland, among others. McClelland was among a growing group of researchers
who were becoming concerned with how little traditional tests of cognitive
intelligence talks about what it takes to be successful in life.
1.4 DEFINITION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
A simple definition of Emotional Intelligence is “Knowing what feels good,
what feels bad, and how to get from bad to good”.
A more formal academic definition is:
“The emotional awareness and emotional management skills which provide
the ability to balance emotion and reason so as to maximize long-term happiness. It is
a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others'
emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one's
thinking and actions".
"Emotional Intelligence refers to an ability to recognize the meanings of
emotions, and to reason and problem solve on the basis of them," and it involves "the
capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings, understand the
information of those emotions, and manage them."
The definition of Emotional Intelligence as proposed by Mayer, Salovey
and their recent colleague David Caruso (Referred to as MSC).
4
“Emotional Intelligence is a true form of intelligence having the ability to
process emotional information, particularly as it involves the perception, assimilation,
understanding, and management of emotion."
Thus, Emotional Intelligence is a set of skills hypothesized to contribute to the
accurate appraisal and expression of emotion in oneself and in others, the effective
regulation of emotion in self and others, and the use of feelings to motivate, plan and
achieve in one's life.
1.5 THE FOUR BRANCHES OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
1. Perception Appraisal and Expression of Emotion.
2. Emotional Facilitation of Thinking.
3. Emotional Understanding and Analyzing Emotions; Employing Emotional
Knowledge.
4. Emotional Management
1. Perception Appraisal and Expression of Emotion
• The ability to perceive and identify emotions in faces, tone of voice, body
language.
• The capacity for self-awareness: being aware of your own feelings as they are
occurring.
• The capacity for emotional literacy. Being able to label specific feelings in
yourself and others; being able to discuss emotions and communicate clearly
and directly.
5
2. Emotional facilitation of Thinking
• The ability to incorporate feelings into analysis, reasoning, problem solving
and decision making.
• The potential of your feelings to guide you to what is important to think about.
3. Emotional understanding
• The ability to solve emotional problems.
• The ability to identify and understand the inter-relationships between
emotions, thoughts and behavior. For example, to see cause and effect
relationships such as how thoughts can affect emotions or how emotions can
affect thoughts, and how your emotions can lead to the behavior in yourself
and others.
• The ability to understand the value of emotions to the survival of the species.
4. Emotional management
• The ability to take responsibility for one's own emotions and happiness.
• The ability to turn negative emotions into positive learning and growing
opportunities.
• Ability to reflectively monitor emotions in relation to oneself and others, such
as recognizing how clear, typical, influential or reasonable they are.
6
• Ability to reflectively engage or detach from an emotion depending upon its
judged informativeness or utility.
• Ability to stay open to feelings, both those that are pleasant and those that are
unpleasant.
1.6 EMOTIONAL COMPETENCIES
FIG 1: Emotional Competencies
Emotional Intelligence is a combination of competencies. These skills
contribute to a person’s ability to manage and monitor his or her own emotions, to
correctly gauge the emotional state of others and to influence opinions.
Emotional Competencies - Goleman describes a model of five dimensions.
Each area has its own set of behavioral attributes as follows.
1. Self-awareness
2. Self-management or self-regulation
7
3. Self-Motivation
4. Social Awareness
5. Social skills
1. SELF - AWARENESS
Emotional Awareness: Recognizing one’s emotions and their effects. People with
this competence:
• Know which emotions they are feeling and why.
• Realize the links between their feelings and what they think, do, and say.
• Recognize how their feelings affect their performance.
• Have a guiding awareness of their values and goals.
Accurate Self-assessment: Knowing one’s strengths and limits. People with this
competence are:
• Aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
• Reflective, learning from experience and continuous learning.
• Open to candid feedback, new perspectives, and self-development.
• Able to show a sense of humor and perspective about themselves.
Self-Confidence: Sureness about one’s self-worth and capabilities. People with this
competence:
• Present themselves with self-assurance; have “presence”.
• Can voice views that are unpopular and go out on a limb for what is right.
8
• Are decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties and pressures.
2. SELF - REGULATION
Self-Control: Managing disruptive emotions and impulses. People with this
competence:
• Manage their impulsive feelings and distressing emotions well.
• Stay composed, positive, and unflappable even in trying moments.
• Think clearly and stay focused under pressure.
Trustworthiness: Maintaining standards of honesty and integrity. People with this
competence:
• Act ethically and are above reproach.
• Build trust through their reliability and authenticity.
• Admit their own mistakes and confront unethical actions in others.
• Take tough, principled stands even if they are unpopular.
Conscientiousness: Taking responsibility for personal performance. People with this
competence:
• Meet commitments and keep promises.
• Hold themselves accountable for meeting their objectives.
• Are organized and careful in their work.
Adaptability: Flexibility in handling change. People with this competence:
• Smoothly handle multiple demands, shifting priorities, and rapid change.
9
• Adapt their responses and tactics to fit fluid circumstances.
• Are flexible in how they see events.
Innovativeness: Being comfortable with and open to novel ideas and new
information. People with this competence:
• Seek out fresh ideas from a wide variety of sources.
• Entertain original solutions to problems.
• Take fresh perspectives and risks in their thinking.
3. SELF - MOTIVATION
Achievement drive: Striving to improve or meet standards of excellence. People with
this competence:
• Are result-oriented, with a high drive to meet their objectives and standards.
• Set challenging goals and take calculated risks.
• Pursue information to reduce uncertainty and find ways to do better.
• Learn how to improve their performance.
Commitment: Aligning with the goals of the group or organization. People with this
competence:
• Readily make personal or group sacrifices to meet a larger organizational goal.
• Find a sense of purpose in the larger mission.
• Use the group’s core values in making decisions and clarifying choices.
• Actively seek out opportunities to fulfill the group’s mission.
10
Initiative: Readiness to act on opportunities. People with this competence:
• Are ready to seize opportunities.
• Pursue goals beyond what’s required or expected of them.
• Cut through red tape and bend the rules when necessary to get the job done.
• Mobilize others through unusual, enterprising efforts.
Optimism: Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks. People with
this competence:
• Persist in seeking goals despite obstacles and setbacks.
• Operate from hope of success rather than fear of failure.
• See setbacks as due to manageable circumstance rather than a personal flaw.
4. SOCIAL AWARENESS
Empathy: Sensing others’ feelings and perspective, and taking an active interest in
their concerns. People with this competence:
• Are attentive to emotional cues and listen well.
• Show sensitivity and understand others’ perspectives.
• Help out based on understanding other people’s needs and feelings.
Service orientation: Anticipating, recognizing, and meeting customers’ needs. People
with this competence:
• Understand customers’ needs and match them to services or products.
• Seek ways to increase customers’ satisfaction and loyalty.
11
• Gladly offer appropriate assistance acting as a trusted advisor.
Developing others: Sensing what others need in order to develop, and bolstering their
abilities. People with this competence:
• Acknowledge and reward people’s strengths, accomplishments.
• Offer useful feedback and identify people’s needs for development.
Leveraging diversity: Cultivating opportunities through diverse people. People with
this competence:
• Respect and relate well to people from varied backgrounds.
• Understand diverse worldviews and are sensitive to group differences.
• See diversity as opportunity, creating an environment where diverse people
can thrive.
Political awareness: Reading a group’s emotional currents and power relationships.
People with this competence:
• Accurately read key power relationships & detect crucial social networks.
• Understand the forces that shape views and actions of clients, customers, or
competitors.
5. SOCIAL SKILLS
Influence: Wielding effective tactics for persuasion. People with this competence:
• Are skilled at persuasion.
• Fine-tune presentations to appeal to the listener.
12
• Use complex strategies like indirect influence to build consensus and support.
• Orchestrate dramatic events to effectively make a point.
Communication: Sending clear and convincing messages. People with this
competence:
• Are effective in give-and-take, registering emotional cues in attuning their
message.
• Deal with difficult issues straightforwardly.
• Listen well, seek mutual understanding, and welcome sharing of information
fully.
• Foster open communication and stay receptive to bad news as well as good.
Leadership: Inspiring and guiding groups and people. People with this competence:
• Articulate and arouse enthusiasm for a shared vision and mission.
• Step forward to lead as needed, regardless of position.
• Guide the performance of others while holding them accountable.
• Lead by example.
Change catalyst: Initiating or managing change. People with this competence:
• Recognize the need for change and remove barriers.
• Challenge the status quo to acknowledge the need for change.
• Champion the change and enlist others in its pursuit.
13
Conflict management: Negotiating and resolving disagreements. People with this:
• Handle difficult people and tense situations with diplomacy and tact.
• Spot potential conflict, brings disagreements into the open, and helps
deescalate.
• Encourage debate and open discussion.
• Orchestrate win-win solutions.
Building bonds: Nurturing instrumental relationships. People with this competence:
• Cultivate and maintain extensive informal networks.
• Seek out relationships that are mutually beneficial.
• Build rapport and keep others in the loop.
• Make and maintain personal friendships among work associates.
Collaboration and co-operation: Working with others toward shared goals. People
with this competence:
• Collaborate, sharing plans, information, and resources.
• Promote a friendly, co-operative climate.
• Spot and nurture opportunities for collaboration.
Team capabilities: Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals. People with
this competence:
• Model team qualities like respect, helpfulness, and co-operation.
• Draw all members into active and enthusiastic participation and share credit/
• Build team identity, commitment and protect the group and its reputation.
14
1.8 THE ASSESSMENT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Emotional Intelligence being important, the question of assessment and
measurement becomes particularly pressing. In a paper published in 1998, Davies,
Stankov, & Roberts concluded that there was nothing empirically new in the idea of
Emotional Intelligence. This conclusion was based solely on a review of existing
measures purporting to measure Emotional Intelligence at the point in time when they
wrote that paper. However, most of those measures were new, and there was not yet
much known about their psychometric properties. Research now is emerging that
suggests Emotional Intelligence, and particularly the new measures that have been
developed to assess it, is in fact a distinct entity. However, there still is not much
research on the predictive validity of such measures, and this is a serious lack. Here is
a brief summary of what is really known about the most popular ones.
Bar-On’s EQ-I - The oldest instrument is Bar-On’s EQ-I, which has been
around for over a decade. This self-report instrument originally evolved not out of an
occupational context but rather a clinical one. It was designed to assess those
personal qualities that enabled some people to possess better “emotional well-being”
15
than others. The EQ-I has been used to assess thousands of individuals, but less is
known about its predictive validity in work situations. However, in one study the EQ-
I was predictive of success for U.S. Air Force recruiters. In fact, by using the test to
select recruiters, the Air Force saved nearly 3 million dollars annually. Also, there
were no significant differences based on ethnic or racial group.
Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale - A second instrument is the
Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS). The MEIS is a test of ability rather
than a self-report measure. The test-taker performs a series of tasks that are designed
to assess the person’s ability to perceive, identify, understand, and work with
emotions. There is some evidence of construct validity, convergent validity, and
discriminant validity, but none for predictive validity.
Emotional Competence Inventory - A third instrument is the Emotional
Competence Inventory (ECI). The ECI is a 360 degree instrument. People who know
the individual rate him or her on 20 competencies that Goleman’s research suggests
are linked to Emotional Intelligence. Although the ECI is in its early stages of
development, about 40 percent of the items come from an older instrument, the Self-
Assessment Questionnaire that was developed by Boyatzis. These earlier items had
been validated against performance in hundreds of competency studies of managers,
executives, and leaders in North America, Italy, and Brazil. However, there currently
is no research supporting the predictive validity of the ECI.
16
EQ Map - Another measure that has been promoted commercially is the EQ
Map. Although there is some evidence for convergent and divergent validity, the data
