This module focuses on the impact that emotional intelligence has on decision making
This module focuses on the impact that emotional intelligence has on decision making. Additionally, the module highlights biases in decision making, as well as emotional influences on decision making.
Your goal for this assignment is to develop a plan to increase motivation, satisfaction, and performance in the workplace through the use of foundational principles associated with emotional intelligence. You must highlight the key elements of emotional intelligence that increase follower motivation and performance. Also, describe the potential biases that could impact leadership decision making and make recommendations to overcome the leadership biases. There are links to self assessments in the lecture that may provide food for thought as you develop your plan. Address the following in your paper/plan:
- Provide a brief summary of the attributes associated with EQ.
- Describe how you would embody each of those attributes.
- Develop a means for employing the plan to increase motivation, satisfaction, and performance in the workplace.
- Share specifics on the potential advantages and disadvantages of your plan.
Assignment Requirements:
- Your paper should be 4-5 pages in length, not counting the required title and references pages.
Expert Answer and Explanation
Impact of Emotions on Decision-Making
Organizations make decisions and motivate employees with focus on improving their performance. This implies that decision-making as well as encouraging of workers can help a firm perform in alignment with the firm’s expectations. For an organization to achieve this alignment, it needs to know how to act or make decision, and this is important in the sense that it helps avoid mistakes which may hamper performance.
When considering using decision-making and motivation to drive performance, an entity has to be aware of the factors which may affect the effectiveness or impact of the two (O’Connor et al., 2019). A decision maker has to understand that biases can affect decision-making, and the elements of emotional intelligence (EI) can enhance or hamper motivation as this study highlights.
Elements of Emotional Intelligence that help motivate Followers
The elements of EI can help improve the followers’ motivation and performance. As an example of these elements, self-awareness plays a crucial in terms of motivating individuals. When one is self-aware, they can intuitively reasons, and rather than act in a manner that hurts others, they make decisions with focus on helping support others, and this motivates the follower (Boyatzis, 2018).
Self-management, still, can help a leader motivate the people they lead. A leader can demonstrate this element by restraining from using words which can hurt others’ feelings. Instead, they approach issues with calm, and this help improve the leader-follower relationship. Accordingly, the employees gain motivation, and support the leader (Boyatzis, 2018).
Social-awareness is another element that can help optimize a leader’s capacity to encourage people in their team. A leader that exhibits this quality or element makes efforts to get to know about others’ perspectives regarding cultural practices. Such a leader discards the notion that their perspective is undisputable, and instead, they listen to others. In doing so, they encourage employees to contribute towards meeting of the performance targets.
A leader can equally use relationship management to encourage workers. This is involves adopting practices and measures focused on reducing conflicts, and engaging constructively with workers to help motivate them.
Potential Biases that can affect Leadership Decision-Making
While a leader may want to realize a certain objective by making decisions, they may fail to meet the expectations especially if there are biases involved. Anchoring, for instance, can limit a leader’s capacity to come up with the right course of action. It is noticeable in a scenario where one makes conclusion based on the information, they receive instead of considering alternative options.
The progress bias can equally affect the making of decisions. It occurs when one oversteps favorable decisions while they downplay the unfavorable decisions (Gilar-Corbi et al., 2019). An example is downsizing to save costs, and using the money saved to purchase an item that is not important to the organization.
Recommendations to Overcome Leadership Biases
Given the undesirable effects of the biases, leadership should undertake certain measures to overcome the biases. When considering making decisions, for instance, a leader should gather facts first. This is important because the lack of facts may increase the leader’s risk of making leadership mistakes due to the biases such as anchoring bias. A leader can equally overcome the bias by consulting, and seeking the views of others (Drigas & Papoutsi, 2018). This is important because employees may know what a leader does not know, and seeking the views of the former can help limit the risk of making decisions which end up hampering performance.
Attributes Associated with EQ
There are key attributes which one can associate with the EI. Self-awareness is part of the attributes. It denotes one’s capacity to recognize their flaws, strengths, and the impact of their actions on others. Another attribute is self-regulation, and an individual can demonstrate this attribute by managing their feelings as well as emotions so that they don’t annoy others. Empathy, still, is a feature that one can relate to the EI.
