Managing Emotional Intelligence In Workplace – Case Study And Strategies

Four aspects of emotional intelligence

Assessment 1

Answer to Question1

The four aspects of emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management.

• Self awareness- It refers to how an individual assess himself or herself. It is the ability of every individual to assess themselves and see that how they respond to the various situations.
• Self management- It refers to the ability of individuals to manage their emotions and have control over them. This aspect focuses on individual transparency, adaptability, achievement and optimism.  
• Social Awareness- It refers to the level of awareness people have regarding the society. It focuses on individual awareness of their organizations.
• Relationship management- This refers to the ability to manage relationships with others. It focuses on how individuals contribute towards developing others (Dwyer & Hopwood, 2013).

Answer to question2

• Emotion- Emotions are discrete and short-lived feelings, like happiness, disappointment, fear, optimism and insecurity. Emotions are derived from the circumstances that human beings face.
• Mood- Mood is also temporary but they last longer than emotions. Examples of mood are, negative mood, cheerful mood, feeling down and positive mood. Individual’s mood depends on their emotional state (Dwyer & Hopwood, 2013).
• Personality traits- It can be defined the characteristics of individuals that help them to approach life in a unique way. The most popular personality traits are the big five personality traits,

Answer to Question 3a.

Factors that impact team’s mood

• Level of trust- The level of trust team members have on each other influences the mood of the team
• Appreciations- If team members are appreciated they are generally in happy mood and if not they will be sad and gloomy.
• Safety- If the team members feel safe in their workplace they will be in a positive mood but if they do not feel safe then they will be in fear and insecurity (Dwyer & Hopwood, 2013).

Answer to Question 3b.

Mood contagion- It is situation that occurs when an individual is influenced by the mood of another person and matches with him or her. In an organization employees matches the mood of their managers.

Answer To Question3c

Attitudes- Attitudes can be defined as the feelings, intentions and beliefs of any person towards other person, situation or a thing (Menegazzo et al., 2015).

Answer to Question 4a.

Two Motivating feelings identified

• Happiness- Happy employees are always motivated
• Enthusiasm- If the employees are enthusiastic they will be motivated towards their work.

Answer to Quetion4b

Two de motivating feelings identified

• Dissatisfaction- If the employees are not feeling satisfied with their job, position or work environment then there are chances that employees would be de motivated.
• Insecurity- If the employees feel insecure about their jobs then they will be lowly motivated (Dutton, Workman & Hardin, 2014).

Answer to Question 5a.

• Factors that prevent the expression of emotions at workplace are,

Work pressure

Emotional outburst can make an employee distracted and lose his concentration. As a result of which his productive capacity might get hampered. So, it is very much essential for an employee to manage his emotions very carefully. Even if he is emotionally low, he must keep a smile on his face and maintain his professional appearance.

Fear of bullying

An employee must be very alert at his workplace regarding his emotions. Not every employee at a workplace is of a good nature. There are people who can take the undue advantage of an overemotional person and can also bully him. Hence, it is important for an employee to manage his emotions very tactfully at his workplace.

Answer to Question5b

Constructive release of emotions helps in reduction of stress and makes the employees motivated towards their work. It is very difficult to manage the both positive and negative emotion. Emotions are required to be expressed but in a way that it is constructive. For example when someone is angry if they show their anger on colleagues then it would not be good for healthy interpersonal relationship. Instead of showing, anger and shouting so one can control their anger and give a feedback. It will help in building good relationships with others and would have also helped the other employee to improve their flaws (Humphrey, Ashforth & Diefendorff, 2015).

1. Emotions like anger are required to be released in a positive way. Disappointments often lead to anger that is not good in both personal and professional life of an individual. Suppressing emotions might make the individuals express themselves later in a very aggressive way. If anger is not channelized in proper way then chances are that the individuals might later become very angry and exhibit aggressive behavior including violent actions.

