UĦM Voice of the Workers eMagazine issue 35 by Outlook Coop

VOICE OF THE

WORKERS ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 2014

Contents Heart, Head, or both?

Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

Emotional Intelligence at the Place of Work

The essential life skill

Emotional Intelligence Resources 09

Emotional Intelligence: Working and Living Well Self Help Author Maddy Malhotra wrote that “If you keep running away from yourself then be warned that love, joy, peace and fulfillment will keep running away from you!” It is a daily challenge to

It is proven that emotional distress can cause low efficiency, lack of control and relationship problems VOICE OF THE

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deal effectively with our emotions. Although our brains are wired to give our emotions the upper hand, we can develop an aptitude to monitor our feelings as well as those of others. Emotional Intelligence is this ability to recognise, assess and reign our emotions. Work is an essential part of most people’s daily lives. It can provide meaning, and can bring out the best in us. However, we are faced with a plethora of personal emotions, as well as emotions of the people around us. Managing these emotions

EDITOR’S NOTE JOSEF VELLA will make a difference between a positive and healthy environment at work, and a negative and unhealthy one. It is proven that emotional distress can cause low efficiency, lack of control and relationship problems. This is why it is vital that workers develop the emotional intelligence necessary to manage one’s emotions, empathise with others and relate to people effectively. Stress is one of the most referredto aspects of our emotions at work. In this respect, Emotional Intelligence is used to be able to witness the stress, identify how 1

EDITORIAL

you personally respond to it, provide the right ways of dealing with it, and learn ways of being more in control. At all levels, awareness of our emotions and ways to deal with them is essential, not just to having better workplaces, but also to enhance our quality of life and of those around us. Emotional Intelligence needs to be developed. And the best way to achieve this is through adequate training. Unfortunately, there tends to be a lot of emphasis on the academic qualifications, but not on the emotional skill set. Emotional Intelligence allows leaders to effectively and positively manage their teams, and enhance the right attitudes for better and meaningful performance. This aspect should not just be taught at adult levels; rather it needs to start at an early age. We have an opportunity to develop essential skills that can be put to good use throughout our lives. At workplace level, more needs to be done to increase awareness and training on this subject. We will be missing the wood for the trees if we just emphasise the technical skills aspect, without ensuring that the emotional aspect is being catered for. At the end of the day, it is the mix of excellent technical and emotional skills that can contribute to both personal as well as organisational success.

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PICTURE STORY

Heart, Head, or both? Emotional Intelligence does not impose the head over the heart. Nor does it do the opposite. Rather, it fuses both to help us in acknowledging our emotions, understanding them, and proactively dealing with them. Emotional Intelligence also facilitates being empathic towards others, enhances relationships increases team performance. At work, emotional intelligence contributes to better and meaningful work, as well as a better quality of life of workers and the people they come into contact with, be they coworkers, customers, or family.

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FEATURE STORY

Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace Working with people means working with emotions. We have often heard the argument “Don’t bring your personal problems to work” implying that emotions are inappropriate in the workplace. The argument continues that business decisions should be based on information, logic and cool reason, with emotions kept to a minimum. However, I have found it to be clearly unrealistic to suppose that emotions can be checked at the door when you arrive at work. I strongly believe that we cannot be emotionally neutral, without coming across as rigid and detached. However, neither are emotions to be displayed excessively. Just being around such people can be exhausting. VOICE OF THE

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Developing emotional intelligence (EI) in the workplace means acknowledging that emotions are always present, and doing something intelligent with them. Developing emotional intelligence could go a long way in helping companies be more productive and more profitable. The technically expert department head will get superior results if he/she also knows how to stay motivated under stress, motivate others, navigate complex interpersonal relationships, inspire others and build teams. But let’s take one step back. The concept of emotional intelligence became popular after the huge success of Daniel Goleman’s books in the 1990s, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter

DR NATALIE KENELY More Than IQ, and Working with Emotional Intelligence. The business community was shaken by the research that overwhelmingly showed that up to 90 per cent of one’s performance effectiveness was due to emotional savvy rather than technological knowledge. I want to make one thing clear from the start – developing your emotional intelligence will improve your performance. EI is not about lots of fuzzy, touchyfeely ideas that are fun to hear or read about or experience in a training programme, but when you go back to work, nothing really happens. Developing your EI will take time, but will lead to sustainable behaviour changes that will improve the way you 4