It describes one’s ability to understand the experiences of others. Motivation, in addition, is linked to the EI, and it means having passion in doing something, and making efforts to realize a certain objective (Reshetnikov et al., 2020). Furthermore, social skills are also some of the features of the EI. When one has these skills, they are able to manage relationships in an effective manner.
Embodying the Attributes
There are different ways in which one can embody the attributes. Creating room for other people to share their thoughts on how to manage certain tasks, for instance, provides a way of embodying the attributes. By doing this, an individual would be demonstrating the possession of the social skills as an attribute of the EI. One can also embody these attributes by restraining from taking actions which hurt the feelings of others, and this is an attribute that defines a self-aware person (Rodríguez-Ledo et al., 2018). Instead of rushing to condemn people for making mistakes, one can calmly talk to the person who committed the mistake.
Means for Employing the Plan
It is possible for a leader to motivate workers, and promote their satisfaction and performance, and it can do this by developing a plan that helps leaders learn and develop the EI attributes. The goal of the plan is to create a program that motivates leaders so that they can perform well in terms of motivating workers.
To realize the goal, the leaders will undergo training with the training covering the major elements of the EI. The resources needed include the laptop, PowerPoint presentations, projector and a whiteboard. The training will run for two weeks with daily training sessions taking 2 hours. By the end of the training, the learners should be able to apply the four attributes of the EI in managing simulated organizational issues (Poonamallee et al., 2018).
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Plan
The training plan exhibits benefits as well as flaws. This plan, for instance, has a high possibility of improving the capacity of the leaders to learn how to manage and motivate their teams of workers. The plan is simple enough, and implementing it does not present problems. However, the plan does not include the details regarding the evaluation of the outcomes. The fact that it omits evaluation of the training outcomes puts its reliability into question.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the emotions, thoughts and cognitive reasoning can affect the decisions which an individual makes. Similarly, the biases one has can influence how they make decisions, and motivate others. This underscores the need to seek the counsel of other people so as to avoid the mishaps associated with making decisions. A person can avoid these issues by embodying the aspects of the EI when making decisions. An individual in leadership role needs to make efforts to learn these attributes so that they can avoid the pitfalls of making decisions.
References
Boyatzis, R. E. (2018). The Behavioral Level of Emotional Intelligence and Its Measurement. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1438.Doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01438.
Drigas, A. S., & Papoutsi, C. (2018). A New Layered Model on Emotional Intelligence. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 8(5), 45. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs8050045.
Gilar-Corbi, R., Pozo-Rico, T., Sánchez, B., & Castejón, J. L. (2019). Can emotional intelligence be improved? A randomized experimental study of a business-oriented EI training program for senior managers. PloS one, 14(10). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224254.
O’Connor, P. J., Hill, A., Kaya, M., & Martin, B. (2019). The Measurement of Emotional Intelligence: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Researchers and Practitioners. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1116. Doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01116.
Poonamallee, L., Harrington, A. M., Nagpal, M., & Musial, A. (2018). Improving Emotional Intelligence through Personality Development: The Effect of the Smart Phone Application based Dharma Life Program on Emotional Intelligence. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 169. Doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00169.
Reshetnikov, V. A., Tvorogova, N. D., Hersonskiy, I. I., Sokolov, N. A., Petrunin, A. D., & Drobyshev, D. A. (2020). Leadership and Emotional Intelligence: Current Trends in Public Health Professionals Training. Frontiers in public health, 7, 413. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00413.
Rodríguez-Ledo, C., Orejudo, S., Cardoso, M. J., Balaguer, Á., & Zarza-Alzugaray, J. (2018). Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness: Relation and Enhancement in the Classroom with Adolescents. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2162. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02162.
FAQs
The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Decision-Making
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and effectively use one’s own emotions, as well as the capacity to perceive, interpret, and respond appropriately to the emotions of others. It involves a set of skills and competencies that go beyond traditional measures of intelligence, such as IQ, focusing on the realm of emotions and interpersonal relationships.
Components of Emotional Intelligence
- Self-awareness:
- Recognition of Emotions: This involves being in tune with your own emotions, understanding what you’re feeling, and being able to label those emotions accurately.