have been reported in a rather ambiguous fashion.
Self-Report - One other measure that deserves mention, even though it is less
well known than the others is the Self-Report. Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty,
Cooper, Golden, & Dornheim have developed a 33-item Self-Report measure based
on Salovey and Mayer’s early work. There is evidence for convergent and divergent
validity. Emotional Intelligence scores on this measure were positively associated
with first-year college grades and supervisor ratings of student counselors working at
various mental health agencies. Also, scores were higher for therapists than for
therapy clients or prisoners.
1.9 HOW TO RAISE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
There are at least two good reasons to work on raising Emotional Intelligence:
1. If you want to be happier. 2. If you want people around you to be happier.
You will be happier because you will learn to spend your time more
efficiently. You will avoid activities and situations which don't feel good, and you
will seek and create situations which do. You will learn to take responsibility for your
emotions and your happiness. You will attract more positive people, and you will
enter into more meaningful relationships. You will begin to value your time more and
get more accomplished.
17
People around you will be happier because they will feel more accepted, more
understood, more respected, safer, and more significant.
Here are a few suggestions if you want to raise your Emotional Intelligence
level.
Things You Can Do Alone
 Study feelings.
 Frequently ask yourself how you feel.
 Write down your feelings to increase your recall of the feelings and their
surrounding circumstances.
 Work on raising your self-esteem, by taking courses, listening to tapes, and taking
advantage of the abundant practical literature available at your public library.
 Track your feelings in a written journal. Your feelings can change from minute to
minute. Practice identifying even subtle changes. The sooner you can spot trends,
the sooner you can make adjustments.
 Take responsibility for your feelings.
 Begin expressing your feelings accurately. Neither exaggerate them nor minimize
them. One reason people exaggerate is to get attention because they do not feel
they are being heard. When you are comfortable with your feelings, and you
surround yourself with people who validate your feelings, you won't need to
18
exaggerate them any more. Neither will you feel the need to minimize them, so as
not to burden your friends.
 Stop over-using expressions like "I hate..." and "I love...”
 Let your feelings teach you what your needs are.
 Acknowledge, accept, respect, and validate your feelings.
 When you feel defensive, ask yourself what you are defending.
 Listen to your feelings. Let them guide you.
 Think about the consequences of your actions.
 Balance your feelings and your logic.
 Try to anticipate your feelings. Don't do things which will bring you negative
feelings.
 Make changes in areas where there are persistent negative feelings.
 Invest more time on activities that have lasting, not just temporary, positive
feelings.
Things You Can Do with Others
 Start asking other people how they feel.
 Try to understand their feelings. Ask them to explain their feelings so you can
understand them better.
 Ask others how they would feel about possible future events. In other words, start
to take their feelings into consideration.
 Listen to others non-judgmentally.
 Take some risks by sharing more true feelings and get a group of close friends
together & talk about feelings in a supportive way. Share your deepest fears &
desires.
19
 Attend some of the existing support groups and just listen while others talk about
their feelings.
 Don't defend yourself if you hear things you disagree with, or you will stifle their
openness. Instead, thank them for their honesty.
 Work on becoming less defensive, more open, and easier on yourself. Ask others
to let you know when they perceive you as defensive, insecure, rigid or hard on
yourself.
 Set some emotional improvement goals and share them with the one you trust.
 Ask others for feedback on how they perceive you and your emotions.
1.10 BRINGING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TO THE WORKPLACE
With the emergence of Emotional Intelligence many business leaders agreed
with the basic message that success is strongly influenced by personal qualities such
as perseverance, self-control, and skill in getting along with others. They could point
to "super sales persons" who had an uncanny ability to sense what was most important
to the customers and to develop a trusting relationship with them. They could point to
customer service employees who excelled when it came to helping angry customers to
calm down and be more reasonable about their problems with the product or service.
And they also could point to brilliant executives who did everything well except get
along with people, or to managers who were technically brilliant but could not handle
stress, and whose careers stalled because of these deficiencies. Business leaders well
understood how valuable these "Emotionally Intelligent" employees are to an
enterprise.
20
But what about the many workers who lack these important emotional
competencies? Is it possible for adults to become more socially and emotionally
competent? Many business leaders are less certain about this question. For instance,
the dean of a major business school, when asked about the importance of Emotional
Intelligence at work, enthusiastically agreed that it was crucial. But when asked as to
how his school attempted to improve the Emotional Intelligence of MBA students, he
said, "We don’t do anything. I don’t think that our students’ Emotional Intelligence
can be improved by the time they come here. They’re already adults, and these
qualities are developed early in life."
On the other hand, there are those who seem to claim that they can raise the
Emotional Intelligence of a whole group of employees in a day or less. Scores of
consultants now are selling workshops and seminars designed to help people become
more emotionally competent and socially skilled. Some of these programs are quite
good, but others make unrealistic claims. The worst ones are those that involve a
heavy reliance on inspirational lectures or intense, short-lived experiences – and little
else.
So who is right – the skeptics who believe that nothing can be done to improve
emotional competence after the age of 15, or the hucksters who claim that they can
turn emotional dunces into emotional Einstein’s in an afternoon? As usual, the answer
lies somewhere in between.
A growing body of research on emotional learning and behavior change
suggests that it is possible to help people of any age to become more emotionally
21
intelligent at work. However, many programs designed to do so fail to recognize the
difference between two types of learning.
Two Types of Learning
Training and development efforts in industry have not always distinguished
between cognitive learning and emotional learning, but such a distinction is important
for effective practice. For instance, consider the example of the engineer whose
career was stymied because he was shy, introverted, and totally absorbed in the
technical aspects of his job. Through cognitive learning, he might come to understand
that it would be better for him to consult other people more, make connections, and
build relationships. But just knowing he should do these things would not enable him
to do them. The ability to do these things depends on emotional competence, which
requires emotional learning as well as cognitive learning.
Emotional incompetence often results from habits deeply learned early in life.
These automatic habits are set in place as a normal part of living, as experience shapes
the brain. As people acquire their habitual repertoire of thought, feeling, and action,
the neural connections that support these are strengthened, becoming dominant
pathways for nerve impulses. Connections that are unused become weakened, while
those that people use over and over grow increasingly strong. When these habits have
been so heavily learned, the underlying neural circuitry becomes the brain’s default
option at any moment – what a person does automatically and spontaneously, often
with little awareness of choosing to do so. Thus, for the shy engineer, diffidence is a
habit that must be overcome and replaced with a new habit, self-confidence.
22
Emotional capacities like empathy or flexibility differ from cognitive abilities
because they draw on different brain areas. But with social and emotional
competencies, additional brain areas are involved, mainly the circuitry that runs from
the emotional centers – particularly the amygdala – deep in the center of the brain up
to the prefrontal lobes, the brain’s executive center. Effective learning for emotional
competence has to re-tune these circuits.
Cognitive learning involves fitting new data and insights into existing
frameworks of association and understanding, extending and enriching the
corresponding neural circuitry. But emotional learning involves that and more – it
requires that we also engage the neural circuitry where our social and emotional habit
repertoire is stored. Changing habits such as learning to approach people positively
instead of avoiding them, to listen better, or to give feedback skillfully, is a more
challenging task than simply adding new information to old.
Motivational factors also make social and emotional learning more difficult
and complex than purely cognitive learning. Emotional learning often involves ways
of thinking and acting that are more central to a person’s identity. A person who is
told, for instance, that he should learn a new word processing program usually will
become less upset and defensive than if he is told that he should learn how to better
control his temper or become a better listener. The prospect of needing to develop
greater emotional competence is a bitter pill for many to swallow. It thus, is much
more likely to generate resistance to change.
23
What this means for social and emotional learning is that one must first
unlearn old habits and then develop new ones. For the learner, this usually means a
long and sometimes difficult process involving much practice. One-day seminars just
won’t do it.
A better source of guidance comes from research that examines social and
emotional change processes more directly. This research suggests a set of guidelines
for the design of effective social and emotional learning. These guidelines point to
components that are additive and synergistic; to be effective, social and emotional
learning experiences need not adhere to all of these guidelines, but the chances for
success increase with each one that is followed.
1.11 GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING
The guidelines for social and emotional training are presented schematically in
Figure 1. They are arranged in the form of a flow chart that describes the optimal
process for helping individuals to increase their Emotional Intelligence and Emotional
Competence in personal and interpersonal contexts.
24
FIGURE 3. The Optimal Process for Developing Emotional Intelligence in
Organizations
The flow chart suggests that there are four basic phases to the training
process. The first occurs even before the individual begins formal training. This
initial phase, which is crucial for effective social and emotional learning, involves
preparation for change. This preparation occurs at both the organizational and
individual levels. The second phase, training, covers the change process itself. It
includes the processes that help people change the way in which they view the
world and deal with its social and emotional demands. The third phase, transfer
and maintenance, addresses what happens following the formal training
experience. The
final phase involves evaluation. Given the current state of knowledge about social and
emotional learning, the complexity of programs designed to promote such
learning
and the great unevenness in the effectiveness of existing programs, evaluation always
should be part of the process.
25
Phase One: Preparation for Change
Motivation is especially important in social and emotional learning. Such
learning can be challenging for adults who already have established a way of relating
to themselves and others, and people need to be strongly committed to the change
process for an extended period of time. So what can managers and trainers do to
increase learners’ motivation prior to the start of the change process? The first set of
guidelines addresses this question.
1. Assess the Organization’s Needs - Good training begins with needs
assessment. For social and emotional training, there are two particular challenges that
must be addressed at this point in the process. First, many people in the organization
will be skeptical about the link between Emotional Intelligence and the bottom line. A
systematic and rigorous study can help show that such a link exists. The second
challenge in applying this guideline to social and emotional training efforts is to
identify all of the particular competencies that are important for success. Sometimes it
is easy to miss crucial ones.
2. Assess Personal Strengths and Limits - Two challenges confront those who
wish to assess the social and emotional competence of individuals. First, people
usually are less aware of skill weaknesses in the social and emotional domains.
Second, these competencies are manifested primarily in social interaction. Therefore,
the best approach usually involves ratings by those who interact with the person.
However, the beliefs, motives, and feelings of the rater influence ratings of social and
emotional competence.
26
3. Provide Feedback with Care - Motivation for change can be enhanced
when people are given feedback on the assessment results. However, there are many
pitfalls in giving people feedback on their social competence. These competencies are
closely linked to a person’s identity and self-esteem. And in social and emotional
development efforts, it is especially important that the feedback occur in an
atmosphere of safety. The understood purpose of the feedback also affects its
motivational and emotional impact.
4. Maximize Learner Choice - People generally are more motivated to change
when they freely choose to do so. In social and emotional training, however, choice is
particularly important. Because these competencies are so close to the essence of what
