EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERS' STYLE AND SUBORDINATES' EMOTIONAL/PHYSICAL BALANCE.

Two distinct types of leaders emerge from current research in Leadership. These are the Transformational and Transactional.

The transformational Leader stimulates interest among colleagues, inspires a different outlook on the work, generates an awareness of the goals of the organization, develops others to higher levels of ability and motivates others to consider the interest of the group over their own interest. Transformational Leadership therefore, comprises four dimensions i.e. Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation and Individual Consideration.

The Transactional Leader however, reinforces employees on the basis of their performance. They emphasize work standards, task completion and employee compliance using rewards and punishment.

Research indicates that Transformational Leadership points to more Effectiveness and Satisfaction, higher group performance and higher effort than Transactional Leadership. Effective Transformational Leaders have been reported to possess Emotional Intelligence (EI), the basis for building strong relationship and inspiring employees. Leaders therefore who are higher in EI are key to organizational success since they have the capacity to sense employees' emotions about their work environment, intervene when problems arise and are also able to manage their own emotions in order to gain the trust of the employee.

Achievement-oriented leaders who are coaches or facilitators of their employees help them to improve performance or develop long-term strengths. They also tend to be high on Empathy and Emotional Self- Awareness.

Democratic/Participative Leaders build commitment through consensus building among employees. They collaborate for effective team maintenance. Affiliative/Supportive leaders are able to heal rifts in teams or motivate during stressful times to create harmony. They manage conflicts using Empathy. The Coercive Leaders who tend to want immediate compliance from subordinates are only effective during crisis or emergences.

It has been established by studies conducted by the Ohio State Leadership that leaders who were able to establish mutual trust, respect and certain warmth and rapport with members of their group were more effective. This is largely due to the fact that the leader is able to solve the employee's personal and social problems. If the leader's style places excessive demands on subordinates, they experience high levels of stress due to role overload or role conflict or role ambiguity. It is therefore necessary to encourage styles of leadership and motivation which uses dialogue to bring bonding and cohesion.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE VRS COGNITIVE INTELLIGENCE

Emotional Intelligence refers to the ability to recognize and regulate emotions in ourselves and others, according to Daniel Goleman. EI is defined by others as the ability to perceive emotions, integrate emotions to facilitate thought, understand emotions and to regulate emotions to promote personal growth.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was developed and used to measure Intelligence. It measures a person's mental age as determined by their score on a test, divided by their chronological

1

age, multiplied by 100. Intelligence tests measure general mental ability and are intended to access intellectual potential. Some theorists hypothesize that perhaps Cognitive Intelligence as measured by IQ tests did not encompass intelligence as a whole. Others argue that human beings possess several types of Intelligence. i.e. Social Intelligence on the ability to understand and manage people and to act wisely in human relations.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FRAMEWORK

Even though a few others had studied the area of Emotional Intelligence, it was Daniel Goleman whose work, "Emotional Intelligence" published in 1995 has generated a lot of interest in the subject. He outlined four main Emotional Intelligence constructs.

(a) Self-awarenessThis represents the ability to read one's own emotions and recognize their impact while using gut feeling to guide decisions.

(b) Self-managementSelf-management involves controlling one's emotions and impulses and adapting to change.

(c) Social AwarenessSocial; awareness includes the ability to sense, understand and react to other's emotions while comprehending social networks

(d) Relationship ManagementThis is the ability to inspire, influence and develop others while managing conflict.

Goleman adds a set of Emotional Competencies within each construct. According to Goleman, individuals at birth possess a general EI which determines their potential for learning Emotional Competences.

The Table below explains the four constructs listed above:

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COMPETENCIESSELF

Personal CompetenceOTHER

Social CompetenceRECOGNITION Self-Awareness

Emotional self-AwarenessAccurate Self-AssessmentSelf-Confidence

Social AwarenessEmpathyService OrientationOrganizationalAwareness

REGULATION Self-ManagementSelf-ControlTrustworthinessConscientiousnessAdaptabilityAchievement DriveInitiative

Relationship ManagementDeveloping othersInfluenceCommunicationConflict ManagementLeadershipChange CatalystBuilding BondsTeamwork and Collaboration

2