Using Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

One of the most important and essential qualities of leadership needed in today's multigenerational business world is Emotional Intelligence (EI). EI is a "people smart" type of intelligence -- it enables an individual to read a person and provide the right kind of emotional feedback and/or responses to that person's needs. Leaders who demonstrate strong emotional intelligence are able to improve project performance because they focus on the individuals within a team rather than simply or exclusively on goals and procedures (Cacamis & Asmar, 2014). EI allows one to be person-centered, oriented towards responding to emotional cues that the other is consciously or unconsciously displaying in their words, behavior, body language, and communications. Effective use of EI can help organizations to promote a stronger workplace culture, stronger teams, and stronger performance overall (Den, Deanne & Belschak, 2012). In a multigenerational workplace environment wherein conflicts might arise with teams as a result of disparate worldviews, attitudes, ethics, belief systems, expectations, and needs of individual team members, an EI approach can help project managers to overcome the disconnect that some employees may feel at work.

Project portfolio management is a strategy in which the management of methods, technologies and procedures is centralized to ensure efficient use of resources and effective scheduling of activities in support of organizational objectives. Many factors play a part in the successful management of project portfolios -- including the way in which employees relate to their project manager. As economic instabilities on a global scale have pushed back the retiring age of many Baby Boomers, there is a greater mix of younger and older generations now in the workforce than ever before (Stewart, Oliver, Cravens, Oishi, 2017). Added to this is the fact that Generation X and Generation Y employees tend to have a different collective attitude towards life, values, interests and their jobs than the older generation (Ahmad & Ibrahim, 2015). Such differences of opinion and outlook can lead to miscommunication, misinterpretation of feelings, and unstable work environments -- especially if management does not take an active role in promoting a more positive engagement with and among workers (Schyns & Schilling, 2013). As the research indicates, EI is a skill that project portfolio managers can acquire in order to address multigenerational issues within teams and promote a positive, efficient, and high-performance environment in the workplace.

There is substantial and plentiful literature relevant to the issue of multigenerational work environments and the management initiatives that can be used address them. Much of the research indicates that generational gaps are real and manifested in the workplace due to the behaviors, attitudes, work ethics and beliefs of the generational groups (Zopiatis, Krambia-Kapardis & Varnavas, 2012; Schullery, 2013; Krahn & Galambos, 2014; Smith & Nichols, 2015; Moore, Everly & Bauer, 2016; Rosa & Hastings, 2016; Van der Walt, Jonck & Sobayeni, 2016). Each generation has specific outlooks based on their educational and life/work experiences, which inform their skill set. The challenge of the project portfolio manager is to harness the unique skill sets of the various generational groups within each team, bring the team together via communication, and promote a productive discourse that embraces diversity. As the literature shows, the ways in which this challenge can be met are best supported by the utilization of emotional intelligence on the part of management. To the extent that a project manager expresses empathy, sympathy, and emotional support, the team is likely to succeed.

The study by Ahmad & Ibrahim (2015) examines the working environment in Malaysia, in which the three main generational cohorts in the workplace today are Baby Boomers (1945-1964), Generation X (1965-1980) and Generation Y (1980-current). The study focuses on how each differs in terms of outlook and the ways in which managers can respond to these differences to establish a better workplace environment. Baby Boomers are found to be task-oriented and strong believers in staying late to finish a job. Their work ethic tends to be solid and they are commonly seen as loyal to their organization. Generation X workers tend to try to find a balance between work and life, viewing each as equally important. They are flexible and tend to enjoy working alone. Generation Y workers are tech-savvy but tend to have few interpersonal communication skills, both verbally and written. According to Ahmad & Ibrahim (2015), these three cohorts are now making up most working environments, and it is the responsibility of leadership and management to help bridge the gap between these cohorts by adapting to the needs of each group. Implementing EI skills is an effective way to adapt to these diverse needs and show a supportive approach to the individuals of the different generational backgrounds.