makes us the people we are, it is better if we are free to choose whether or not to
engage in such training. It also is better if the choice is real.
5. Encourage Participation - Because social and emotional learning is
viewed, as "soft" and thus, somewhat suspect, employees will tend not to choose to
participate in it unless they believe that the organization’s management strongly
endorses it. The words and actions of supervisors are especially important. Trainees
are more willing to participate in development activity if their supervisors indicate
that they support it. In a large financial services company, a training program in
emotional competence was popular in part because several regional vice presidents
encouraged their management groups to participate and then attended the program
with them.
27
6. Link Learning Goals to Personal Values - People will be most motivated
to learn and change if they believe that doing so will help them achieve goals that they
value. Often the most salient personal values will be work-related, but they need not
be. Trying to motivate learners by showing them that training will contribute to career
success will be difficult if success is unimportant to them.
7. Adjust Expectations - Expectations about performance can become self-
fulfilling prophecies. People who are confident that they can succeed in a training
program will tend to be more motivated and, not surprisingly, more successful.
Unfortunately, in the case of social and emotional learning, many people are skeptical
that Emotional Intelligence can be improved. And people who find social and
emotional problems challenging will be particularly dubious about their ability to
improve.
8. Gauge Readiness - Research on a wide variety of behavior change
programs suggests that people go through several stages of readiness for change
before they are ready to make a true commitment. In the first stage, they deny that
they have any need for change. In the next stage, people begin to see that they need to
improve, but they are not sure that anything can be done about their problems and
they put off making a decision. In the third stage, the individual recognizes that there
is a problem and also that there are ways of dealing with it, but the person has not
made a concrete plan to act. It is not until the fourth stage that the person is ready to
act. People at this stage have a concrete plan, and they put it into action. Before
training begins (or toward the beginning), the training staff should, ideally, assess the
28
readiness stage of each potential participant. They then would design an appropriate
intervention based on that assessment, which will differ for people at each stage of
readiness.
Phase Two: Training
In social and emotional learning, motivation continues to be an important issue
during the training phase. The amount of time, effort, and potential threats to one’s
self-esteem that occur during social and emotional learning suggest that trainers
continue to monitor the individual’s motivation and intervene to bolster it. One of the
most important factors influencing motivation during the training phase is the
relationship between the trainer and the learner.
1. Foster a Positive Relationship Between the Trainer and Learner - In
social and emotional learning, the relationship between the trainer and learner is
critically important. Several studies have suggested that trainers who are empathic,
warm, and genuine – which are, of course, attributes of Emotional Intelligence –
develop more positive relationships with participants in behavior change programs,
and they are more likely to be successful. Trainers who use a directive-confrontational
style only succeed in making participants more resistant.
2. Maximize Self-Directed Change - People are more likely to develop
emotional competence when they decide which competencies to work on and set their
own goals. Training for emotional competence also benefits when the trainer adapts
the training to match the person’s needs, goals, and learning style preferences.
29
3. Set clear goals - Social and emotional learning benefits from specific, clear
goals. Specific and challenging goals help support social and emotional learning
because they maximize self-efficacy, mastery, and motivation. The most effective
trainers are able to help the learners set clear and challenging goals without infringing
on the learners’ sense of ownership for the goals.
4. Break Goals into Manageable Steps - For many people, trying to bring
about even modest improvements in emotional competence can be frustrating.
Although challenging goals are more motivating than simple ones, it also helps if the
goals are attainable. Thus, when people reach a goal, their self-efficacy increases,
which leads to the setting of new and more challenging goals.
5. Maximize Opportunities to Practice - The relationship between practice
and learning is one of the oldest and best-established principles in psychology. In
social and emotional learning, there often must be more practice than in other types of
learning because old, ineffective neural connections need to be weakened and new,
more effective ones established. Such a process requires repetition over a prolonged
period of time. And learners need to practice on the job, not just in the training
situation but for transfer to occur. The most effective training programs include
repeated sessions of practice and feedback.
6. Provide Frequent Feedback on Practice - Feedback is important during the
change process as a way of indicating whether the learner is on track. It also can help
sustain motivation, for feedback can be highly reinforcing. Feedback is especially
30
useful in social and emotional learning because the learners often have trouble
recognizing how their social and emotional behavior manifests itself.
7. Rely on Experiential Methods - More active, concrete, experiential
methods, such as role plays, group discussions, and simulations, usually work better
than lecturing or assigned reading for social and emotional learning. In order to
reprogram neural circuits connecting the amygdala and neocortex, people need to
actually engage in the desired pattern of thought, feeling, and action.
8. Build in Support - Change is enhanced through ongoing support from
individuals and small groups. Such support is especially valuable for people who are
trying to improve their social and emotional competence. Social and emotional
training programs usually are more effective when they encourage the formation of
groups where people give each other support throughout the change effort.
9. Use Models - Seeing the desired behavior modeled is particularly valuable
in social and emotional learning. Learning is further enriched when trainers encourage
and help learners to study, analyze, and emulate the models.
10. Enhance Insight - Even though experiential interventions seem to be
especially productive for social and emotional learning, insight also can play a useful
role. Insight serves as a natural link between situations, thoughts and feelings. It
enhances self-awareness, the cornerstone of Emotional Intelligence. And insight often
paves the way for meaningful behavior change. The most effective training combines
experiential methods and the development of insight.
31
11. Prevent Relapse - The essence of relapse prevention is to prepare people
mentally to encounter slips, to recognize at the outset that setbacks are a normal part
of the change process. Relapse prevention is especially important in social and
emotional learning because participants attempting to develop these competencies are
likely to encounter many setbacks as they attempt to apply new behaviors on the job.
Without preparation for these setbacks, they can easily become discouraged and give
up before the task of neural relearning has reached the point where the new, learned
response is the automatic one.
Phase Three: Transfer and Maintenance
Transfer and maintenance of learned skills is a particular challenge in social
and emotional learning. When learners return to their natural environments, there are
likely to be many cues and reinforces that support the old neural pathways that
training was designed to weaken. Further, there may be significant barriers to the use
of some of the new social and emotional competencies that still have a fragile neural
foundation. Well-designed training programs cannot be effective if the larger
organizational system in which they are rooted is not supportive of the training goals.
Recent research has pointed to several aspects of the organizational environment that
seem to be helpful in facilitating transfer of social and emotional learning.
1. Encourage Use of Skills on the Job - There are many different ways that
supervisors, peers, subordinates, and others in the work environment can encourage
learners to apply what they have learned. The best methods involve either reminding
people to use the skills or reinforcing them when they do so.
32
Reinforcement is a particularly good way to encourage trainees to apply their
new skills on the job and to continue doing so. Supervisors can reinforce the use of
new skills on the job in less drastic ways.
In addition to modeling and reinforcement, reflection can help learners
transfer and maintain what they have learned. It can be particularly helpful for
supervisors to set aside some time periodically to help learners reflect on what they
have done to apply the skills, and to consider what have been the barriers and
facilitating factors. Because self-awareness is a cornerstone of social and emotional
competence, reflection can be especially valuable during the transfer and maintenance
phase.
2. Provide an Organizational Culture that Supports Learning - Transfer and
maintenance of specific skills seems to be affected by the extent to which the
organization values learning and development in general. Challenging jobs, social
support, reward and development systems, and an emphasis on innovation and
competition influence these perceptions and expectations. The climate of the work
environment is particularly important for transfer of social and emotional learning to
the job.
Phase Four: Evaluating Change
33
1. Conduct on-going evaluation research - Evaluation is essential for
promoting effective training. Research suggests that many training programs do not
fulfill their promise. Only through evaluation can poor programs be improved and
effective ones retained. By evaluation, we mean a process that focuses on continuous
improvement rather than just a "pass-fail" test in which individuals associated with a
program win or lose credibility. When an evaluation suggests that a program falls
short in achieving its goals, it should not be used to punish an individual or group.
Rather, it should be used as a guide for improving the training that is offered.
Evaluation should be linked to learning and the continual pursuit of quality. By
making evaluation an integral part of the process, training programs will gradually
become more effective.
What Are the Guidelines Worth?
Not all training programs in social and emotional competence follow these
guidelines. How much money currently does training that does not follow these
guidelines lose? The estimated figure is between 5.6 and 16.8 billion dollars. One
arrives at this estimate by starting with the commonly quoted figure of $50 billion
spent on training each year. It is then assumed that the average cost per worker for 1
week of training is $1500. Dividing this figure into the $50 billion total gives an
estimate of the total number of workers trained, which is 33 million workers.
It is next assumed that only a quarter of these workers receive training related
to emotional competence (The number probably is higher, but to be on the
conservative side in this estimate). The rest receive technical and cognitive training.
34
Thus, it is estimated that adopting the guidelines would improve training for about 8
million workers.
It is next factored in the difference in effect size between training programs
that follow the guidelines and those that don’t. The data from a recent study of
training programs in one large corporation was used, which found that programs
adhering to most of the guidelines improved the impact of training over those that
didn’t follow the guidelines. To be conservative, it is then assumed that only about
half the workers who now are trained (the lower half of the distribution) would do
better by that amount if the guidelines were adopted. Thus, it is estimated that if the
guidelines were adopted uniformly, about 4 million workers would show an
improvement in training impact.
104
102
100
98
96
94
92
90
16-19 AVERAGE 40-49
GRAPH 1: EI over the Age Span
35
It is possible for people of all ages to become more socially and emotionally
competent. However, the principles for developing this type of competence differ
greatly from those that have guided much training and development practice in the
past. Developing emotional competence requires that one unlearns old habits of
thought, feeling, and action that are deeply ingrained, and grow new ones. Such a
process takes motivation, effort, time, support, and sustained practice, as the
guidelines presented in this article make clear. The guidelines also suggest that the
preparation and transfer-and-maintenance phases of the training process are especially
important. Yet too often these phases are neglected in practice.
Organizations increasingly are providing training and development that is
explicitly labeled as "Emotional Intelligence" or "Emotional Competence" training.
However, the guidelines presented here apply to any development effort in which
personal and social learning is a goal. This would include most management and
executive development efforts as well as training in supervisory skills, diversity,
teamwork, leadership, conflict management, stress management, sales, customer
relations, etc.
Ideally, efforts to develop emotional competence would include all the
elements we have identified here, but one realizes that it often will not be practical to
do so. Fortunately, the effect of adhering to the guidelines is multiplicative and
synergistic: the more guidelines that trainers can follow the greater and more lasting
will be their impact.
36
1.12 THE VALUE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AT WORK
Martin Seligman has developed a construct that he calls “learned optimism”.
Optimists tend to make specific, temporary, external causal attributions while
pessimists make global, permanent, internal attributions. In research at Met Life,
Seligman and his colleagues found that new salesmen who were optimists sold 37