Answer to Question 6

• Eustress- Eustress are positive stress that induces good and effective performance in the personal, social and professional lives of individuals.
• Distress- It is a negative stress that cannot be managed by the employees and hence causes tension.
• Hypostress- This kind of stress is caused by very less stimulation.
• Hyperstress-It is an extreme tension, which is caused as result of work pressure, targets and deadlines.
• Workplace stressors are poor management practices, lack of support, role conflict unrealistic job demands and unsatisfactory relationships.
• Benefits of minimizing workplace distress and hyperstress
• Motivated employees- If the distress and hyperstress of the employees
• Employee job satisfaction- If the employees would be less stressed the they will be satisfied with their jobs
• Employee engagement- If there is no burden of work on the employees and they are not stressed then their engagement to their work will be increased.
• Reduced employee turnover- If employees will be less stressed then the rate of employee turnover would be reduced (Xanthopoulou, Bakker & Fischbach, 2013).

Answer to Question 7a.  

1. Physical symptoms of stress
2. Fluctuations in blood pressure
3. Headaches

Answer to Question 7b.

1. Psychological symptoms of stress
2. Anxiety
3. Mood swings

Answer to Question7c

Behavioral symptoms of stress

1. Anger
2. Insomnia

Answer to Question8

Manager and supervisor should counsel and ask the team member the reason behind stress they are facing. They can either help the team member or instruct other team member to be supportive towards the one facing stress. Communication is the most effective method to reduce the stress of the team members. If the managers and supervisors delegate the big tasks in to two or more employees then the workload of the employees would be reduced. Organizing cultural events and interactive sessions where employees are given chance to tell about the challenges they face in doing their tasks will help reduce the stress of the team members. Promoting work in coordination will help the team members. 

Factors that impact team’s mood

Answer to Question 9a.

Strategies to manage emotions at work

• Not to be impulsive- Being impulsive often leads to situations that lead people to certain situations that might prove disastrous in later stages. So thinking about the pros and cons of one’s actions can prevent from showing emotions at workplace.
• To accept the value of emotions at work place- One cannot prevent emotion at work so one should accept their emotions. It is very important to channelize the emotions properly.
• Paying attention to perceptions- One should make the habit of questioning one’s perceptions and assumptions. One should know and check whether the perceptions and assumptions one has are correct or not.
• Regulating emotions properly- Emotions cannot be prevented but they can be used effectively. A negative emotion in negative situation acts like fuel so it is very important to regulate emotions in a correct way. Instead what one can do is focus on rational solution.

Answer to Question 9b

Strategies to develop emotional intelligence in others are as follows-

• Teaching to accept the view points of others- It is very important that people learn to accept the opinions of others. People find difficulty in accepting the opinions of others. It becomes reason for conflicts in most of the case. One can disagree to others and still work together in harmony if they know that diversity in opinions is very important at work place.
• Training to be emphatic- One of the most important things that are required for managers is the ability to show empathy to others. By being emphatic, one can be supportive towards others. Often listening to other people’ problems is what eases their emotional burden.
• Teach people how to regulate their emotions- With the help of training session employees and team members can be taught to regulate their emotions. For example, not to react when one is very angry of sad. To thinking about the consequences before one takes actions.
• Building proper communication channel- It is very important that the communication channel of the organization is very good. When employees communicate among themselves then there will be fewer chances of conflicts. Even if there are conflicts they will be able to handle in a more mature way and they would refrain from showing negative emotions (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2013).