Bringing the generations together and uniting them via the organizational culture should be the aim of management, and as Butts (2015) shows, managers who take a personal interest in their workers, reach out to them, and address issues by utilizing an intergenerational lens are better situated to produce positive outcomes than those who do not. Exercising emotional intelligence can be an effective tool in assisting management in this aim, especially as Generation Y workers and Baby Boomers have significantly different outlooks on a variety of issues -- such as employment, debt, finances, education, social justice, and more (Cutler, 2015). Bringing these groups together in projects can be difficult, especially if the project portfolio manager fails to recognize the power that EI can have in building relationships (Cacamis & Asmar, 2014).

A study on nursing turnover serves as a sufficient example of the generational problem at root in organizations where disconnect between managers and employees results in frustrated ranks and low retention rates. Meretoja, Numminen, Isoaho & Leino-Kilpi (2015) conducted a cross-sectional survey of interventions in coaching nurses from various generational backgrounds in order to promote competence and quality care. The study's objective was to identify causes of nurse turnover as it related to generational outlooks. Of the more than 2000 questionnaires completed by nurses in a Finnish hospital, findings showed that younger nurses of the Generation Y group were more adept and willing to help older nurses of the Baby Boomer and Generation X groups to learn, use and embrace technology (an especially important tool in modern nursing). The older nurses were also able to impart knowledge and learning based on their years of experience to the younger nurses. Thus, a trade-off was discernible in bringing the generations together, as each had something to offer the other. With regard to the way that managers approach the situation, the study found that they can help to enhance teams and groups by incentivizing workers and fostering a workplace atmosphere that rewards career development. This idea of fostering connectivity is central to the issue of how to address the multigenerational problem and the gap between project managers and workers. By approaching the issue from the perspective of what every employee has to offer to the group, management can add to the team's overall capabilities and apply EI to help bridge the disconnect felt by workers who are unsure of how to approach either the group or their manager with the skills that they bring or can offer.

Bringing generations together to enhance a team's productivity was the focus of the study by Douglas, Howell, Nelson, Pilkington & Salinas (2015), which examined four generational outlooks on team dysfunction. The generations were: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. The dysfunctions they focused on included the absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. The researchers found that multigenerational issues can be addressed by conducting communication workshops for multigenerational teams, providing one-on-one coaching sessions, probing for conflict, and promoting a culture that recognizes results. Hillman's (2014) study supported this finding as well, showing that teams benefit from multigenerational groups when those groups are communicating effectively and utilizing one another's strengths. For example, one of the skills that Generation Y can bring to multigenerational teams is a sharp understanding of and ability to effectively utilize social media -- a skill that can help teams in ways that older generations tend to be unfamiliar with (Shirish, Boughzala, Srivastava, 2016). For a project manager, the point of identifying the skill sets and strong suits of the each unique generational group is to be able to see how the pieces fit and work together to more efficiently plan, schedule, and orient work projects.

Embracing multigenerational teams as an opportunity instead of seeing them as an obstacle to overcome is the cornerstone of an article by Phillips (2016), as well. Phillips (2016) essentially finds that communication, commitment, incentivization, and motivation are keys to helping generations bridge the gaps that divide them. Where EI plays a role in the findings of Phillips (2016) is that with each of the generational groups there are tendencies that can be offensive to the other groups, such as Baby Boomers' tendency to show unwavering respect to authority while Generation Y's tendency is to speak its mind and stand up for what it considers to be its educated opinion. These two tendencies can create conflict if they are taken the wrong way. Schullery's (2013) literature review corroborates the assessment made by Phillips (2016) by showing that the values of Generation Y juxtapose with earlier generations and can lead to negativity between the younger and older generational sets. The high self-esteem of Generation Y is especially viewed as an agitating factor by Baby Boomers and Generation X, which leads to confrontational issues (Schullery, 2013).

