Innovative approach to emotional intelligence

Abstract

An investment in knowledge is an investment in a better future. As the pace of change is increasing and world of work is making ever greater demands on a person’s cognitive, emotional and physical resource. Since majority of the concerns in organization involve people in different roles, emotional intelligence has become a determining factor for their effective management. Social and personal competencies and skills such as problem solving, communication, collaboration, interpersonal skills, social skills and time management are actively being targeted by prospective employers as essential requirements for employability especially in team environments. Emotional Quotient describes a concept that involves the ability, capacity, skill or a self-perceived ability, to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one’s self, of others, and of groups. The Emotional Quotient concept argues that IQ is too narrow; that there are wider areas of emotional intelligence that dictate and enable how successful we are. Researchers in diverse fields have studied emotional intelligence and found the construct to be associated with a variety of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors such as mental health, relationship satisfaction, and work performance. This article reviews research investigating the impact of training in emotional-intelligence skills and indicates that it is possible to increase emotional intelligence and that such training has the potential to lead to other positive outcomes. The paper offers suggestions about how future research, from diverse disciplines, can uncover training most effectively increase emotional intelligence and produce related beneficial outcomes.