View of PRACTICAL UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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Vol.04,Special Issue 07, (RAISMR-2019) November 2019, Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

PRACTICAL UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Ms. Anita Anamika Talesara

Vanita Vishram Women’s College Of Commerce, Surat

Abstract:- Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify our own emotions and those of others, to self-motivate ourselves and know how to monitor our emotions and those of the people around us. This paper explores the potential role of emotional intelligence (EI) abilities in practical understanding and application. The research focuses on examining how EI abilities are enacted within team contexts and how these are associated with critical reflection and team processes associated with learning. People high in EI will build real social fabric within an organization, and betweenan organization and those it serves, whereas those low in EI may tend to create problems for the organisation through their individual behaviours. EI is the intelligent use of emotions, emotions link to body and brain. By changing either we can influence our emotions and manage them with high potential and positive attitude. This ability help to develop a vision and motivate employees to achieve success at work place. The truly intelligent human being is one who is not only

“cogtelligent” (cognitively intelligent) but also “emtelligent” (emotionally intelligent).”

“Emotional intelligence is one of the few key characteristics that gives rise to strategic leaders in organizations”. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in the organization and becomes an important criterion of evaluation for judgment of an effective employee, increases productivity and trust within and across the organization. Emotional Intelligence helps the employees to increase their emotional self-awareness, emotional expression, creativity, increase tolerance, increase trust and integrity, improve relations within and across the organization and thereby increase the performance of each employee and the organization as a whole.

Keywords:- Emotional Intelligence, Cognitively Intelligent, Emtelligent, Creativity.

1. INTRODUCTION

“Emotional Intelligence, more than any other factor, more than I.Q. or expertise, accounts for 85% to 90% of success at work …I.Q. is a threshold competence. You need it, but it doesn’t make you a star. Emotional Intelligence can.”

--- Warren G. Bennis Emotional Intelligence (EI) must somehow combine two of the three states of mind cognition and affect, or intelligence and emotion. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while other claim it is an inborn characteristic. A number of testing instruments have been developed to measure emotional intelligence, although the content and approach of each test varies.

If a worker has high emotional intelligence, he or she is more likely to be able to express his or her emotions in a healthy way, and understand the emotions of those he or she works with, thus enhancing work relationships and performance. Emotional Intelligence is not about being soft! It is a different way of being smart - having the skill to use his or her emotions to help them make choices in the moment and have more effective control over themselves and their impact on others.

Emotional Intelligence allows us to think more creatively and to use our emotions to solve problems. Emotional Intelligence probably overlaps to some extent with general intelligence. The emotionally intelligent person is skilled in four areas: Identifying emotions, using emotions, understanding emotions, and regulating emotions. It is very important to understand that Emotional Intelligence (EI) is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not the triumph of heart over head- it is the unique intersection of both.

2. WHAT IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OR EQ?

Emotional intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

EQ also allows you to recognize and understand what others are experiencing emotionally.

For the most part, this is a nonverbal process that both informs your thinking and

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influences how well you connect with others.Emotional intelligence is commonly defined by four attributes:-

 Self-management – You’re able to control impulsive feelings and behaviours, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.

 Self-awareness – You recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behaviours. You know your strengths and weaknesses, and have self- confidence.

 Social awareness – You have empathy. You can understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.

 Relationship management – You know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.

3. WHY IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE SO IMPORTANT?

Today, people's workload and expenses have increased while their income has decreased. At the same time, technology is introducing many changes. So it is not surprising that workers are under a great deal of stress. This makes people irritable and introduces friction among co-workers. So, in addition to coping with their heavy workload, workers must try to win the cooperation of their team mates, who are often rude. Not surprisingly, Daniel Goleman wrote "Emotional-intelligence-based capabilities are twice as important for star performance as IQ and technical skills combined."

It’s clear that we’re all emotionally intelligent but we need to take more time to self- assess and work on our emotions. As with anything, it takes practice but even small steps can make a big difference. Much as you would regularly exercise your biceps or any other muscle for that matter, you need to practice working on your competencies so that they improve.Admittedly, when we look at leaders in some of the most successful companies, it’s clear that all of these leaders have and demonstrate high levels of all the key components of emotional intelligence. It’s important to keep in mind that these are a range of abilities.

