Ever wondered why some clever people are dreadful managers? The answer lies in their emotional intelligence, a new idea that looks set to revolutionise management.

Business and the media have been growing more and more interested in “emotional intelligence” recently. Some have said that emotional intelligence can be more important than IQ or other personality measures in predicting success for individuals. Organisations are learning that people who can engage and enthuse others while building a committed workforce are scarce. Emotional intelligence seems very relevant in this context.

It makes sense that people need something more than IQ to be successful. We can all think of “super-intelligent” people who are hopeless at dealing with people. At the same time, most of us can think of people who do not display traditional signs of high IQ but who enjoy considerable success.

Emotional intelligence has been proposed as the “secret weapon” of such high achievers. But there has also been confusion about what it is. According to popular notions, it means that successful managers must be soft and cuddly. In reality, this is far from the truth.

Interest in emotional intelligence from business led us to conduct a number of studies. In particular, we wanted to find out if there is clear evidence that it is important when investigating individual success in business.

What is emotional intelligence?

We have identified seven elements of emotional intelligence:

  • Self-awareness: the awareness of your feelings, and the ability to recognise and manage them

  • Emotional resilience: the ability to perform well and consistently in a range of situations and when under pressure

  • Motivation: the drive and energy that you have to achieve results, balance short and

    long-term goals and pursue your goals in the face of challenge and rejection

  • Interpersonal sensitivity: the ability to be aware of the needs of others, and to use this awareness in interacting with them

    • Emotional intelligence is more than being soft and cuddly. What matters is balance between “hard” and “soft”

  • Influence: the ability to persuade others to change their views

  • Intuitiveness: using insight and interaction to implement decisions when faced with ambiguous or incomplete information

  • Conscientiousness: the ability to display commitment to a course of action in the face of challenge, to act consistently and in line with prevailing ethical requirements.

From this it is clear that emotional intelligence is more than just being soft and cuddly. Some of these elements (such as motivation) are clearly “hard”, whereas others (interpersonal sensitivity, for instance) are “soft”. What matters is balance between apparently contradictory “hard” and “soft” behaviours.

Is the case proven?

Much of the early evidence supporting the case for emotional intelligence was drawn from the education and counselling fields. We decided to explore the idea in a business context. Using data on more than 100 general managers tracked over seven years we were able to demonstrate clearly that emotional intelligence was a major factor in explaining individual success. For individuals with an average (or slightly above average) level of IQ, it was emotional intelligence that counted. Further studies have reinforced this finding.

We decided to work on developing a psychometric test – in spite of heated debate around the feasibility of doing so. Using both our original research and work with a further sample of more than 200 managers we have developed a reliable measure that identifies an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to each of the seven elements of emotional intelligence. The test has now been developed to enable assessments to be made by colleagues as well as the individual, and is being used in a wide range of private and public sector organisations.

But can emotional intelligence be developed or is it something we have from birth? Should an organisation focus on selecting or developing emotionally intelligent individuals? We have found that a number of the elements can be developed. However, it requires sustained and focused effort – not just a short training programme.

What does it mean for an organisation?

Improving emotional intelligence also requires a high level of motivation to change. Much of this motivation will come from the individual, but it is important that the organisation has a culture that will reward and reinforce the new behaviours that result from changes in emotional intelligence. Without such a culture, developing the emotional intelligence of managers within an organisation will not yield results, and there is a danger of losing new skills.

Our research indicates that organisations that select managers on the basis of IQ and other “traditional” measures will not make the most of managers’ talents and capabilities. The environment of business has changed dramatically and will continue to do so. Leaders at all levels need to build and release the talent of their teams to provide the organisation with a sustainable competitive advantage.

Postscript

Malcolm Higgs and Victor Dulewicz are occupational psychologists working at Henley Management College.