- Emotional Insight: Self-awareness extends to understanding the causes and triggers of your emotions. This involves reflecting on your reactions and identifying patterns in your emotional responses.
- Realistic Self-Assessment: It’s about having a clear and realistic understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. This self-assessment allows for a more accurate perception of your abilities.
- Self-regulation:
- Emotional Control: Self-regulation involves managing and controlling your emotions, particularly in situations that may be challenging or stressful. This doesn’t mean suppressing emotions but rather responding to them in a constructive way.
- Adaptability: It’s the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and remain flexible. Individuals with high self-regulation can adjust their strategies when faced with unexpected challenges.
- Impulse Control: This component involves resisting impulsive reactions. It means thinking before acting, especially in emotionally charged situations.
- Motivation:
- Internal Drive: Motivated individuals have a strong internal drive to pursue their goals. This drive often goes beyond external rewards and is fueled by personal satisfaction and a sense of purpose.
- Resilience: Motivation includes the ability to bounce back from setbacks and persist in the face of obstacles. Resilient individuals view challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable barriers.
- Continuous Improvement: Motivated people are inclined to seek continuous improvement. They are open to learning, setting challenging goals, and constantly striving to enhance their skills and knowledge.
- Empathy:
- Understanding Others: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It involves actively listening, picking up on non-verbal cues, and being attuned to the emotional experiences of those around you.
- Perspective-Taking: Empathetic individuals can put themselves in others’ shoes, seeing situations from different perspectives. This helps in building stronger connections and fostering understanding.
- Caring for Others: Empathy goes beyond understanding; it includes a genuine concern for the well-being of others. This caring attitude forms the basis of positive and supportive relationships.
- Social Skills:
- Building Relationships: Social skills encompass the ability to build and maintain positive relationships. This involves effective communication, conflict resolution, and the ability to connect with others on a personal level.
- Effective Communication: Being able to express ideas clearly and listen actively is a crucial social skill. This involves both verbal and non-verbal communication.
- Collaboration: Strong social skills also include the ability to work collaboratively in groups, understanding group dynamics, and contributing positively to team efforts.
Importance of Emotional Intelligence
The importance of Emotional Intelligence (EI) lies in its profound impact on personal, professional, and social aspects of life. Here are key reasons why EI is highly valued:
- Effective Communication:
- EI enhances communication skills by promoting active listening, understanding non-verbal cues, and expressing oneself with clarity and empathy.
- Individuals with high emotional intelligence can navigate conversations more successfully, fostering positive and constructive interactions.
- Enhanced Relationships:
- EI is crucial for building and maintaining healthy relationships. Understanding and managing emotions, both one’s own and others’, leads to stronger connections and more meaningful interactions.
- Empathetic individuals are better equipped to respond to the needs and emotions of those around them, fostering trust and cooperation.
- Conflict Resolution:
- Individuals with high EI are adept at handling conflicts and disagreements. They can remain calm under pressure, understand different perspectives, and find solutions that satisfy all parties involved.
- The ability to manage emotions and communicate effectively contributes to a more harmonious and productive working or personal environment.
- Leadership Effectiveness:
- Emotional intelligence is a key attribute of effective leaders. Leaders with high EI can inspire and motivate their teams, adapt to changing circumstances, and make decisions with a balanced consideration of emotions and rationality.
- EI contributes to a leadership style that is empathetic, collaborative, and capable of understanding and addressing the needs of team members.
- Personal Well-being:
- Individuals with strong EI tend to have better mental health and overall well-being. They are more resilient in the face of challenges, manage stress effectively, and maintain a positive outlook.
- The ability to understand and regulate one’s own emotions contributes to a healthier and more balanced life.
- Career Success:
- EI is a valuable asset in the professional realm. It’s often cited as a key factor in career success, influencing job performance, leadership potential, and advancement opportunities.
- Individuals with high EI are often better equipped to navigate workplace dynamics, collaborate with colleagues, and adapt to changing professional environments.
- Adaptability and Resilience:
- EI fosters adaptability by promoting a flexible and resilient mindset. Individuals with high EI can navigate change more effectively, learning from setbacks and using them as opportunities for growth.
