Web-Based Failure Mode and Effect

Web-Based Failure Mode and Effect Analysis

In this paper we analyze emotional intelligence (E.I) and its applicability in the workplace. Our aim is to come up with the best framework to be adopted by various organizations in improving and measuring the level of emotional intelligence among the various employees. We present a review of relevant literature regarding the issues of emotional intelligence with a view of deriving a consensus on how effective it can be in improving organizational performance. A recommendation is then presented from a unified view of the entire concept of emotional intelligence at the workplace. Our objective is developing the "best practice" when it comes to emotional intelligence.

Introduction

The idea of Emotional Intelligence (EI) has resulted in increased level of interest in formal view as well as in the scientific domain (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).This has therefore led to a general loss of ground by the earlier concepts such as the use of IQ in testing the level of aptitude (Sternberg, 2002). Several reasons exist to explain the rapid development of emotional intelligence in the professional domain. This is mainly attributed to the ability of the Emotional Intelligence (EI) concept to be used to satisfactorily and appropriately utilized as the main theoretical model in both academic and organizational spheres in the evaluation and formulation of various main tasks (Feldman-Barret & Salovey, 2002).

The definition of Emotional Intelligence

The definition of Emotional Intelligence is diverse as pointed out in the various literatures in existence. It is important to point out that the main focus of all EI models is on the measurement of aptitude. There is a model that focuses on trait and includes both personality as well as behavior in its definition. There also exists a mixed model which views the whole concept as a diverse construct which includes all aspects of personality as well as the ability by an individual to perceive while assimilating and understanding how to manage their emotions. Our focus is on the mixed model since it carries a lot of qualities that can be harnessed in the improvement of the level of performance for a particular organization. Its ability to include elements of motivational characteristics as well as the measurement of an individual's character is crucial (Goleman, 1995). The characters that it can gauge are one's self-concept, empathy as well as assertiveness. It therefore becomes very significant in the determination of who fits what position in an organization.

The term emotional intelligence was coined by Salovey and Mayer (1990) and has an inclination of being an aptitude oriented definition. Their definition was however based on one's ability to perceive their emotions while being able to access and generate the necessary emotions that is beneficial in assisting their own thoughts. The individual must therefore be able to understand their emotions as well as to quantify their emotional knowledge with a view of appropriately and reflectively regulation their emotions for the purpose of the growth and development of their emotional as well as their intellectual entities (Mayer & Salovey, 1997). However the application of EI's trait perspective was popularized by Coleman (1998).His concept is applicable in the workplace. His discussion is based on the importance of applying EI in order to bring about success as well as applying it on the workplace. His claims that the effect of emotional intelligence is great within the top managerial positions. The theory is however heavily criticized as a result of lacking empirical evidence (Zeidner, Matthew, & Roberts, 2004).

As outlined by Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso (2000), the structure of EI should consist of four levels. They range from the basic psychological processes to more complicated processes that have an integration of emotions as well as cognition. Their model is best described as being developmental.

The developmental model

In order to come up with the best practice for the development of emotional intelligence at the workplace, it is necessary to have a proper understanding of all models of Emotional Intelligence (EI) .We begin with the description of the developmental model which necessary for nurturing of various forms of skills in the workplace. There are various levels of skills to be acquired in the various stages of the developmental model. We have the first level which includes the acquisition of skills by an individual. The skills acquired at this level are necessary for the perception, appraisal as well as expression of one's emotions. The skills acquired allow one to effectively identify their own as well as other person's emotions. The skill set is also fundamental for the discrimination of others' expressions of emotions. The second level involves the process of integrating various forms of emotions and facilitating them. The underlying concept and objective is the facilitation as well as the prioritization of one's style of thinking. This is through appropriate processing of emotions that gets introduced into a person's cognitive system and then subsequently gets recognized and then finally gets labeled. This then leads to the alteration of an individual's thought. The third level entails elements of emotional understanding as well as reasoning. The various emotional signals are comprehended by a person as well as their corresponding implications. The implications include feeling as well as meanings and must be put into consideration. The forth level is involved with the management of the various emotions and has a lot of involvement with how open an individual is to his or her emotions for the benefits of their own intellectual growth and development. This level is the more complex and involves the use of special skills that allow an individual to engage in a selective fashion, the various emotions as well as the monitoring and management of their emotions as well as other's (Mayer et al., 2000).

