Emotional intelligence research/opinion paper

Emotional Intelligence research/opinion paper

Module Emotional Intelligence In the modern world, companies are seeking for ways to develop a competitive advantage over their rivals by enhancing their human resource management (Rahim 5). In order to do so, businesses have opted for a future oriented human resources approach. It could be argued that individual employee skills and competencies determine the overall success an organization. This can be attributed to the changes made by individuals in their job roles and positions and skills and competencies. For that reason, the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays an important role in any organization. EI is explained as the ability to identify, analyze and manage one’s emotions and that of others. It entails a number of skills and abilities that can be classified into five categories. These are self awareness, managing emotions, motivating oneself, empathy and handling social relationships. This paper looks at the importance of EI in management. In general, EI improves the overall employees’ social effectiveness. It has been observed that individuals with higher EI exhibit better social relationships (Stough 182). They are able to use their intellect, understand situations and manage their emotions better than others. Such people are easy to work with owing to their agreeable nature, their positive approach to emotional problems and their verbal skills. Such individuals are suited in occupations involving social interactions. They are also less likely to engage in self- destructive behaviour and negative practices such as drug abuse, violence and excessive drinking. Additionally, they are keen towards achieving goals and objectives. EI is therefore important to be able to identify such individuals in an organization and make the best use of their skills. EI is important in business operations and in other social settings. If one is not emotionally intelligent, they can use the EI to guide them on how to improve their social relations and verbal skills (Bracket 780). This helps to establish a healthy work environment by promoting improved communication, better problem solving practices and minimized conflicts among the employees. Scoring high on EI is important, however, what is of greater importance knowing how to manage the varying levels among the employees. It is therefore imperative to find the levels of EI of different employees since the management can allocate them their appropriate tasks and responsibilities based on their motivation and emotional stability. EI information is valuable to the entity since it enables them to organize their staff according to their EI and this helps them to gain a competitive edge over their competitors. Recent studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between job performance and EI. This affects the management of the organization and this implies that organizations should apply initiatives that are aimed at developing EI among the employees (Rahim 7). EI improves performance in the following areas: balancing between personal life and work, participative management, adaptability, confronting employee problem and decision making. This explains why most organizations are recruiting employees who are emotionally intelligent. Furthermore, they have been observed to more productive. Organizations can improve their EI by using self management tools, development programmes and leadership and management training. It can be concluded that EI is linked to the various aspects in the organizations and has become a popular concept in organizations in the contemporary world. In the past, much emphasis was given to IQ (Intelligence Quotient). People with a high IQ were preferred but this has changed over the years as organizations prefer employees who are emotionally stable and can work in a dynamic environment (Weis, Arnsen 113). In summary, times have changed and organizations are increasingly becoming concerned about their employees’ motivation, self awareness, empathy towards their customers and social interactions. As earlier discussed, establishing the levels of EI among the employees helps the organization to better manage their employees. In addition to, entities should hire people with a high EI as they have a better, have emotional stability and can work well in different situations. Employers are advised to take time to analyze their employees’ EI so as to improve their performance. Organizations should provide EI training as it can be learnt at any point in one’s life, in other words, it is not an inborn trait. Individuals with a low EI are encouraged to improve this so as to get a better understanding of their emotions and learn how to manage them resulting to improved performance in the work place. Companies that adopt EI are likely to be more successful in future as their workforce is better prepared to keep up with any changes in the work environment. Works Cited Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., Shiffman, S., Lerner, N., & Salovey, P. Relating emotional abilities to social functioning: A comparison of self-report and performance measures of emotional intelligence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 2006. Print. Rahim, Hussain, S. Emotional intelligence & organizational performance. International Journal of Business and Management 5, 2010. Print. Stough, Con Assessing emotional intelligence, Springer, 2009. Print Weis, L. William & Arnesen, W. David. Because EQ can’t be told: Doing something about emotional intelligence. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communication and Conflict. 2007. Print.