Using Emotional Intelligence to Increase Work Engagement in Process Improvement Experts

Dr. Scott Thor

Speaker Bio: Scott Thor• Associate with Variance Reduction International, Inc.• UC Irvine Lean and Six Sigma Instructor• Certified MBB, ASQ certified BB, quality engineer, and

manager of quality / OE• 20 yrs. experience working within multiple industries (IT,

mfg., energy, automotive, and construction)• Doctorate in management, MBA, BS Industrial

Technology • Bakersfield, CA

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Outline

• Lean and Six Sigma success and failure

• The problem of engagement

• Defining the constructs

• Research

• Discussion

Question?

• How many of you have been involved with a process improvement project that didn’t achieve the desired results?– Was the failure because of technical issue?– Was the failure due to a human issue?

Lean and Six Sigma Success

People

Process & Tools50%

100%

100%

0%

0%

Lean and Six Sigma “Human” Failure Modes

+Senior and middle management support

+Lack of execution

+Ineffective mentoring

+Time

+Teamwork

=Lack of engagement

The Effects of Low Engagement

• $340B loss / year1

• ~30% disengaged2

• Increased absenteeism, turnover,

theft, and accidents3

• Personal impact

• Societal impact

Source 1: Rivera, A., & Flinck, J. (2011). Employee-led, employee engagement in the federal government: SAMHSA peoplefirst. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 13(4), 479-493.Source 2: Towers Perrin/Towers Watson (2003). Working today: Understanding what drive employee engagement. Retrieved from http://www.towerswatson.comSource 3: Wagner, R., & Harter, J. K. (2006). 12: The elements of great managing. New York, NY: Gallup Press.

Why is engagement so low?

• External factors – lots of research!– Manager– Job resources– Recognition– Opportunities to learn

• Internal factors – very little research!– Emotional intelligence

The History of Emotional Intelligence

• 1920 Thorndike “social intelligence”

• 1950s Wechsler IQ testing

• 1983 Gardner multiple intelligences

• 1988 Bar-On coins term “EQ”

• 1990 Mayer and Salovey use “emotional

intelligence” in journal article

• 1995 Goleman writes Emotional

Intelligence

Defining Emotional Intelligence

• The ability to identify, use, understand and manage emotions in ourselves and others

Identifying EmotionsSkillful Not Skillful

Will talk about feelings Doesn’t talk about feelings

Can show how they feel Never shows how they feel

Reads people accurately Fails to identify how others feel

Good at recognizing own feelings

Misunderstands own feelings

Source: Caruso, D. R. & Salovey, P. (2004). The emotionally intelligent manager: How to develop and use the four key emotional skills of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Can you identify emotions?

• I find it hard to understand the non‑verbal messages of other people

• By looking at their facial expressions, I recognize the emotions people are experiencing

• I can tell how people are feeling by listening to the tone of their voice

Using Emotions

Skillful Not Skillful

Creative thinker Practical and concrete

Inspires people Doesn’t motivate others

Emotions improve thinkingBeliefs and opinions are unchanged by emotions

Source: Caruso, D. R. & Salovey, P. (2004). The emotionally intelligent manager: How to develop and use the four key emotional skills of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

How well do you use emotions?

• When I am in a positive mood:– Solving problems is easy for me– I am able to come up with new ideas

• When I feel a change in emotions, I tend to come up with new ideas

Understanding Emotions

Skillful Not Skillful

Makes correct assumptions about people

Misunderstands people

Knows the right thing to say Gets on people’s nerves

Source: Caruso, D. R. & Salovey, P. (2004). The emotionally intelligent manager: How to develop and use the four key emotional skills of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Do you understand emotions?

• Other people find it easy to confide in me

• I help other people feel better when they are down

• When another person tells me about an important event in his or her life, I almost feel as though I experienced this event myself

Managing EmotionsSkillful Not Skillful

Can “psych up”, calm down, or maintain a mood, as desirable

Is a slave to passions, let their emotions manage them

Can cheer others up, calm others down, or manage others’ feelings appropriately

Has no intentional impact on others’ feelings; has unintentional impact on others’ feelings

Inspires other peopleCannot connect with other people

Source: Caruso, D. R. & Salovey, P. (2004). The emotionally intelligent manager: How to develop and use the four key emotional skills of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

How well do you manage emotions?

• When I am faced with obstacles, I remember times I faced similar obstacles and overcame them

• When I experience a positive emotion, I know how to make it last

• I use good moods to help myself keep trying in the face of obstacles

The History of Engagement

• 1940s – Hawthorne experiments– Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

• 1950s McGregor “Theory X and Y”

• 1990 Kahn first “engagement” study

• 2000s– Towers Watson and Gallup “employee engagement”

– Schaufeli & Bakker “work engagement”

Defining Work Engagement

• “a positive, fulfilling, affective−motivational state of work−related well being that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption”

Source: Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health and psychology. Work & Stress, 22(3), 187-200.

Vigor

• High energy level

• Willingness to invest in work

• Resilience and not easily fatigued

• Ability to deal persistently with difficult situations

What level of vigor do you have?