Clearly the multigenerational issue is a current problem that requires attention from project management, as it can affect, if left unaddressed, employee morale, worker productivity, organizational culture, and overall accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives. The research indicates that there are potential conflicts between generational outlooks but that there are also potential benefits of bring generational groups together on teams as each has a specific skill set that can be of use to the other group. If an older group is lacking in technology skills, the younger generation can assist. If the younger generation is lacking in social or communication skills or in experiential development, the older generation can provide knowledge and examples that can boost the younger generation's confidence and ability to engage effectively with co-workers.

Management can play a pivotal role in this situation by utilizing emotional intelligence to help break down barriers between the generations as well as to communicate with employees. The core of emotional intelligence is the exercising of empathy, which is akin to putting oneself in another person's shoes to see how it is that they feel, what they want, and how they desire to be treated. The manager who utilizes EI will be able to read behavioral and/or verbal cues that indicate the most appropriate empathetic course of action for the manager to take to support the worker and provide him or her with what he or she needs to help them achieve their workplace and/or professional objectives.

Understanding what the emotions are and how they impact an individual is necessary for the manager in possession of EI. An emotion is a mental phenomenon that has an impact on the physicality of the individual -- whether through facial expressions, tones of voice, body language, etc. The physical action is a manifestation of the mental disposition and by paying attention to the physicality of an individual, a manager can obtain a better, deeper and more informed sense of what the worker's mental state is like. By knowing the mental state, the manager is more adequately positioned to approach the worker with the right kind of words, motivation, incentives, and guidance that the employee needs in order to function effectively in the workplace, on the team or within the organization as a whole.

EI can be especially effective in helping managers to foster relationships with employees and among team members. Employees who feel a disconnect between themselves and their manager can be made to feel more welcome with a manager who possesses and utilizes EI. The employee's mental state is more likely to be assessed by the manager who picks up on verbal and physical cues from the worker and in turn provides the worker with the right form of guidance and/or responsiveness that is geared specifically and precisely towards meeting that worker's mental state. Some employees will be looking for positive feedback, support, reassurance, etc. Others will want simply to know that they have a direct connection to the manager in case they should ever need to report on an issue impacting them and their ability to achieve objectives. The manager who possesses EI is more likely to show that he or she acts with an open-door policy, happily seeing workers whenever they need to talk, and working to develop a positive, upbeat, inclusive and respectful workplace culture. By extension, this approach benefits the relationship-building that is critical among multigenerational team members as well. By fostering a positive manager-employee relationship, employees are more likely to respond to colleagues and co-workers with the same kind of appreciation, sensitivity, respect and gratitude that they are shown by their manager. What goes around comes around even in the professional workplace environment, as Schyns and Schilling (2013) have shown.

In order to make effective use of EI, however, a manager should understand that emotional intelligence is not the same as other more traditional concepts of intelligence (such as IQ or common sense intelligence). EI is focused on person-reading skills. It looks for signs of fear, anger, comfortableness, etc. in the actions, tones, words, and mannerisms of employees. These signs are cues that give the manager a sense of what the employee is really feeling and thinking. Because individuals often apply a filter to their thoughts, words and actions when in public or in the professional sphere, it can be difficult for managers to discern any problems that might be festering within a team simply by gauging that team at surface level. Whereas a manager who is book smart or who has an IQ might look at data reports, spreadsheets that describe worker productivity outcomes, or some other type of quantitative assessment, a manager who possesses and utilizes EI will look at the workers themselves, engage with them in one-on-one discussion, and take note of their mental state through words and actions in order to assess the underlying stability, position, and effectiveness of the project team. This type of intelligence is one that is intuitive but it is also one that can be learned, as it is merely a manner of paying attention to and looking out for emotional cues. Once these cues are identified, the individual and the team as a whole can be better assessed and thereby helped to overcome whatever issues they might be facing internally.

