STUDIES HAVE FOUND THAT HIGH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN
ORGANIZATIONS IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY,
HIGHER ENGAGEMENT LEVELS, LOWER TURNOVER AND
ABSENTEEISM RATES AND INCREASED MARKET SHARE.
intelligence assessment by Reuven Bar-
On from the University of Texas Medical
Branch and quasi-personality tests.
Regardless of the test selected, application
and interpretation of these assessments
may require the expertise of an outside
consultant.
2. START AT THE TOP TO ASSESS
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
AND TO ACHIEVE BUY-IN
Numerous studies have shown that
successful leaders model emotional
intelligence, so it makes sense to start an
emotional intelligence initiative at the
senior leadership level. Cherniss and
Goleman recommend that before launch-ing
an emotional intelligence initiative,
HR and talent management profession-als
should ensure that leaders understand
and buy into the long-term benefits of
developing emotional intelligence in the
organization, a step that can be as simple
as sharing the results of the studies high-lighted
in this article.
Next, consider first piloting emotional
intelligence assessment and training with
senior leaders so they can gauge their own
levels of emotional intelligence. This can
help achieve senior leader buy-in and will
likely help leaders later communicate the
value of the initiative to their direct re-ports.
During and after the assessment
and training, HR and talent manage-ment
professionals should also develop
ongoing feedback mechanisms with se-nior
leaders on the progress of their own
emotional intelligence journey and the im-pact
their improvements have made to the
organization.
3. AFTER THE SENIOR LEADER PILOT
PROGRAM, LAUNCH A VOLUNTARY,
COMPANY-WIDE INITIATIVE
There are several steps involved in launch-ing
an organization-wide initiative. HR
and talent management professionals
should first assess the organization and
identify the key competencies the organi-zation
needs for effective job performance,
making sure that the identified competen-cies
align with the organization’s culture
and long-term strategy. Once those com-petencies
have been identified, individuals
can be assessed using the same assessment
selected for senior leaders.
A successful emotional intelligence ini-tiative
should be voluntary, because adults
learn best and are more open to change
when they are self-motivated. HR and tal-ent
management professionals can help
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24 ❚ MARCH/APRIL 2014 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