• At my work, I feel bursting with energy

• When I get up in the morning, I feel like going to work

• I can continue working for very long periods at a time

• At my work, I always persevere, even when things do not go well

Dedication

• Meaningful work

• Sense of significance in work

• Proud of and enthusiastic to pursue

• Find work challenging and inspiring

How dedicated are you?

• I find the work that I do full of meaning and purpose

• My job inspires me

• I am proud of the work that I do

• To me, my job is challenging

Absorption

• Characterized by how immersed an individual is in their work

• Time seems to pass by quickly

• Everything outside of work is absent from thoughts

How absorbed in your work are you?

• Time flies when I am working

• When I am working, I forget everything else around me

• I am immersed in my work

• It is difficult to detach myself from my job

Research Hypotheses

H1: A positive relationship exists between emotional intelligence (EI) and work engagement (WE)

H2: There is no significant difference in EI and age, education, org level

H3: There is no significant difference in WE and age, education, org level, years in current position, Six Sigma or ASQ certification

Study Methodology

• 50,000 US and Canadian ASQ members solicited

• 5,187 participated

• November – December 2011

• Assessing Emotions Scale (EI)

• Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (WE)

Study Demographics

• 61% male – 39% female

• 46-55 years old (39% female, 37% male)

• 49% manufacturing sector

• 61% management – 33% employee

• 50% >15 years PI experience

• 80% Bachelor degree or higher

• 51% Six Sigma certification

• 53% no ASQ certification

H1 Results

• Moderate statistically significant correlation between EI and WE1

• EI predicted a statistically significant portion of WE2

• Managing emotions predicted the largest amount of variability in WE3

1. r = 0.416, p <0.0012. R2 = 17.3%, p <0.0013. R2 = 22.6%, p <0.001

H2 Results – Emotional Intelligence

Effect No Effect

Gender X

Age X

Education X

Org Level X

H3 Results – Work Engagement

Effect No Effect

Gender X

Age X

Education X

Tenure X

Org Level X

Six Sigma Cert X

ASQ Cert X

Research Conclusions

• High emotional intelligence may lead to greater work engagement– Ability to manage emotions has greatest

impact on work engagement

• Engaged individuals don’t leave

• Higher education has an effect on EI and WE

• Senior managers have the highest EI and WE

And now for the “touchy-feely” stuff…

Increasing Emotional Intelligence

• Pay attention to:– Facial expressions– Body language– Speech

• Keep an emotional journal

• Seek feedback

• Ask, “How are you feeling?”

• Confirm, “I sense you’re feeling…”

Increasing Emotional Intelligence

• Emotion vs. reason list

• Count to ten

• Schedule a routine “clarity break”

• Do something active

• Know who and what pushes your buttons

What else drives work engagement?

• Clarity – knowing what is expected

• Focus on strengths

• Growth opportunities

• Socially supportive environment

• Routine performance feedback

Holistic View of Work Engagement

Lean and Six SigmaProcess

Work Engagement

Healthy Lean and Six SigmaLean and

Six Sigma IQ

Intelligence Factors

Tools

Process (DMAIC)

Training (belts, champs, exec’s)

Organizational Knowledge

IQ (individuals, teams, organization)

Experience

Lean and Six Sigma HQ

Human Factors

People (right people, right seats)

Teams (trust, conflict, committed, accountable, results focused)

Behaviors (behavior analysis, performance management)

Emotional intelligence

Work engagement

Healthy Lean and Six Sigma

“Brains” of Lean and Six Sigma

“Life-Blood” of Lean and Six Sigma

Lean and Six Sigma Probability of Success

Summary

• Emotions are data about people

• Human emotions are a powerful source of energy for action1

• You have a choice to be engaged or disengaged

• Work without meaning is a life without meaning

“Why are we here? We are here to come alive, to have fun, to have joy in work.”2 – W. Edwards Deming“Why are we here? We are here to come alive, to have fun, to have joy in work.”2 – W. Edwards Deming

Source 1: Deci, E.L., & Flaste, R. (1995). Why we do what we do: Understanding self-motivation. Penguin Books: New York, NY.Source 2: Neave, H. R. (1990). The Deming dimension. SPC Press, Inc.: Knoxville, TN.

Using Emotional Intelligence to Increase Work Engagement in Process Improvement Experts

Appendix

What about money?

• Higher pay doesn’t guarantee increased engagement1

• Important to attraction and retention2

• Money only works in combination with other engagement factors2

• Pay a “fair” wage and money becomes less of an engagement issue

• Use ASQ salary survey to determine wages

Source 1: Wagner, R., & Harter, J. K. (2006). 12: The elements of great managing. New York, NY: Gallup Press.Source 2: Towers Watson (2012). Global workforce study. Retrieved from http://www.towerswatson.com

How can I measure my EI and WE?

• Emotional Intelligencehttp://www.eiconsortium.org/measures/measures.html

• Engagement–Utrecht Work Engagement Scale

• http://www.wilmarschaufeli.nl/downloads/test-manuals/

–Gallup Q12 (employee engagement)• http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/employee

engagement.aspx?ref=f

Where can I learn more about EI and WE?

Taking a DMAIC Approach to Improve EI and WE