EI is an effective tool in helping managers to develop a number of leadership strategies, such as servant leadership or transformational leadership -- both of which focus attention on the individual worker and help that employee to develop his or her skills accordingly. As part of a broader leadership strategy, EI can provide a considerable support in the effort to transform employees into the type of worker that best fits in with the overall organization aim. While reducing the risk of negligent hiring and implementing effectively tailored training programs are both important in maintaining a strong work staff, a manager's EI utility can be beneficial in binding a diverse team together and in establishing a strong two-way communication flow between the manager and the worker.

Just as the research cited in the previous section shows, the relationship between organizational success and EI is evident, especially when it comes to harnessing the potential power of a multigenerational team. The conflicts that can arise among employees of widely different ages have the potential to be debilitating for any project manager. In order to mitigate the risk of conflicts arising, the project manager, who is skilled in empathizing and communicating with as well as supporting employees through precise guidance based on the recognition of verbal and non-verbal cues, is uniquely positioned to make an exceptionally positive impact on the team. A multigenerational team will need to know that the manager overseeing their development and progress is sympathetic to their individual needs as well as able to hear them and advise them when they are in need of counsel. The EI-skilled manager is strong-suited in handling the people-problems of such teams, whereas the manager who is lacking in emotional intelligence will tend to be more data driven and seek solutions to human problems by implementing policies are procedures that do not effectively address the underlying issues -- precisely because the underlying issues are never adequately identified or understood.

EI enables and empowers management to cut through the masks, the curtains, veils, and filters that workers put in front of their interior life, their mental state, their thoughts and emotions -- either unconsciously or consciously -- as part of an effort to reduce their emotional exposure. Employees do not like to feel vulnerable and will tend to try to protect themselves by displaying a veneer of confidence and stability whenever they can. If cracks in the veneer are present, nonetheless, or if an explosion is imminent, the manager who uses EI can ward off further damage to the team and its progress in a project by addressing the issues, which he or she sees through the worker's verbal and non-verbal cues.

EI can help managers boost the self-esteem of their employees, as well, by assisting management in engaging with workers in a way that highlights the value that employees bring to a team. This is evident in the research which shows that every generational employee has certain skills and/or values that connect with that age group (such as Generation Y being primarily skilled in technology and/or the use of social media, or the Baby Boomer generation being skilled in embodying a strong work ethic and loyalty). A manager who taps into the skill set of the individual workers on a multigenerational team can draw out those skills and arrange for the team to grow accordingly. For instance, if a team is suffering from a conflict pertaining to decision-making or communication, a manager might hold a meeting in which the employees are invited and encouraged to share their thoughts on the project and whatever other issues might be slowing progress. While workers might make certain verbal claims or raise some issues, their body language and the way they present themselves, even if they say nothing will tell the manager skilled in EI more than the verbally expressed words will. Just as poker players will read their opponents' hands by studying facial expressions, body language, gestures, etc., a manager who possesses EI will be able to study the same aspects of his or her employees in order to identify underlying issues and develop a strategy that will be emotionally satisfying for all involved.

For example, if workers on a multigenerational team are being frustrated by a difference of opinion regarding a particular action's benefits, the manager may intervene and discuss one-on-one with each member exactly what the nature of the issue is. Through this discussion, the manager will be exposed to the subtle nuances and behaviorisms of the employees. The manager can detect kernels of agitation or frustration between the lines even if there is no voiced verbally. The manager can exercise a type of eidetic reduction in which the "noise" of everyday life is filtered out and the underlying issues are seen. Then, exercising a high degree of empathy, the manager can show support for the member's opinion and express a positive way in which all the members can benefit from the obstacle. Instead of adopting a negative approach and reverting to punitive measures as motivation, the manager expresses a thoughtful and appreciative stance and promotes a conciliatory solution that enables the team to compromise and move forward. The main and most important feature of this type of engagement is that the manager shows that he or she is listening to and hearing the employees -- that their voices are being heard, that their concerns are taken to heart, and that their needs are being met. Once that step is undertaken, the employees will be more responsive to whatever solutions the manager offers, even if they do not align with the individual employee's way of looking at a problem. At least the employee has had the opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation with the manager, has felt respected, understood, and appreciated. Ultimately, the worker will realize and accept that a final decision must be made and that the manager will be the one responsible for making that decision. It is, in many ways, like a negotiation, and the manager who possesses EI will be able to negotiate between a worker's feelings and underlying emotions and the workers' rational side, which knows that there is a way forward and that the challenges the team faces are really opportunities waiting to be utilized.