percent more insurance in their first two years than did pessimists. When the
company hired a special group of individuals who scored high on optimism but failed
the normal screening, they outsold the pessimists by 21 percent in their first year and
57 percent in the second. They even outsold the average agent by 27 percent.
In another study of learned optimism, Seligman tested 500 members of the
freshman class at the University of Pennsylvania. He found that their scores on a test
of optimism were a better predictor of actual grades during the freshman year than
SAT scores or high school grades.
The ability to manage feelings and handle stress is another aspect of
Emotional Intelligence that has been found to be important for success. A study of
store managers in a retail chain found that the ability to handle stress predicted net
profits, sales per square foot, sales per employee, and per dollar of inventory
investment.
Emotional Intelligence has as much to do with knowing when and how to
express emotion as it does with controlling it. For instance, consider an experiment
37
that was done at Yale University by Sigdal Barsade. He had a group of volunteers
play the role of managers who come together in a group to allocate bonuses to their
subordinates. A trained actor was planted among them. The actor always spoke first.
In some groups the actor projected cheerful enthusiasm, in others relaxed warmth, in
others depressed sluggishness, and in still others hostile irritability. The results
indicated that the actor was able to infect the group with his emotion, and good
feelings led to improved co-operation, fairness, and overall group performance. In
fact, objective measures indicated that the cheerful groups were better able to
distribute the money fairly and in a way that helped the organization.
Organizations Are Increasing Training for Emotional Intelligence
The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence has conducted
numerous studies on the use of Emotional Intelligence in organizations. It has
identified several strategies for training and development in Emotional Intelligence
that differs from cognitive and technical training. These strategies can be used for
executive development and management, stress management, conflict resolution, and
diversity courses. They involve helping learners to change habits by approaching
people positively instead of avoiding them, listening without judging, giving feedback
skillfully, and so forth. They are strategies that can be used to motivate learners to
pursue training in and development of Emotional Intelligence.
• Assess the organization's needs to show a correlation between Emotional
Intelligence and the organization's bottom line.
38
• Help the learner to assess personal strengths and limits when dealing with
emotions, especially negative ones, by seeking input from multiple sources.
• Provide feedback on assessment of personal strengths and limits in a caring
and respectful manner.
• Link the learning goals to personal values, making them specific so that
learners can see how they can improve their emotional processing.
• Provide multiple opportunities for learners to practice and give frequent
feedback on performance.
• Promote team building along with behavioral change by establishing small
groups where learners can support and encourage each other through the change
process, and build trusting relationships.
• Incorporate reflection into the learning process, helping learners to think about
how they have applied the skills they are learning, the barriers they have faced,
and factors that have facilitated growth.
1.13 GUIDELINES FOR SECURING ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT FOR
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE EFFORTS
39
1. Link Emotional Intelligence to a business need
Support for training and development in Emotional Intelligence will increase
if it is clearly linked to a business need. People in the organization need to see it not
as just a “nice” thing to do that makes people “feel good,” though this may be
important and desirable. In order to gain the level of support needed for successful
implementation, Emotional Intelligence must be viewed as something that makes
good business sense.
2. Find a powerful sponsor
For better or worse, organizations tend to be political entities. The support of
an influential executive thus, is vital for a new unconventional initiative such as
Emotional Intelligence training. Finding a powerful sponsor who can provide
political protection and financial backing can make the difference between success
and failure.
3. Establish mechanism such as a “skunkworks” team for developing ideas
Emotional Intelligence is an innovative and unconventional idea in the
organizational world. Efforts to promote it in organizations thus, can be easily
smoothened by the rigidity of a bureaucracy. Ideally, it should be developed and
initially operated by a self-managed team that has an “open ticket” to innovate. The
team should have less formality, more flexible roles, and more open flows of
information. It also should be kept relatively free of “creativity killers” such as
surveillance, evaluation, over-control, and arbitrary deadlines. A particularly good
way of achieving this type of setting is to establish a “skunkworks team,” which was
40
the name of the famed R&D team at Lockheed that sequestered itself and produced a
number of innovations.
4. Use research to evaluate the program and demonstrate its value.
Emotional Intelligence activities that are not based on solid research are highly
vulnerable. Emotional Intelligence training, even more than other types of activity,
needs to be research-driven. The research should be extensive enough to give key
decision-makers confidence that Emotional Intelligence training is based on sound,
objective analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative research has value in securing
support.
5. Make sure that the program’s quality is so high that it is beyond reproach.
Because Emotional Intelligence training is not a traditional business concern,
it is vulnerable to criticism. To counteract the detrimental effects of such criticism, it
is important to insure that training efforts meet the highest standards. If an Emotional
Intelligence program becomes associated with shoddy, superficial work, resistance to
it will increase further. Opponents of such training need few excuses to kill it.
6. Infuse Emotional Intelligence into the organization in a variety of ways.
In order to bring Emotional Intelligence training and development into the
mainstream, it is useful to find different ways of positioning and presenting it in the
organization. For instance, different versions of a program can be developed for
different groups. Multiple infusions help to normalize and generalize the concept. It
also creates a culture in which people are repeatedly reminded of what they have
learned and thus are more likely to apply it on the job.
41
7. Find Emotionally Intelligent Leaders to guide implementation
Implementing Emotional Intelligence initiatives in organizational settings
often is a challenging task. Even with the support of powerful sponsors and good
timing, one is likely to encounter much resistance. Success depends on the Emotional
Intelligence of those who orchestrate the implementation effort.
8. Move when the timing is right
At certain times in the life of any organization, the conditions will be more or
less favorable for the implementation of Emotional Intelligence training and
development activities. Those who wish to establish such activities in their
organization need to ask themselves whether the timing is right. Sometimes, it may
be necessary to wait until conditions are more favorable.
1.14 SIGNS OF HIGH AND LOW EQ
EQ stands for Emotional Quotient. It is borrowed from the term "Intelligence
Quotient," and is used interchangeably with "Emotional Intelligence."
Listed below are general characteristics of people with high and low EQ.
These however, are generalizations, but are helpful as guidelines. These lists include
general signs of high and low self-esteem, as well as other variables which have not in
fact been specifically correlated to emotional intelligence as defined by Mayer and
Salovey.
42
SIGNS OF HIGH EQ
A person with High EQ:
 Expresses his feelings clearly and directly with three word sentences
beginning with "I feel...”
 Does not disguise thoughts as feelings by the use of "I feel like...." and "I feel
that...." sentences.
 Is not afraid to express feelings.
 Is not dominated by negative emotions such as: Fear, Worry, Guilt, Shame,
Embarrassment, Obligation, Disappointment, Hopelessness, Powerlessness,
Dependency, Victimization, and Discouragement.
 Is able to read non-verbal communication.
 Lets feelings lead to healthy choices and happiness.
 Balances feelings with reason, logic, and reality.
 Acts out of desire, not because of duty, guilt, force or obligation.
 Is independent, self-reliant, morally autonomous and emotionally resilient.
 Is intrinsically motivated and not by power, wealth, fame, or approval.
 Tends to feel optimistic, but is also realistic, and can feel pessimistic at times.
 Does not internalize failure and is not immobilized by fear or worry.
 Is interested in other people's feelings.
SIGNS OF LOW EQ
A person with Low EQ:
43
 Doesn't take responsibilities for his feelings; but blames others for them.
 Can't put together three word sentences starting with "I feel..."
 Can't tell why one feels the way one does, or can't do it without blaming
someone else.
 Attacks, blames, commands, criticize, interrupt, invalidate, lectures, advises
and judges others.
 Tries to analyze others, for example when they express their feelings.
 Often begin sentences with "I think you..."
 Sends "you messages" disguised as "I feel messages" For example, "I feel like
you ."
 Lays guilt trips on others.
 Withholds information about or lies about feelings. (Emotional dishonesty).
 Exaggerates or minimizes feelings.
 Lets things build up, then they blow up, or react strongly to something
relatively minor.
 Lacks integrity and a sense of conscience.
 Carries grudges; are unforgiving, plays games; is indirect or evasive.
 Doesn’t tell people where they really stand.
 Acts out feelings, rather than talking them out.
 Is insensitive to others feelings.
 Has no empathy, no compassion.
 Is rigid, inflexible; needs rules and structure to feel secure.
 Is not emotionally available; offers little chance of emotional intimacy.
44
 Does not consider their own future feelings before acting.
 Is insecure and defensive and finds it hard to admit mistakes, express remorse,
or apologize sincerely.
 Avoids responsibility by saying things like: "What was I supposed to do? I had
no choice!”
 Holds many distorted and self-destructive beliefs which cause persistent
negative emotions
 May be overly pessimistic; may invalidate others' joy.
 Or may be overly optimistic; to the point of being unrealistic and invalidating
of others' legitimate fears.
 Frequently feels inadequate, disappointed, resentful, bitter or victimized.
 Locks himself into courses of action against common sense, or jumps ship at
the first sight of trouble.
 Avoids connections with people and seeks substitute relationships with
everything from pets and plants to imaginary beings.
 Rigidly clings to own beliefs because of being too insecure to be open to new
facts.
 Can tell the details of an event, and what they think about it, but can't tell how
they feel about it.
 Uses intellect to judge and criticize others without realizing feeling superior,
judgmental, critical, and without awareness of how one’s actions impact
others' feelings.
45
1.15 EI VERSUS IQ AS A PREDICTOR OF WORKPLACE PERFORMANCE
Does EI predict success more strongly than IQ? In one sense, this question is
purely academic: in life, cognitive abilities and Emotional Intelligence always
interplay. But in another sense, it has practical implications for significant workplace
decisions.
Data establishing the relative contribution of EI and IQ to effective
performance would be of both theoretical and practical importance-for instance,
providing a scientific rationale for making more balanced decisions in hiring and
promotions.
According to Goleman, an individual's quotient of Emotional Intelligence, or
EQ, may actually predict success more accurately than IQ. EQ has a friendlier feel to
it - nice guys finish first at last - but it’s far from warm and fuzzy. For one thing,
attempts to measure it are alarmingly facile. EQ is a fictitious measure of everything,
other than IQ, that helps us get ahead in the world. The term Emotional Quotient,
46
which conflates EQ with IQ, is fictitious in the sense that no accepted test has been
devised to determine a person's EQ.
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) by itself is not a very good predictor of job
performance. Hunter and Hunter estimated that at best IQ accounts for about 25
percent of the variance. Sternberg has pointed out that studies vary and that 10 percent
may be a more realistic estimate. In some studies, IQ accounts for as little as 4
percent of the variance.
An example of this research on the limits of IQ as a predictor is the
Sommerville study, a 40-year longitudinal investigation of 450 boys who grew up in
Sommerville, Massachusetts. Two-thirds of the boys were from welfare families, and
one-third had IQ’s below 90. However, IQ had little relation to how well they did at
work or in the rest of their lives. What made the biggest difference were childhood
abilities such as being able to handle frustration, control emotions, and get along with
other people.
Another good example is a study of 80 Ph.D.’s in science who underwent a
battery of personality tests, IQ tests, and interviews in the 1950s when they were
graduate students at Berkeley. Forty years later, when they were in their early
seventies, they were tracked down and estimates were made of their success based on
resumes, evaluations by experts in their own fields, and sources like American Men
and Women of Science. It turned out that social and emotional abilities were four
times more important than IQ in determining professional success and prestige.
47
Now it would be absurd to suggest that cognitive ability is irrelevant for
success in science. One needs a relatively high level of such ability merely to get
admitted to a graduate science program at a school like Berkeley. Once one is
admitted, however, what matters in terms of how one does compared to ones peers
has less to do with IQ differences and more to do with social and emotional factors.
