Welcome to the Momentum Business Coaching Newsletter for
February 2007

Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

The concept of emotional intelligence became popular after the immense success of Daniel Goleman's books in the 1990s, Emotional Intelligence, Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, and Working with Emotional Intelligence. The business community was rocked by the research that overwhelmingly showed that up to 90 percent of one's performance effectiveness was due to emotional savvy rather than technological knowledge.

The evidence is now clear that people skills are far more important than IQ when it comes to the bottom line. Not only are emotions very much a part of the work experience, but to a large degree they set the course that a company follows.

Unlike IQ, which is unchanging from childhood on, emotional intelligence can be developed. In fact, it usually does become greater with age and maturity. The importance of developing one's emotional intelligence is essential to success in the workplace. Utilising the power and energy of one's emotions leads to high motivation, and improves problem-solving and decision-making.

People work better when feeling good, and feeling good about oneself and others requires good management of emotions. Some people are better at this than others, but everyone can learn the skills.

Understanding emotions contributes toward building an emotionally intelligent organisation. An emotionally intelligent organisation can be imagined where:

• Everyone communicates with understanding and respect
• People set group goals and help others work toward them
• Enthusiasm and confidence in the organization are widespread

Defining EQ

Emotional Intelligence describes abilities distinct from academic intelligence, the purely cognitive capacities measured by IQ. In 1983 Howard Gardner, a Harvard psychologist, listed seven kinds of intelligence including knowing one's inner world and social adeptness.

Peter Salovey of Yale and John Mayer of the University of New Hampshire coined the term "emotional intelligence" in 1990 and proposed a comprehensive theory. Salovey and Mayer defined emotional intelligence in terms of being able to monitor and regulate one's own and other's feelings, and to use feelings to guide thought and action.

Goleman defines it as the capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.

Perhaps Hendrie Weisinger in his 1998 definition says it best: "Quite simply, emotional intelligence is the intelligent use of emotions!" It is emotionally intelligent when you intentionally make emotions work for you by using them to help guide your behaviour and thinking in ways that enhance your results.

Emotions and the Brain

Research into emotions has been greatly enhanced by brain-imaging technologies in the last decade. For the first time ever, scientists have been able to study the functioning of the brain on living subjects and to map out the parts of the brain responsible for thinking and feeling.

As thinking human beings, we value our rationality and cognitive powers that set us apart from the animal kingdom. The neo-cortex, the centre for rational thinking and decision-making, is the newer part of the brain that is highly developed in humans. The emotional parts of the brain are located in the more ancient, central parts of the brain called the limbic system, including the amygdala, the center active during anger.

All emotions are in essence impulses to act. The very root of the word is from the Latin verb to move. That emotions lead to actions is obvious from watching animals or children. Only in civilised adults do we expect actions to be distanced from emotional reactions. But even as highly intelligent and civilised adults, we can never disengage our emotional brain - it is always there, sending emotional signals to act and react, even when there is no logic.

Most people believe that emotions are caused by events. They are in fact caused by our interpretations of events, which can happen so fast as to be beneath the conscious awareness. Our pre-conscious, split-second thoughts give rise to automatic emotional reactions. We have a choice as to how we behave, what we say, and how we handle a situation. The appropriateness of our actions and the effectiveness of our communications make up our emotional intelligence. A person who is highly-developed emotionally becomes sensitive to pre-conscious thoughts, questions their validity and appropriateness, and is able to directly influence feelings, thoughts and behaviors.

Measuring EQ

Over ninety percent of effectiveness at work is attributed to one's emotional intelligence. EQ, a term coined to express the measure of one's emotional intelligence, has been proposed as the answer to why some people with average IQs end up more successful in life than some with brilliant IQ scores.

To measure one's emotional functioning is a complicated task. Goleman summarises emotional intelligence into the following components:

1. Emotional self-awareness
2. Managing one's own emotions
3. Using emotions to maximise intellectual processing and decision-making, including self-motivation
4. Developing empathy
5. The art of social relationships and managing emotions in others

In 1997, Dr. Reuven Bar-On developed the "E.Q.-I", an "emotional intelligence inventory" published by Multi-Health Systems, Inc. Although they were so small as to be statistically significant, there were some gender differences. More specifically, women are more aware of their emotions, show more empathy, relate better interpersonally, and act more socially responsible than men. Men appear to have better self-regard, are more independent, solve problems better, are more flexible, and cope better with stress.

A look at what the "E.Q.-I" measures contributes to an understanding of the components of emotional intelligence.

The use of 360-degree surveys is one way to measure emotional intelligence, because such surveys ask colleagues, boss, direct reports and even family to rate the person on emotional competencies. One of the most widely used of these 360's is the Emotional Competency Inventory, ECI, published by the Hay Group. It is based on extensive research. With effective feedback, coaching and follow-up, the results can be outstanding in developing one's "E.Q."

Teaming and Group EQ

When emotions are acknowledged and guided constructively, they enhance intellectual performance of teams. In meetings and group settings where people collaborate, there is a strong sense of group intelligence. The most important element is not the average or highest IQ, but emotional intelligence. A single participant who is low in EQ can lower the collective IQ of the entire group.

Thus, a group may be able to work smarter than its members' collective intelligences would suggest, but it can also rapidly work dumber by not allowing people to share talents and by allowing destructive discontent, domineering, or infighting to degrade performance and stymie progress.

Today's fast-changing work environments require more open and fluid work styles. Teaming, in order to be effective, requires people to have a high degree of both intellect and EQ. People need to be able to handle their own and other's emotions in order to trust and team up for problem-solving and decision-making.

Emotional Intelligence Suggested Reading

Cooper, R.K. & Sawaf, A.(1997). Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership & Organizations. Grosset/Putnam.

Epstein, S. (1998). Constructive Thinking: The Key to Emotional Intelligence. Praeger Publishers.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than I.Q. Bantam Books.

Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. Bantam Books.

Mayer, J.D., Salovey, P.(1993). The intelligence of emotional intelligence. Intelligence, 17, 433-442.
Mayer, J.D., & Salovey, P. 1995. Emotional intelligence and the construction and regulation of feelings. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 4, 197-208.

Salovey, P. & Sluyter, D.J. (Eds.). (1997). Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence. Basic Books.

Segal, J.(1997). Raising Your Emotional Intelligence: A Practical Guide. Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

Seligman, M. E.P. (1990). Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Pocket Books.

Steiner, C. (1997). Achieving Emotional Literacy: A Personal Program to Increase Your Emotional Intelligence. Simon & Schuster.

Weisinger, H. (1998). Emotional Intelligence at Work; San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

"EQ" Internet Resources

Emotional Competence Inventory, Emotional Intelligence Services: http://www.EISGlobal.com

Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organisations: http://www.eiconsortium.org

Simmons Personal Survey:
http://www.eqhelp.com

EQ Map, Q-Metrics:
http://www.qmetricseq.com