- The ability to bounce back from challenges contributes to long-term success in various aspects of life.
- Teamwork and Collaboration:
- Social skills, a component of EI, are essential for effective teamwork. Individuals who can collaborate, communicate, and understand the emotions of their team members contribute to a more positive and productive team dynamic.
- Teams with high collective emotional intelligence are often more innovative and cohesive.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Decision-Making:
- Emotional Intelligence and Cognitive Decision-Making:
- Emotional intelligence enhances cognitive decision-making by incorporating an awareness of one’s emotions and the emotions of others into the decision-making process.
- The ability to consider and manage emotions helps in evaluating options more effectively, leading to decisions that align with both logical reasoning and emotional understanding.
- Self-Awareness and Decision-Making:
- Self-awareness, a key component of emotional intelligence, is foundational to decision-making. Understanding one’s own emotions, motives, and biases allows for more informed and self-reflective choices.
- Individuals with high self-awareness are better positioned to recognize how their emotions may influence decisions, leading to more thoughtful and intentional choices.
- Self-Regulation in Decision-Making:
- Self-regulation involves managing and controlling one’s emotions. In decision-making, this means avoiding impulsive reactions and maintaining a level-headed approach.
- Individuals with strong self-regulation can objectively assess situations, even in high-pressure scenarios, resulting in decisions that are not solely driven by fleeting emotions.
- Empathy’s Influence on Decision-Making:
- Empathy plays a crucial role in decision-making by allowing individuals to consider the perspectives and emotions of others.
- Decision-makers with high empathy are more likely to make choices that take into account the potential impact on stakeholders, fostering a more inclusive and socially aware decision-making process.
- Social Skills in Collaborative Decision-Making:
- Social skills, another component of emotional intelligence, contribute to effective collaboration in decision-making.
- Decision-makers with strong social skills can navigate group dynamics, communicate persuasively, and build consensus, leading to decisions that are not only well-informed but also accepted and supported by the team.
Emotional Intelligence in Professional Settings: Leadership and Decision-Making
- Leadership and Emotional Intelligence:
- Empathy in Leadership: Emotional intelligence is particularly crucial for effective leadership. Leaders with high emotional intelligence can understand the needs and concerns of their team members, fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.
- Motivational Leadership: Leaders with strong emotional intelligence are adept at motivating and inspiring their teams. They can tap into the intrinsic motivations of individuals, leading to higher levels of engagement and performance.
- Workplace Decision-Making:
- Team Collaboration: Emotional intelligence plays a vital role in decision-making within the workplace, especially in collaborative settings. Leaders who can navigate group dynamics and foster a culture of open communication contribute to more effective decision-making.
- Conflict Resolution: In workplace decision-making, conflicts are inevitable. Emotional intelligence helps leaders manage conflicts constructively by understanding the emotions involved and finding resolutions that satisfy all parties.
- Adaptability: The workplace is dynamic, and decisions often need to be made in rapidly changing circumstances. Emotional intelligence contributes to adaptability, allowing leaders to make informed decisions even in high-pressure situations.
- Communication and Decision-Making:
- Effective Communication: Emotional intelligence enhances communication skills, which are vital in conveying decisions to teams. Leaders who can communicate decisions with empathy and clarity are more likely to gain the understanding and support of their team members.
- Listening Skills: Leaders with high emotional intelligence actively listen to the concerns and feedback of their team. This not only improves decision quality but also fosters a sense of inclusion and trust among team members.
- Crisis Management:
- Resilience: In times of crisis, leaders with emotional intelligence can maintain composure and guide their teams through challenges. Resilience, a component of emotional intelligence, is crucial for making sound decisions under stress.
- Decision-Making Under Pressure: Emotional intelligence helps leaders remain focused and make effective decisions when facing tight deadlines or high-stakes situations.
- Employee Well-being and Decision-Making:
- Consideration of Employee Well-being: Leaders with high emotional intelligence consider the impact of decisions on the well-being of their employees. This includes understanding and addressing the emotional implications of organizational changes.
- Creating a Positive Work Environment: Emotional intelligence contributes to creating a positive work culture, where employees feel valued and understood. This, in turn, enhances the overall decision-making climate within the organization.