FEATURE STORY

manage yourself and the way you work with others. I have seen tangible and observable changes brought about through the development of emotional intelligence, in myself and others I have worked with – EI helps you improve relationships and your communication with others; it gives you better empathy skills, provokes you to act with integrity and to respect others. The development of EI also helps you manage others and manage change more confidently; it makes you more confident and positive as a person. It helps you reduce stress levels and become more creative, learning from your own mistakes. The evidence is now clearly showing that people skills are far more important than IQ when it comes to the bottom line. Not only are emotions very much a part of the work experience, but to a large degree they set the course that a company follows. The evidence behind the study of emotional intelligence has given way to language that is encouraging us to talk about feelings, and their effect on workplace relationships. Corporate leaders now consider these so-called soft skills as essential to a productive and resilient workplace. Can Emotional Intelligence be learned? Emotional intelligence is a set of abilities - that can be measured, diagnosed and improved. Experts in the emotional intelligence field actually differ on the issue of teachability. Some are sceptical, but acknowledge that people with weak skills can show improvement or at least develop VOICE OF THE

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coping mechanisms. I, for one, believe that emotional intelligence can be learned, and attest to it through my experiences. Unlike IQ, which is unchanging from childhood on, emotional intelligence can be developed. In fact, it usually does become greater with age and maturity – although this is not a guarantee. The importance of developing one’s emotional intelligence is essential to success in the workplace. Utilizing the power and energy of one’s emotions leads to high motivation, and improves problem-solving and decisionmaking. One of the most practical ways for an organisation to increase emotional intelligence is through the training and development of its current workforce. Goleman (2001), who describes emotional intelligence as a set of competencies, advocates that these competencies can be developed. However, development takes time, commitment and support. Jacobs (2001), maintains that emotional intelligence development in organisations will be successful only if the leadership values such competence and communicates the importance of emotional intelligence to its members. Successful leaders model emotional intelligence! Therefore, HR systems embarking on an effort to increase emotional intelligence in an organisation, should: • ensure that leaders understand and accept the long-term benefits of developing EI in an organisation; • have leaders experience the training themselves to increase their own emotional competence; and • provide leaders with ongoing

feedback on their impact on the organisation. All this also requires a training model which is different from the ones routinely used by organisations to produce technical or cognitive skill development. Team leaders who have participated in training programmes have repeatedly told me that they now find that they can control and understand their own emotions better, they are more tolerant and better listeners, encouraging motivation and involving subordinates. They find themselves working hard to create an environment that fosters teamwork, using good communication skills and trying to be in a good mood so as to transmit a positive attitude to the rest of the team. “This has made me enter another dimension, in the sense that it is something I used to think a lot about but for which I never had a name. That is the trick: that I need to be emotionally in tune with my people’s feelings, today I thank them even for the smallest task they do. That makes a big difference. You put me on a track.” (Kenely, 2008, p.255) “I am encouraging my people more – I call them to thank them for reports, give them feedback, encourage them when they are doing well, I joke with them. I ask how they are doing. I show appreciation. And I know that the people appreciate being appreciated.” (Kenely, 2008, p.256) “The thing that struck me most and which I am striving hard to apply in my every day work with my people is the point you mentioned of not trying to do 5

FEATURE STORY

more things, but to do things differently.” (Kenely, 2008, p.256) A Model of Emotional Intelligence and Organisational Effectiveness The development of emotional intelligence within organisations, and the resultant increase in organisational effectiveness are part of a cyclical process. Figure 1 below presents a model that indicates some broad factors in

organisations that contribute to emotional intelligence. It identifies organisational climate and culture, leadership and human resource functions as factors which directly impact on relationships within organisations. Emotional intelligence, as Goleman (1995) points out, emerges primarily through relationships. At the same time, emotional intelligence affects the quality of relationships – both formally arranged and

Figure 1: A Model of Emotional Intelligence and Organisational Effectiveness

LEADERSHIP

naturally occurring ones (Kram and Cherniss, 2001). With reference to this model, the pivotal role of leadership in this process cannot be stressed enough. Leadership is an area which has emerged strongly in the field as that aspect of an organisation which is pivotal in transforming the organisation into an emotionally intelligent one.... but that discussion merits another whole article for itself.

INDIVIDUAL EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

HR FUNCTIONS ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

RELATIONSHIPS

ORGANISATIONAL CLIMATE AND CULTURE

GROUP EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

(Taken from Cherniss, C. & Goleman, D., 2001, p. 8)

References Cherniss, C., and Goleman, D., (editors) (2001). The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books Goleman, D. (2001). An EI Based Theory of Performance. In C. Cherniss & D. Goleman (Eds). The emotionally intelligent workplace. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Jacobs, R., (2001). Using Human Resource Functions to Enhance