To put it another way, if you’re a scientist, you probably needed an IQ of 120 or so
simply to get a doctorate and a job. But then it is more important to be able to persist
in the face of difficulty and to get along well with colleagues and subordinates than it
is to have an extra 10 or 15 points of IQ. The same is true in many other occupations.
It should also be kept in mind that cognitive and non-cognitive abilities are
very much related. In fact, there is research suggesting that emotional and social skills
actually help improve cognitive functioning. For instance, in the famous
“marshmallow studies” at Stanford University, four year olds were asked to stay in a
room alone with a marshmallow and wait for a researcher to return. They were told
that if they could wait until the researcher came back before eating the marshmallow,
they could have two. Ten years later the researchers tracked down the kids who
participated in the study. They found that the kids who were able to resist temptation
had a total SAT score that was 210 points higher than those kids who were unable to
wait.
IQ, then, mainly predicts what profession an individual can hold a job in—for
instance, it takes a certain mental acumen to pass the bar exam or the MCATs.
Estimates are that in order to pass the requisite cognitive hurdles such as exams or
required coursework or mastery of technical subjects and enter a profession like law,
engineering, or senior management, individuals need an IQ in the 110 to 120 range.
48
That means that once one is in the pool of people in a profession, one
competes with people who are also at the high end of the bell curve for IQ. This is
why, even though IQ is a strong predictor of success among the general population, its
predictive power for outstanding performance weakens greatly once the individuals
being compared narrow to a pool of people in a given job in an organization,
particularly at its higher levels.
In short, the position is that IQ will be a more powerful predictor than EI of
individuals’ career success in studies of large populations over the career course
because it sorts people before they embark on a career, determining which fields or
professions they can enter. But when studies look within a job or profession to learn
which individuals rise to the top and which plateau or field, EI should prove a more
powerful predictor of success than IQ.
49
CHAPTER 2
RESEARCH &
METHODOLOGY
2.1 SCOPE
Looking at emotions objectively, one cannot logically negate the significance
of our emotions. It would be experienced that however, mentally stimulating one
activity could be; it would certainly have its emotional background. In other words,
everything in life may not just be how we think about it, but also, how we feel about it
and long committed to leadership, education and development, I decided to assess the
importance of Emotional Intelligence to determine if the emotional, social and
relational competencies identified by Goleman and other Emotional Intelligence
theorists, did in fact distinguish outstanding from average performers.
This project covers the Emotional Intelligence practices of Tata Infotech Ltd.
with specific reference to emotional competence, employee excellence and leadership
50
study. These practices are applied not only to the corporate Head Office, but are also
applied to all the branches across the country.
2.2 OBJECTIVES
1] To study the Emotional Intelligence concept in learning about the role of emotions
in work and every day life.
2] To analyze the various policies and recommended ways to help the employees of
Tata Infotech Ltd. improve interpersonal relationships affecting work and
organizational performance, and thus, proving useful for personal development.
3] To gain an insight into the actual practice of Emotional Intelligence and understand
the implications of it, which I believe will prove beneficial to me, during my
postgraduate studies in Human Resource (H.R.).
2.3 LIMITATIONS
Even though this study attempts to discuss Tata Infotech Ltd. company’s
various Emotional Intelligence policies in detail, it has not been possible to do
complete justice to the discussion, due to the nature of the confidential information
involved.
Moreover, this study is limited only to aforementioned Emotional Intelligence
practices of the company and does not cover any other Emotional Intelligence policy
that the company might be implementing.
51
2.4 SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Both primary and secondary data has been used to gain information relevant to
this project.
Source of Primary Data:
1] Mini Emotional Intelligence Test.
2] Interview Guide.
3] The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence Success Stories.
Sources of Secondary Data:
1] Books
2] Websites
2.5 DATA PROCESSING
The data collected from the above mentioned sources has been processed by
making use of tables, graphs and figures.
52
EXPRESSIVE
NON - EXPRESSIVE
FIG 5: Express Feelings When Depressed
Results
Express Feelings When Depressed
53
The Mini Emotional Intelligence Test helped to show the number of
employees when depressed, expressed their feelings when asked by a friend about
how one was feeling. It also helped to depict the number of employees who did not
want to express their feelings when asked and tried to give excuses. 60% of the
employees were expressive whereas, 40% of the employees were non-expressive.
(Fig 5)
EXPRESSIVE
NON -
EXPRESSIVE
FIG 6: Express Feelings When Upset
Results
Express Feelings When Upset
employees when upset, expressed their feelings when their partner did something
unacceptable to them. It also helped to depict the number of employees who did not
want to express their feelings when asked to do so. 40% of the employees were
expressive whereas, 60% of the employees were non-expressive. (Fig 6)
54
EXPRESSIVE
NON -
EXPRESSIVE
FIG 7: Express Feelings When a Mistake Is Pointed Out
Results
Express Feelings When a Mistake Is Pointed Out
employees who expressed their feelings when a mistake was pointed out by thanking
the person doing so. It also helped to depict the number of employees who did not
want to express their feelings but instead tried to defend themselves and find
something wrong with the person pointing out their mistake. 80% of the employees
were expressive whereas, 20% of the employees were non-expressive. (Fig 7)
55
EXPRESSIVE
NON - EXPRESSIVE
FIG 8: Express Feelings in a Scary Situation
Results
Express Feelings in a Scary Situation
employees who expressed their feelings in a scary situation by estimating the
probability of fears coming true and began focusing on the options available to
overcome the situation. It also helped to depict the number of employees who did not
want to express their feelings by trying not to think about it and hoping that it will go
away. In this situation 100% of the employees were expressive, thus indicating that
the employees at Tata Infotech Ltd. are challenge and goal oriented. (Fig 8)
56
EXPRESSIVE
NON - EXPRESSIVE
FIG 9: Express Feelings when someone reacts strongly to one’s
Sayings
Results
Express Feelings When Depressed
employees who expressed their feelings when someone reacts strongly to something
said by apologizing and asking them what bothered them about the things said to
them. It also helped to depict the number of employees who did not want to express
their feelings as they were too sensitive. 70% of the employees were expressive
whereas, 30% of the employees were non-expressive. (Fig 9)
57
IC
ET
ATH
P
EM
ED Series1
ANIS
G
OR Series2
AL
PTU
E
NC
CO
IVE
ECT
F L
RE 0 5 10 15 20 25
GRAPH 2: Four Styles of Emotional Intelligence
Results
Four Styles of Emotional Intelligence (Graph 2)
 Empathetic
In the Empathetic Style, 10 employees believed strongly in understanding and
communicating with people at a social level and spend much of their time looking to
extend and deepen their relationships with others. The other 10 employees did not like
to connect with others at an emotional level and mostly enjoy relationships where
feelings are open and known and outcomes and task goals are secondary.
Organized
In the Organized Style, 16 employees value the world with certainty in which
people can interact simply, fairly and therefore, purposefully seek to establish sound
processes that others will find helpful to follow. To do this they will approach new
situations by communicating the importance of issues such as clear processes and
58
systems, personal competence, good planning and discipline as a basis for an
organized world in which people can operate in a calm, familiar and well ordered
climate. The other 4 employees interviewed were not predominantly interested in the
world of inner beliefs and the values.
Conceptual
In the Conceptual Style, all of the 20 employees interviewed achieve their goals
in a challenging, stretching, decisive and non-linear manner. To do this they approach
new situations by putting forward a variety of observations, ideas and suggestions
designed to push people's thinking to new or different horizons thus, incorporating the
big picture of people and life in general.
Reflective
In the Reflective Style, 14 employees interviewed were task focused and
achieved their goals in a quiet, considered, ordered and incremental or sequential
manner. To do this they approach new situations by looking to collect information
that they can logically analyze and weigh up carefully in their mind before they
decide or act. The other 6 employees achieved their goals in a different style where
personal empathy levels with emotions were experienced.
3.5 INTERVIEW GUIDE
Primary Data on “Emotional Intelligence” was also collected with the help of
the Interview Guide (Annexure 2), wherein the HR Manager of Tata Infotech Ltd.
was interviewed. Information sought with the help of this Interview Guide has been
described below.
59
Emotional Intelligence at Tata Infotech is called as the `Survival Skills for the
New Millennium.' The term New Millennium is crucial here. Because a quick action
replay of the corporate setting of the 1960s and 1970s will reveal that there was a
clear distinction between the technical employee and the non-technical one. It
followed that the technical employee was under no great pressure to possess any kind
of behavioral skill. If he had it, it was a bonus.
With the growth of the people-based economy, there has been an overhaul of
sorts in the kind of employment skills a person should possess. There is nothing called
the right ratio of skills. Picking the right person for a job is not a science, but an art. It
is more of a judgement issue.
Most recruiters are overwhelmed by a person's technical knowledge, even as
they warn HR managers against the halo effect. It follows that managers should have
an enormous eye for detail.
FIG 10: Skill Set Distribution
60
There cannot be a definite ratio that can be affixed to these critical attributes.
For instance, the attributes required for hiring an R&D Head and a Project Manager
are different because the job content is different. One needs to be creative and good at
problem solving skills as an R&D Head. A good project manager also needs to have
excellent man management skills and interpersonal skills.
The mapping of behavioral skills is done on the Y-axis and the technical skills
on the X-axis, the ideal candidate would be one falling in the second quarter where
the person scores high in both skills. This is the `select situation.' On the other hand,
the third quarter would indicate a clear reject because both the skills are low here.
Areas of difficulty are quarters one and four. If a person's skill sets fall in
these regions, then the HR person has to examine whether the person is being selected
for a technical role in which case, his individual contribution would be high. In a
managerial role, demand for technical skills is relatively less while behavioral skills
are high. It is obvious that the so-called ideal mix changes as one progress in a career.
Managers in the middle management level are presumed that the behavioral skills
such as people management, interpersonal, communication, leadership and allied
skills should be in the ratio of at least 65:35 to technical (functional) skills.
The higher one climbs the ladder of management, it is possible that there are
technical (functional) experts working and hence, the weightage of behavioral skills to
technical skills will go up.
61
Employers generally keep a 70:30 technical: behavioral skills ratio in
recruiting. However, while this practice is being followed in the majority of
organizations, it would be better from a career progression and succession point of
view to tilt the balance to 60:40.
Technical skills are important in the early years of a career. As people are
groomed to managerial positions, behavioral skills become more important. Thus it is
important to keep in mind the number of years of experience when giving weightage
to technical and behavioral skills.
Behavioral skills should not be compromised as a long-term view on business,
invest in building relationships (through strong behavioral and interpersonal skills),
which does much better than providing only good technical people. Even customers
prefer people with better behavioral skills even if they have to compromise a bit on
technical skills, but not vice-versa. Thus, a minimum threshold of technical skills
would be required having a balance between the two.
Recruiting and training the right kind of people is important as Relationship
skills are essential at all levels. The technical skills or the business skills are the ones
that increase or decrease.
When the company acquires talent, people with valved technical skills are a
no-no. It looks at whether the person understands the subjects, whether he has the
creative bent of mind. References are very important. A good reference means a
person has been tried and tested and half the selection job is done.
62
Talking in the same vein, attitude should be given 100 per cent weightage
because attitude is something which cannot be changed or modified. Organizations
find it difficult or consider it high-risk to hire a person who does not fit into the
culture.
Technical skills are critical in hiring decisions but one cannot over-rule the
softer issues involved in the hiring process. This is more so in case of hiring managers
at senior levels in organizations because there is a very high degree of man-
management skills that is involved as one moves up the hierarchy.
If the job demands high technical skills, how long a rope could be given in the
behavioral skill area while recruiting talent? Either the candidate has the right attitude
or he doesn't meet Tata Infotech’s needs.