There is another approach to the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI) which goes beyond the common and rigid concept of EI. It advocates for the distinction between the various types of EI as ability and one's emotional competencies which are in real sense learned capabilities as pointed out by (Goleman, 2001).

It is important that appropriate EI be attained by various employees so as to ensure the success of every organization. As pointed out by Goleman, it is important to ensure that every executive has a good level of EI as it is considered a major quality in the differentiation successful executives from the unsuccessful ones. This is because studies have generally shown that the less successful executives do have a poor control of their emotions despite having excellent levels of cognitive abilities coupled with exquisite level of technical expertise. It is therefore important to learn that emotional competences are capabilities that are acquired through learning on the basis of EI. The result is an outstanding level of performance in the work environment (Goleman, 2001).

Various forms of conceptual discrepancies do however exist and are a cause of major discontinuity in the areas of EI measurement. It is a fact that there are people who conceptualize the subject of Emotional Intelligence (EI) as comprising of a set of abilities and skills that are emotion-processing in nature (Mayer & Salovey, 1997). This is through an assessment based on the objectivity of the various performance tests. There are however a certain class of individuals who view the concept of EI as made up of certain multiple aspects that are all involved in the proper functioning of an individual Bar-On, 1997; Goleman, 1995).Tis is on the basis of sel-reports and the like. The use of self-reports in the assessment does however come with certain drawbacks such as the low level of reliability as well as low levels of validity. This is because an individual's self-assessment is a reflection of their self-concept as opposed to their actual traits and abilities as pointed out by Mayer et al. (2000).There are however three different forms of measuring EI.These are self reports, ability as well as measures based on observer ratings (Mayer et al., 2000).

Annotated Bibliography

Cobb Casey D. "Emotional Intelligence: what the research says." Education Leadership

58:3. pg.14-18. Nov.2000 10/18/01

This article discusses the concept of emotional intelligence and analyses its approach from the various research databases. The article talks about Daniel Coleman's role in the development of the EI theory which includes two fundamental competences. The first one being personal competence which entails several variables such as self-awareness, motivation, empathy, self-regulation and other forms of personal social skills. In this article two important models of emotional intelligence are discussed. These are the ability as well as the mixed forms of emotional intelligence. There are however several questions that are raised in the process. One of the questions is the reason as to why it is important to include various forms of measurement rests and the nature of reaction that emanated from the public regarding the idea of emotional intelligence. The other question raised in the article regards what the different schools can do regarding the mixed type of emotional intelligence. The article also discusses the development of IQ tests as well as the development and applicability of MSCEIT and MEIS test in the measurement of an individual's emotional intelligence.

Riff Henry B; Hatzes Nanette M. Bramel; Michael H. "Emotional Intelligence and LD in collage students." Journal of Learning Disabilities. 34:1. pg.66-78. Feb 2000. 10/18/01

This article talks about various aspects of emotional intelligence in regard to college student's life and behavior. It discusses LD-leaning disabilities as well as the measurements of emotional intelligence constructs by means of EQ.The article recommends that for students to have good achievements, then they must follow the following skills (social) keenly;

Navigation through an environment which has a complex bureaucracy

Ability to advocate for various requisite recommendations

Ability to effectively overcome the various forms of obstacles while being able to compensate for the various challenges that are presented through tackling of various learning problems.

Ability to manage stress that usually accompanies the various challenges

The paper then presents an experiment conducted by Hatzes in interviewing of a total of 20 adults who all had LD.10 out of the 20 had been previously academically dismissed from university. Through his study he came to realize that emotional intelligence has the following components.

Ability to effectively manage one's emotions

Persistence

Appropriate interpersonal skills

Empathy

A high level of positive reframing

Informative style

Tapia Martha. "The Relationship of the Emotional Intelligence Inventory. "ERIC. Mexico, 1999-11-00 (p21) 10/18/01

In this article, the relationship between emotional intelligence as measured through the techniques of Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EQI).The article discusses the importance of various school ability test like the GPA grade point average and PSAT. The article then concludes by indicating the fact that the use of EQI scores are an indication that there exists a total lack of correlation between the construct of emotional intelligence and the general human intelligence as evaluated by means of PSAT.EQI scores in this article were evaluated on the basis of grouping by ethnicity.