Answer to Question10 a

 Characteristics of leaders who are emotionally intelligent

• Self-awareness- Emotionally intelligent leaders are aware about their emotions. They know their strengths and weaknesses and which situations can cause trouble for them. They know themselves very well and hence do not react in negative situations. They have trained themselves to control their emotions.
• Awareness of others- They are aware about the emotions of people they work with. This helps them in building good relations with others. They are good at studying people and know what reactions they can expect in certain situations. They use their knowledge for effective leadership.
• Listening skills- One of the most effective skills emotionally intelligent leaders have is they are good listeners. They believe in listening to others much more than speaking or giving orders to others.
• Awareness of emotional atmosphere- Emotional intelligent leaders are not only aware of the emotions of the people they work. They also know the mood and feelings of their work environment. They have the knowledge about the factors that can influence people (Xanthopoulou, Bakker & Fischbach, 2013).
• Ability to anticipate reactions- Emotionally intelligent leaders can predict about the reactions. Since they can foresee the outcomes, they are well prepared with a plan to manage that situation.
• Compassionate- It is very important that leaders are compassionate towards their employees and have understanding with them. They are empathic and show compassion to their employees (Dutton, Workman & Hardin, 2014).

1. Consequences of low emotional intelligence in leaders

• Less motivated employees
• Increase in Employee Turnover
• Conflict between employee and employer

Answer to Question11a

Surface acting is expressing emotions without even feeling that emotion. It is often called as faking with bad intentions. Often the employees display false emotions without checking their emotions (Andrews et al., 2016). For example, the front desk executive of a restaurant might smile at the guests even if she is feeling low.

Answer 11b

The purpose of feeling rules is to set a standard for professionals that are in direct contact with the customers, like flight attendants and bill collectors. It teaches people to express their emotions and feeling in positive way without hurting the emotions and feelings of others.

Answer 11c.

One of the examples for feeling rules for restaurant workers would be protecting the self identity.

Answer 11d.

Emotional dissonance is the conflict between emotions experienced by an individual and emotions that are required in an organization.

Answer to question12.

Strategies to deal with demands of emotional labor

• Teaching the employees about the feeling rules and the appropriate professional behavior they need to show at workplace
• Buffering- Utilization of service oriented frontline staff to
• Protect the back office, behind the scenes staff members
• Let the service oriented staffs to handle customer requirements, crisis situation and for finding the solutions (Andrews et al., 2016).
• Training in Problem solving techniques
• Make the employees to understand, practice and use the six step of problem solving process
• Improve the confidence level of the employees (Wang  & Groth, 2014).
• Train the employees to reduce the negative reactions and complaints from the customers
• Train them to meet the customer expectation and increase their satisfaction level (Grandey, Diefendorff & Rupp, 2013). 

Answer to question13.

Strategies to enhance empathy

• Acknowledging the efforts of the employees and appreciate them for their good works.
• Address the concerns, needs, interest and feelings of other people
• Enhance the listening skills and accept the view points of other people
• Avoiding interfering into the personal lives of other people
• Maintain collaboration, cooperation and involve with other people
• Clarifying the emotions heard and seen in other people, this can be done by asking them “You Seem unhappy”
• Avoid being judgmental rather judging people for their viewpoints their opinions should be acknowledged (Townsend, Wilkinson & Burgess, 2014).

Answer to Question 14a.

 Behaviors influenced by emotionally intelligent leaders

• Strong team bonding or Good interpersonal relationship between employees
• Effective communication channel
• Coordination among the employees and the tasks they undertake
• Happy and motivated employees

Answer to Question 14b.

Counterproductive behavior influenced by emotions of the team leader

• Increase in number of absenteeism
• Increase in employee turnover (Humphrey, Ashforth & Diefendorff, 2015).
• Less efficiency in the activities
• Conflict between team members and team leader

Answer to question 15.

No, a leader with low emotional intelligence would never be able to defuse the counterproductive behavior of the employees sing the nine step process. The nine step process needs teach the employees to be emotionally intelligent but if the leader himself is not emotionally intelligent then it would be very difficult for him to teach or train the employees (Guy, Newman, & Mastracci, 2014).

