The Definition and Importance of Emotional Intelligence at Work

This refers to the capability of an individual to manage and control his emotions and he or she has the capability to control the emotions of others too (Carson, Carson and Birkenmeier, 2016.) Emotional intelligence can also be defined as the ability to understand, recognize and manage our own emotions and influence other people’s emotions.    

Importance of emotional intelligence at work.

Formation of strong bonds

Emotional intelligence enables individuals to create strong bonds among them that enable them to thrive (Van Deursen et al., 2015).

Less conflicts

It reduces work place conflicts among the individuals because of the ability to control the temper among them. It also enhances proper ways for resolving conflicts in the organization.

Recognition of ability in others

Emotional intelligence enables the leaders to acknowledge the potential and opportunity in others because the way a person responds to a bad situation depicts his or her inner personality.

Enhances perseverance by leaders

Leaders face a lot of challenges in the organization which to some extend might lead them to be angered and even resign. Emotional intelligence enables the leaders to control their emotions and continue providing their best service in the organization even after been annoyed (Collins, and Cooper, 2014).  

Explain each of the five essential principles of emotional intelligence as defined by Daniel Goleman.

Elements of emotional intelligence

Being an important skill in leadership, it has the following elements: social skills, empathy, self-awareness, motivation and self-regulation (Foster et al., 2015).

Social skills

Through emotional intelligence, we get to understand other people and able to handle them regardless of their reactions to different situations.

Empathy

This refers to the ability to be compassionate and understand other people with their emotions. Empathy is one of the features for a good leader which enhances the retention of staff in the organization reducing employee turnover from the organization (Goleman and Boyatzis, 2017).

Self-awareness

A person should be aware of his or her own emotions so as to be able to handle his or her emotions in different situations (Killgore et al., 2015). A person should understand how emotions influence his actions so as to be in a good position to deal with them appropriately. 

Motivation

According to Goleman, (2014) employees who have a high degree of emotional intelligence are self-motivated to carry out various tasks within the organization. Such individuals are never driven by money or quest for power.  Employees with high emotional intelligence are usually very productive within the organization facilitating the achievement of organizational goals.

Self-regulation

This refers to the situation where an individual is able to monitor and manage his emotions effectively. Controlling emotions requires unique skills since this is not usually an easy task especially if an individual feels that he or she has really been offended and demands justice.  

Explain the key principles of the Emotional Intelligence Theory developed by Caruso and Salovey (2004).

Emotions management

 Refers to the ability to be open to feelings and modulating them in one self and others for the promotion of personal understanding and development (Ju et al., 2015).

Understanding the Essential Principles of Emotional Intelligence

 Emotions understanding

This refers to the ability by the individual to understand information related to emotions and having a thorough knowledge on how different emotions combine and progress through different relationships for the appreciation of the meaning for such emotions (Martin-Raugh, Kell and Motowidlo, 2016).

Thought facilitation.

This refers to the capability to use, generate and have a perception that some feelings can be communicated through emotions expressed by individuals (Vratskikh, Al-Lozi and Maqableh, 2016).

Emotions perception

This is the capability by individuals to perceive their emotions through various stories, movies, music and various stimuli within their environment (Ruvalcaba-Romero et al., 2017). 

Explain three strategies that can be used to build emotional intelligence.

Focusing on your emotions on daily basis

An individual should be in a good position to identify his feelings as they arise so as to be able to control them. This is only possible through being attentive to emotions in various situations (Hughes, Jason, 2011).

Practicing empathy

As an individual it is always advisable to put yourself in the situation of others especially if they are in need and you can help.

Exercising self-regulation

It is healthy if a person learn to control him/herself when he or she feel upset in a given situation. This enables the person develop his or her emotional intelligence (Smith, Tanya, 2016).

Explain how a manager with high emotional intelligence can assist in achieving business objectives. Provide an example to illustrate your answer.

The manager with high emotional intelligence shall be able to control his emotions in various circumstances as well controlling the emotions of the employees especially when they feel oppressed enhancing the retention of the employees in the organization. E.g. employees might feel looked down upon by the management in decision making and feel like leaving the organization but the manager can encourage them to stay by promising them a bright future.

The manager shall create a good relationship with the employees because of his social skills which shall enhance the commitment of the employees towards the achievement of the organizational goals and objectives. E.g. the manager can always check on the employees and request on their progress in relation to the task and listen to their complaints.

A manager with high emotional intelligence is also very competent in resolving conflicts among the employees in the organization because of the ability to understand various approaches for dealing with the various types of emotions among the individuals (Serrat, 2017). Conflicts hinder the achievement of goals and objectives in the organization hence when the manager resolves the conflicts the employees will focus on performance.