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Emotional Intelligence. In C. Cherniss. & D. Goleman (Eds). The emotionally intelligent workplace. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Kenely, N., (2008). Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership in Social Work. Unpublished doctoral research. University of Malta Kram, K. & Cherniss, C. (2001). Developing Emotional Intelligence through relationships at work. In C. Cherniss & D. Goleman (Eds.), The emotionally intelligent workplace. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Dr Kenely is a resident academic and senior lecturer within the Faculty for Social Wellbeing of the University of Malta, where she has lectured for 17 years in management and leadership. She chairs the Faculty’s Research Ethics Committee, and coordinates student practice placements. Her doctoral research focused on Emotional Intelligence and transformational leadership. Dr Kenely also provides consultation, training and coaching on emotional intelligence and leadership. She has attended and presented at a number of conferences both locally and abroad on emotional intelligence and its application to the workplace. 6

MEUSAC

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AT THE PLACE OF WORK The recession the European Union continues to be confronted with, has led to a dramatic effect on young people. In fact, around 20% of Europe’s youth labour force is currently unemployed. What is more surprising is that the recession affected highskilled youths just as the lowskilled. Causes that have led to continuous growth in youth unemployment have been linked to the general lack of key competencies in young people, especially in attributes related to emotional intelligence: selfawareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, use, understand and manage emotions in positive ways that will help individuals relieve stress, communicate more effectively, empathise with others, overcome challenges and resolve conflicts. Emotional intelligence does influence a number of

different aspects of one’s daily routine and can greatly affect the way one behaves and interacts with others around him. Studies confirm that emotional abilities are related to stress tolerance, teamwork, group decision making, leadership potential and overall work performance. The Maltese Government has identified the promotion of healthier lifestyles and the sustainability of work practices to ensure healthier and longer working lives, as key priorities for projects to be implemented under the European Social Fund (ESF). In this respect, EU funds will be made available to ensure that the highest degree of health and safety is promoted across different stakeholders with the aim to foster employability and well being of the workers. Indeed, one of the overall objectives of Priority Axis 2 in the draft Operational Programme

II for the period 2014-2020, financed by ESF, will be to focus on preventive measures to ensure that individuals are equipped with the necessary knowledge and information to make better life choices. At the place of work, emotional intelligence matters just as much as intellectual ability. A high level of emotional intelligence helps individuals to build strong ties, achieve career goals and ultimately succeed at the place of work. Individuals who do have high emotional intelligence are able to recognise their own emotional state and the emotional states of others. Emotional intelligence is viewed upon favourably by an ever increasing number of employers when gauging job candidates and is being considered as important as technical ability before hiring one or more candidates for certain jobs.

MEUSAC 280 Republic Street, Valletta VLT 1112 Tel: +356 2200 3315 • Fax: +356 2200 3329 • Email: info.meusac@gov.mt www.meusac.gov.mt VOICE OF THE

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MCESD

The essential life skill Different work environments require different types of employees to carry out a specific job. An essential element across all sectors is the ability of each individual to work with others. This is intrinsically impacted by each and everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emotions. Skills such as recognising our emotions and those of our peers prove to be very useful at our place of work. Some believe that this is an essential life skill all employees and employers need to bring at their place of work. Individuals spend most of the day at their place of work. Hence the need to be able to understand oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emotions and manage them accordingly. Emotional

intelligence comes in various forms. One needs to be able to put emotions into perspective and realise that a situation is not always the way it appears when we are in a particular state of mind. Emotional management in this regard is imperative in conflict resolution scenarios at the work place. Qualifications and experience will help an individual get a job but it is ultimately soft skills such as emotional intelligence that will help the individual in being successful. Successful and effective leaders, at any level, bring with them a high level of emotional intelligence. Some believe that

self-awareness and regulation as well as openness to change are key characteristics of successful leaders. Empathy is also essential when working in a team and leaders who have this characteristic are able to create environments that are suitable for employees to flourish at their place of work. Leaders who are more responsive rather than reactive are proven to be more successful. Training on issues related to emotional intelligence is not given priority. However it is a good idea for employers and employees alike to recognise its importance in bringing about positive outcomes at place of work.

MCESD 280/3, Republic Street, Valletta, VLT1112 Tel: (+356) 2200 3300 www.mcesd.org.mt VOICE OF THE

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CONFEDERAZIONE ITALIANA AGRICOLTORI

Emotional Intelligence Resources Although this subject is relatively recent, material on the subject of Emotional Intelligence abounds. The Brussels Office of the Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori has collected a sample of resources on the subject. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. In this animation it is explained the fundamentals of emotional intelligence and their implications: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MepJp7KpaH4

The emotional intelligence at work is in the process of creating a small number of informal partnerships with providers of ‘adjacent’ services, such as specialist providers in experiential learning, communication training, outsourced HR services Mr Jeremy Marchant has developed a website which provides resources on the subject of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Take a look here: http://www.emotionalintelligenceatwork.com/ Leadership Cafe L.E.A.D with Emotional Intelligence. At the following link you will find some exercises and tips: http://goo.gl/lA2ocU

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