Answer to Question 16

Strategies to enhance collaboration, engagement and achievement

• The managers are required to take a consultative approach and not take the “commanding” or “telling” approach
• The managers need to collaborate with their employees so that they can meet the objectives of the organization.
• Translating the organizational objectives and goals in to feasible and comprehensible actionable plans
• Providing adequate people, tools and resources for the activities required to achieve the organizational goals
• Identifying and taking actions to remove the obstacles to ensure better performance
• Provide training, coaching and mentoring sessions to develop the skills of the employees
• Encouraging and motivating the employees
• Recognizing the emotions of the employees and channelizing one’s own emotions effectively (Murphy, 2014) 
• Maintaining a good and healthy relationship with the employees with effective communication channel (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2013)

Answer to Question 17.

Impacts of low emotional intelligence of team leaders

• Less job engagement
• Low morale of the team members
• Weak team bond
• Benefits of Emotionally intelligent workforce
• Improvement in the performance of the organization
• Job satisfaction among the employees
• Organizational goal achievement
• Increase in satisfaction level of the customers (Druskat, Mount & Sala, 2013). 

Answer 18

Four benefits of an emotionally intelligent workforce are as follows

1. Increased motivation
2. Leadership capabilities
3. Better team work
4. Better office environment

Assignment 2

Case study 1

1. The team members of Carly’s team are upset with the behavior of Carly in the meetings. The team members are very disappointed that she ignores and interrupts people.
2. During meetings Carly is often seen checking her phones and does not pay attention to what the team members are saying. She even interrupts while others are putting forward their views. She does not let people add their ideas by cutting their conversation in the middle (Menegazzo et al., 2015).
3. Carly needs to develop her listening skills. She needs to pay attention to what her team members are saying. She should encourage ideas and involve people in the discussions. Carley needs to develop a good relationship with her employees. She can improve her emotional intelligence by interacting to the employees, greeting them and appreciating them. She needs to keep her phone switched off and learn to not to mix up professional life and personal life (Ciarrochi & Mayer, 2013). 
4. Carly is very efficient as one of her team members think she is very optimistic. If she improves her emotional intelligence then her employees will respect her more. Her team members will be motivated to provide new ideas which would be beneficial for the organization. Her employees would be motivated to work which would eventually increase the efficiency of the employees.

Case study 2

Answer to Question1a

The financial controller kept persuading the other team members that the implementation should be done before Christmas. The other team members had no problem with the deadline. In the month of October and November there were other works that needed prioritization. As per one of the staffs of the financial controller she usually takes three weeks leave during this period and usually does not put someone one the position on her absence. The other members were not ready for the unrealistic scheduling for which the financial controller was saying. Disregarding the views of other team members she kept on insisting that the project should not be implemented during the Christmas period. It should be implemented either before or after Christmas (Joseph et al., 2015). According to another team member she does not give assertive feedback to any discussion. She has the habit of forcing her decisions on others. She would de motivate and discourage her staffs. When Minda gave the feedback to Financial Controller that the deadline is unrealistic she showed her temper. She said angrily that they should proceed without her. Her unprofessional behavior shocked Minda (Carson, Carson & Birkenmeier, 2016). This clearly shows that the Financial Controller was not is not emotional intelligent as she always cares about her own priorities. She is not emphatic as she does not care about the emotions of other people. It can be said that she has too much negative emotions which she fails to channelize.

Motivating and de-motivating feelings

Answer to Question1b

The impact of the financial controller’s behavior is that the project might be a failure. This has happened before as well and as per the feedback of the other staffs the reason was the unprofessional behavior of Financial Controller. If the behavior continues then it is sure that the project might be a failure again. The project developers might have to find another financial Controller for the project.

Answer to Question2a

Strategies for self-control in this situation

Self-management helps the managers or team leaders to control their own behaviors and emotions and accordingly respond to the behaviors of others. So one should take the responsibility of one’s performance

Make positive interactions with other people

Mina needs to anticipate the needs of the Financial Controller and match those needs with the goals and objectives of the project.