E.g. the manager can know how to handle short tempered individuals when resolving conflicts involving them.

Acts as a guide and counsellor

A manager with high emotional intelligence acts as a guide and a counsellor to the employees when they face some problems which always have a diverse impact on their performance. A manager can identify stressed employees and help them overcome their challenges which enables them to focus on performance enhancing the achievement of organizational goals and objectives.

Key Principles of the Emotional Intelligence Theory developed by Caruso and Salovey (2004)

Explain the importance of recognizing cultural differences in emotional intelligence. Provide two examples example to illustrate your answer.

Different cultures have different ways of expressing their emotions

People from different cultures express their emotions on various occasions in different ways

Example one

The whites do laugh slightly when excited by an event as compared to the blacks who exaggerate their laughter on occasions that have made them excited as depicted in most of the movies.

Example two

A smile is used by two groups from different cultures to convey different meanings in a given situation. For people from North America, a smile is a sign of friendliness and good will while for people from some of the Asian cultures, a smile is used to cover an embarrassment or an emotional pain.

Different ways of displaying emotions in public

Individuals from different cultures have different ways of expressing their emotions in public(Ouyang, Sang and Peng, 2015) .In some cultures it is a taboo for a man to shed tears in public hence men cry in privacy while in some of the cultures men cry to express their emotions in public.

Example one

In roman culture men cry in private chambers when they were carried by emotions e.g. Pilate during the time of Jesus judgment in his jurisdiction while the American men shed their tears in public as expressed in most of the movies.

Example two

In some films involving the Americans and the Japanese, both participants expressed their emotions anger, disgust and fear in a similar way when they were alone. In the company of other participants, the Americans persisted with their emotions but the Japanese smiled to hide their feelings.  

Explain two ways of communicating effectively with a diverse workforce with varying cultural expressions of emotions.

Participative decision making

The leader should involve the employees in the process of making decisions in relation to various aspects within the organization (Singh and Bhardwaj, 2016). In the process he shall be able to see their feelings in relation to the matters arising and able to know whether they are in agreement or not.

Use of team leaders

When there is a need for change in the organization, team leaders can be used to influence the employees that in deed the change would be of great benefit to them so as to overcome their different reactions to the situation.  

Explain two ways of using emotional intelligence to build effective workplace relationships.  

Ability to understand other people’s emotions is very crucial in the process of solving conflicts between them and others at the work place enhancing peaceful work environment for increased productivity.

Leaders with high emotional intelligence usually have the ability to interact effectively with the employees at the work place an aspect that increases the bond between the management and the employees which enhances the commitment of the employees towards the achievement of the organizational goals and objectives.

Document your ratings for each of the five factors as identified in the personality test results. Include your score for each of the factors and how you rated on each factor, as well as your strongest personality trait as shown by your highest score.

The big five  factors	Factor scores	Factor rating
Openness to experience	9	Low
Conscientiousness	56	Middle
Extraversion	47	Middle
Agreeableness	46	Middle
Natural reactions	30	Low

Strategies for Building Emotional Intelligence

Strongest personality trait- Conscientiousness- 56

1. b)  Reflecting on the results, identify what stood out for you in terms of what it tells you about yourself as a person?

  I am a social person since I am efficient in a team. I am an organised person which is a key aspect for success as an individual.

1. c) Thinking about the questions asked as part of the personality test and your learnings as part of this unit, identify five of your emotional strengths?

Iam social because of the ability to work with others.

I’m empathetic as I’m usually concerned about the needy in the society.

I have the ability to control my emotions in various situations

I’m aware of my emotions and can easily identify them as they arise

I have the ability to convince others and control their emotions.

1. Thinking about the questions asked as part of the personality test and you’re learning as part of this unit, identify five of your emotional weaknesses?

I’m short tempered

I’m prone to worry

I’m over trust others

I’m afraid of change

I’m prone to stress

1. Explain how you believe the emotional strengths you have identified above help your workplace performance and relationships.

Ability to work with others has enhanced my best performance when working in teams within the organization.

The ability to control my emotions has enabled me to avoid conflicts with individuals in the organization and rather focus on performance.

1. Discuss how you believe your emotional weaknesses hinder your workplace performance and relationships.

The nature of being worried about my job security due to the fear of unknown affects my performance.

The need for change in some organizational aspects instil fear in me leading to lack of motivation at work.