Tata Infotech believes that anybody with the `learning attitude' can be trained
in the technical platform. The rate at which technology is changing makes the person
obsolete anyway unless he's willing to learn newer platforms and languages. So,
ultimately, it boils down to a choice between `willing to learn' and the `learned'.
One way is to segregate the job into two, with different people being
responsible for the technical output and the people-management side of it. Another
way is to have strong people-oriented processes built into the system itself to ensure
that the manager has no choice but to be fair with people irrespective of the technical
skills requirement on the job.
63
A `job fit' should be made based on the requirement of the job. The more
technical the job, normally it demands more individualized technical skills which
should be catered to rather than diluting the job. However, all jobs will demand a
certain bit of behavioral skills which should not be compromised.
Training is the answer. Take the case of an employee who shows exemplary
technical skills, but fails miserably in the behavioral skill area. Is it possible to train
and upgrade him? One should remember that the tools are measuring softer issues and
one can only find out the degree of the required attribute in a prospective candidate.
Tata Infotech believes that anyone can be trained to improve on the basic
behavioral skills. This can be done through various methodologies, including process
workshops for introspection, behavioral skills enhancement experiential workshops
and constant coaching. The new economy guys of course look for evolved career
practices.
Acquiring behavioral skills is not only a function of training, but also
practicing it in daily life. A programmer may have poor interpersonal skills, and to
become a team leader, he or she needs to acquire this skill. In addition to the training,
the project manager should provide guidance and counseling to ensure that the skills
are acquired effectively.
Tata Infotech believes that companies of the future will be the ones who invest
senior management time in training their employees. From the CEO all the way down,
everyone has to invest time in training and building their people. External trainers will
be able to take the organization up to a certain level of understanding. To get
64
extraordinary results out of their people, it needs to invest time in people
development.
3.6 RESPONSE TO THE STUDY
As a result of the study conducted about the Emotional Intelligence practiced by
Tata Infotech, the following are the findings:
 Feedback Survey with Emotional Intelligence is available to all employees and
helps individuals and groups assess their current level of performance and receive
development suggestions for enhancing performance.
 Educational and developmental programs have been developed and launched, to
familiarize employees with the concepts of emotional, social and relational
competency, and to share results of the leadership study. These sessions also
served as the launch for the newly enhanced leadership model and survey.
 Efforts to build skill in Emotional Intelligence throughout the organization are
ongoing. Board members and their teams have begun assessment and skill-
building activities around Emotional Intelligence and individuals and groups
throughout the organization have initiated programs and processes to enhance the
emotional competency of the organization and its members.
65
3.7 CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY
This study supports the position that emotional competence differentiates
successful employees. High performing employees at Tata Infotech were seen to
possess significantly higher levels of Self-Awareness, Self-Management capability,
Social and Organizational Skills; all considered part of the Emotional Intelligence
domain. A strategic cycle of assessment, learning, practice and feedback over time
will enable organizational members to build the competencies that can drive personal
success and develop high performing employees for the organization. Thus, the
commitment and systematic approach taken at Tata Infotech is consistent with the
focused approach necessary to build emotionally competent organizations.
66
CHAPTER 4
THE BUSINESS CASES FOR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
SUCCESS STORIES
The following 19 points build a case for how Emotional Intelligence
contributes to the bottom line in any work organization. Based on data from a variety
of sources, it can be a valuable tool to prove its effectiveness and need.
1) The US Air Force used the EQ-I to select recruiters (the Air Force’s front-line HR
personnel) and found that the most successful recruiters scored significantly higher in
the Emotional Intelligence competencies of Assertiveness, Empathy, Happiness, and
Emotional Self Awareness. The Air Force also found that by using Emotional
Intelligence to select recruiters, they increased their ability to predict successful
recruiters by nearly three-fold. The immediate gain was a saving of $3 million
annually. These gains resulted in the Government Accounting Office submitting a
report to Congress, which led to a request that the Secretary of Defense order all
branches of the armed forces to adopt this procedure in recruitment and selection.
2) Experienced partners in a multinational consulting firm were assessed on the
Emotional Intelligence competencies plus three others. Partners who scored above the
67
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.
3) An analysis of more than 300 top-level executives from fifteen global companies
showed that six emotional competencies distinguished stars from the average:
Influence, Team Leadership, Organizational Awareness, self-confidence,
Achievement Drive, and Leadership.
4) In jobs of medium complexity (sales clerks, mechanics), a top performer is 12
times more productive than those at the bottom and 85 percent more productive than
an average performer. In the most complex jobs (insurance salespeople, account
managers), a top performer is 127 percent more productive than an average performer.
Competency research in over 200 companies and organizations worldwide suggests
that about one-third of this difference is due to technical skill and cognitive ability
while two-thirds is due to emotional competence. In top leadership positions, over
four-fifths of the difference is due to emotional competence.
5) At L’Oreal, sales agents selected on the basis of certain emotional competencies
significantly outsold salespeople selected using the company’s old selection
procedure. On an annual basis, salespeople selected on the basis of emotional
competence sold $91,370 more than other salespeople did, for a net revenue increase
of $2,558,360. Salespeople selected on the basis of emotional competence also had
63% less turnover during the first year than those selected in the typical way.
68
6) 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.
7) In a large beverage firm, using standard methods to hire division presidents, 50%
left within two years, mostly because of poor performance. When they started
selecting based on emotional competencies such as initiative, self-confidence, and
leadership, only 6% left in two years. Furthermore, the executives selected based on
emotional competence were far more likely to perform in the top third based on salary
bonuses for performance of the divisions they led: 87% were in the top third. In
addition, division leaders with these competencies outperformed their targets by 15 to
20 percent but those who lacked them under-performed by almost 20%.
8) Research by the Center for Creative Leadership has found that the primary causes
of derailment in executives involve deficits in emotional competence. The three
primary ones are difficulty in handling change, not being able to work well in a team,
and poor interpersonal relations.
9) 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 3 per year, and the plant exceeded
productivity goals by $250,000. In another manufacturing plant where supervisors
69
received similar training, production increased 17 percent. There was no such increase
in production for a group of matched supervisors who were not trained.
10) One of the foundations of emotional competence -- accurate self-assessment was
associated with superior performance among several hundred managers from 12
different organizations.
11) Another emotional competence, the ability to handle stress, was linked to success
as a store manager in a retail chain. The most successful store managers were those
best able to handle stress. Success was based on net profits, sales per square foot,
sales per employee, and per dollar inventory investment.
12) Optimism is another emotional competence that leads to increased productivity.
New salesmen at Met Life who scored high on a test of "learned optimism" sold 37
percent more life insurance in their first two years than pessimists.
13) A study of 130 executives found that how well people handled their own emotions
determined how much people around them preferred to deal with them.
14) For sales reps at a computer company, those hired based on their emotional
competence were 90% more likely to finish their training than those hired on other
criteria.
15) At a national furniture retailer, sales people hired based on emotional competence
had half the dropout rate during their first year.
70
16) For 515 senior executives analyzed by the search firm Egon Zehnder
International, those who were primarily strong in Emotional Intelligence were more
likely to succeed than those who were strongest in either relevant previous experience
or IQ. In other words, Emotional Intelligence was a better predictor of success than
either relevant previous experience or high IQ. More specifically, the executive was
high in Emotional Intelligence in 74 percent of the successes and only in 24 percent of
the failures. The study included executives in Latin America, Germany, and Japan,
and the results were almost identical in all three cultures.
17) The following description of a "star" performer reveals how several emotional
competencies were critical in his success: Michael Iem worked at Tandem Computers.
Shortly after joining the company as a junior staff analyst, he became aware of the
market trend away from mainframe computers to networks that linked workstations
and personal computers (Service Orientation). Iem realized that unless Tandem
responded to the trend, its products would become obsolete (Initiative and
Innovation). He had to convince Tandem’s managers that their old emphasis on
mainframes was no longer appropriate (Influence) and then develop a system using
new technology (Leadership, Change Catalyst). He spent four years showing off his
new system to customers and company sales personnel before the new network
applications were fully accepted (Self-confidence, Self-Control, Achievement Drive).
18) Financial advisors at American Express whose managers completed the
Emotional Competence training program were compared to an equal number whose
managers had not. During the year following training, the advisors of trained
71
managers grew their businesses by 18.1% compared to 16.2% for those whose
managers were untrained.
19) The most successful debt collectors in a large collection agency had an average
goal attainment of 163 percent over a three-month period. They were compared with a
group of collectors who achieved an average of only 80 percent over the same time
period. The most successful collectors scored significantly higher in the Emotional
Intelligence competencies of self-actualization, independence, and optimism.
72
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION
Emotional Intelligence is about having empathy for others. It is about standing
up for what one believes in, in a tactful and respectful way. It is not about jumping to
conclusions, but getting the whole picture before one reacts. It involves an extensive
range of emotions which we all experience. The key to maintaining an emotionally
balanced personality is to recognize these emotions and manage reactions correctly.
It’s how to stay positive during tough times, and motivate oneself and others around
you that keeps the office atmosphere healthy and productive.
So is there anything new about Emotional Intelligence? In some ways,
Emotional Intelligence really is not new. In fact, it is based on a long history of
research and theory in personality and social psychology. Furthermore, Daniel
Goleman has never claimed otherwise. Emotional Intelligence for many years has
been an impressive, and growing, body of research suggesting that these abilities are
important for success in many areas of life as the pace of change increases and the
world of work make ever-greater demands on a person’s cognitive, emotional, and
physical resources.
73
Thus, use of Emotional Intelligence has become imperative to improve both
productivity and psychological well being in the workplace of tomorrow.
CHAPTER 6
RECOMMENDATIONS & SUGGESTIONS
 Emotional Intelligence as intelligence - provides core emotional aptitude, and
thus, could be viewed as an "IQ" equivalent.
 Emotional Intelligence as traits - offers insights into how one filters and directs
their emotional aptitude.
 Emotional Intelligence as a set of learned competencies - allows examining how a
person has adapted to their environment, which can be seen as an outcome
measure.
 Emotions matter and that emotional competence is as important as intelligence to
help people do well -- has become a culture-wide "paradigm shift" readying
people to confront the long neglected emotional realm.
 Emotional Intelligence competencies entail emotional capacities in addition to
purely cognitive abilities, modes of learning that work well for academic subjects
or technical skills and hence, it is well suited for helping people improve an
emotional competence.
74
 Given the value of the personal and organizational effectiveness of Emotional
Intelligence based capabilities, there is a clear need to integrate that valuation into
the organizations' functions.
 Organizations need to hire for Emotional Intelligence along with whatever other
technical skills or business expertise they are seeking. When it comes to
promotions and succession planning, Emotional Intelligence should be a major
criterion, particularly to the extent that a position requires leadership. When those
with high potential are being selected and groomed, Emotional Intelligence should
be central. And in training and development, Emotional Intelligence should again
be a major focus.
 No great successes in life, business or personal, have been accomplished without