The Future of Emotional Intelligence and Decision-Making
- Technological Advancements:
- AI and Emotional Intelligence: As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, there is potential for integrating AI technologies to support emotional intelligence in decision-making. AI tools could analyze emotional cues in communication, providing insights to decision-makers about the emotional tone of discussions.
- Emotional AI Assistants: The development of emotional AI assistants could assist individuals in assessing and regulating their emotions, offering real-time feedback to enhance decision-making processes.
- Data Analytics and Decision-Making:
- Emotional Data Analytics: The future may see the incorporation of emotional data analytics in decision-making processes. Analyzing emotional trends within an organization could provide valuable insights for leaders, enabling them to make data-driven decisions that consider the emotional well-being of employees.
- Predictive Analytics for Emotional Trends: Predictive analytics may be employed to anticipate emotional trends within teams, helping leaders proactively address potential challenges and create a more supportive work environment.
- Virtual and Augmented Reality:
- Virtual Reality Training: Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies could be utilized for immersive training in emotional intelligence and decision-making scenarios. This hands-on approach may enhance individuals’ abilities to navigate complex emotional situations.
- Remote Collaboration Tools: As remote work becomes more prevalent, VR and AR tools may facilitate virtual collaboration, allowing team members to read and respond to emotional cues even in a digital environment.
- Evolving Workplace Dynamics:
- Remote Work and Emotional Intelligence: The rise of remote work necessitates a focus on emotional intelligence in virtual settings. Leaders will need to adapt their decision-making approaches to address the unique challenges of remote collaboration, such as potential feelings of isolation and the need for enhanced communication.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Decision-makers will increasingly need to consider the emotional impact of decisions on diverse and inclusive workplaces. Emotional intelligence will be essential in navigating conversations around equity and fostering a culture of belonging.
- Crisis Management and Resilience:
- Preparedness for Crisis: The future of decision-making will require heightened emotional intelligence in crisis management. Leaders will need to demonstrate resilience, empathy, and effective communication in times of uncertainty.
- Digital Well-being Initiatives: Organizations may implement digital well-being initiatives to support employees’ emotional health, recognizing the impact of technology on individuals’ stress levels and overall well-being.
- Continuous Learning and Development:
- Emotional Intelligence Training: Organizations may invest more in ongoing training and development programs focused on emotional intelligence. Continuous learning initiatives can help individuals refine their emotional intelligence skills, enhancing their decision-making capabilities over time.
- Integration into Education Systems: The future may see a greater emphasis on teaching emotional intelligence in educational curricula, preparing individuals for the complexities of decision-making in various life domains.
What is Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence?
Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence, as outlined in his book “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ,” posits that emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical factor in personal and professional success. Goleman’s model identifies five key components of emotional intelligence:
- Self-awareness:
- Recognizing and understanding one’s own emotions.
- Being aware of how emotions influence thoughts and behaviors.
- Gaining insight into one’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Self-regulation:
- Managing and controlling one’s own emotions in various situations.
- Exhibiting emotional self-control and adaptability.
- Avoiding impulsive reactions and maintaining composure under stress.
- Motivation:
- Having a strong internal drive to achieve personal and professional goals.
- Demonstrating resilience in the face of setbacks.
- Striving for continuous improvement and a sense of purpose.
- Empathy:
- Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
- Practicing perspective-taking to comprehend different viewpoints.
- Cultivating a genuine interest in others’ well-being.
- Social skills:
- Building and maintaining positive relationships.
- Communicating effectively with others.
- Resolving conflicts and collaborating with a diverse range of individuals.
Goleman’s theory emphasizes that emotional intelligence is distinct from intellectual intelligence (IQ) and can be developed and strengthened over time through self-awareness, practice, and learning. He argues that individuals with high emotional intelligence are better equipped to navigate the complexities of social interactions, build strong relationships, and make effective decisions, both in personal and professional contexts.
Goleman’s work has had a significant impact on the fields of psychology, leadership, and organizational development, shaping how people understand and value emotional intelligence in various aspects of life. His theory has influenced numerous studies, training programs, and discussions on the importance of emotional intelligence in personal and professional success.