1. Complete the following table about personal stressors at work.

Identify at least four sources of stress that are most likely to result in workplace stress for you, your stress response (emotional, physical, behavioural) and actions that you can take (or have taken) to manage stress.  

Personal stressor	What is your stress response	Actions to address
Work load	I feel exhausted at work	Plan my schedule for each work well.
Commanding supervisor	Fear at work	Avoid him seriously
Monotony of work	Boredom	Request for deployment
Complexity of some tasks	Mental disturbance	Seeking clarifications.

1. Write down each need you have chosen and why this need is important to you at work.

Also give an outline of the emotions triggered in you when you don’t get these needs met and ways that you can control your emotions in the face of not having your needs met.

Need and why this need is important to you at work	What is your emotional response when this need is not met?	Emotional control mechanism
· Respect Improves my self esteem	low self esteem	I approach the relevant person and notify him or her.
· Freedom enhances my job satisfaction at work	I feel like quitting job	I raise a concern to the management for adjustment.
· Be treated fairly Enhances commitment at work.	Lack of motivation in my  work hence low performance	I hope for the best in future

1. What other criteria could you use other than those in the personality test to determine your own emotional strengths and weaknesses? Identify and describe at least three.

Self-evaluation

I shall conduct evaluate myself on the number of times have been able to overcome my emotions through an individual swot analysis

Asking my close friends

I will request my friends for their perception regarding my emotional intelligence

Use of previous trends

Can compare my previous trend in emotional intelligence with the current trend and make appropriate conclusions.

Based on a review of the case study, what do you think could be possible range of emotions that Yuko could be feeling? List at least five possibilities.

She feels discriminated

She feels discriminated because of her race as a Japanese which is lowering her self-esteem in the work place.

She is hated

Yuko is very sure that Beryl hates her with passion due to lack of effective communication between the two.

She is stressed

Yuko is really stressed because of her lower level of performance, she even does not attend staff meetings as before.

Loneliness

She feels lonely as she no longer sits in the staff room with other employees.

Sadness

She might be very sad that Beryl seems not to want her any more in the organization which might be her only source of income.

Based on a review of the case study, what are the possible ranges of emotions that Beryl could be feeling? List at least five possibilities.

Irritated

Beryl feels irritated by Yuko’s presence in the organization

Bored

Beryl might be bored by Yuko’s accent as she struggles to understand what she says

How a Manager with High Emotional Intelligence Can Assist in Achieving Business Objectives

Worried

Beryl has a feeling that Yuko is not enthusiastic in her work something that would affect the performance of the organization.

Hatred

Beryl hates Yuko from the way she behaves, she has the tendency of ignoring her.

Fear

She might be fearing to address Yuko directly hence prefers addressing her through the other employees in the organization.

Based on a review of the case study, what do you think could be the effect of the workplace situation on the manager and possible emotions they could be feeling? List at least five possibilities.

The manager is Worried

The manager is worried that the low performance exhibited by Yuko would affect the general performance of the organization.

The manager is Empathetic

Yuko’s situation has made the manager take an urgent step to end the conflict so as to enhance her better performance

The manager is courageous

The manager decides to confront them to find an optimum solution for their problem

The manager might have been irritated

The manager might have been irritated by Betyl’s attitude towards Yuko and took an urgent action to make things right.

The conflict between the two might have aroused fear for the manager as the organization was affected

Would you expect any cultural differences in emotions? Research differences between Australian and Japanese expressions of emotions and describe differences you identify. List at least two.

Australians always share what they feel while the Japanese are usually silent and their emotions are not expressed in words and rather in Actions. From the case study, Beryl shared her emotions for Yuko with others but Yuko’s actions in the organization depicted her emotions.

The Japanese do not express their emotions in public and they would rather give a smile but in real sense they are being tormented inside while Australians show their emotions and it’s easy to be noted by almost everybody when they are annoyed.

During a meeting, what techniques would you use to ensure that Beryl and Yuko have the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings? List at least two.

Promising to tackle their issues accordingly

This shall motivate each person to speak out her mind with an assurance that their shall be a good solution for the problem once and for all.

Requesting each of the individual to share what she does not like in the organization by suggesting the changes that should be made.

Requesting them to work together on a certain task

I would request if they can work together on a small task and this would enable each individual to express her feelings regarding the other.

During a meeting, what techniques would you use to ensure that Beryl and Yuko have the opportunity to reflect on the effect of their behaviour and emotions? List at least two.

Requesting them to evaluate the performance of the company

This shall give them an opportunity to realise how their actions are affecting the overall performance of the company and enable them resolve their issues for the sake of the company.

