How have you been using your emotional intelligence at work? Chances are you've called on it less than you might like, according to new research which shows that the art of identifying, understanding and managing your emotions – and those of others – to improve your performance has, apparently, declined since the start of the financial crisis.
A study of 12,400 workers, mainly from the UK managerial population from 2001 to 2010, found it increased steadily during the economically strong years of 2001 to 2007, dropped sharply in 2008 during the worst of the banking crisis and when the recession started, rose slightly in 2009 and fell again in 2010.
The report speculates that because economic uncertainty affects people's security, they may feel threatened and switch into "survival mode" to try to protect what they have. John Cooper, chief executive of occupational psychologists JCA, which conducted the research, says: "Unfortunately this can make things worse as workers become less adaptive and responsive to change, and may miss business or personal opportunities."
The term "emotional intelligence" was first used in the world of psychology in 1966, and although several different interpretations have developed since then it is still a relatively new field. JCA, whose clients include FTSE 100 companies and government agencies, describes it as an "innate human attribute" which, if understood and used well, can help us manage our thinking and feeling to improve our behaviour and relationships.
"If we liken the mind to a high-performance engine, then emotional intelligence would be the oil that enables us to maintain and manage ourselves to perform to our full potential," JCA says in its report, A Decade of Emotional Intelligence.
It is divided into two main areas – personal intelligence and interpersonal intelligence. These, in turn, can be split into 16 scales, measured by JCA through its Emotional Intelligence Profile (EIP) questionnaire.
These include self-regard and regard for others; self-awareness and awareness of others; emotional resilience; personal power (the degree to which you believe that you are in charge of, and take responsibility for, your outcomes in life, rather than seeing yourself as the victim of circumstances or of other people); flexibility; authenticity; trust; balanced outlook; connecting with others ; emotional expression; conflict handling and interdependence.
The report's findings seem to confirm some commonly held presumptions. While there is no significant difference between men and women in overall scores, men have a more critical mindset with higher self-regard and lower regard for others.
In contrast, women tend to have a more submissive mindset with lower self-regard and with higher regard for others. Emotional intelligence improves with age, as we develop a more balanced outlook and become less dependent on, but more trusting of, others.
But measuring emotional intelligence can also be used to identify areas of development for employees in specific positions. An awareness of where you sit on each scale can help determine whether you need extra training to progress, or will excel in a particular industry or sector.
Self-employed people score higher than any other occupational group, possibly because there is a greater need to be emotionally intelligent if you are dependent, mostly, upon yourself for your business success, says Cooper.
People working in the health sector scored significantly lower in self- regard, which Cooper says may result in them putting the needs of others first. Those working in human resources scored higher in "mistrusting", reflecting the nature of some aspects of their work, including redundancies, tribunals and underperformance.
Those in the sales sector scored strongly on self-assuredness, not being easily put off and being able to connect with people without being overly caring. Employees in the technology and financial sectors – professions that are traditionally less people-oriented – scored lower than all other job groups on interpersonal aspects of emotional intelligence.
JCA says senior managers and directors tend to score highly in all aspects, but especially in self-belief, emotional resilience, personal power, positive outlook, going after goals, conflict handling and independence. But low scores on some of these scales can have a negative impact on others, especially if the person with the low score holds a senior position.
Graham Coxell, chief executive of stockbrokers Rowan Dartington, witnessed a main board director exhibiting a lack of emotional intelligence while working at a FTSE 100 company. There was a problem in a particular part of the company, and the director had asked six senior managers to present their views on why the situation had occurred. "The first person outlined what he thought the problem was, and the director shouted, 'So you've been lying to me for a year.' Who around that table would now say what they thought the problem was?"
In contrast, a different board director at the same company showed very good emotional intelligence when he approached Coxell about the performance of a colleague: "He said, 'I think I've put ABC into the wrong position because he is very good, but he's not thriving. What's your opinion?' That showed humility and openness."
He was sufficiently impressed by the impact the different approaches had on himself and his colleagues that, on buying the stockbroking firm in March 2011, he decided to incorporate emotional intelligence into the management methods used in the firm, especially by himself. This includes ensuring that employees feel liked, competent and significant.
"I will always strive to understand, rather than find fault. Why did someone make a mistake, what can you learn from that and how do you go forwards from that?" he says.
Coxell believes encouraging a greater understanding of emotional intelligence among his staff has benefited the firm. "It's a very happy place to work now, and it's turned the business from one which lost money to one which makes a profit," he says.
Those who feel their effectiveness generally – but especially at work – isn't up to scratch, need not despair. Unlike personality traits and IQ – relatively fixed from birth – emotional intelligence can be changed and developed.
But first you need to know how you score. Below is a link to the EIP test, giving you an insight into your own personal and interpersonal intelligence.
Personal intelligence includes aspects such as knowing what you want, motivating yourself to achieve goals, dealing with challenges and setbacks, maintaining physical and emotional well-being, improving your work-life balance, feeling confident in your decisions and actions, having clarity of thinking and adapting to new situations.
You have to understand and be in control of these aspects before you can develop your interpersonal intelligence. This includes knowing what others want, leading and managing others, helping motivate others, building trusting relationships, team working, coaching people and managing confrontation constructively.
Visit JCA's website to take the free Emotional Intelligence Profile questionnaire and to receive a profile outlining key strengths and development areas.
The Human Aura by Stuart Wilde
