Emotional Intelligence, Job Satisfaction, and Job Tenure Among Hotel Managers

Every organization that aspires to be successful must address the value of emotional intelligence in the work place. How people relate to each other determines if the organization eventually moves from

Batool, B. F. (2013) Emotional Intelligence and Effective Leadership. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 4(3), 84-94. (Note: Available in the Strayer Library)

With the publication of Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence in 1995, the business world got an answer to a question that had been plaguing it for decades: “Why did some people of a high IQ struggle at managing teams while other leaders of lower IQ excel at it”? Goleman asserted that the traditional measurement of IQ (intelligence quotient) was not enough to determine a good leader. Schools and universities concentrated on developing the cognitive and analytical part of the brain, while the teaching of how the emotional side of the brain worked was ignored. Goleman defined this “emotional intelligence” of a human being as a set of competencies that distinguish how one manages

Managing human emotions plays a critical role in everyday functioning. After years of lively debate on the significance and validity of its construct, emotional intelligence (EI) has generated a robust body of theories, research studies, and measures (Stough, Saklofske, & Parker). There has been work and many ideas by Jack Mayer, Peter Salovey, David Caruso, Daniel Goleman, and Steve Hein to name a few. All researchers have different interpretations of the term emotional intelligence and different visions of what emotional intelligence can mean for humanity (Hein, 2005). In 1985 Wayne Leon Payne, then a graduate student at an alternative liberal arts college in the USA, wrote a doctoral dissertation which included the term “emotional intelligence” in the title. This seems to be the first academic use of the term “emotional intelligence.” In the next five years no one else seems to have used the term “emotional intelligence” in any academic paper. Then in 1990 the work of two American university professors, John Mayer and Peter Salovey, was published in two academic journal articles. Mayer and Salovey were trying to develop a way of scientifically measuring the difference between people’s ability in the area of emotions. They found that some people were better than others at things like identifying their own feelings, identifying the feelings of others, and solving problems involving emotional issues. Since 1990 these professors

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Emotional intelligence in leadership is detrimental to one’s success. Despite the advanced knowledge and technological capabilities, one has to possess a strong skill of self-awareness and apply that skill towards building strong interprofessional relationship (Doe, Ndinguri, & Phipps, 2015). An individual can not drive a process alone; a successful leader has to possess qualities to inspire his followers to strive towards the same goal. One of the largest cargo companies FedEx represents the world’s top most successful companies. FedEx leadership program incorporates an emotional intelligence assessment and its development into its new-hire program for managers (Freedman, 2014). Organizations that possess strong moral principles present a better productivity and attract talent (Sims,

First, emotional intelligence is a characteristic employers deem important. In today’s business world, employers are increasingly seeking potential candidates with high emotional intelligence because these individuals are adaptable and better equipped to work in teams. Second, stress can hinder a person’s ability to handle change. Specifically, my results have shown me that the amount of stress in my life has caused my body’s defenses to become compromised. As a result, it has been difficult adjusting to the array of changes in my life, which explains why I have been experiencing insomnia from time to time. Last, an individual’s emotional intensity can have consequences at work. For instance, if a person is a judge, he or she cannot showcase high emotional intensity, because it is mandatory for individuals in this profession to keep their

“Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage our emotions and those around us, therefore, this quality gives individuals a variety of skills, such as the ability to manage relationships, navigate social networks, influence and inspire others. Every individual possesses different level, but in order for individuals to become effective leaders, they will need a high level of emotional intelligence. In today’s workplace, it has become a highly important

As a result of the various definitions of emotional intelligence, there emerged three most widely recognized and main models of emotional intelligence. The model as proposed by the modern pioneer of Emotional Intelligence studies Salovey and Mayer sees emotional intelligence as a cognitive ability, while the model as proposed by Bar-On views emotional intelligence as a mixed intelligence, meaning it consists of cognitive ability and personality aspects (Mayer and Salovey, 1990; Bar-On, 2004) This model stresses the importance of how both cognitive and personality factors can effect general well-being. The third model was developed by Daniel Goleman (2001), who like Bar-on also perceives emotional intelligence as a mixed intelligence, but his model focuses on how the two factors can determine organizational and workplace success.

The book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman deals with the emotional assets and liabilities of individuals in organizations. Emotional intelligence is traits that go beyond academic achievement or IQ. As a matter of fact he points out that high academic intelligence can sometimes stand in the way of emotional intelligence. Broadly speaking, emotional intelligence determines how well we handle difficult situation, which cannot be solved by logic, but more by a “feel” for the situation. These attributes are very hard to measure, which is why many standardized tests, whether academic or for employment, fail to measure these attributes, even though these are the one which determine

Without it, a person can have the best training in the world, an incisive, analytical mind, and an endless supply of smart ideas, but he still won’t make a great leader. In the course of the past year, my colleagues and I have focused on how emotional intelligence operates at work. We have examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and effective performance, especially in leaders. And we have observed how emotional intelligence shows itself on the job.

Many problems faced by managers in today’s workplace involve situations regarding emotional intelligence. More specifically, the emotional intelligence faced between the employee and employer relationship. Emotional intelligence can be best defined as the ability to control and express one 's emotions in a professional manner. In other words, emotional intelligence is the ability to communicate one 's emotions in a manner that is both professional and productive. From this definition we can begin to make connections as to how emotional intelligence could cause problems in the work force. These problems arise from individuals of low emotional intelligence for they have not yet acquired the ability of self-awareness towards their emotions. There are several different ways on how to apply self-awareness towards one’s emotions within the work force. Mastering these high emotional intelligence strategies will allow for a more productive work environment and a better relationship between the employee and the employer. In addition, employees must be emotionally intelligent to communicate effectively amongst coworkers, other organizational departments, and the organization hierarchy. Emotional intelligence can be either a gift or a burden; however, obtaining a high emotional intelligence is critical in the workforce and is necessary to maintain a productive work environment. In addition, workers with high emotional intelligence obtain a higher job satisfaction according to research.

In this write-up, attempt is made to provide conceptual clarifications on the subject matter, “Emotional intelligence”, an overview of the theories of emotional intelligence, including a brief discussion about how important the role of emotional intelligence can be in leadership, performance (both educational and work place settings) and in wellbeing.

Researcher that has been carried out on the topic of emotional intelligence (EI) have revealed findings that link EI with higher achievements of individuals. A study done by Carmeli (2009) indicated that emotional intelligence plays a role in the wellbeing of individuals. Specifically, emotional intelligence is suggested to be an important predictor of crucial organizational consequences such as job satisfaction (Daus & Ashkanasy, 2005). Gender is another variable that is proposed as having a relationship with the concepts of emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. All over the world, many organizations are studying their employees’ satisfaction, feelings and attitudes not only to plan on how to allocate rewards and possibilities but also they do it because they are worried more about their employees’ feeling toward their jobs (Golparvar & Qazvi, 2010).