EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

Introduction to Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

The 1995 publication of Daniel Goleman's best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence, put a spotlight on a little-known area of research on the role of emotions in human thought and behavior. As a result, the term emotional intelligence became part of everyday language. Emotional intelligence is presented as an alternative form of intelligence, in direct contrast to verbal intelligence. Although verbal intelligence focuses on using language, reasoning, and problem solving, emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, use, understand, and manage emotions.

There are actually two distinct approaches to emotional intelligence. The first, based on the original Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer (1990) conceptualization, is termed the abilities model. This model views emotional intelligence as composed of four sets of skills: (1) managing emotions to attain specific goals, (2) understanding emotions, (3) using emotions to facilitate thinking, and (4) perceiving and interpreting emotions accurately in oneself and others. Early work by Salovey, Mayer, and their colleagues focused on substantiating emotional intelligence as a true form of intelligence in the same sense as verbal/academic intelligence. The abilities model is assessed through performance-based tests, the most recent version of which is the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) (Antonakis, 2004).

The second approach to emotional intelligence is termed the mixed model and includes elements of emotional skill/competence; related personality characteristics, such as empathy, self-esteem, optimism, stress tolerance/hardiness; and elements of interpersonal skill, such as assertiveness. The mixed model is represented in the popular press and by measurement instruments and research by Reuven Bar-On (1997) and others. Measurement of the mixed model of emotional intelligence is typically done through self-report instruments that are similar to traditional personality tests.

An alternative approach to emotional intelligence is to focus simply on the emotional skill components that underlie a portion of the broader construct of emotional intelligence. Rebecca J. Reichard and Ronald E. Riggio (2008) introduced an interactive, process model of leader and follower emotional interaction that is based on research in nonverbal and emotional communication skills dating back to Robert Rosenthal's (1979) emphasis on skill in nonverbal communication. Emotional skills have been assessed using both performance-based measures (e.g., measures of ability to “read” others' emotions) and self-report measures (Althoff, 2004).

Can emotional intelligence be learnt? To succeed, do leaders need emotional intelligence”?

Given the affective nature of leadership, attention has turned to emotional abilities of leaders as a means of improving leadership effectiveness. Early leadership studies have shown that the emotional maturity of leaders is associated with their effectiveness. In more recent times, a range of emotional abilities have been explored. Of these and despite the concerns we noted earlier in this chapter, emotional intelligence has received considerable attention by leadership researchers. This is in contrast to other emotion-related variables such as emotion recognition and empathy, which have not been as popular as the broader construct of emotional intelligence (Bagshaw, 2000).

The underlying assumption of those who view emotional intelligence as important in leadership is that the ...