the power of emotions behind them. Emotions are a leader's greatest source of
energy, connection and influence. In these dynamic times, leaders need all three:
energy to create vision and execute brilliant strategy, connection to build
sustainable client relationships, and influence to inspire those around them. The
conclusion must be that when choosing leaders we must focus more strongly on
finding persons with conscious and constructive values and high Emotional
Intelligence.
 Given the new understanding of the crucial role emotional competence plays in
individual, group, and organizational success, the implication for education is
clear: We should be helping young people master these competencies as essential
life skills. There are already numerous school-based programs in the basics of
Emotional Intelligence, programs that deliver social and emotional learning
(SEL). But when it comes to preparing young people in the essential Emotional
75
Intelligence skills that matter most for their success in the workplace, for piloting
their careers, and for leadership, there is a serious gap. The SEL programs cover
the early school years but not higher education. Only a scattered handful of
pioneering SEL courses exists at the college or professional level. And yet the
data showing the crucial role Emotional Intelligence skills play in career success
make a compelling case for envisioning higher education in order to give these
capabilities their place in a well-rounded curriculum.
 Given that employers themselves are looking for Emotional Intelligence capacities
in those they hire, colleges and professional schools that offered appropriate SEL
training would benefit both their graduates and the organizations they work for.
 The future, I hope, will recognize the importance of Emotional Intelligence not
just for the students, not just for the students' employers, but for the vitality of an
economy as a whole.
76
Heart Rending
Emotionally engaged teams are more productive, more loyal, create higher levels of
profitability and higher levels of customer satisfaction – in other words, it’s about
business success, not just creating a great place to work.
Want to double your revenue growth rates and triple your profit growth rates? This
was the question posed to a roomful of CEOs of large companies at a recent Gallup
seminar. After a moment of stunned silence, one CEO, a 60 year old legend in
corporate America stood up and said: “yes, I do – and while I am at it, I also want to
be the next Miss Universe.” The room cracked up in laughter. Both the question and
answer tickled the audience pink. When the mirth subsided, Curt Coffman, global best
– selling author and the Gallup consultant driving the session said, “Joe, you are
incredibly funny – but the truth is that, there is a way. And some companies have
started to experience this even as they run their earlier stagnant, often declining
companies. They have unleashed the power of what we call the emotional economy.
Today we are going to share their secret with you – and the best part about it is that it
is a never ending source of competitive advantage”.
77
So what were the things spoken about on that landmark day – the day that 50
giddy CEOs left a room, transformed. They left the room believing that it is still
possible to be hugely successful without resorting to the kind of financial
skullduggery that has become the norm rather than the expectation in recent times.
Before probing the emotional economy, lets talk about its much-practiced
seductive flipside, the economy of reason.
The economy of reason
Companies have long treated people (customers and employees) as rational beings –
appeal to their rational, logical self, and you are bound to succeed. Hence to retain
employees, pay them more, give them better designations etc., to retain customers,
advertise or build loyalty programs. And yet, across the sectors, pretty much across
the world, growth rates are stagnant, profit growth is anemic and to kill competition,
companies are slashing their own wrists by cutting prices. Obviously, it does not seem
to work too well, does it? Lets move on to the emotional economy and see how it can
benefit us as business leaders and managers.
The economy of emotion
Great companies have realized one thing – that many of the elements of the reason
driven economy – great products, value for money, pricing, extensive media
promotion, loyalty programs, etc., are simply tickets of admission. They simply
cannot serve as differentiators. Differentiation occurs at a different level altogether.
78
Recent discoveries in neuroscience strongly suggest that emotion triumphs over
reason. Neural pathways from the brain structure commanding our emotional
responses to the brain systems that control our thoughts are wider and stronger than
the pathways the other way around. In essence, emotions are a more important aspect
to address than reason alone. This is something that great organizations have started to
realize and to address. They have realized that emotional engagement is the fuel that
drives the most productive employees and the most profitable customers. Great
organizations set up conditions that cultivate emotional mechanisms among
employees and customers. And the bets way to achieve this is not through technology,
but through human interaction – the fastest and the most powerful trigger of
emotional states.
And lest this appear simply interesting, but untested hypothesis, let that thought be
quickly dispelled. The ‘Emotional Economy’ has backing from data gathered from
over 10 million customers, 3 million employees and over 200,000 managers – studies
across the world, across industries and job types.
So what is the learning or set of learnings that great companies have made that most
companies are still struggling with? There are six things that they have realized, one
leading to the other:
 Employees who use their natural talents in their jobs produce significantly
more than average workers.
79
 Emotionally committed employees form teams that deliver exceptional
outcomes.
 Customers recognize the passion and commitment employees feel towards
them and cannot help but respond in an emotional way.
 This emotional reaction builds a bridge between employees and customers that
creates engagement.
 This engagement becomes the key factor that drives sustainable growth.
 Sustainable growth is the route to profits and, ultimately, higher stock value.
This path up the emotional economy is branded as The Gallup Path. In a nutshell,
reason driven economy focuses on ‘failure prevention’, while emotion driven
economy works on success enhancement. While reason influences both employees
and customers, emotions are indispensable, because they drive the best in both of
them. The emotional economy makes use of a chemical reaction inside the brain to
propose a business model that truly works.
Inherent to the success of companies walking the Emotional Economy path are three
clear points. To begin with, recruit for talent – cast people according to their
strengths. Second, engage your employees by making them a part of great teams. And
finally, use these engaged employees to create engaged customers.
80
In this article the primary focus is on the first two elements – ‘casting people right’
and ‘engaging them’ in the roles they perform. The third element ‘engaging
customers’ is almost a natural by-product. However, to drive the emotional economy,
all of the above aspects have to work together, in perfect harmony. Doing just one or
the other is of no use at all.
Element 1: Select for Talent
Give the big focus on ITES in india today, lets take a look at two employees working
in the call-center business in india – lets call them ‘She Cann” and ‘He Cant’. They
are both employed in a call-center operation for one of the largest banks in the world.
Both have similar academic background, had been through the same training process
and have received the same amount of training. And yet, while She Cann loves her
job and excels in it, He Cant hates his job.
To quote She Cann,”I have a great time talking to people and figuring out what is or
isn’t important to them. When I make a connection, I hear it in their voices, and it
makes me feel good.” And now lets look at what the unfortunate He Cant has to say,
‘I try to sound friendly and courteous, just as I was taught to be. But for some reason I
can’t fathom, when I pick up the phone, everything falls apart. I forget the client’s
name. Somehow I naturally lose the person as soon as I say hello. Its terribly
demoralizing”. The difference is clear. She Cann is able to connect with her
customers emotionally, unlike He Cant. And the reason is obvious. While the
demographic profile and training of both is similar, the truth is that She Cann is in a
81
role that is playing to her strengths, while He Cant is trying to salvage something out
of a role that he is not cut out for.
The above example is not fictitious – our global research shows that across the world,
a mere fifth of the worlds working population is well cast in roles – roles that utilize
their potential to the fullest extent, that draws from their strengths.
Is the problem with the employees? No, it is with the way they are cast. Does this
have a business impact? Yes, id does – logically it should and the data proves it as
well. Coming back to the call-center case, heres what we see in of the largest call-
center operations in the world – the top1% performers create engagement among
almost each and every customer they talk to. The bottom performers on the other hand
manage something remarkable – they manage to eradicate customer allegiance
completely.
So what do companies do to retrieve the situation – they train these miscast people
more and more to deliver better. But can they truly – can you train a rabbit to swim?
Perhaps, but would you ever make it a world-class swimmer – definitely not. One big
issue is the faulty assumption that anyone can excel in anything if they receive enough
training and try hard enough. Nothing can be further from the truth.
As you walk the path of emotional economy remember that world class performance
comes when people are in roles that utilize their talents best – building on talents
leads to world class performance. Weakness fixing, at best, only helps reduce failure.
82
Element 2: Engage your Employees
All our work tells us that there are typically three types of employees in every
company. The ‘engaged employees’ who are completely committed to the role that
they perform and typically deliver superior results. The ‘not engaged ‘ employees
who do pretty much that they are supposed to do but are susceptible to overtures from
competition. The third band, the ‘actively disengaged’, is employees who have
completely lost their link from the job that they are supposed to perform and the
company, like our friend ‘He Cant’ above.
As you read this article, think about yourself – which of these three groups do you fall
under? And why? Think of your co-workers. Almost certainly you will be able to
categorize all the people that you work with into one of these three groups.
Companies have attempted to work on this issue for a long time now. They have
relied on employee satisfaction surveys to provide them inputs about what needs to be
done to create employee engagement. And yet a survey with the CEOs and HR heads
of the Fortune 500 companies revealed an alarming situation. The vast majority of
respondents opined that far from giving them inputs to increase employee satisfaction
in the company, the entire process actually worsened things within the company with
regard employee engagement.
So what is the cause of ‘disengagement’? And what could be going wrong with the
old-fashioned employee satisfaction survey? One clear problem is miscasting.
Obviously miscast employees are not going to feel engaged. But another problem
83
exists too, a very significant one. All action arising out of the survey was driven by
the top management of the organization, but in a sense that’s the equivalent of using a
Band-Aid to cover a bullet wound. As the path breaking book ‘first break all the rules’
says, this is because employees join companies but leave managers.
The term ‘organizational culture’ is a myth – there are as many cultures in an
organization. Hence, any survey that does not lead to action being taken at the level of
the manager and team will aggravate, rather than improve a situation.
At the heart of the emotional economy is the ‘manager’, the leader of a team. Without
a great manager, the talents of employees are like sundials in the shade – present, but
useless. The manager makes or breaks the journey that the company makes on the
road to emotional engagement. It is interesting to see that great managers do four key
things, aspects that could be called the four keys of great management.
 Select for talent. Great managers are very careful about their choice of team
members and make sure that there is a clear talent role match.
 Set clear expectations. Great managers define outcomes and let each employee
find their own way to achieving these outcomes.
 Motivate people based on their strengths.
 Develop people based on their fit, instead of simply moving them up the
hierarchy.
84
And all this works – and works dramatically. Emotionally engaged teams are more
productive, more loyal to the company, create higher levels of profitability, safety in
the work place and higher levels of customer satisfaction – in other words, it’s about
business success, not just about creating a great work place to work. Unfortunately,
research tells us that in every company, only 25% of the teams are operating at peak
levels of emotional engagement. The impact on business outcomes if this number
could be increased by even 10% each year is mind-boggling.
Element 3: Engage your Customers
When you, Mr.CEO are thinking about how to do this, remember these two bits of
research. The Pryor report shows why companies lose customers – 68% of customers
defect because they are turned off by rude/indifferent employees. Research at the
Gallup organization carried out across a host of products categories revealed the
presence of a 5th P of marketing, that’s a lot more important today than any of the
traditional 4 P’s. It’s the ‘people’ piece that today is significantly more important in
driving customer loyalty than any other aspect.
So, how do you get your people to build customer loyalty – elementary – not by
paying them more, or by giving them fancy titles, but by executing the first and
second element mentioned above in your company, one employee and one manager at
a time.
85