She should accept the ideas of Financial Controller and very tactfully put forward her view points.

Mina needs to channelize her frustration whenever she has to deal with financial controller.

Strategies for relationship management

Minda need to develop a positive relationship with help of proper communication. She can negotiate with financial controller so that they can come to a solution.

Minda needs to listen to the perspective of financial controller so that she can understand the reason behind her unprofessional behavior.

Conflict management is very important. Right after any conflict or disagreement she should initiate a negotiation so that they can find a solution.

Answer to Question 2b.

Minda has realized that in order to manage her relationship with the financial controller she will have to use her relationship management skills and her interpersonal skills as well. She must take into account that the financial controller had complained earlier about her behavior. The financial controller was not happy with the rude and angry behavior of Minda. He had also complained regarding the negative opinions that Minda always had after the meeting. So, at this situation, it would be wise for Minda if she becomes a responsible leader and starts imbibing positivity within the financial controller. She must work on her temperament. She must know how to keep calm and deal with the problems patiently. She must not show her anger and her negative opinions on the controller. This greatly demotivates him and ruins his confidence. Minda must support the financial controller in all ways and motivate him and must also teach him that being a responsible employee; he must also know how to maintain his behavior at the workplace. Minda must be patient enough to listen to the viewpoints of the financial controller well and then look into the details of the situation and take necessary steps.

References

Andrews, M. C., Andrews, M. C., Kacmar, K. M., Kacmar, K. M., Valle, M., & Valle, M. (2016). Surface acting as a mediator between personality and attitudes. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(8), 1265-1279.

Carson, K. D., Carson, P. P., & Birkenmeier, B. J. (2016). Measuring emotional intelligence: Development and validation of an instrument. Journal of Behavioral and applied Management, 2(1).

Ciarrochi, J., & Mayer, J. D. (2013). Applying emotional intelligence: A practitioner’s guide. Psychology Press.

Druskat, V. U., Mount, G., & Sala, F. (2013). Linking emotional intelligence and performance at work: Current research evidence with individuals and groups. Psychology Press.

Dutton, J. E., Workman, K. M., & Hardin, A. E. (2014). Compassion at work.

Dwyer, J., & Hopwood, N. (2013). Management strategies and skills (Vol. 10, p. 240). in Australia by McGraw-Hill Education (Australia) Pty Ltd Level 2, 82 Waterloo Road, North Ryde NSW 2113.   

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2013). Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press.

Grandey, A., Diefendorff, J., & Rupp, D. E. (Eds.). (2013). Emotional labor in the 21st century: Diverse perspectives on emotion regulation at work. Routledge.

Guy, M. E., Newman, M. A., & Mastracci, S. H. (2014). Emotional labor: Putting the service in public service. Routledge.

Humphrey, R. H., Ashforth, B. E., & Diefendorff, J. M. (2015). The bright side of emotional labor. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(6), 749-769.

Joseph, D. L., Jin, J., Newman, D. A., & O’Boyle, E. H. (2015). Why does self-reported emotional intelligence predict job performance? A meta-analytic investigation of mixed EI.

Menegazzo, J. S., Cruz-Ortiz, V., Ortega-Maldonado, A., & Salanova, M. (2015). Positive Institutions and their relationship with transformational leadership, empathy and team performance. Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences, 2(2), 38-64.

Murphy, K. R. (2014). A critique of emotional intelligence: what are the problems and how can they be fixed?. Psychology Press.

Townsend, K., Wilkinson, A., & Burgess, J. (2014). Routes to partial success: Collaborative employment relations and employee engagement. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(6), 915-930.

Wang, K. L., & Groth, M. (2014). Buffering the negative effects of employee surface acting: The moderating role of employee–customer relationship strength and personalized services. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(2), 341.

Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., & Fischbach, A. (2013). Work engagement among employees facing emotional demands. Journal of Personnel Psychology.