Emotional Intelligence: Facts and Fallacies

1. Emotional Intelligence:Facts and Fallacies Kaylene Ascough University of Queensland Princess Alexandra Hospital

2. Overview • The EI explosion – some history. • Variations of EI – the 2 approaches to EI research • The critics • Applying EI to the work place • EI training programs

3. Some History • Peter Salovey and Jack Mayer (1990) • “Emotional Intelligence”, in Imagination, Cognition, and Personality. • The ability to perceive emotion in self and others, to understand emotion, and then to manage emotion in self and others. • Daniel Goleman (1995) • “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.” • Mayer and Salovey’s MEIS (1997) • Reuven Bar-On (1997) developed the EQ-i, • Goleman (2002) – the Emotional Competency Index. • Other developments by Jordan, Ashkanasy, Härtel, and Hooper (2002); Schutte et al. (1998); and Wong and Law (2002).

4. Two approaches to EI • Ability model vs personality/mixed model • Ability model: • Based on Mayer and Salovey’s (1997) four-branch abilities model. • Perception of emotion (in self and others); • Assimilation of emotion to facilitate thought; • Understanding of emotion; • Managing and regulating emotion in self and others. • Becoming the more accepted model of EI. • Like IQ, it is the capacity to which an individual can develop.

5. Two approaches to EI (contd.) • Mixed/Personality Models: • Argued as not representative of EI (Ashkanasy & Daus, 2005). • Some common ground with Mayer and Salovey model. • Overlap with traditional measures of personality. • Examples include Bar-on’s (1997) EQ-i, Goleman, et al’s (2002) ECI. • Maybe useful to the organisation, however, they are too broad in scope and do not differ markedly from personality models. • Goleman – ‘Emotional competency’ • Bar-on – ‘Emotional-Social Intelligence’

6. The critics • Daus and Ashkansy (2005) address 3 main points of criticism. • Emotional intelligence is dominated by opportunistic ‘academics-turned-consultants’ who have amassed much fame and fortune based on a concept that is shabby science at best. • The measurement of emotional intelligence is grounded in unstable (they change all the time), psychometrically flawed instruments, which have not demonstrated appropriate validity to warrant their use; and • There is no (or weak) empirical evidence that emotional intelligence is related to anything of importance in organisations.

7. Application of EI • Leadership • EI predicts leader emergence and is related to transformational leadership. • Job performance/Emotional labour • ‘Emotional Labour’ - Defined as ‘managing emotion for remuneration’. • In jobs requiring high emotional labour, an individual’s EI predicted better performance.

8. Application of EI (Contd.) • Positive organisational behaviour • Those actions in the workplace that benefit working relationships and contribute to a positive working climate. • High EI indicates increased commitment, organisational citizenship and improved morale. • Working with others • Better relationships in the workplace: interpersonal sensitivity and prosocial tendencies. • Indicates better team performance. • Conflict resolution • Individuals with higher levels of EI are more able to engage in collaborative conflict resolution.

9. EI Training Programs • Is there value in training? • What to look for in EI training programs. • What are you seeking to achieve? • Individual performance • Team performance • Enhancing leadership skills • Enhancing Interpersonal skills • Managing conflict

10. Conclusion • What does EI mean to an organisation? • Know the pitfalls of EI claims. • Look for abilities based EI models. • Seek training and development programs that show an understanding of all aspects of emotional intelligence and the role of emotions in the work place in general.

11. Questions? • References Ashkanasy, N. M., Dasborough, M. & Ascough, K. W. (in press). Addressing the emotional dimensions of leadership: Teaching leadership with heart. In S. J. Armstrong & C. Fukami (Eds).The Handbook of Management Learning, Education and Development , Sage. Ashkanasy, N. M. & Daus, C. S. 2002. Emotion in the workplace: The new challenge for managers. The Academy of Management Executive, 16(1): 76. Ashkanasy, N. M. & Daus, C. S. 2005. Rumors of the death of emotional intelligence in organizational behavior are vastly exaggerated. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4): 441. Bar-On, R. 1997. Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: A measure of emotional intelligence. Toronto, Ontario: Multi-Health Systems. Bar-On, R.; The Bar-On model of emotional-social intelligence (ESI); http://www.eiconsortium.org/index.html; 23 June 2005, 2005. Daus, C. S. & Ashkanasy, N. M. 2005. The case for the ability-based model of emotional intelligence in organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4): 453. Druskat, V.U., Sala, F., & Mount, G. (Eds) 2006. Linking emotional intelligence and performance at work: Current research evidence with individuals and groups. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Emmerling, R. J. & Goleman, D.; Emotional Intelligence: Issues and common misunderstandings; http://www.eiconsortium.org/index.html; 23 June 2005, 2005. Goleman, D. 1995. Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam Books. Jordan, P. J., Ashton-James, C. E., & Ashkanasy, N. M. 2006. Evaluating the claims: Emotional intelligence in the workplace. In K. R. Murphy (Ed.), A critique of emotional intelligence: What are the problems and how can they be fixed? Mahway, NJ: Erlbaum. Jordan, P. J., Ashkanasy, N. M., & Ascough, K. W. In press. Emotional intelligence in organizational behavior and industrial-organizational psychology. In G. Matthews & M. Zeidner & R. D. Roberts (Eds.), Science of emotional intelligence: knowns and unknowns: Oxford University Press. Lopes, P. N., Côté, S., & Salovey, P. 2006. An ability model of emotional intelligence: Implications for assessment and training. In F. Sala & V. U. Druskat & G. Mount (Eds.), Linking emotional intelligence and performance at work : current research evidence with individuals and groups: xlvii, 292 p. :. Mahwah, N.J. :: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,. Mayer, J. D. & Salovey, P. 1997. What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. J. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Educational implications: 3-31. New York: Basic Books. Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., Caruso, D. R., & Sitarenios, G. 2003. Measuring Emotional Intelligence with the MSCEIT V2.0. Emotion, 3(1): 97-105. Zeidner, M., Matthews, G., & Roberts, R. D. 2004. Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: A Critical Review. Applied Psychology, 53(3): 371