As the literature shows, managers are responsible for bringing multigenerational workers together in a team ensemble (Ahmad & Ibrahim, 2015). The disconnection that workers feel when they are of a different age group from management and from other co-workers can adversely affect their ability and/or willingness to engage in important discusses and activities. Management has a duty to see to it that teams coordinate and cooperate to achieve organizational objectives -- but if management itself is not forthcoming in a spirit of cooperation and coordination that is rooted in EI, the team itself is unlikely to gel, come together, and work together on any given project for any length of time.

The manager who possesses EI will be able to overcome the issues pertaining to disconnect that the individual workers may experience. Part of the manager's duty, therefore, is to enable a transparent workplace where openness is pivotal to communication and the risk of disconnect is mitigated. As Stewart et al. (2017) state, "by providing a more transparent workplace, employers can increase the employee's drive and clearly demonstrate the reward that workers will receive" (p. 45). Implicit in the idea of establishing transparency in the workplace is the idea that there are incentives for employees to engage with one another and the manager on a routine basis. Feelings of disconnect arise when a worker feels that his or her role is viewed negatively or as insignificant by other colleagues or by the manager. In order to keep such feelings from cropping up and having a negative impact on the overall team attitude, managers will engage their EI to invite employees into an open discussion where thoughts and ideas are encouraged and flow accordingly. This type of approach keeps resentment and ill will from bottling up below the surface and fermenting into something much more dangerous that can potentially derail any advancement in a project.

Thus, it is important to remember that for a manager, there is more to project portfolio management than simply balancing schedules, budgets, timelines and resources. The manager must also balance the various aspects of human interaction and human emotions that can play a part in a workplace environment. Such factors will always impact a project whether for good or for ill, depending on how they are addressed by the manager. If the manager is equipped with strong EI skills, the workplace is likely to be a place where workers, despite their generational gaps, get along with one another and feel connected to the manager because of the obvious interest he or she takes in them. This is the essence of EI: it enables the manager to become closer with the workers so that they all feel that they are part of a real team, a real union, with a real leader and a real sense off solidarity, vision, and mutual respect. Even if the generational groups do not always see eye to eye on specific subjects, when it comes to work-related items they will be empowered by a manger using EI to recognize the many different ways that they can help one another and, in doing so, will help to foster connectivity and respect.

At the same time, the manager using EI can help overcome disconnect issues by identifying what employees can improve upon in order to be better team players. For instance, Generation Y employees may lack organizational commitment, which can bring down overall morale in a team, as it undermines the feeling of personal stake in a project and the need or drive to achieve the goal (Stewart et al., 2017). The manager can use EI to help guide the younger employees towards adopting the right kind of organizational culture, in which duty and commitment are extolled. Or, for older employees, a technological change may occur in which new technology is implemented for a project that leaves older workers frustrated and unable to perform at their normal, positive rate. The manager who is utilizing EI can see more clearly what the situation is, be prepared for it ahead of time, and offer guidance, clinics, or workgroup sessions to help the older employees get up to speed with the technology that are tasked with using. The goal in either case is for the manager to be ready, trained, equipped and prepared to assess the emotional undercurrents of a multigenerational group. These undercurrents have the potential of eroding the trust and bond between managers and workers until a significant and sizeable gulf is apparent. Such a disconnect is to be avoided, and a manager skilled in EI will take measures to mitigate the risk of this type of erosion, ensuring that teams and employees are tightly-knitted with the manager and the overall objectives of the organization.