Requesting them to think about their roles in the organization

This shall enable them to feel the image they are portraying to other employees and yet they need to be their role models in their actions as they are among the top management team

What advice could you give to Beryl and Yuko to assist them in self-managing their emotions? List at least five tips.

They should learn to be interactive and share their concerns to enable them overcome their emotions

They should put the organizational interest at heart and avoid actions that may affect organizational performance.

They should avoid been judgemental on other people and focus on their performance for the success of the organization.

They should learn to reflect on the consequences of their actions on other employees and the general performance of the organization.

They should learn to build on their emotional intelligence as leaders by practising the five key principles of emotional intelligence at the work place.  

Document a step-by-step approach for resolving the workplace situation. As a guide, you should list between 6 to 8 steps.

• Understanding the situation that has resulted to the conflicts between the two individuals
• Acknowledge the problem that has resulted to the situation
• Take time and reflect on the situation
• Avoid the use of coercion and intimidation on the victims in the process of gathering information
• Focus not only on  the problem but also on the  individuals as they may have personality conflict
• Establish guidelines for resolving the conflict for both parties for achievement of desired objectives
• Keep the communication open by allowing both individuals to express their views  

Prepare questions (at least five) to ask Beryl and Yuko at the meeting.

Do you know the impact of your actions on the organizational performance?

Do you know the criteria for building your emotional intelligence?

What are your perceptions on the importance of organizational peace and harmony among all the staff members?

Does the action of top management have an influence to the rest of the employees in the organization?

What advice can you give to other employees on the significance of appreciating diversity within the organization?  

References

Carson, K.D., Carson, P.P. and Birkenmeier, B.J., 2016. Measuring emotional intelligence: Development and validation of an instrument. Journal of Behavioral and applied Management, 2(1), p.810.

Collins, C.S. and Cooper, J.E., 2014. Emotional intelligence and the qualitative researcher. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 13(1), pp.88-103.

Foster, K., McCloughen, A., Delgado, C., Kefalas, C. and Harkness, E., 2015. Emotional intelligence education in pre-registration nursing programmes: An integrative review. Nurse Education Today, 35(3), pp.510-517.

Goleman, D. and Boyatzis, R., 2017. Emotional intelligence has 12 elements. Which do you need to work on. Harvard Business Review, 84(2), pp.1-5.

Goleman, D., 2014. What makes a leader: Why emotional intelligence matters. More Than Sound, LLC.pp34

Ju, C., Lan, J., Li, Y., Feng, W. and You, X., 2015. The mediating role of workplace social support on the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and teacher burnout. Teaching and Teacher Education, 51, pp.58-67.

Martin-Raugh, M.P., Kell, H.J. and Motowidlo, S.J., 2016. Prosocial knowledge mediates effects of agreeableness and emotional intelligence on prosocial behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 90, pp.41-49. 

Killgore, W.D., Rosso, I.M., Rauch, S.L. and Nickerson, L.D., 2015, May. Emotional Intelligence Correlates with Coordinated Resting State Activity between Brain Networks involved in Emotion Regulation and Interoceptive Experience. In BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY (Vol. 77, No. 9). 360 PARK AVE SOUTH, NEW YORK, NY 10010-1710 USA: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC.

Ouyang, Z., Sang, J., Li, P. and Peng, J., 2015. Organizational justice and job insecurity as mediators of the effect of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction: A study from China. Personality and Individual Differences, 76, pp.147-152.

Van Deursen, A.J., Bolle, C.L., Hegner, S.M. and Kommers, P.A., 2015. Modeling habitual and addictive smartphone behavior: The role of smartphone usage types, emotional intelligence, social stress, self-regulation, age, and gender. Computers in human behavior, 45, pp.411-420.

Vratskikh, I., Al-Lozi, M. and Maqableh, M., 2016. The impact of emotional intelligence on job performance via the mediating role of job satisfaction. International Journal of Business and Management, 11(2), p.69.

Ruvalcaba-Romero, N.A., Fernández-Berrocal, P., Salazar-Estrada, J.G. and Gallegos-Guajardo, J., 2017. Positive emotions, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships and social support as mediators between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. Journal of Behavior, Health & Social Issues, 9(1), pp.1-6.

Serrat, O., 2017. Understanding and developing emotional intelligence. In Knowledge Solutions (pp. 329-339). Springer, Singapore.

Singh, D.P. and Bhardwaj, B.K., 2016. Emotional Intelligence and Adjustment of Sports persons. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, Volume 3, Issue 4, No. 59, p.86.