Emotional Intelligence 1

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originalbeschreibung:

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Emotional Intelligence 1

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

article on Emotional Intelligence, it attracted a higher percentage of readers than any

to the 400 top executives in the company worldwide.

Given that Emotional Intelligence is so popular in the corporate world, it is

1.2 HISTORICAL ROOTS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

on cognitive aspects, such as memory and problem-solving. However, there were

important. For instance, David Wechsler defined intelligence as “the aggregate or

effectively with his environment”. As early as 1940 he referred to “non-intellective”

as well as “intellective” elements, by which he meant affective, personal, and social

“The main question is whether non-intellective, that is affective and cognitive

intelligent behavior. If the foregoing observations are correct, it follows that we

of the non-intellective factors”.

intelligence to be important for adaptation and success. Robert Thorndike, to take

Gardner proposed that “intrapersonal” and “interpersonal” intelligences are as

important as the type of intelligence typically measured by IQ and related tests.

Emotional Intelligence builds on this foundation.

1.3 CONTEMPORARY INTEREST

described Emotional Intelligence as “a form of social intelligence that involves the

Mayer also initiated a research program intending to develop valid measures of

supportive social networks.

He had been trained as a psychologist at Harvard where he worked with David

McClelland, among others. McClelland was among a growing group of researchers

intelligence talks about what it takes to be successful in life.

1.4 DEFINITION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

A simple definition of Emotional Intelligence is “Knowing what feels good,

what feels bad, and how to get from bad to good”.

A more formal academic definition is:

“The emotional awareness and emotional management skills which provide

the ability to balance emotion and reason so as to maximize long-term happiness. It is

thinking and actions".

"Emotional Intelligence refers to an ability to recognize the meanings of

capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings, understand the

information of those emotions, and manage them."

The definition of Emotional Intelligence as proposed by Mayer, Salovey

and their recent colleague David Caruso (Referred to as MSC).

“Emotional Intelligence is a true form of intelligence having the ability to

process emotional information, particularly as it involves the perception, assimilation,

understanding, and management of emotion."

Thus, Emotional Intelligence is a set of skills hypothesized to contribute to the

achieve in one's life.

1.5 THE FOUR BRANCHES OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

1. Perception Appraisal and Expression of Emotion.

2. Emotional Facilitation of Thinking.

3. Emotional Understanding and Analyzing Emotions; Employing Emotional

1. Perception Appraisal and Expression of Emotion

2. Emotional facilitation of Thinking

• The ability to incorporate feelings into analysis, reasoning, problem solving

and decision making.

• The ability to solve emotional problems.

• The ability to identify and understand the inter-relationships between

• Ability to reflectively monitor emotions in relation to oneself and others, such

as recognizing how clear, typical, influential or reasonable they are.

• Ability to reflectively engage or detach from an emotion depending upon its

judged informativeness or utility.

1.6 EMOTIONAL COMPETENCIES

FIG 1: Emotional Competencies

Emotional Intelligence is a combination of competencies. These skills

correctly gauge the emotional state of others and to influence opinions.

Emotional Competencies - Goleman describes a model of five dimensions.

Each area has its own set of behavioral attributes as follows.

• Know which emotions they are feeling and why.

• Recognize how their feelings affect their performance.

• Have a guiding awareness of their values and goals.