On the whole, women tend to have higher emotional empathy on average: sensing how someone is in the moment, managing relations between people and groups. Goleman’s view on the connection between emotional intelligence and leadership is that there are differences between men and women in this domain but as people grow, they pick up skills in the area they need.Every day we make emotionally charged decisions. We feel plan A is better than plan B and we sometimes make choices based on our emotions or gut feelings.

When we understand the origin and source of these emotions, especially when working in a team, we are more at attuned to each other.

With globalization, emotional intelligence is more significant than ever when teams are cross-cultural and global, increasing the complexity of interactions of emotions and how they are expressed. Essentially, emotional intelligence in the workplaces comes down to understanding, expressing and managing, good relationships and solving problems under pressure. Gary Yukl, a prominent researcher in leadership agrees and goes on to say “Self- awareness makes it easier to understand one’s own needs and likely reactions if certain events occurred, thereby facilitating evaluation of alternative solutions.”

For emotional intelligence to be effective, it has to start with yourself. You can’t distil or enhance other people’s well-being, improvement and sense of self without first understanding how you operate on an emotional level. What distinguishes leaders is usually their level of emotional intelligence and it is those skills which help to develop a more effective workplace.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is, in layman’s terms, our level of ability to:-

 Recognize and understand our emotions and reactions (self-awareness)

 Manage, control, and adapt our emotions, mood, reactions, and responses (self- management)

 Harness our emotions to motivate ourselves to take appropriate action, commit, follow-through, and work toward the achievement of our goals (motivation)

 Discern the feelings of others, understand their emotions, and utilize that understanding to relate to others more effectively (empathy)

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 Build relationships, relate to others in social situations, lead, negotiate conflict, and work as part of a team (social skills)

3.1 Emotional intelligence is essential to building a balanced-life

If you think emotional intelligence is only important for those who always have to interact or communicate with people, think it again. Emotional intelligence is a gateway to a balanced-life. It’s essential to basically every aspect of life.

 Physical Health – The ability to take care of our bodies and especially to manage our stress, which has an incredible impact on our overall wellness, is heavily tied to our emotional intelligence. Only by being aware of our emotional state and our reactions to stress in our lives can we hope to manage stress and maintain good health.

 Mental Well-Being – Emotional intelligence affects our attitude and outlook on life.

It can also help to alleviate anxiety and avoid depression and mood swings. A high level of emotional intelligence directly correlates to a positive attitude and happier outlook on life.

 Relationships – By better understanding and managing our emotions, we are better able to communicate our feelings in a more constructive way. We are also better able to understand and relate to those with whom we are in relationships. Understanding the needs, feelings, and responses of those we care about leads to stronger and more fulfilling relationships.

 Conflict Resolution – When we can discern people’s emotions and empathize with their perspective, it’s much easier to resolve conflicts or possibly avoid them before they start. We are also better at negotiation due to the very nature of our ability to understand the needs and desires of others. It’s easier to give people what they want if we can perceive what it is.

 Success – Higher emotional intelligence helps us to be stronger internal motivators, which can reduce procrastination, increase self-confidence, and improve our ability to focus on a goal. It also allows us to create better networks of support, overcome setbacks, and persevere with a more resilient outlook. Our ability to delay gratification and see the long-term directly affects our ability to succeed.

 Leadership – The ability to understand what motivates others, relate in a positive manner, and to build stronger bonds with others in the workplace inevitably makes those with higher emotional intelligence better leaders. An effective leader can recognize what the needs of his people are, so that those needs can be met in a way that encourages higher performance and workplace satisfaction.

An emotionally savvy and intelligent leader is also able to build stronger teams by strategically utilizing the emotional diversity of their team members to benefit the team as a whole. Emotional intelligence is still not completely understood, but what we do know is that emotions play a very critical role in the overall quality of our personal and professional lives, more critical even than our actual measure of brain intelligence. While tools and technology can help us to learn and master information, nothing can replace our ability to learn, manage, and master our emotions and the emotions of those around us.

Emotional intelligence is not just a practice for responding or not reacting.Reacting is an unconscious process where we behave in an unconscious way that expresses or relieves an emotion. Responding is a conscious process that involves paying attention to your feelings and deciding how to behave.When you’re more aware of your emotional triggers, you can always think about the way to behave in advance.For example, if you know that you get angry easily and throw temper to colleagues when you’re feeling very stressful at work, take note of that and think about what you can do next time when you’re experiencing the same trigger.

