Managing Emotion Skills And The Control Group example essay topic

... nm ent (Wieand 2003). CAN EI BE TRAINED? Can emotional intelligence be taught, can it be learnt, and does it make a difference to stress and performance? Yes, of course it. Unlike IQ which is deemed to be fixed for life, one's EQ characteristic, EI, can be continuously harness over one's lifetime. Data from a growing list of studies in corporations have adopted emotional intelligence training documents have shown that EI can be trained and it is effective.

In order to prove that EI ca can be taught, a group of 60 managers from a large supermarket chain were trained for 1 day per week for 4 weeks (Slaski & Cartwright 2002). Measures were taken prior to the training that included 2 measures of EQ, general-health, stress, distress, quality of working life and morale (Slaski & Cartwright 2002). The programme was created to help managers understand their own emotional responses and how they relate to their own thoughts and behaviour (Slaski & Cartwright 2002). 6 months after the completion of the training, results showed that managers on the training course significantly increased their EQ, general health, morale, quality of working life and performance; and significantly reduced stress and distress over and above those who did not take part (Slaski & Cartwright 2002).

CASE STUDY: SKANSKA Using the Bar-on Ei emotional intelligence assessment, leaders at Skanska, the global construction services organization were tested before and after participating in emotional intelligence training (Liberti 2004). The pre and post-training test comparison showed significant increases in scores in the categories of Total EI, Self-awareness, Empathy, Interpersonal relationship, Stress management and Social responsibility (Liberti 2004). CASE STUDY: AMERICAN EXPRESS American Express conducted a study to examine the effectiveness of its EI training programs on their sales personnel (Centre 2004). For research purposes, control and experimental groups were established. The experimental group underwent a 20 hour training on the managing emotion skills (only one aspect of EI), and the control group was not given any extra training at all (Centre 2004). After 6 months they measured the sales of the sales people in these 2 groups.

The results indicated that the trained group had outperformed the control group by 10%, subsequently adding significantly to the American Express! | productivity and profitability (Centre 2004). CASE STUDY: A LARGE BRAZIL AN CONSUMER RETAIL ORGANISATION A recent study was carried out on a large Brazilian consumer retail organisation by Hay McBer, a Boston research company that specialists in EI behaviour's. The research team used an emotional intelligence inventory known as ECI, a multi-rater instrument that provides self, manager, direct report and peer ratings on a series of behaviour al indicators of emotional intelligence, based on the emotional competencies identified by Goleman (1995) (Sala 2004). The ECI encompasses 20 competencies, organized into 4 groupings, which are Self-awareness, Social-awareness, Self-management and Social skills (view Appendix A). Overall findings indicated that participants! | ECI scores were higher after the participating in the EI training workshops, hence suggesting that EI levels improved (view Appendix A) (Sala 2004).

On average, participants! | EI levels improved by approximately 11% after partaking in the workshops (view Appendix A) (Sala 2004). Result also showed a significant improvement on the following 8 out of 20 EI competencies: Self-confidence, Organizational awareness, Service orientation, Conscientiousness, adaptability, Initiative, Communication, and Conflict management (view Appendix A) (Sala 2004). Marginal levels of improvement were also noted in the Empathy and Change catalyst competencies (view Appendix A) (Sala 2004). ISSUES IN THE EI APPLICATION!

SS The neo cortex masters didactic information, but the limbic (emotional) brain takes mountains of repetition. No one expects to play the flute in six lessons or to become fluent in Italian in ten. !" ~ A General Theory of Love ~ (Source: Lewis, Amini & Lannon 2000) At the EQ conference in October 2004, Dr. Cary Cherniss, Chairman of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations and co-editor with Daniel Goleman of! yenThe Emotionally Intelligent Workplace! |, suggested that the current most favoured EI training methods are unlikely to succeed (Liberti 2004). His latest research findings indicate that for a successful shift in paradigm only occurs if the brain extinguished unproductive behaviour patterns and is reprogrammed through the support of a repetitive and reinforce learning process (Liberti 2004). Also, research suggests that stand-alone workshops may be more effective in imparting knowledge associated to enhancing technical skills and it is not realistic to expect the same results with EI skills (Liberti 2004). Research conducted by J. Pro chaska, J. Norcross and C. Di Clemente, authors of! yen Changing for Good! |, also supports Dr. Cherniss findings.

Their research shows that only 1 in 5 people whom decide to make a change are likely to succeed the first time (Liberti 2004). To quote Dr. Cherniss, ! SS It takes time and effort to change (Liberti 2004). !" To assure a successful development of EI skill-set, Dr. Cherniss suggest the subsequent practices to be followed (Liberti 2004): far Link EI development to a business need: efficiency, change, conflict and management. far Set clear goals. far Link goals to personal values. far Break goals into manageable steps. far Put the learner in charge of the change process. far Foster a positive relationship between trainer and learner. far Use experiential methods. far Reinforce learning with coaching. far Provide opportunities for practice and give frequent feedback. far Build-in follow-up support and reinforcement.

EQ IS A CRITICAL SKILL The success of an organisational depends on people. People have multiple responsibilities, diverse needs, and often, conflicting priorities. As such, EQ characteristics are really invaluable skill-sets to have as it helps motivate oneself despite the frustrations one might face; controls impulse and delays gratification; manages overwhelming thoughts and it ease oneself to empathize others. Notably, higher levels of EQ characteristics are associated with better performance as well as individual and organisational success. However, typically there is no immediate and easy process to improve one's competency in EQ.

One must be determine to conduct critical self-evaluation and make a commitment to improvement. Exceptional organizations have to create a working environment that supports repetitive and reinforce learning process. Management should be aware that un managed emotional reactions or the lack of EI skills by employees at all levels can lead to: far Lack of innovation and creativity far Decreased productivity far Decreased customer satisfaction and customer loyalty far High turnover far Declines in revenue far Negative aura in the workplace (2,985 words)