Maybe you can try to tell your colleagues that you need some silent moments because you’re feeling stressful at the moment, or maybe you can get a few minutes of alone time just to calm down yourself first. Stay humble all the times.When you always believe that you’re better than others, you’ll not see your own faults, and you’ll likely to get emotional about things that don’t meet your expectation.Try to look at the same thing from a different perspective. Instead of judging someone or something, put yourself in someone else’s shoes and try to think or feel like them: would you do or feel the same too and why?

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In this way, you’re likely to understand other people’s thoughts and emotions more; and you’ll probably learn something new about how to deal with stuff in similar situations too.

4. PRACTICAL UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION OF E.Q.

Practical understanding of Emotional intelligence is important for different ways of being smart. It includes knowing what we are feeling and using our feelings to make good decision in life. It requires following virtues in a successful personality:

 Self-awareness- This is the ability to label, recognize, and understand your own emotions. Self-awareness requires us to tune in to our feelings and not avoid our negative emotions such as anxiety, fear and sadness. Recognizing our own emotional states and how they affect our thoughts, behaviours, and decisions is the key to cultivating self-awareness.

 Emotional regulation- Emotional regulation has to do with our ability to control strong emotions by not acting on raw feelings in an impulsive or destructive manner. Developing the ability to sit with unpleasant feelings and to give ourselves the time and space to decide how we may alleviate or reduce negative feelings cultivates self-confidence. Emotional regulation also helps us develop the ability to consider various solutions to a particular situation or problem. Not reacting solely from an emotionally charged state results in better decision-making outcomes.

 Empathy- When we empathize with others, we develop deeper, more intimate relationships. Empathy is the ability to recognize how and why people feel the way they do. Empathy allows us to anticipate how our actions and behaviours influence other people as well as our own. Developing empathy skills enhances our experiences, relationships, and general understanding of ourselves, other people and the world around us.

 Social skills- This is a very broad term. In general, having strong social skills means having the ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and courteous manner. In a nutshell, good social skills are the summation of all of the components of EQ: self- awareness, emotional regulation, and empathy.

4.1 Examples of the Practical Application of Emotional Intelligence Skills

 Ability to be flexible. To avoid stalemates, during intense negotiations one must remain flexible. That is, one must be prepared for the unexpected. Those with low emotional intelligence are uncomfortable with change and panic in the face of the unexpected. Those with high E.Q. use the challenge of the unexpected to arrive at creative solutions. .

 Ability to be optimistic. When faced with relentless pressure and little chance for success, the average person gives up in despair. Yet, giving up is not an option for world class champions, master negotiators, or business magnates. Because of their optimism, emotionally intelligent leaders are always hopeful and, therefore, willing to face the challenges that await them.

 Ability to be empathetic. Empathy, or the ability to place oneself in the shoes of another, is a major component of emotional intelligence.

 Ability to resolve conflicts. The emotionally intelligent can resolve conflicts because they always think in terms of win-win, unlike the "I win, you lose"

philosophy of those with little emotional intelligence.

 Ability to use humour to lessen stress. Stress wears heavily on our bodies, reducing clarity of mind, and alertness.

5. CONCLUSIONS

The main objective of this study was to outline new dimensions of practical understanding and application of emotional intelligence practice, which incorporate elements of emotion in order to strengthen mutual relations and employees loyalty. The analysis provided evidence that this creates an organisational culture, which is based on knowledge and trust and which allows and encourages knowledge sharing among employees. Top management is responsible for creation of company’s culture, therefore their strategy must not be focused on retention of knowledge by individuals who feel threatened and consequently have low level of confidence.

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The primary task of all line managers focuses on promoting the emotional potential of employees, whereby each participant provides a unique contribution to overall team performance in accordance with its capabilities of Emotional Intelligence. This promotes synergy instead of leading to conflicts and competitive behaviours. Our overall conclusion states, that emotional intelligence, which starts on top with the Head managers and CEO’s and operates throughout the company, affects all levels of the organisation.

Obtaining employee commitment to achieve common objectives remains an art of those managers who have internalized the desire to continuously develop their leadership potential and create synergistic effects that can be noticed and measured in the entire organisation.” Be humble enough to know you’re not better than anyone, and wise enough to know that you’re different from the rest!” Emotional intelligence can be learned, it’s a lifetime process.It’s never too late to learn anything, it just takes continuous observation and practice. So no matter how old you are, you can still take up EI and make the rest of your life better and happier.

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